There was a story from the Vietnam War which sounds totally outlandish - a damaged USAF jet pushing another damaged jet via its tailhook (pressed up against a glass windshield of the pusher) as it leaked fuel and was in danger of crashing in enemy territory. But the account is real, despite sounding so improbable. https://theaviationgeekclub.com/pardos-push-how-an-f-4-pushe...

For WW2 air crews, I believe gun cameras were standard in many aircraft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_camera), but for an ad hoc weapon like the one described in the article it would less likely, which makes witness accounts or other evidence so important.

My grandfather was in a US Navy salvage group in WWII. At the time, to verify an enemy vessel (especially subs) were sunk, they would send down divers in the old fashioned "heavy gear" suits to identify the vessels. They would also bring up proof, usually something that could be tied to the vessel, which could be a piece of military-grade equipment or even silverware engraved with the name of the ship.

This is what the suits looked like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_diving_dress