Interesting WW2 fact...

There were still people using cross-bows in Vietnam in 1969

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At least one American helicopter was SHOT DOWN (!) by arrow fire during the Vietnam War.

At least one American helicopter was SHOT DOWN (!) by arrow fire during the Vietnam War.

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Documentation on that one would be great.

Not even the Montagnards were using crossbows by 1969.

They were making them as fast as they could down in the village by then for trade.
Along with bloody genyouwine VC flags.
I worked with them 2 tours, 68-70 in 3 corps.
We all had M2 carbines and worked up to 16s, 60s,and bloopers.

There are a couple legends aboutchoppers being downed by arrows.

Do some research-bring back a report.

On the home front: It turns out that Eleanor Roosevelt was actually a woman.

Found this Time article. Doesn't say the chopper was shot down but it did return to base with an arrow stuck in it.

The helicopter has revolutionized the ugly little anti-Communist war in South Viet Nam. Using the whirlybirds for transport, government forces no longer remain immobile in fixed outposts. They now go where the Viet Cong goes.
Sometimes this is not very healthy, for the Red guerrillas have developed tactics to counter the copters. In the early days, they tried to shoot them down with homemade shotguns and ancient French rifles; one helicopter even returned to base with an arrow stuck in its fuselage.

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http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873012-2,00.html

On the home front: It turns out that Eleanor Roosevelt was actually a woman.

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Nu uh!! Well, who'da thunk it!

I have heard of choppers returning to base with arrows lodged in tailbooms, fuselages, rotors, windscreens, etc, but I have never seen any documentation on one being physically shot down buy arrows. I mean, if you think about it, it doesn't seem very plausible unless a ridiculously lucky shot hit a fuel line, the pilot, or the engine. But what are the chances of that??

I read in Chickenhawk, by Robert Mason that the VC riged up a huge crosbow in a clearing as an anti-helocopter trap. A gunship pilot spoted the tripwire, shot a rocket at it, and set a small tree flying across the clearing!. While no helecopter was hit, it would have done a job on anything in its way

Eleanor Roosevelt was also President Roosevelt's first cousin

My dad flew CG-4A Waco glidersduring WWII, he was in the 29th ID that went onto Omaha beach, but volunteered for flight training. For those that don't know the number of flights required for rotation varied by the hazards of the mission; e.g. fighter pilots flew 52 missions, bombers flew 25 missions,
glider pilots flew 5 missions. Thompsons and later the "grease guns" were the
issued arms. Dad flew 4 missions, the last was across the Rhine River. He was then brought back to the states for training The ETO was finished so
it's fairly obvious where he was headed, but a fat man and a little boy resolved that problem. He has gone on the last tow now and all is well.

fighter pilots flew 52 missions, bombers flew 25 missions, glider pilots flew 5 missions.

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That, I didn't know.

Interestingly, the US was using a very crude form of TV to try and fly an explosive filled bomber into a target in the latter days of the war. IIRC, they actually hit a ship in the Mediterranean.

Interestingly, the US was using a very crude form of TV to try and fly an explosive filled bomber into a target in the latter days of the war. IIRC, they actually hit a ship in the Mediterranean.

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The "BAT" Navy glide bomb was much more successful. One dropped from a Navy Privateer blew a Japanese destroyer out of the water at range of 20nmi. The ship never even saw the attacking aircraft.

Glider were a realy bad idea. They theoreticly(sp) droped a squad down together. In practice, they sent a lot of men in one little area, hurt most of them and kept the medics busy. Plus, you can predict roughly were they will land.

Glider were a realy bad idea. They theoreticly(sp) droped a squad down together. In practice, they sent a lot of men in one little area, hurt most of them and kept the medics busy. Plus, you can predict roughly were they will land.

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But that was cutting edge at the time! It's amazing to see how far we have come in such a short time.

On the home front: It turns out that Eleanor Roosevelt was actually a woman.

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The Jury's still out on Hillary Clinton.

DCR said:

Eleanor Roosevelt was also President Roosevelt's first cousin

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If you're going to chance marrying a first cousin, why pick one that looks like a dog?

Interesting WW2 fact...

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French weapons have immaculate bores and only minor scuff marks from being thrown down.

Be reasonable. Compared to Mrs. FDR (who carried and knew how to use a revolver), Mrs. Clinton is a teenage boy's dreams made flesh.

FTR, the French have a long and distinguished military history. If you think otherwise, you need to study history more closely.

Readers Digest had a story years ago.... A B52 got shot up an crew bailed out,
the tailgunner who climbed back found the rest already gone an his chute on fire.
He bailed out of the burning plane. He says he remembers falling from what I believe
was well over a mile up...he said he was actually at peace falling, yes, without a chute.
He hit some big pine trees just right, went through the outstretched bows an then hit
about 5 or 6 feet of snow...the Germans also saw him falling from the sky an landing an
found him alive an only bruised! He was turned over to a POW camp. He said the Germans
never touched him with any harm ever. Wish I could remember his name.

My late step father Lt. Roy C. Atchison (R.I.P.) "captured" a 2 man submarine in the English Channel......While flying a P-47 Thunderbolt for the 8th....

Keepin' it gun related..The P-47 had eight .50 BMG in the wings...the ol' man said that it made the craft shudder when he squeezed the trigger....

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My wife's Uncle flew P-47's. He said that the prevailing wisdom of the day was: "If you wanna get the girls, fly a Mustang. If you wanna make it home. fly a Thunderbolt"

The M1 Carbine was developed by Winchester from designs created by David Marshall Williams in the late 1920's- while Williams was serving a 20 to 30 year prison sentence for 2nd degree murder at the Caledonia State Prison Farm in Halifax County, North Carolina.

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Okay, I never said HE designed the whole dang gun...

But, yes, Jimmy Stewart played a much nicer version of the real Williams.

Now for more stuff -
The German MP44 had 2 curved barrel attachments meant to be used by crews of the "Elephant" self propelled gun. One was 30-degrees, the other 90-degrees. A crude mirror sight system was used to aim it.

Eleanor Roosevelt was FDR's fifth cousin.

Readers Digest had a story years ago.... A B52 got shot up an crew bailed out,
the tailgunner who climbed back found the rest already gone an his chute on fire.
He bailed out of the burning plane. He says he remembers falling from what I believe
was well over a mile up...he said he was actually at peace falling, yes, without a chute.
He hit some big pine trees just right, went through the outstretched bows an then hit
about 5 or 6 feet of snow...the Germans also saw him falling from the sky an landing an
found him alive an only bruised! He was turned over to a POW camp. He said the Germans
never touched him with any harm ever. Wish I could remember his name.

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Couldn't be a B-52. WW2 was over before we developed the B-52.