Page 8 - James Eric Frederick Paton

This picture shows the approximate position that the ME 110 took as it approached the Lancaster.
Hauptmann Szameitat would have used the darkness of the ground, he overflying open
countryside to approach unseen and position himself underneath the Lancaster; allowing the
upward firing 20mm cannons fitted to the ME110 to hit the main spar of the Lancaster and its fuel
tanks. He would not have fired into the Lancasters fuselage as it was still loaded with its war load
and would have exploded.

Below is a detailed picture of the upward firing 20mm cannon mounted to the rear of the fighter’s
cockpit. Known to the German aircrew as Schräge Musik or Jazz music, these cannon were
deadly and were used to rip open the wing roots and fuel tanks of Allied Bombers.

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