Nelson's use of ordinary high-explosive 16-inch shells provides a comparison with purpose-built incendiary anti-aircraft rounds. Alex Clarke recalls three Italian accounts of strikes in which aircraft broke apart after a close encounter with a heavy shell. Those descriptions support the possibility of destructive main-battery fire against aircraft. The number of occasions on which Nelson achieved this remains disputed.
Notable Point · 1:33:13-1:34:08
Accounts of Nelson's 16-inch shells destroying aircraft
Italian accounts are cited for aircraft destroyed by Nelson's heavy shells, with the number of successes left uncertain.