"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

Bismarck also fired her main battery at the Lancasters
coming in to sink her on that last mission

This actually was fairly common. There are many motion pictures
showing USN ships banging away in order to create waterspouts in front
of low-level kamikaze attacks. I should think that was often done
against torpedo bombers, who had to fly at low level.


In the case mention (Tirpitz not Bismarck) the aircraft were flying
at 12000 ft so the guns must have been aimed at the aircraft
presumably more in hope than expectation of actually doing any good.

Keith