Diederick44 wrote:
question if a 10 inch or bigger shell hit an airplane would the shell even explode ? ? Why i am asking is because i read a few reports where a ship popped a plane here and there with its main batteries
Cliffy B wrote:
Given the relatively light construction of an airplane vs a ship I'd highly doubt they'd explode. There's stories of ships of all sizes taking armor piercing shells in unarmored areas of the hull and simply suffering a pair of holes the size of the shell in the hull plating and that's it! An AP shell has to hit some something substantial, like armor, a an engine, a gun assembly, etc... to get them to go off. If a large caliber shell hit a plane chances are it'd send the plane and/or pieces of it for a ride off the ship.
As he stated, an AP round would likely go right threw. If it hit something solid (like the engine or a full bomb rack!) it may go off, but would likely just rip that section of the plane off. When the Germans invaded Narvik harbor in Norway on 04/09/1940, they sent 10 destroyers of group 1. When the British sent in a counter fleet on 04/13/1940 it was led by HMS Warspite. Reports state that, as the battleship approached the harbor, a German destroyer (Erich Koellner I believe) tried to leave the harbor & was shelled by Warspites forward 15"ers. They first used AP rounds (to see what would happen). They reported several hits at close range fallowed by explosions against the side of the fjord, behind the destroyer. Now if large calibur HE rounds are used then they would obliterate an airplane. I read reports of US 8” gun cruisers off Guadalcanal being attacked by Betty bombers with torpedo runs. They turned their 8”ers on them with HE & reports state that several Bettys took direct hits & disintegrated in mid-air! You should note that the Yamato carried 18” flechette rounds for AA during her final voyage.