Schräge Musik
I have recently been re-reading a couple of books about Bomber Command’s operations in the Second World War. One thing that puzzles me (and has done for a few years) is the fact that the authorities did not know about Schräge Musik.
The idea of a fighter with guns that fired upwards at a 45° angle were not really new. The Air Ministry had issued specification F.29/27 calling for an aircraft design that incorporated an upward firing Coventry Ordinance Works 37 mm automatic gun. Three designs were submitted: Vickers (Type 161), Westland (C.O.W. Gun Fighter) and Bristol (Type 112). The Vickers and Westland designs were actually built and trials were made in 1931.
I seem to recall that a similar concept was at least muted in the First World War to counter Zeppelins.
I know that nothing came of either specification, but surely the powers that be must have known about them and made a connection when crews reported back that they had not seen the aircraft that attacked them. Or was it a case of not letting the people at the sharp end know?