American Rockets can they kill GVs?

[Randy1]

I can drop a bomb on a GV fairly well but I suck at killing them with the rockets on a P-38L.

Even a sitting M3 is safe from my rocket attack. 

If i remember right each rocket is rated about 160 pounds in AH explosive terms so they should be effective in multiple firings I would think.

Any suggestions on rocket attacks agonist GVs in a P-38, P47 or P51

[Ack-Ack]

Yes, both types of US rockets (bazooka and HVAR) are capable of taking out a tank.  Try aiming for the top of the engine compartment, it's a difficult shot with rockets but if you hit a tank there it will go BOOM!.

[SmokinLoon]

Yes, they can.  However, keep in mind that only the German Pb-1 rockets are truly armor defeating.

When using the US rockets, regardless of aircraft, you need to hit the top armor to have a chance of destroying the tank. Angle of impact is important as well. The more of a perpendicular impact you have the better your chance.  Armor does work, ya know.   

The British rockets from the Mossi and Tiffy are "general purpose", and do have a hardened casing (and more TNT). They are the best air to ground rockets in the game, and they have a better chance of defeating tank armor than the US rockets.  Likewise, the German Pb1 rockets have the best chance to defeat armor but that do the least amount of HE damage to objects other than vehicles.

Nothing is more satisfying that using the Fw190F-8 to bust up a T34/85.     Remember, the Fw190F-8 rockets fire in two's from the same wing (2 left, 2 right, 2 left, and so on). Only need to fire 2 per pass otherwise your wasting ammo. 

[Randy1]

You both nailed my problem, and I thank you for that.  No doubt I was using more side shots than top shots.  Most of my runs are at 45 degrees.  Next time I will use more of a steep clover turn to come in at a steeper dive.

Smokinloon,  I have been busted by Fw190s while in a tank but didn't know it could be rockets.  Interesting information and I thank you for sharing that as well.

Thanks guys.

[bustr]

All rockets fire straight out from the wing. You also need to aim biased to the wing side your rocket will come from. Ever wonder why the N9\K14 with rocket aid or L3 with rocket aid has that "V" with dot in the center?

The "V" is for aiming when you select for individual rocket fire. The angle of the line is for 1000 into 400 biasing either wing. The dot is for fire all. Another reason players miss tanks is they are aiming to one side of the tank by aiming down the center line of what ever they use for a reticle with single fire salvo selected.

Now think about that with the Mossi........

The most accurate rockets for single fire to kill a tank, the bazooka tubes mounted to the fuselage of the P38J. You can aim down the center of the reticle.

[guncrasher]

it's pretty easy to kill a tank with rockets.  just something along the lines "hey guys there's a tiger entering town, I am gonna mark it with rockets and then pay attention to the fighters".  then act surprised when they say "great marking, the tiger blew up".  after fighting some fighters, then scroll up on the text and find out it was one hell of a shot .




first or second rocket hit right in the hatch.





semp

[Schwalbee]

I been flying the ju87 g2 all day,its been a blast when air superiority is achieved and all of the enemy vbases ack is down. But what do you think is better at destroying tanks, the ju87 and its 37mm cannons or fw 190 F and rockets. My first tank kill yesterday was a tiger 2 on a hill. Poor guy rage quit afterwards lol

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[Bruv119]

I killed a panzer once with 1 rocket from an F6F, no-one else was around him and I was PMed hack accusations. It went right down his turret and was more luck than anything.   

[Randy1]

All rockets fire straight out from the wing. You also need to aim biased to the wing side your rocket will come from.
. . .
The most accurate rockets for single fire to kill a tank, the bazooka tubes mounted to the fuselage of the P38J. You can aim down the center of the reticle.

I went to offline practice and sure enough, the rockets hit on both sides of the GV using the P-38L.  I had not thought of using the J.   I will give it a go next practice.

Interesting tank kills.

Thanks guys for the replies.

[bustr]

Everybody gets lucky eventually shooting rockets at tanks. Offline put a tank in the drone circle and up at a large airfield. It will be parked on the runway. Then see how many times you can hit the tank with a single rocket on demand. On the eastern front the FW's developed a tactic of flying at tanks below 300m and holding fire until passing into 200m. You really have to bias for the wing side that the two rockets will fire from. But then, in the real world the tanker didn't have commander mode with the ability to main gun point shoot at oncoming aircraft.

Hs129 pilots used the same tactic and held fire until sub 100m to shoot tanks with their MK101\103. Worked very well if you could pull up enough not to slam your tail into the tank's turret just after firing. The pilot who created the tactic killed himself demonstrating it against a captured T34. It worked well enough that no Russian tank was immune.

[JVboob]

I love when the "bounce" and you see the rocket shoot skyward still using propellant lol. I usually mark with them and hope for an assist but get kills ~40% of the time

[USCH]

I been flying the ju87 g2 all day,its been a blast when air superiority is achieved and all of the enemy vbases ack is down. But what do you think is better at destroying tanks, the ju87 and its 37mm cannons or fw 190 F and rockets. My first tank kill yesterday was a tiger 2 on a hill. Poor guy rage quit afterwards lol

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

they both have pros and cons, the max you can get with the both of them is 12 kills per run, but if you shoot 12 tanks with the F-8 rockets, you still have all your 20mm to shoot soft targets like jeeps, M3's and M-18's with.. But the Stuka is way more cool...

[BuckShot]

Didn't the 190 f8 replace the stuka as the German's tank buster?

[Babalonian]

You both nailed my problem, and I thank you for that.  No doubt I was using more side shots than top shots.  Most of my runs are at 45 degrees.  Next time I will use more of a steep clover turn to come in at a steeper dive.

Smokinloon,  I have been busted by Fw190s while in a tank but didn't know it could be rockets.  Interesting information and I thank you for sharing that as well.

Thanks guys.

To add to the 190's lethality against tanks are the two 20mm cannons (or more) and their large reserves of 20mm ammo.  One good pass (high angle, thin top armor, etc.) rarely gives you results, but with enough ammo to make a dozen good passes, a GV would need a lot of armor to shrug it all off.

[DEECONX]

Yeah, hit 'em on the top works pretty well. I'm still learning rocket-fu, but once you start getting comfortable it's a whole lot of fun