Best Attack Position to Kill Bombers

[Chalenge]

yup, closure rates were so much higher than in AH that a couple of seconds was all you generally had to aquire, get guns on and lead an inb fighter.

I think AH is right on for closure rates but without the icon and range indicator (and scale of the screen) your perception would be much different.

Every bomber that experienced FlaK landed with the floor of the plane covered in shrapnel ('like walking on steel gravel') and the skin of the plane pierced with tiny puncture wounds.

[manurin]

[Shuffler]

The actual image manurin was posting.

[manurin]

Great thanks 

[Shuffler]

No problem 

I like the one that says "too late" 

[Simba]

Read somewhere that while USAAF bomber crews feared flak more than fighters, more bombers fell to fighters than to flak. Must have been hell to be in the flak with no way to fight back against it, whereas at least the gunners could poop back at the fighters when attacked. Battle psychology and all that . . .

Brave boys, those bomber crews.

 

[Chalenge]

It maybe true that more bombers fell to fighters than to FlaK but more crewmen died to FlaK than to fighters. You didnt have to hit a crew member to kill them because the bombers had vulnerable oxygen lines that if hit could silently kill crew and they would never know it was happening. Anoxia hits quickly and if the bombardier (its his duty to check everyone) is just a little off schedule checking everyone it could easily be too late and if you were a tail gunner and didnt answer up it might be too late before someone could even get to you. Im just glad I experience the effect through a computer instead of living through it if you know what I mean.

[999000]

Shuffler, in a head on attack I start shooting  at 10000, on a  low tail attack I start shooting at 600,  on a high tail 800.
999000 <S>

[Shuffler]

When I take a bomber up..... I mean other than the B-38.... it's pot luck. 

[dedalos]

Shuffler, in a head on attack I start shooting  at 10000

See?!?!?!?!?!?! The guns are over modeled!!!!!!!! 

[Chalenge]

This is one reason you can kill 999000 before you ever get into range of his guns! 

[Shuffler]

 

[Krusty]

Just read through some of this thread... and.. a few errors come up.


Bombers cruised to targets. Fighters did not cruise while attacking them.

So historically while bombers were flying very slow, very lumbering -- and some cruise speeds are listed as 180 range -- fighters would be full throttle, or even WEP or diving on a target.


Closure rates in real WW2 bomber attacks were far far faster. Also defensive fire was much much less dangerous than in this game. Gunners wouldn't open up from thousands of yards out like here, and they definitely wouldn't score any hits at that range either.

I'd personally love to see ANY sources state a 262 was brought down by defensive gunfire. I don't know one way or the other, but I currently doubt it ever happened. In this game it's the most common way to kill them: nail them while they're hitting your bombers.


So no, the closure rates are NOT historic in this game, nor are the gameplay dynamics surrounding bombers and attacking bombers.


That aside, my personal opinion is that a nice 12 high attack that rotates into a near vertical 6 is a sweet shot. You run a risk of being hit from the dorsal gunner as you close in for the kill, but if you can rotate your beginning roll just a bit you can swoop in a hair off-angle and disrupt the gunner's aim. That's just one way (in a game, not in WW2) that you can do it.

[Chalenge]

I dont think so Krusty and bear with me I know what your thinking...

First off its true that most bombers bombed from a calibrated speed of 210 and in AH its more likely 285 but thats 285 at 26k and not 30k like it was in the war. Also most fighters attacked on one or two head on passes and had to land. In AH most attacks on bombers are from dead six which in r/l would be foolish but in AH you dont very often see 100-400 plane missions.

Given all of that I think that the head on attacks in AH are much much closer to r/l than are the 'typical' attacks on bombers in AH. Much faster? I dont think so.

[Lusche]

Gunners wouldn't open up from thousands of yards out like here, and they definitely wouldn't score any hits at that range either.

And neither they do in AH. A gunner that opens fire at "thousands of yards" is just wasting his ammo.