I don't understand how to kill CVs

[Clone155]

The 'roid rage CVs have to stop. I cannot think of a way to sink a CV in an airplane. If you try torpedo bombing, the laser ack gets you, if you are lucky to get that close before the manned 5 inchers get you. If you try dive bombing, HA! I really don't think it is possible to stay above 3k near a CV for more than 3 minutes. I tried level bombing today in B-17s. I managed to get 6 500 pound bombs out from two planes, the third having blown up already by the puffy ack. shortly after the drop, my second bomber catches fire, and then my last bomber catches fire. And to top it off, my bombs didn't even sink the CV, having almost all of them hit.

So the way I see it is you have the shore batteries, or another CV, maybe a PT boat if you are lucky. Back in the good ol' days, I remember that the puffy ack was just for looks, these days their is 3 times as much, and as deadly as a tiger is to a fat kid covered in bacon.

GRIPE GRIPE GRIPE!!! 

[EskimoJoe]

You're not doing it right.

[Lusche]

I see CV's getting sunk by planes all the time.
Much more than by any other means.

So it's just you.... 

[Becinhu]

9 out of 10 times I drop on a cv I sink it if my drop is true.  If I just botch the drop is a different story. I will withhold my personal tactics but I do not lancstuka or bomb-n-bail. I may lose all 3 bombers from ack or fighters and rarely make it home totally clean. CVs are easy-mode to kill except the rare occasion that a really talented CV driver has the con.

[TEShaw]

"You load four tons of Number 9 coal,
Another day older and deeper in debt..."

That's the answer, by the way, four tons = eight thousand pounds.

"Saint Peter don't you call me,  'cause I can't go,
I owe my soul to the company sto'"

[FiLtH]

 Ideally it was probably designed for a squad sized unit to sink it using multiple dive bombers or torpedo planes. Since we cant always get that many guys together many of us level bomb with heavy bombers.

  Try this.

    For every 10,000 ft lead the CV 1 deck length. I usually bomb at 10k. As you approach get calibrated. Watch for a last second turn by a crafty Captain Nemo. For good measure, since you have eggs to spare, drop 1 a little ways before your actual drop,as many Captain Nemos listen for the falling bombs, and then turn the cv. If it doesnt turn, lead it 1 deck length( if at 10k) and drop 4 1000lb bombs on it (totals 12 with drone's bombs).


  If it does turn, look at the arc of the ships wake, still lead the 1 deck length but place it on the radius of the turn...where the ship will be in its turn once the bombs hit.

 Hope that helps. Please dont dive lancs on it or suicide p47s into it.
 

[Ghosth]

Torp runs are very very challenging, but there is help out there for that.

B25h can be very effective, esp in numbers.

NOE arado's are deadly, just keep it very low and fast, pull up after release.

Lanc's from 10k work, as do 4 TBM's with the 2k bomb. You just have to hit it enough times with enough ord before it regenerates.

[Banshee7]

I cannot for the life of me level bomb a CV, so don't feel bad.  I prefer Torpedoes in a JU88 anyway 

[thndregg]

Similar stuff to what was posted earlier.

Sinking CV's (and learning how to sink them) takes patience.

* One flight of B26's, 500# bomb load, 50% fuel.

*If  you have spotted the CV while in climbout, continue climbing on any course except toward it, until you level.

* 8,000 ft. is my magic altitude. You will of course always be exposed to the fleets 5-inch guns, but you are barely out of reach of the auto-ack. 8K also works because most times you can anticipate the CV's turn-arc and still hit it. It has been my experience that it is usually too late for the carrier no matter which way it turns. One ship length out, eyeball the turn arc, and drop a ship-length ahead where you think the CV will end up in that turn arc. Also, look at the pattern of turns the CV makes. Sometimes instead of a blatent turn, it will zig-zag left & right. Also, typically I have to settle my speed so that my climb rate on the E6B reads zero with my doors open. Then I calibrate, double, triple, even quadruple-checking my E6B for any change in speed. Do this enough and you get good at it. If your calibrated speed matches within one m.p.h. of your true airspeed, you are set.

*Drop salvo should be set to 4. Hit your bomb release a couple times to spread a good carpet across your target.

Usually, the only times I fail to sink a CV is if it has a good air defense intercepting my bombers, someone is a damn good shot in the 5-inchers, or someone really makes that CV turn as tight as they can, virtually stopping it in the water.

[SmokinLoon]

Attacking a cv lonewolf should be suicide. 

I'm of the opinion that there should be some type of damage limiter on the CV that will only allow so much damage to be absorbed at any one time.  The lanc-stukas, and other such flight (of 3) heavy bombers dropping 24 tons (or more) of ord on a CV is not only like using a hammer to kill a bug, but it quite inaccurate historically.  I have no idea how it would be coded, but if there would be a way to allow no more than 6k of damage to the CV in any determined amount of time, say 30 seconds, I'd be all for it.

[kvuo75]

formation of ar234's at 2500msl if someone got the radar already... 

[CAP1]

The 'roid rage CVs have to stop. I cannot think of a way to sink a CV in an airplane. If you try torpedo bombing, the laser ack gets you, if you are lucky to get that close before the manned 5 inchers get you. If you try dive bombing, HA! I really don't think it is possible to stay above 3k near a CV for more than 3 minutes. I tried level bombing today in B-17s. I managed to get 6 500 pound bombs out from two planes, the third having blown up already by the puffy ack. shortly after the drop, my second bomber catches fire, and then my last bomber catches fire. And to top it off, my bombs didn't even sink the CV, having almost all of them hit.

So the way I see it is you have the shore batteries, or another CV, maybe a PT boat if you are lucky. Back in the good ol' days, I remember that the puffy ack was just for looks, these days their is 3 times as much, and as deadly as a tiger is to a fat kid covered in bacon.

GRIPE GRIPE GRIPE!!! 

i use lancs. i've sunk em in ew using ju88's. if you're not sinking them, you're not hitting them as hard as you think.

 i hit em from 10k alt.

[Banshee7]

I've had great success with the Torpedoes on my 38 as well.  It's nice to be able to get to my target quickly.

[StokesAk]

Ju88's are the easiest for me to kill them with.

Climb to like ~6k then get over the CV, make sure you are coming down on it, on its heading, right behind it.

Put your dive flaps out for a few seconds, then retract them.

You will have speed to get out and hit the cv with. Drop your bombs and get out of there!

[thndregg]

Ju88's are the easiest for me to kill them with.

Climb to like ~6k then get over the CV, make sure you are coming down on it, on its heading, right behind it.

Put your dive flaps out for a few seconds, then retract them.

You will have speed to get out and hit the cv with. Drop your bombs and get out of there!

That tactic is legit because of the dual-purpose roll of the Ju-88. It's disgusting to see a *gamer* doing the same with say, B17's. Oh, well. Dollars over quality.