Check out the Store: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/ Finally some World War 1 content for everyone whos been waiting so patiently for it thank you for watching guys and I'll see you in the next one, Much Love.
Just a couple of points: 1. Flying during WW1 was better then the alternative which was getting shelled daily in the rat infested trenches, seeing your mates getting blown up, gassed, etc.. 2. at 14:08 when you talk about the Sopwith Dolphin, you were actually talking about is one oh the following: An Airco DH.4, a Bristol F2A, F2B, or one of the Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft: B.E.2a, B.E.2b, B.E.2c, B.E.2e, or R.E.8, as these were all two seater aircraft, whilst the Sopwith Dolphin was a single seater fighter.
They also had to know how to disassemble and reassemble their aircraft before they were allowed to fly. Obviously aircraft were less complex, but that’s crazy.
@@GrowlingSidewinder I thought it was funny you pounced every thing in this video and you hearing of the screaming when they were crashing and catching fire. The virtual reality showing the real life horror and bravery that British and American pilots endured from German engineering.
Most WW1 pilots up until things got desperate for Germany at the end were pretty chivalrous and likened themselves of knights of the skies. They did their best to disable the enemy planes without killing the pilot and there were stories of enemy planes flying over a crashed plane to ensure the enemy pilot was still alive (if the sky and ground were clear of enemies). There were pilots on both sides looking for blood, but many understood the danger and bravery of flying and saw themselves as jousters more than killers. Romance was still alive for a while.
A good example of that was the dogfight that occurred between Ernst Udet and Georges Guynemer. It ended when Udet had both guns on his plane jam and instead of moving in for the kill, Guynemer gave him a wave and broke off.
Can't wait to see you incorporate some of the WWI skills into your modern dogfighting. Open the cockpit so you can stand up and check out wing damage, fire a pistol at the enemy, land in fields...the usual
WW1 dogfights are really good at teaching you staying in their aspect and energy fighting though! You can combine those two and become quite proficient in any other era fighter aircraft.
@@ToreDL87 oh, I agree in that regard. Most of the same basic principles apply, but everything is closer and slower, so probably easier for new pilots to see how everything works before moving up to modern jets where the fight can be over in seconds, and it can be tough reading subtle cues on the enemy plane.
@@GrimaldiJ Correct, with WW1 combat you learn to read the situation & enemy's moves, a couple of weeks with a good gang online and you will see results, then you can translate that to WW2 & Jet combat and "level up" faster there as well. Much closer and much slower, so like you said, you learn to see the subtle cues sooner, you learn the important lessons way faster than if you were to basically be cannon fodder in jets or ww2 aircraft for months on end like what most people do these days. My point is, GS is already employing almost everything from WW1 air combat. Didn't mean to be *this* on it, but it looked kinda like you were taking a quick jab at ww1 air combat just a little bit.
If you are interested in WW1 flying you should watch The Blue Max. It's a mid-1960s epic kind of movie like they used to make back then. Watching the trailer it looks pretty campy by today's standards but it really is a good movie. Lots of flying and combat along with the pilot codes of conduct issues. Parts of it are a slower pace and there's the requisite love story in it but overall it's a good watch.
jeez the screams in the video adds a whole new dimension to the experience. if I were to go back in time and be a ww1 pilot for 3 days, I'll like a billion
@@everettbruckerhoff6029 I still can't believe I've watched a sidewinder dogfighting video that didn't have the "he's going one circle", "he's going two circles.' in it.
@@emmano6340 I will be honest, I would pick to fight in planes anytime, being ordered to run into enemy machine gun fire during trench warfare just isn't for me you know.
Brisfit did badly at first because the combat was delegated to the rear gunner; as soon as it began to be used as a fighter in it's own right, it held it's own well.
Something about WW1 combat is just riveting with death so close; well worth a few watches. Had the same phenomena with the film "Wings", actually the assault on the bombers meshes very well with a relevant scene in Wings.
Actually, the plane that drove the German pilots crazy was the Bristol F.2B, especially once the Royal Flying Corps figured out the two seater was extremely maneuverable. The F.2B racked up a lot of kills because they could take on German fighters with both the front guns and the observer-mount rear gun.
Great clip. It must be awesome in vr. There was one part in particular I really liked. When you stood up to look at the damage to your plane I could tell in your breath that you were literally standing up.
