This may go down in Forum history as one of the most ridiculous, useless ponderances ever posted, but it really has me thinking.
And, you never know, maybe there is an answer!

During WWII, with all those fighters and bombers shooting literally millions and millions of various calibre MG and canon rounds at each other, especially over heavily populated areas of the major British and German cities, are there any reports, or at least, a batch of incidents where people or cars or whatever, have been hit by these 'wayward' projectiles.

OK, maybe after loosing the initial 'clout' from the load behind them, they would just be falling at 'terminal velocity'. But then, what is the 'terminal velocity' for lead or steel jacketed lead etc?
They would definitely be capable of causing some nasty injuries at whatever speed they fall.

Surely, considering the literal billions involved, some must have hit someone or something.

Interesting thought Brensec.  My dad was 8 years old during the Battle of Britain and remembers being at school during Air raids etc.  They used to have to leave class and go to some sort of shelter.  He has told me that they used to collect the shell casings after the event and remembers them "raining down" on the play ground one day whilst they were walking across it.  He has never mentioned anyone getting hit by a casing or spent bullet but I suppose it must have happened somewhere.

Will

I imagine Ozzy's account would be a more rare occurence, but still, in dogfights within a few hundred yards of the ground, I can't see a fighter pilot (British or German or American for that matter) holding his fire at the perfect moment, because there is a house or building in the background.

To be honest, I didn't even think of the casings, of which there would be even more 'crashing' to earth than rounds. They, being brass (lighter than lead) and less than aerodynamic in shape, would probably have been less dangerous, but as said, still could kill.

Can you imagine the number of brass casings scattered all over Europe, Nth Africa, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Islands? It boggles the mind!

Maybe not such a ridiculous ponderance after all!! 

(I just sit and these things, for some reason, come to mind - beats the crap out of me). 

Quote:


A bit strange that the bullets and casings would be in the same place, though?
The guns would have to have been fired exactly 'perpendicular' to the ground for both to fall or land in the same spot. And even then the bullets would have 'burrowed' into the ground and the shells would have bounced on the surface.

I've only ever heard of one person getting killed by falling amunition but my great aunt was hit in her left leg.
The guy that was killed was on an airfield at the time so it might not have been an accident. ???

possibly:) i have not seen pics of how wallop was setup during ww2 so it is posible

Brensec;

When I bought my home I had a new roof put on,
about 3 months later had a leak in the living room,
called the roofer, we found a 223 caliber round stuck
in the roof, rural area lot of hunters, It only penatrated
about 1/4" came in almost straight down and just
got through the shingles and tar paper, didn't even
dent the wood!!
This may shed some lite on this matter!!!

X
Brad

And I thought I was old Fozzer!

Hey!

Do you remember Zeppelins bombing London?