But not until after the Royal Air Force chewed the wings off their bombers and fighter escorts with Ma Deuce's little brother, the .303 aircraft type, of which eight were fighted in the early RAF Spitfire and Hurricane fighters.
They didn't have the range of the heavier German light automatic cannons, but in close their effect was rather like that of a great big shotgun, 20 rounds per second, times eight, 160 holes a second in a heavy machine trying to fly.
Thank you for your service.
The pleasure was mine, I assure you.