@@kevelliott The Brisfit was the one he commented on burning so easily, which struck me as odd as ALL aircraft of that time were literal fires waiting to happen, and the Brisfit was one of the sturdier WWI aircraft.
let's say that in nearly 30 years, we came from little recon aircraft, to jet fighters.... 30 years between the first fights (1915) and the first jet in 1939 (heinkel 178)
Man, watching these WWI dogfights is much more haunting and terrifying than those WWII dogfights, hearing those poor guys screaming while burning to death and falling from the sky... :(
Love the WW1 content sir! I have to mention, the "Noooooo!" heard by the Sopwith pilot at 11:44 would have been hilarious if it was Vader's from Revenge of the Sith ;)
The engineers who were able to design machine guns that were timed perfectly to not hit the propeller blades blow my mind. Can anyone explain how they were able to accomplish that?
In a very simplified way, the engineers connected the firing mechanism to the propeller shaft via a gearbox. Or something similar to one. It was constructed in a way that in between the propeller blades, a push rod was moved upwards via a protrusion on the prop shaft. Once it moved up, given that the pilot pulled the trigger, the forward mounted machine guns fired.
I think it was some sort of interrupter connected to the propeller in the machine guy mechanism so every time a propeller was in front of the gun it wouldn’t fire.
My great grandfather was a mechanic in The Red Baron's squadron. My mom has a photograph of him (my grandfather, not Richthoven) in front of a bunch of planes (unfortunately, not the Fokker DR1.) In WW2, he operated spotlights while my great grandmother shot Flak 88s at bombers. I've always been a big fan of WW1 air combat. Looking forward to trying this out now that they have a campaign (and on sale lol.)
we'll never know but I do always love the apocryphal story that these guys were friendly with each other till one day one of them brought a gun and shot at the other side's planes, then the next time they met they were fully fighting with whatever they brought
I own IL2 but I’m not good at managing energy… I understand the principles a little bit of energy management and not being able to turn all crazy to maintain speed without bleeding energy, but if I feel I get out turned every time.. and when I do try turning more I stall…. I feel that I lack training to fly these sim games lol
You have to really, really understand the flight/performance envelope of your aircraft and your adversaries, to effectively manage energy in a dogfight. It is why study time is ten times or more, than seat time, today. Back then, the pilots were more or less on their own to figure things out and why they lasted minutes, instead of days, in many cases. The experienced pilots, like Growling here, ran roughshod around enemy aerodromes, picking of new fliers, that knew little of things as clearing six or using the sun or cloud hopping, to hide your approach to the enemy. Most that died, never saw them before the rounds started shredding their kite. Brave, brave, brave... cannon fodder.
We also subscribe who only stand and wait. 🙂 I don't watch hockey because I can skate but because I can't. We old-timers may enjoy watching more than playing, and for many of us it's always been about learning about the planes & they're characteristics, and of course some good old-fashioned gunnery. GS delivers top tier action and my favorite content will always include propellers.
Awesome!!! Fighting with gliders, lol.... Thanks for the time and effort you invest in your productions they are very much appreciated and enjoyed!!! Thank you💌🇨🇦
I am a want to be learner. I was wondering if the old planes would be more easy to learn how to operate?? Watching the PROS and CONS of the, LINE VR to VR
Some of these WWI planes (like the Sopwith Camel) like to kill their own pilot more than the enemy sometimes. But there are kites like this Pfalz that are a dream to fly and very easy to manage, and a lot of fun...seat of the pants flying!
I don't think it was so much the size of the bullets used as it was how they finished the fabric coverings on those aircraft. Some of those plane had type of dope that was applied to the fabric after the aircraft was covered. As this liquid cured, it tightened and sealed the fabric, filling in all the minute gaps between the threads and fibers. It became almost like a thin laquer or a varnish that was brittle to certain types of impacts. Which meant that when struck by gunfire, instead of just ripping, pieces would actually break off leaving a much bigger hole.
Check out the Store: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/
Finally some World War 1 content for everyone whos been waiting so patiently for it thank you for watching guys and I'll see you in the next one, Much Love.
Some "two morons" WWI would be nice as we'll, if convenient.
Just a couple of points:
1. Flying during WW1 was better then the alternative which was getting shelled daily in the rat infested trenches, seeing your mates getting blown up, gassed, etc..
