Talk:Ramming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Merge with Taran

Please see talk:Taran. --Irpen 07:09, 2 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Sheep?

Is there any connection with the word "ram", as in the male sheep? Isn't this what they use their horns for? DS 13:57, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

It's dereived from 'battering ram' as stated, as far as I know this got it's name because battering rams were sometimes sculpted with the heads of rams. Plus ram is a commonly used verb for a forced thrust, this may also be derived from a verb for the headbutting of sheep. --Preasure 21:53, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] V-1

RAF pilots used to "touch" V-1 missiles heading for London with the tip of their wings to destabilize them. Does this qualify as ramming ? Nicolas1981 (talk) 23:52, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it does. Due to the V1's high speed only the fastest aircraft could expect to succeed in this; even then, the pilot had already to be in place waiting for a dumb victim to show up. Preplanning and luck played a part. Binksternet (talk) 07:27, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

I was about to add this piece of information, but I re-read the V-1 article to be sure, and I could only find the following as an attack technique:

These included the hair-raising method of using the airflow over an interceptor's wing to raise one wing of the Doodlebug, by sliding the wingtip to within six inches (15 cm) of the lower surface of the V-1's wing. If properly executed, this manoeuvre would tip the V-1's wing up, overriding the gyros and sending the V-1 into an out-of-control dive. At least three V-1s were destroyed this way.

So, is this "touch" thing nothing more than a legend ? Nicolas1981 (talk) 21:00, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Hair-raising indeed. I'd count six inches as a touch; in practice, there'd certainly be a touch or two over a number of attempts. It is getting somewhat away from ramming, though. There's no wikipedia page for precision formation air attacks... o_O Binksternet (talk) 00:57, 6 December 2007 (UTC)