When I was in training in Ft. Bliss in 1954, we were taken to
some gun range to see some action.
      using radar and computer guidance:
          120 mm guns were firing at a (radar reflective) sleeve being towed by some plane
                       quite high, maybe 12,000 feet?  Lots of noise, not very impressive results
           75 mm "SkySweepers" shot at RCATs not very far away,
                        poor RCATs - a couple of bangs and that was it.

Then a single B-36 came by, quite high, and dropped some 500 pound bombs.
  After a long wait for the bombs to fall -
     BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,
BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,

It seemed forever!!   I like fireworks, but sure got tired of BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,
   That plane sure held a lot of bombs!!!   Those bombs sure were LOUD!!!
And they weren't that close - but my ears ring just thinking about it.

Cheers
Ed Thelen