2. at 14:08 when you talk about the Sopwith Dolphin, you were actually talking about is one oh the following: An Airco DH.4, a Bristol F2A, F2B, or one of the Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft: B.E.2a, B.E.2b, B.E.2c, B.E.2e, or R.E.8, as these were all two seater aircraft, whilst the Sopwith Dolphin was a single seater fighter.
WW1 pilots were true badasses. Some of them regularly went out on their own just looking for fights basically. No wingmen or anything. Just 1v1 combat
They were just spoilin' for a fight I guess. True chads
@@tonyrun5802 lol Giga-Chads! Actual alpha males!
To be fair, did they understand the value of a wingman back then? Air combat was in its infancy.
They also had to know how to disassemble and reassemble their aircraft before they were allowed to fly. Obviously aircraft were less complex, but that’s crazy.
@@darkphoenix2 i'm sure they did. Its basically self-explanatory. I just dont think they cared lol
Growling as he shoots his guns full auto: “what a horrible death”
Casually lighting bogeys on fire: “truly tragic, I can’t believe this happened”
Lold
"Um, actually, bogey is a designation used for unidentified aircraft. A confirmed hostile aircraft would be called a bandit" 🤓
@@sacopanchez151 I love you
@@frozetti434 (⁄ ⁄°⁄_⁄°⁄ ⁄) Well thank you
@@GrowlingSidewinder I thought it was funny you pounced every thing in this video and you hearing of the screaming when they were crashing and catching fire. The virtual reality showing the real life horror and bravery that British and American pilots endured from German engineering.
Love how casual he is with the death screams of the burning pilots and tail gunners
I mean it’s probably accurate somewhat😬
Yeah. The v.a. did a excellent job with that scream.
Those screams are quite disturbing. No way, I'd go back in time for this kind of aerial jousting.
yeah, but where's the Wilhelm scream!??
loool
Most WW1 pilots up until things got desperate for Germany at the end were pretty chivalrous and likened themselves of knights of the skies. They did their best to disable the enemy planes without killing the pilot and there were stories of enemy planes flying over a crashed plane to ensure the enemy pilot was still alive (if the sky and ground were clear of enemies). There were pilots on both sides looking for blood, but many understood the danger and bravery of flying and saw themselves as jousters more than killers. Romance was still alive for a while.
Very true 👍.
A good example of that was the dogfight that occurred between Ernst Udet and Georges Guynemer. It ended when Udet had both guns on his plane jam and instead of moving in for the kill, Guynemer gave him a wave and broke off.
When Manfred Richtoffen (The Red Baron) was killed, a British pilot flew over his funeral and dropped a wreath
@@dudeinadoughboy4327 He crashed behind British lines and it was the British and Australians who gave him a military funeral and buried him.
The European (in English) movie The Red Baron is a great movie about this time period and Richtofen.
GS: "Such a horrible death"
Also GS 10 minutes later: "Very satisfying kill, I love getting these guys"
Richtofen was pretty much that- he enjoyed the kill
@@paulvonhindenburg4727 The hunt, more so than the kill.
God, the screams... That would be scarring in real life to hear so many fear-stricken screams.
You couldn't hear anything besides the roar of your engine and your guns firing, and wind.
You probably wouldn’t hear anything over the sound of two machine guns firing like 2 feet away from you and a loud ass engine with no canopy.
Real men die silent.
t. Pilot for 40 years
GS: “crazy pilots didn’t have parachutes.”
Also GS: “So I started blasting the guys with no parachutes”
That screams when they are burning alive is just haunting.
Horrible death
"So far [we haven't been shot]"
Classic GS.
It’s always a good day when I get the notification that GS uploaded again. Love your content dude ☺️
Thank u brother much love
Yeah I'm hooked, I would like to see a group one where raptors and F35 work together maybe taking out AWAC 's and ground defences!
@@rocketrockstar8171 Dude that would slap!
Can't wait to see you incorporate some of the WWI skills into your modern dogfighting. Open the cockpit so you can stand up and check out wing damage, fire a pistol at the enemy, land in fields...the usual
WW1 dogfights are really good at teaching you staying in their aspect and energy fighting though!
You can combine those two and become quite proficient in any other era fighter aircraft.
@@ToreDL87 oh, I agree in that regard. Most of the same basic principles apply, but everything is closer and slower, so probably easier for new pilots to see how everything works before moving up to modern jets where the fight can be over in seconds, and it can be tough reading subtle cues on the enemy plane.
