The Japanese Mitsubishi "Zero" was a real terror of the skies in World War II. Powerful and lightly built, they were more maneuverable than most American fighter planes earlier in the war. But being lightly built was one of their weaknesses. Get one in your gun sights and give it a few bursts and it would start to fly apart. Also, the gas tank was close to the cockpit, and if the plane caught fire (a couple of bursts of machine gun fire from behind), the pilot was in big trouble!

Don Firth