Originally posted by Beegerite
Wide, may I call you Wide? 
The simplest kind of combat tactic is to fly with a wingman. Somewhere in "Fighter Combat, Tactics and Maneuvering" there is a quote from some real life super ace to the effect that "a single man is a liability" At this the simplest level is where we fail. If we can't develop consistent team work with one individual, how are we going to do it with a squad or our countrymen. As I said in a previous post, I tried to force this issue in our squadron by setting the rule down that you must always fly with a wingman and return to base for yours or meet up with another squad mate in case of death or serious accident. This isn't an oppressive rule and most people would probably agree with it and in fact in our case we had to swear a blood oath that we would abide by the charter and other rules of similar ilk. Well, they weren't followed. Why? Here are some observations. You covered somebody one sortee and he didn't reciprocate the next. You saw a lone enemy buff and got buck fever, the cold sweats and palpitations and went off after it leaving your flight leader to fend off 2 nikkis all by himself. You were too busy or anxious to get into the game to be able to dedicate even one hour per week to practicing specifically with your wingman and working on being able to fly wing with other squad members.
Another rule I dreamed up was "Rookland comes first", that's why we're RRR. Just the other night I found myself in the center island while the main island was under attack. Why? Forgot our focus and this happens quite a bit e.g. you take off on a JABO mission loaded with bombs and rockets and upon seeing a distant enemy you drop ordance and attack a Nikki in your ME110 totally forgetting about your intended target and the fact that the Nikki is going to kill you. You should have run like hell for your target. Got that job done and then and only then play footsies with a Nikki. Doing any of the aforementioned things in real life combat would earn you a one way ticket to the firing squad. Where's our firing squad?
Last but not least is the leadership role you mentioned. I dreamed up rotating battle leadership on a daily basis to keep our squadron from being run by any one individual. Everybody gets an equal time to play Napoleon. Guess what? Nobody ever remembers or seems to be interested in knowing whose turn it is to run the show.
Guess it is a game.
Beeg
Sure, you can call me Wide, everyone does.
BTW, Widewing comes from my friend and writing partner's company, Widewing Publications. Me, I'm 49 yrs old, 5'11", 168 lbs, anything but wide thanks to my continued participation in amateur boxing competition (Masters Division, a polite way of saying "old farts"). It keeps me trim and in reasonable shape.
When the =Ghosts= fly as a unit (whenever two or more are online), we don't generally RTB if our wingman gets shot down. However, I myself will withdraw from the fight at the first opportunity to either wait for his return, or to cover his climbout from the field. Indeed, every situation has its own unique set of circumstances. Therefore, hard rules are not generally in place. Last evening, Hammer ran out of gas while we awaited the capture of a Bish field. He was forced to land on the runway, while two of us stood guard in the event the acks or hangers came up. Prior to that we had three aircraft up over this field. Hammer and Targut capped low, I assumed the high cap. This paid off when a P-51 raced in to attack our goon. My height (15k) allowed me to reach and kill the Mustang before he got a chance to do any harm. No one else was in position, or had enough E to get to him in time. This is how we fly. Each situation is evaluated and decisions made to best utilize our resources. I suppose that I tend to analyze situations more than most pilots. That's just my nature. I prefer to have a basic plan before committing to the attack. Countering this, we have a few who are willing to dive in regardless of the odds facing them. I admire their pluck, but would prefer that they be a bit more thoughtful. Nothing kills cohesion faster than rash attacks that result in unnecessary losses. I'm a firm believer that altitude determines the rules of engagement, and I hate to blow alt on a whim.
Another thing I prefer to avoid is everyone attacking from the same direction. I prefer to attack from two directions, in a staggered attack that catches the enemy in their break turns, at low energy state. Sometimes, sending in a second group behind the first will catch the enemy focused on the initial attack, and now chasing them. This is easy to coordinate with a disciplined squad. A well-trained squad can be devastating to the enemy. As I see it, the problem centers on finding people willing and able to fly with higher than normal levels of discipline. Now, this doesn't mean that we would expect this every sortie, not at all. But, we would expect it for squad nights and Joint Ops. God knows, I enjoy the freedom of freelancing, which is why I occasionally like to fly before my squadies log on. Usually, I'm the last or next to last to log off, so I can "do my thing" then if I wish. Not withstanding, once we team-up, individual goals become secondary to the "mission" needs. I am thinking about proposing that one night a week be designated as a non-squad night. In other words, squad members will not be expected to fly as a squad, but do whatever they desire. For example, I enjoy manning the 5" turrets on CVs. In fact, I have nearly 190 kills this tour manning those guns (I like to create my own personal "no fly zone"). So, I relish the opportunity to jump in one from time to time.
Since we only have 8 members this early in the squadron's existence, it is common to have an odd number of pilots flying, 3 or maybe 5. So, there will be some cases where there will be multiple wingmen. Nonetheless, there are some skilled pilots who thrive operating alone. These guys should always be section leaders. I would hate to waste their talents having them always guarding someone else. I would prefer that someone be guarding their six, which allows them to tear up the opposition, relatively unrestrained. But, this is the exception, not the rule. As I see it, this is the best way to harness the "lone wolves", and not see unit cohesion go to hell. I would, however, expect that he demonstrate some leadership by allowing his wingman plenty of opportunities and set-ups. Personally, I really enjoy drawing an enemy into an ambush.
It seems to me that a good squad will be able to balance air discipline and fun factor in a way that keeps everyone's interest despite differing ideas on what truly constitutes "fun". Sharing mission command is a good idea, allowing for everyone the opportunity to contribute and sharpen planning and decision making skills. Our CO, Hammer, is planning exactly that.
Yeah Beeg, it's a game, but we can still try to offer something for everyone. Whether we succeed is another matter.
My regards,
Widewing