@@GrimaldiJ Correct, with WW1 combat you learn to read the situation & enemy's moves, a couple of weeks with a good gang online and you will see results, then you can translate that to WW2 & Jet combat and "level up" faster there as well.
Much closer and much slower, so like you said, you learn to see the subtle cues sooner, you learn the important lessons way faster than if you were to basically be cannon fodder in jets or ww2 aircraft for months on end like what most people do these days.
My point is, GS is already employing almost everything from WW1 air combat.
Didn't mean to be *this* on it, but it looked kinda like you were taking a quick jab at ww1 air combat just a little bit.
@@ToreDL87 cringe
If you are interested in WW1 flying you should watch The Blue Max. It's a mid-1960s epic kind of movie like they used to make back then. Watching the trailer it looks pretty campy by today's standards but it really is a good movie. Lots of flying and combat along with the pilot codes of conduct issues. Parts of it are a slower pace and there's the requisite love story in it but overall it's a good watch.
The audio from the tail gunner’s rounds hitting your plane is actually phenomenal
jeez the screams in the video adds a whole new dimension to the experience. if I were to go back in time and be a ww1 pilot for 3 days, I'll like a billion
You couldn't hear anything besides the roar of your engine and your guns firing, and wind.
@@TheErilaz you have no idea how loud screams can be.
@@TheErilaz but in general, you are correct.
If you lasted 3 days...
It's interesting to see a modern dogfighter transported 100 years into the past.
He’s reading the book those guys wrote, and he has 100 years of dogfighting knowledge on top of that. It is impressive for sure.
@@everettbruckerhoff6029 I still can't believe I've watched a sidewinder dogfighting video that didn't have the "he's going one circle", "he's going two circles.' in it.
Man, those screams give me the chills every time!
To answer your question, 50 million in gold! That’s what it would take.
Same man, and to think that many of those pilots were actually volunteers...i don't know how they could fly with the weight of their balls of steel.
50 million in gold is probably more than entire airforces were worth back then
@@hphp31416 if they want me to fly, I have a price. The 50 million in gold is a jab at the amount of gold in Fort Knox at the beginning of WW1
@@emmano6340 I will be honest, I would pick to fight in planes anytime, being ordered to run into enemy machine gun fire during trench warfare just isn't for me you know.
*Blasting bullets into people* "I'm trying to be nice here." 😂 I understand what your saying but that was funny
Thank you @Growling Sidewinder. I have been asking for a few WW1 videos. Great video.
The blood-curdling screams are just adorable.
"such a horrible horrible death..." *proceeds to kill more guys*
yay, ww1 dogfights are back. I love these :)
Brisfit did badly at first because the combat was delegated to the rear gunner; as soon as it began to be used as a fighter in it's own right, it held it's own well.
“…such a horrible horrible death”
*1.5 seconds later* “So I’m gonna pilot snipe this guy”
Man, 15 years after Kitty Hawk and they were building these glorious death machines...they're magnificent
That poor pilot was dead before his gunner....
That poor gunner was alive after his pilot. It’s gotta be worse going down with absolutely nothing you can do
@@basementdustproductions1069 if u check the reply, u can see the pilot's head tilted to the right, meaning he was already dead before his gunner
@@jonqueller4444 Sorry, I completely flipped them for some reason
Something about WW1 combat is just riveting with death so close; well worth a few watches. Had the same phenomena with the film "Wings", actually the assault on the bombers meshes very well with a relevant scene in Wings.
at this point after watching numerous dcs content from other channels i am convinced growling sidewinder is an aircraft sniper
Most VR videos give me motion sickness due to the jittery-ness but this one was really smooth. Well done and a joy to watch!
I personally absolutely love these WW1 dogfighting vids.
That aircraft you thought was a Sopwith Dolphin at 14.30 was a De Havilland DH4. The Dolphin was a single seat fighter.
I was thinking it might be one of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 variants or maybe an R.E.8.
I don't think i will be sleeping tonight after all the screaming in this lol
Actually, the plane that drove the German pilots crazy was the Bristol F.2B, especially once the Royal Flying Corps figured out the two seater was extremely maneuverable. The F.2B racked up a lot of kills because they could take on German fighters with both the front guns and the observer-mount rear gun.
