How to shoot down the bomber?(Guide)

[Kazan_HB]

   

How to shoot down the bomber?(Guide)
























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[Ghosth]

If you attack from the 3-9 line you don't need as much speed/altitude.

Either above or below attacking from the wingtip you have a much bigger target to shoot at.

Also bombers can not fly missing a wingtip, they roll over and fall. So often instead of hammering away at them and accomplishing little you can kill them with just a few well placed rounds into the wingtip.


The idea being to not be a stationary closing target that they can hammer with their guns from 3-600 yards.
Flying up to them from behind does exactly that, your an easy target. That is why they call it "dead 6" after all.

Executing a good high bounce, or High or low 3-9 line slashing attack puts you in their sights for the least amount of time. Your position relative to them is always changing. So your a harder target to hit.

One other note, a properly setup front beam attack will leave you perfectly positioned to shoot at both the lead bomber, and the trailing bomber on the far side. Giving you the potential at least to take out 2 birds with a single pass.

[EskimoJoe]

Ghost, do you have a writeup on slashing attacks that you could link me to? I've never really tried
to properly execute a slashing attack. I'm pretty sure I know how and do on occasion, but I've never
really.. divulged, I guess one could say.

[Stoney]

If you attack from the 3-9 line you don't need as much speed/altitude.

If you are in a cannon armed plane, the 3-9 attack is probably preferred.  In a U.S. fighter armed only with Mother Deuce, I prefer the high-six attack as Kazan so wonderfully described, so you can target the wing root/fuel tanks.  In Spits, 190s, etc. I have more success with 3-9.  With the Jug, Hog, Pony, I always use a high-six.  My aim point in the dive is the nose of the lead aircraft until I open fire, as this drops me in right behind the tail of the formation, giving the tail gun position a very fast tracking profile.  Likewise for the 3-9 attack, track the nose of the lead aircraft, and once you open fire, don't pull any more lead, so you can slip behind them quickly without risking a collision.

Perhaps Snailman will post his preference, as I know he's a bomber-killer of fame...

[Lusche]

If you are in a cannon armed plane, the 3-9 attack is probably preferred.  In a U.S. fighter armed only with Mother Deuce, I prefer the high-six attack as Kazan so wonderfully described, so you can target the wing root/fuel tanks.  In Spits, 190s, etc. I have more success with 3-9.  With the Jug, Hog, Pony, I always use a high-six.  My aim point in the dive is the nose of the lead aircraft until I open fire, as this drops me in right behind the tail of the formation, giving the tail gun position a very fast tracking profile.  Likewise for the 3-9 attack, track the nose of the lead aircraft, and once you open fire, don't pull any more lead, so you can slip behind them quickly without risking a collision.

Perhaps Snailman will post his preference, as I know he's a bomber-killer of fame...

I use the same approach as you do. High & fast 6 in US rides, slashing 3-9 attacks in others.

[Ardy123]

belly attacks work well against lancs. Also, I like ho'ing bombers, and vertical slashing from non-90 degree angles make it very hard for gunners to track you.
 

lastly, try and figure out where 9991110 is and avoid him.

[Jayhawk]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooo.   

[pervert]

Good write up Kazan thanks 

[Muzzy]

Very helpful. I just need to practice my shooting as I come down.  I've had some success damaging bombers coming in on the 3-9 line, or just any angle that doesn't mean sitting behind them forever.

[Lusche]

Contrasting and supplementing the great OP by Kazan:

How NOT to attack bombers. Pictures from a B-17 sortie earlier today:


Plain six attack with marginal speed advantage. It would even had been far less if I had not deliberately slowed down to get the Pony quicker into close range (a favourite trick of mine  )


Even with a high speed plane, attacking from six o'clock is a serious and unnecessary risk. Instead of using his speed to get in front & above me, he decided to press the attack and fly directly into my stream of bullets. Speed is not that advantageous in this case. Result:

[Dichotomy]

Sorry Lusche I couldn't resist doctoring that last pic a little

[druski85]

I find too often even with a well-executed high 6 attack, a decent gunner will ping you up pretty badly.  I therefore use (in all rides, cannon or otherwise) a high 4 or high 8 attack, which (as someone mentioned) also allows for striking two buffs in one pass.  I aim cockpit on the first, inner (relative to formation) wingroot on the second.  Usually does the trick nicely, with maybe just a few stray rounds finding their way to my ride.  It also sets you up as you pass behind your second target to swoop out below and ahead of your target, without sitting directly in front and below their chin turret. 

If I find myself with a view similar to that of your 8th frame, I consider it a poorly setup attack.  To each his own though, I suppose. 

Good hunting.   

[Stoney]

I find too often even with a well-executed high 6 attack, a decent gunner will ping you up pretty badly. 

The key is the steepness of the dive.  If your dive starts to shallow out, better to pull off and reset.  If the dive is steep enough, the tail/top gunners positions will have a very difficult time effectively leading your descent.

[druski85]

The key is the steepness of the dive.  If your dive starts to shallow out, better to pull off and reset.  If the dive is steep enough, the tail/top gunners positions will have a very difficult time effectively leading your descent.

Yea, I fully understand that Stoney.  I still notice though that while I rarely hear any pings on the 4/8 attacks, I'll get a handful coming straight down at them.  I could be entirely making it up as well.  To be honest I think the larger benefit (for me anyway) is having an easier shot on two bombers at once in a pass, I guess.  I do my buff hunting in the M Jug, so a burst of 8 .50s to the cockpit often does the trick, allowing a second kill (or at least good damage) in the same pass.  As I said, to each his own. 

[A8TOOL]

You can easily kill bombers from any angle and shooting from farther out is no crime as long as your not wasting it. Taking two down in one pass is not THAT hard but takes at least two cannon and practice. 

Bf-110's are great bomber killers btw. A horde of 5k Lancs came my way one day and I shot 11 down and one goon before landing. Taking three at a time from the front is easy with them.

As Ghosth said, clipping the wing tips brings them down easy and can really screw them up if they are in scope on run. Whats even funner is killing them from 1k out with 110 rockets...again, takes practice.

N1k1's and  TA-152's used to be killer for wrecking bombers. Come down on them and once first guy pops use full rudder to slide around them and take one or two more...especially if Lancs

B-17's always gave me trouble but the rest were easy unless they had a good gunner. 999000 hated me...not really..he was a good guy..I miss going against him. Is he still around?