soc.history.war.world-war-ii

Don Phillipson wrote:

>1. All weapons and projectiles are "ballistic" so far
>as they respond to gravity alone after release, i.e.
>are not guided by controls that alter their trajectory.

Rockets also are not "ballistic",
since the thrust of the rocket
engine modifies the path of the
weapon after launch.

Also, even gravity bombs are not
strictly ballistic, since they may
have fins to stabilize their paths
by aerodynamic effects.

Yet another category would be
parachuted weapons - ISTR reading
of parachute mines, and also of...
damn, there was a particular phrase...
a framework with multiple flares
attached, dropped as an incendiary,
with some kind of parachute. (I
think I read of it in a work about
the Blitz of London at least 25
years ago, so...)
--
| People say "There's a Stradivarius for sale for a |
| million," and you say "Oh, really? What's wrong |
| with it?" - Yitzhak Perlman |