there is no firm stance, solidity, ...nothing....would you not say parachuting is much, much different than standing on the ground?
Terrific! Both my father and oldest brother were paratroopers with the 101st. Dad got in some drunken brawl in England prior to D-Day and ended up in the infantry instead of the stockade. Older brother managed to serve out his hitch with the 101st without beating up any MPs. Yeah, I get that the descent movement is real even if not perceived, I just don't think it's that big a deal. I'll just say again - I don't think it's an easy shot, and I don't think the story is necessarily true. I just think it's plausible. The guy extends his arm, lines up the sights, perhaps takes into account a slight lead and starts popping off shots as the plane approaches. He gets a hit. Remember too, the plane itself may be in slight descent since he's making a pass to observe the guy in the chute. Yes, it's different - hanging from a harness and shooting as opposed to having both my hind legs on the ground. I don't see that as complicating the issue that much. Today, we train from the ground up - legs just so, slight tilt forward with the torso, two-handed Weaver or Isosceles grip, etc. They didn't do that then, they just stood sideways and fully extended the right (or left) arm, lined up the sights and pulled the trigger. Again. I just think the shot itself is plausible. The rest of the story has holes in it, but not the shot itself given a bit of luck and a decent shooter.
As far as decent goes it's not the absolute value of the vector but the relative vector between the plane and the guy in the shute. If the pilot is trying to more or less match the vertical velocity which I suspect he would if he wants to make a relatively safe close pass then that aspect pretty much disappears. So far most if not all the arguments against it happening don't really make a case for it being impossible just a case for it being improbable but the rest of us accepted that from the beginning.
I don't think pilots did much firearms training while parachuting?? no? so that is another minus factor for even getting a shot off and/or properly aimed.. ....meaning, the very different ''world', physics, etc of just moving around and getting his weapon out,, while chuting,, was not ''easy'', and very different than standing on solid ground I'd say the odds of the so called shot is about the same as winning the Powerball
Geeze, came here to do the powerball bit. Great minds eh B7. Maybe that 1911 was made from a meteorite. That would explain everything.
Well, if there was ever an airplane could be vulnerable to a handgun round(s), it'd be the A6M. Waaaay lucky shot, or taaal freaking tale.