Fleet air defence sought to fragment a large strike before short-range weapons confronted individual attackers. Fighters and heavy flak forced formations to scatter, while pom-poms and other 40 mm weapons provided the closer killing zone and the ships themselves manoeuvred. A 50-degree gun leaves an interval in which a diving aircraft is no longer under heavy fire but has not yet entered the medium-gun envelope. Extending the 4.7-inch battery to 80 degrees keeps pressure on pilots, increases the chance of a poor attack run, and makes the close-range defence's task more manageable.
Chapter · 1:06:37-1:11:30
Layered air defence needs continuous coverage
Fighters, heavy flak, manoeuvre, and 40 mm weapons form a layered system; high-angle guns matter because they keep disrupting an attack until it reaches the close-range screen.