Which fighter is best for killing heavy bombers?

[Angus]

I know 

but then, nothing beats the Hizoo....

[spit16nooby]

I made a post "best way to kill b-24s and b-17s" gotten some good replies.  Also killed b-17 with Spit 1.
"Quantity has its own quality"-Joseph Stalin.  I like the 109K-4 because bombers are so big its not that hard to hit with the tater gun.

[Angus]

Well, at range, nothing beats a quad-Hizoo in the nose.....

[BaldEagl]

Well, at range, nothing beats a quad-Hizoo in the nose.....

That's probably true but the German iron is a lot less resistant to damage than any of the Brit machines.  I got so used to the A-8 being able to take a beating that, for a while, all I ever did was attack from the direct 6.  I could (still can) take a wing off at 800 with the 30mm's.  Mostly, the damage to my A-8 consisted of an oil leak forcing me to fly (or glide) home with three pelts.  My K/D doing this wasn't great but still in the 8-10 range.

What I'm saying is, you can pretty much sit in the middle of the gunfire with those German birds and they mostly just shrug it off.

[Karnak]

The Mossie is a whole hell of a lot tougher since its revised damage model was done.  Its only weakness now is pilot wounds, other than that it is a very tough airplane.

[Krusty]

German iron is a lot less resistant to damage

I think you mean "a lot more resistant" or "a lot less susceptible"? 

[BaldEagl]

I think you mean "a lot more resistant" or "a lot less susceptible"? 

Correct.

[CAP1]

one tactic i can tell ou to be sure to avoid........DO NOT ATTACK FROM THE SIX. everyne seems to like to do this, and when they start taking hits, they wiggle around like that's gonna change anything. just last night i got 3 kills in a ju88 because of this.  you noobs.....LISTEN to the advice these guys are giving you. the only thing that really makes bombers fun is the guys that are good ata attacking them. remember::if you're at his six, you're already dead,,,you just don't know it yet.

<<S>>

[Saurdaukar]

F4U4. 

Fast, uber zoom/slashing attacks, 50's plenty potent.

[stephen waldron]

    I'm in a bomber squadron.  I fly B-17's almost exclusively.  Most of the bombers i lose are shot down by P51's overwhelmingly.  The other planes don't even come close.  I've also had my entire formation shot down by a single P51.   Once i was bounced by a P51 i didn't see coming.  Before i could get into the tail gun position and shoot back, one bomber was blown out of the sky and the other drone was on fire.   
    You may be experiencing a "convergence" problem.   Possibly your convergence setting doesn't match up with your tactics.   You need an expert in these areas to help you work the bugs out, because i guarantee you if this IS the problem.. switching to another plane won't help.   
    As for planes with cannons, i lose very few bombers to these.  Spits and 109's don't impress me at all.  The FW 190 A8 demands respect.  It's a deadly opponent and about all you can do is start blasting away at 1.5 range and pray the pilot is a newbie who breaks off when he hears the Tink, Tink, Tink of bullets on his fuselage.  Of course knocking down a FW at 1.5 range is nearly impossible.   
    Many of my fighter kills come from pilots who dive under a B-17 and forget the threat of the bottom ball turret.  This gun position is extremely deadly, because from this vantage point you're looking down at the entire body of the enemy fighter.  Not a cross section.  Imagine how easy a target that is to hit.  Especially at 600 to 800 feet. 
     There you have it.  You have the honest opinion of your adversary.  A bomber pilot.   

[Saxman]

Waldron recommending a guy speak with an "expert" on tactics?

 

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,237571.0.html

[Widewing]

Not much thought has been given to altitude. I occasionally find bomber formations well above 20k, sometimes above 25k. For these, the 190A-8 is not a good choice. Why? because it is a slow climber at those heights and accelerates poorly. If you're not already at altitude, forget the 190A-8 and consider a 109 with gondolas.

There's many aircraft that are good for dealing with bombers. I like the P-47s. While the D-40 offers the best climb at low to medium altitude, I prefer the N model for higher buffs due to its tremendous speed. Eight .50s will flame any bomber with one pass. Plus, it has offers a far greater ammo load than the P-51D.

I also like the F4U-1C for buffs up to 25k. Good speed, durable, top tier firepower, lot's of ammunition.

For low to mid altitude bombers, anything with multiple cannons, or one very large cannon is adequate.

However, as has been mentioned, poor tactics will offset the best fighter.

My regards,

Widewing

[stephen waldron]

   Darn it.  I got so caught up diagnosing your shooting problem and aircraft choices i forgot to mention anything about bomber weaknesses.   Fighter pilots concentrate on angles of attack and gun arcs and gun positions, and fighter attributes and deficiencies.  Blah, blah, blah.  Yet they miss the biggest blind spot of all, one common to all heavy bombers. 
   In order to drop bombs efficiently.  The pilot MUST BE in the bomb sight the last ten seconds before the bomb drop.  This is especially true if the target is small like an Airfield AA gun or hanger..  or if it is a maneuvering Carrier.  Towns and factories are a different matter and command less attention.  So all you have to do is follow a formation to its target and attack during the bomb run.
   Of course a smart bomber pilot would abort a bomb run if he was being stalked by an nme fighter close to the target.  A smart pilot wouldn't even consider approaching a target with nme CAP over it without a gunner attached.   But in the 4 months I've been playing in the MA, I've rarely seen it happen.   I've only flown once with a gunner attached, and that was with a friend who was NOT a member of my squadron.   
   You'd think if six people in a bomber squadron showed up on squad night to fly missions..  Three of them would fly as pilot/bombadiers and the other three would fly as attached gunners.  All, or nearly all the bombers would reach the target and return home safely.  Instead, each pilot takes a formation and two thirds of the bombers are shot down over the target. 
   Why is it done this way ?  I don't know, i don't have any answer.  People tell me I don't understand the game, or, the "Warrior" cult (whatever the #&*# that is) LOL. 
     

[Saxman]

 

[bozon]

   Darn it.  I got so caught up diagnosing your shooting problem and aircraft choices i forgot to mention anything about bomber weaknesses.   Fighter pilots concentrate on angles of attack and gun arcs and gun positions, and fighter attributes and deficiencies.  Blah, blah, blah.  Yet they miss the biggest blind spot of all, one common to all heavy bombers.   

Most pilots also forget the "blind" spots which are not blind at all, but are completely safe. In AH all guns are slaved to the manned position. If that position cannot aim correctly, no other gun will. This usually refers to the wings plane of the bomber.

Lets imagine the fighter will be coming in from above and the side - the gunner will be in the top turret. If you are pointing under the bomber he needs to lead you in order to hit, but he can't lower his guns below level. So, if he sees you coming and start shooting at long rage, you start diving and he will soon be unable to aim. If he changes gun position he will be disorientated for a second and needs to aim again - by then you will be landing hits on him from short range. The very close passage will make it impossible for him to track you and his guns will not converge, so if he does hit, it is only with 2 0.5s.

You drop slightly below his wings and egress. He will now be in the ball position trying to shoot your ass. When you see the tracers flashing, you initiate a moderate zoom. Again, he can't lead you because he can't raise his guns from the ball. By the time he is back in the top position and aimed, you are out of his range.

Stay away from his rear gun. It has a cone of fire that is not very restricted in elevations.