Great clip. It must be awesome in vr. There was one part in particular I really liked. When you stood up to look at the damage to your plane I could tell in your breath that you were literally standing up.
You can hear the pilots screaming in pain, that is some nice attention to detail.
I love how he says "Such a horrible death" literally after he caused it
Your Sopwith Dolphin was an Airco DH9a! The Dolphin was a single seat fighter, with a rearward set upper plane, like the Beech Staggerwing.
I thought that was a Brisfit.
@@Ambaryerno No, though there was a Bristol Fighter somewhere in the video; but at the time GS was talking about a Dolphin, it was def a DH9.
@@kevelliott The Brisfit was the one he commented on burning so easily, which struck me as odd as ALL aircraft of that time were literal fires waiting to happen, and the Brisfit was one of the sturdier WWI aircraft.
let's say that in nearly 30 years, we came from little recon aircraft, to jet fighters.... 30 years between the first fights (1915) and the first jet in 1939 (heinkel 178)
Bedankt
Thank you very much
You did so good to be in the blind spot though, that was great flying 🤘🏼
Absolutely brutal. Their screams will haunt my dreams.
Man, watching these WWI dogfights is much more haunting and terrifying than those WWII dogfights, hearing those poor guys screaming while burning to death and falling from the sky... :(
You couldn't hear anything besides the roar of your engine and your guns firing, and wind noise.
@@TheErilaz That is true enough, but every pilot and gunner knew what was happening in those aircraft. Every. Single. One.
The death screams…. Legit.
so gruesome the way the scream
the screaming is brutal, ver well edited GS
Oh my God ! Those scream😢
Damn, they added 😱 screams. Chilling.
I don't know what's so satisfying about these ww1 videos
moden jets: disintegrate from 1 trigger pull
ww1 planes: wings looks like swiss chese, still flying
What I think is crazy is that actual people did this in real life, over 100yrs ago. That’s just insane to me
Man, those screams are just haunting, absolutely brutal! Great flight!
Rectangular radiator is Dehavilland DH4, The roundish radiator is the Bristol.
Love the WW1 content sir! I have to mention, the "Noooooo!" heard by the Sopwith pilot at 11:44 would have been hilarious if it was Vader's from Revenge of the Sith ;)
This might be a dark take but the screaming sound effect is hilarious 🤣
your content is some of the best on youtube. i hope your channel keeps growing!
The death screams are absolutely disconcerting, but I love it. This is sofa king cool, thanks again for everything, you're awesome.
I love that instead of a tail wheel, the plane has a plow which acts as a break and helps the plane not to flip over.
I'd love to watch a longplay campaign series in VR
Could you do a video as a tailgunner? Love your videos.
Awesome video bud. I found your channel 6 months ago and this what ive been waitin for. WW1 and WW2 videos. Thanks man. Keep up the great work
The picture of your German pilot's late wife in the cockpit is a nice touch
The engineers who were able to design machine guns that were timed perfectly to not hit the propeller blades blow my mind.
Can anyone explain how they were able to accomplish that?
In a very simplified way, the engineers connected the firing mechanism to the propeller shaft via a gearbox. Or something similar to one. It was constructed in a way that in between the propeller blades, a push rod was moved upwards via a protrusion on the prop shaft. Once it moved up, given that the pilot pulled the trigger, the forward mounted machine guns fired.
I think it was some sort of interrupter connected to the propeller in the machine guy mechanism so every time a propeller was in front of the gun it wouldn’t fire.
@@GrowlingSidewinder incredible. I wish I was that smart. Great upload/flying brother!
@@BlackFoxFalcon thanks!
@@BlyGuy You bet.
what a plane! That Sturmovic was a class ahead of everything you were fighting & the Camel was a pretty good plane in it's day
My great grandfather was a mechanic in The Red Baron's squadron. My mom has a photograph of him (my grandfather, not Richthoven) in front of a bunch of planes (unfortunately, not the Fokker DR1.) In WW2, he operated spotlights while my great grandmother shot Flak 88s at bombers. I've always been a big fan of WW1 air combat. Looking forward to trying this out now that they have a campaign (and on sale lol.)
Those screams man!
It's a wonder these things were able to get off the ground at all, seeing as how they had to cart the massive balls of the pilots with them.
The screaming is tough to listen to because I know I'd be screaming even louder in that situation.
