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I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Sunday, August 27, 2023

"...the distance at which you might literally be able to 'dodge a bullet' is around 800 yards. You'd need a quarter of a second to register the tracer coming towards you - at this point the bullet has travelled 200 yards - a quarter second to instruct your muscles to react - the bullet has now travelled 400 yards - and half a second to actually move out of the way. The bullet you dodge will pass you with a distinctive snap. That's the sound of a small object breaking the sound barrier inches from your head."

War by Sebastian Junger. 

2 comments:

Stephen said...

Sheer luck, in other words. The chaos of war.

CyberKitten said...

Most bullets you'd never 'see' coming anyway. But there are things you can do... Body armour is pretty good these days, being situationally aware is key, hitting the deck as soon as you hear incoming rounds.... NOT standing up in a fire-fight.... (apparently a true 'cherry' move...). But yes, there's definitely a luck element.

The book is very good. I think you'd find it interesting.