<rant mode on>
Ok guys, I keep seeing all the posts about 'They didn't really use HO's during the war, they were too dangerous.'
Sorry, that's just BS.
In the Pacific, that was the recommended way to deal with Zero's. Scissor into a headon.
Joe Bauer (CO VMF???, Guadelcannal) said 'Never refuse a Head on run on a Zeke." They were considered gifts. Hell, the Thach weave was used to set up an opponent for a headon run (I've got a copy of the original paper on it with diagrams and everything).
I realize that European aircraft were more solid, and had better firepower than the zeke, but even so, most of the Biographies of WWII pilots that I've read (and it's a lot of them) the pilots talk about using headon runs against other fighters.
It all boils down to this, If you are at a disadvantage, your only choice was to either dive away (if you could) or turn into your opponent for a headon. He either accepted the headon run and closed, or he sacrificed his initial advantage.
Now for my own preference, I'll only take the HO when my opponent is in a position of advantage (i.e. higher alt, better E). If he choses at that point to continue his run into my guns, so be it. What else am I suppose to do, keep evading, losing more and more E until he toasts me?
<rant off>
<ahhhhhh> Glad to finally get that one off my chest.
Ouch out
