the classic way to attack a bomber is from the rear position.
Hardly.
Reading through Heinz Knoke's (Bf.109 pilot and staffelkapitaen of 5./JG11, and Reich Defense Staffel) autobiography (which is more of a collection of journal entries), I was quite surpised at how closely the tactics that I and most bomber hunters use in-game resemble those that the real Reich Defense pilots used. You see, after the U.S. entered the war with their B17's and B24's, the Luftwaffe found that the overmodeled laser guns on the American buffs DID, infact, make a dead six attack all but suicide. Ever wonder why the B17G had 4 nose guns and 2 tail guns? That would be because the RVG units almost ALWAYS went for the head on attack first with bombers. In fact, 5./JG11's attacks all but directly mirror what we use in game (5./JG11 was also by far the most successful staffel of II/JG11, II/JG11 usually having more kills and less losses than most other units operating in the area). When they first ecountered the bomber stream, they would use WGr. 21cm rockets, or bombs, to break up the formation, continuing to pull out front for the HO. That attack I found almost eerily similar to what we use in game, as not only was the
HO used almost exclusively against bombers, but they aimed for the exact same place, the cockpit, as I, at least, aim for ingame. After the head-on attack took down some bombers and spread the formation out even more, the staffel would either make another high-speed pass through the formation or start picking off stragglers. After the formation was split up enough, Knoke and his pilots WOULD hang a couple hundred yards of the 6-oclock of the buffs and load 'em with lead, but by this time the rear gunner was usually already dead.
Though, I agree
whole-heartedly with Tankker on fighter HO's (*gasp!*). Here's the way I see it.
The basic concept of ACM is to get a guns solution on your opponent while denying your opponent a guns solution on you. While the HO does give you the second perameter, it does not give you the first. Thus, in my opinion, it is bad ACM. And, thus, in my opinion, I rarely shoot at someone with a guns solution on me, as we, in that situation, have both made a mistake and neither should 'win'.
<S>