soft guns at 11k???

[oTRALFZo]

Heading over a field the other day in Lancs, amazingly was alone at 11k. I made one pass through the Field where one of my drones was popped. I got the kill msg and scratching my head wondering what was around me. Went for my second pass, this time a little over 12k, when my other drone kept taking shots and eventually caught fire. The guy landed his kills and he was in a soft gun.
A couple of squaddies had the same thing happen to them as well. Part of me wanted to salute his gunnery. The other part was wondering if there was a golden BB gun rack in the hanger options for the soft gun.

[lyric1]

With practice it is not that hard to do even at higher altitudes.

[Bear76]

Yup, do it all the time 

[SD67]

12K you're only 4K yards away, easy. A field gun can hit out to 6K yards if Zazen is in it

[oTRALFZo]

Thanks guys. It just seemed like the impossible shot to me if I was in there. I'm gonna give it a shot in the future. <S>

[Gixer]

I find Lancs a strange beast. Nothing can soak up 37mm rounds like a Lanc, like shooting at a giant tree trunk nothing happens. Normally I have to put a couple rounds into a wing or HO shot straight through the cockpit if I want to kill them with less then two or three rounds.


<S>...-Gixer

[lyric1]

I find Lancs a strange beast. Nothing can soak up 37mm rounds like a Lanc, like shooting at a giant tree trunk nothing happens. Normally I have to put a couple rounds into a wing or HO shot straight through the cockpit if I want to kill them with less then two or three rounds.


<S>...-Gixer

Any place on the main body is tough I have hit a Lanc as many as 8-9 times with a manned ack & watched it fly away.

[BiPoLaR]

Happens all the time 

[Zazen13]

I can hit buffs all day long at anything under 4k yards above me. Over 3.5k yards you can still hit them, but you do not see the "ping". At 4k you can't hit them anymore at all. So, you're only safe at 12k+ "above ground level". The above ground level thing is the important part, not above sea level. Being 12k on your altimeter when attacking a 2k field is only 10k, so you're easy meat.

[Zazen13]

Any place on the main body is tough I have hit a Lanc as many as 8-9 times with a manned ack & watched it fly away.

When shooting at high alt buffs I first get my lead right which takes a few seconds. Then I send up 5 or 6 rounds on the lead buff then adjust for 5 or 6 on each of the drones. That is all you generally have time for on a single pass on buffs 10k+. Lancs are hardest to bring down compared to other buffs for one reason. They seem to be all but immune to engine fires. My goal is to set the engines on fire or snap off a wingtip so it drops out of formation. Hitting the fuselage of a bomber at alt is usually not going to bring it down unless you get lucky or really lay into a single spot with 5+ rounds. So, against American bombers if I don't snap off a wing/tip I usually start an engine fire which can happen from just one 37mm round. However, against Lancs I am rarely able to start an engine fire and the wings seem more robust and harder to "clip". Conversely, I find B24's engines light up like Roman candles, very easy to set alight, which is good cause they're a pita to kill with a fighter usually...

[CAP1]

Heading over a field the other day in Lancs, amazingly was alone at 11k. I made one pass through the Field where one of my drones was popped. I got the kill msg and scratching my head wondering what was around me. Went for my second pass, this time a little over 12k, when my other drone kept taking shots and eventually caught fire. The guy landed his kills and he was in a soft gun.
A couple of squaddies had the same thing happen to them as well. Part of me wanted to salute his gunnery. The other part was wondering if there was a golden BB gun rack in the hanger options for the soft gun.

your altimeter reads your altitude above sea level, (MSL). therefore, your altitude above the ground varies. look at the altitudes of the bases. if you're at 11k alt, and a base is at 5k alt, then you're only 6k AGL(above ground level), and very easily within range of the anti aircraft.

[Fox]

Would anyone be willing to share how you determine the amount of lead required?  Also, how do the 5" naval guns compare?  Thanks

[Lusche]

Lancs are hardest to bring down compared to other buffs for one reason. They seem to be all but immune to engine fires.

Strictly speaking, all buffs are immune to engine fires. Because we don't have any in AH2.
All fires you can see in game are fuel tank fires.

The B24s have Left & Right Outer Fuel, that's the ones you can see burning.
The Lancaster doesn't have those, thus one can't see that kind of "engine" fires.

[Zazen13]

Strictly speaking, all buffs are immune to engine fires. Because we don't have any in AH2.
All fires you can see in game are fuel tank fires.

The B24s have Left & Right Outer Fuel, that's the ones you can see burning.
The Lancaster doesn't have those, thus one can't see that kind of "engine" fires.

Good info, but yea, in the game visually they appear to be emanating from the general engine area. I would have thought a round exploding on the wing that ruptured and ignited a fuel line to an engine could also cause that type of fire. I've seen footage of bomber combustion from what appears to be just such a thing or at least some kind of fuel leak that was ignited by a cannon or incendiary round.

[BaldEagl]

Conversely, I find B24's engines light up like Roman candles, very easy to set alight, which is good cause they're a pita to kill with a fighter usually...

When I was flying the 190A-8 all the time Lancs were easy kills and B-24s/17's were much more difficult for me.  I think IIRC I was 8-12:1 against Lancs and more like 3-6:1 against the others.

Lately I've been doing all my buff hunting in the Spit XVI.  This camp (without looking right now) I think I'm ~24:0 against B-17's/24's and only ~ 4:1 against Lancs.

I think it really depends on what you fly and how you attack.  The Spit allows more attack options for the impatient pilot (me) but lacks the big guns that are useful against the Lancs.  And you're right, both the B-17 and the 24 light up easily (the 24 more so) but even the Lanc will catch fire with the right hit.

Sorry for the Hi-jack.  Now back to our regularly schedeled discussion.