So happy to see a few more of these!
we'll never know but I do always love the apocryphal story that these guys were friendly with each other till one day one of them brought a gun and shot at the other side's planes, then the next time they met they were fully fighting with whatever they brought
In the replay, I think the pilot is already dead before he gets the gunner on that first bomber...
Thanks for more VR content. Really like it! It feels more immersive watching you.
I was watching this with my daughter until the guys started screaming in agony 🤣
Looool ya in my defence I do tag these videos as not for kids for RUclips lol
@@GrowlingSidewinder not your fault at all it was just funny. She looked at me and said the planes are sad.
I’m so happy these are back!
I own IL2 but I’m not good at managing energy… I understand the principles a little bit of energy management and not being able to turn all crazy to maintain speed without bleeding energy, but if I feel I get out turned every time.. and when I do try turning more I stall…. I feel that I lack training to fly these sim games lol
You have to really, really understand the flight/performance envelope of your aircraft and your adversaries, to effectively manage energy in a dogfight. It is why study time is ten times or more, than seat time, today. Back then, the pilots were more or less on their own to figure things out and why they lasted minutes, instead of days, in many cases. The experienced pilots, like Growling here, ran roughshod around enemy aerodromes, picking of new fliers, that knew little of things as clearing six or using the sun or cloud hopping, to hide your approach to the enemy. Most that died, never saw them before the rounds started shredding their kite. Brave, brave, brave... cannon fodder.
It's a bit easier with the WWI birds like this Pfalz D.IIIa. Always full throttle, and pull the stick to turn until things get shakey.
More of these WW1 battles please! They were awesome
I remember being a wingman for Manfred in Red Baron, which was really fun.
That was 25 years ago so its nothing like this.
[Snoopy did not like this post]
Those screams are gut-wrenching...
I love how at some points you can see the same principles applied in modern dogfighting in this video
Those screams when the airplane becomes a big fireball are unsettling
We also subscribe who only stand and wait. 🙂 I don't watch hockey because I can skate but because I can't. We old-timers may enjoy watching more than playing, and for many of us it's always been about learning about the planes & they're characteristics, and of course some good old-fashioned gunnery. GS delivers top tier action and my favorite content will always include propellers.
If they could pull it off if you want early dog fights the pilots used to bust out their pistols and shoot at each other.
You can actually do that in IL2 😂
Yeah, Play it in VR too! Its absoloutly insane! From Tank driving to flight! Love it!
Whoever made the screaming voice sounds did an amazing job...
Finally, another one of these!
I love the skill GS shows off in these damn biplanes!!
The Albatross series of aircraft were very pretty.
The Dope and Fabric on those birds were highly flammable. Didnt take much to light them up with insindiery rounds.
Awesome!!! Fighting with gliders, lol....
Thanks for the time and effort you invest in your productions they are very much appreciated and enjoyed!!! Thank you💌🇨🇦
Great show, very intense. Thanks GS,
The screams of the burning crewmen are… a nice touch
One thing i take away from this is the screams of the pilot as their planes catches fire.
Honestly I would be an pilot in WW1 the whole war without any payment
You know, in all my years of Sturmovik, I've never played the Great War. I'll save up some money, this looks nuts.
GS jet vids: "There's the ejection, good chute."
GS WW1 vids: "Aaaarrghh!!"
That was a lot of BBQ you served up today! Having watched this, 30 million would be my number for 3 days of combat
I am a want to be learner. I was wondering if the old planes would be more easy to learn how to operate?? Watching the PROS and CONS of the, LINE VR to VR
Some of these WWI planes (like the Sopwith Camel) like to kill their own pilot more than the enemy sometimes. But there are kites like this Pfalz that are a dream to fly and very easy to manage, and a lot of fun...seat of the pants flying!
Being a pilot in ww1 was probably way better then a soldier on the front. Navy was probably the best job in ww1
how many of these would it take to down an F14..? please show us lol
Like these better than the jets. Pretty sick
These were REAL airplanes!
I don't think it was so much the size of the bullets used as it was how they finished the fabric coverings on those aircraft. Some of those plane had type of dope that was applied to the fabric after the aircraft was covered. As this liquid cured, it tightened and sealed the fabric, filling in all the minute gaps between the threads and fibers. It became almost like a thin laquer or a varnish that was brittle to certain types of impacts. Which meant that when struck by gunfire, instead of just ripping, pieces would actually break off leaving a much bigger hole.