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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thewanderingmind" data-source="post: 9801" data-attributes="member: 180"><blockquote data-quote="Pioneer">...And what about downward-firing 12.7mm (.50 cal) or 20mm cannons - the opposite to the German ‘Schrage Musik’ (‘Jazz Music’) installation, to engage ground targets when flying over them???</blockquote>Unneeded!  I used to watch A-26's on the night range, and when they'd cut loose with those eight .50 calibers in the nose, the world ended in the target area!  In fact, for firepower demo's, they'd occasionally hang a few .50 pods under the wings of one aircraft, and the end effect was frightfull!  Downward-firing machine guns were not the problem.  What the A-26 really needed - but couldn't really get because of weight and manning problems - was a couple of rearward-firing machine guns.  After your rounds impacted on a strafing pass, the enemy would pop back up and unload in your belly and tail areas as you passed over...If memory serves, there was unofficial experimentation with a couple of our OV-10A Broncos over the Eglin ranges.  The tail cone hatch was removed, and a gunner with an M-60 cargo-strapped himself into that little cargo area and tried spraying the target area during pull-ups after a marking run.  Since it was eventually apparently decided this was basically a suicide mission for the gunner (The pilot and backseater had ejection seats), and the added weight was too big of a fuel penalty, the idea was dropped.  Then, the powers-that-be even ordered the sponson-mounted machine guns removed from the Broncos, since they were supposed to mark targets - not get into firefights with the enemy on the ground!  This may have cost us a few people on the ground who needed immediate air cover, but it probably saved the lives of quite a few forward air controllers who would have gotten "down and dirty" trying to keep the enemy back until more airpower arrived.</blockquote>

Verification: What year did the first man go to space? (answer has 4 numbers)