I think its a question of intent and ability. If you had a random generator that created scenarios that forced a situation where you were in harms way then "furballing" would be vastly over rated. However lets look at the realities of combat, the #2 US ace in the war died how?...
On the deck furballing trying to save a wingie. The sad reality is that its absurdly easy to rack up numbers in this game and always has been. The real skill is in forcing a plane to perform in a hostile environment in circumstances that do not favor the instrument at hand. IRL pilots did not have the ability to pick and chose the circumstances of engagement, often times those issues were decided for them. We need to look no farther then events at field Y-29 on Jan 1, 1945.
Here is the combat report from one pilot involved...
January 1, 1945 Combat Log:
I was leading Red Flight. As we were taxiing out to the strip I saw some air activity east of the airfield. The squadron consisting of three four-ship flights, was taking off singly. As I started down the strip, Colonel Meyer called the Controller and inquired about bandits in the vic. As I pulled my wheels up, the Controller reported that there were bandits east of the field. We didn't take time to form up, but set course, wide-open, straight for the bandits. There were a few P47s mixing it up with the bandits as I arrived. I ran into about thirty 190s at 1,500 feet. There were many 109s above them. I picked out a 190 and pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. I reached down and turned on my gun switch and gave him a couple of good bursts.
As I watched him hit the ground and explode, I felt myself being hit. I broke sharply to the right, and up. A 190 was about 50 yards behind me, firing away. As I was turning with him, another 51 attacked him and he broke off his attack on me. I then saw that I had several 20 mm holes in each wing, and another hit in my oil tank. My left aileron control was also out, I was losing oil, but my pressure and temperature were steady. Being over friendly territory I could see no reason for landing immediately so turned towards a big dogfight and shortly had another 190 in my sights. After hitting him several times, he attempted to bale out, but I gave him a burst as he raised up, and he went in with his plane, which exploded and burned. There were several 109s in the vic so I engaged one of them. We fought for five or ten minutes, and I finally managed to get behind him. I hit him good and the pilot baled out at 200 feet. I clobbered him as he baled out and he tumbled into the ground.
At this time I saw 15 or 20 fires from crashed planes. Bandits were reported strafing the field, so I headed for the strip. I saw a 109 strafe the NE corner of the strip. I started after him and he turned into me. We made two head-on passes, and on the second I hit him on the nose and wings. He crashed and burned east of the strip. I chased several more bandits but they evaded in the clouds. I had oil on my windscreen and canopy so came back to the strip and landed.
All of the e/a were very aggressive, and extremely good pilots. I am very happy that we were able to shoot down 23 with a loss of none. We were outnumbered 5 to 1 with full fuselage tanks. The P-47's on this field did a fine job, and helped us considerably. The co-operation among our fighters was extremely good and we did the job as a team.
Claim: two Me109's destroyed, two FW190's destroyed.
William T. Whisner, 0798190
Captain, Air Corps,
352nd Fighter Group
sounds just about like a furball off of a capped field in AH to me....
