Very, very nice job Soda. I'm sure it took a great deal of time and effort to put that together.
One aircraft I'd like to discuss is the Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless. I doubt if anyone has even 10% of the time I have in this little dive bomber. So far, I've had a lot of fun with it. To the point that I frequently fly the SBD as a fighter, without ordnance or gunner.
In this role it can achieve results far beyond what anyone would suspect.
How is that possible? Understanding its strengths and weaknesses are critical to success. Realize that the SBD has a big leg up on fighters, in that you can fly it in the F3 outside view mode. Meaning, you have no blind spots and an outstanding view in all directions. This is because, like other bombers, it is assumed that the SBD will have more than one set of eyes.
Let's discuss the subject of maneuverability. There are two aircraft that can out-turn (barely) the SBD, the Val and the A6M2 Zeke. At the fuel loads I fly it at, it has a wing loading of about 22.5 lbs per square foot. That's better than the SpitV, A6M5 and FM-2. It's nearly dead equal to the A6M2 flying with 50% fuel.
However, its lack of power requires attention to energy state. Indeed, I prefer to climb to 15k before engaging the enemy. It will manage 450 mph in a dive, just be gentle with the joystick as the structural strength is grossly under-modeled. Douglas designed the aircraft for 7.5 g in service, with an absolute failure loading of 10.5 g (compare that with 12.5 for typical Grumman designs). Four of my SBD losses are due to overstressing the airframe. So, be careful when diving at high speed. Another modeling issue is the weak tail. Carrier aircraft, by design, had extremely strong aft fuselages and tail assemblies to tolerate the stresses imparted into the aircraft by the tailhook. In the case of the SBD and the TBM, AH has modeled them with what some players refer to as "glass tails". Utterly inaccurate.
Roll rate is acceptable, but slow compared to most fighters. However, a big bootful of rudder increases initial roll by better than 50%.
You can loop the SBD with just 170 mph in the bank, down to 150 if you use flaps at the apex of the loop.
As you note, the Dauntless is armed with just two .50 caliber MGs. But at least they're grouped together above the engine cowling, and have a total loadout of 720 rounds. That's enough to kill multiple B-17s if carefully used (I prefer HO shots straight into the cockpit, or a belly shot aiming between the engines, which usually takes off the wing). Those two guns are powerful enough to kill a PT in a single pass.
In combat, one on one, it is extremely difficult to kill any well flown aircraft that offers such maneuverability. Even two on one situations can be managed, especially if you use the F3 mode, and your attackers are not experts themselves. I've watched Leviathn use a Val to embarrass several guys in high performance fighters, by simply being impossible to hit. The SBD is similar, although not quite as agile as the Val, it's faster, dives much better and has vastly more destructive guns.
As you pointed out, many pilots will head straight for the SBD thinking thay have an easy kill. That's exactly what you want them to think. They will get a shock to their system when the defenseless dive bomber does a rediculously tight reversal right onto their six. An even greater shock is in store when they get bounced by an SBD roaring down from 25k.
Of greatest importance is the huge fun factor of taking on and often besting late-war fighters in a 1,200 hp, two-seat dive bomber. Just remember this: The SBD is a slow aircraft, therefore you must be extremely aggressive, pressing any advantage, because running is not an option.
Today, I had many first-rate fights. Of these, the most entertaining was over V38 (Baltic map), where I interrupted a 4 on 1 Knit gangbang of a brave Rook. A Typhoon was doing the typical dive and zoom routine. He made a run at the Rook, pulled into the vertical and zoomed up. His only problem was that I was waiting for him at the apex of his climb (having just dumped my ord). I hit Ute hard as he struggled to get clear. Too late, I had more E. Another burst took out his radiator and did extensive airframe damage. Just then, a Hellcat came boring in, forcing me to break off. A hard turn into him spoiled his shot, and I reversed onto his tail. I followed the F6F through a series of loops and tight turns, shooting short bursts until his wing came off. Meanwhile, Ute crashed. Immediately thereafter, a P-38 made a run from about 30 degrees off of HO. I skidded right and raked him from nose to tail, starting a stream of coolant from his right engine and knocking off his right aileron as well. My attention turned to a 190 coming down, which I avoided.
Low on ammo, I disengaged and headed to A39 to rearm. On the way, the P-38 must have gone down as I received a kill message. Taking off from A39, I kept the 1,200 lbs of bombs, just in case V38 was clear of fighters, I'd bomb the VH. As I arrived at V38, I discovered several fighters were there, but an equal number of Rooks were present also. So, I kept the bombs.
A 109 spotted me and raced down to get a shot from behind. As the range dropped to 700 yards, I broke hard right, then reversed onto his six. Well, he made the mistake of turning hard, and I got a solid burst into him. He limped off trailing smoke. Another Rook finished the 109, and I got the assist. A few other Knits made runs at me, all missed, but I was able to ping several of them with ineffective snapshots.
Finally, I spotted a P-51B (flown by Hap). He was working up and down. Without thinking about the 1,200 lbs of bombs I was hauling around, I went after him and followed him up into the vertical just 600 yards behind. I opened fire, scoring solidly. However, I ran out of E almost instantly. "Damn", I thought, those bombs!!!! As the Dauntless rolled into a gentle spin, I pickled the thousand pounder, selected the 100 lb bombs and let them go too. Break the spin, nose to vertical, get some airspeed. Too late, here comes Hap, probably very unhappy with his Mustang being battered. I slip left, roll right, but take a hit to the tail. Typically, the elevators came off... I bail. Hap lasted about 30 seconds longer, when another Rook finished his wrecked P-51. I suspect he had a pilot wound.
Now, before anyone dismisses the SBD, consider this: I have little more than average ACM skills. Yet, I can survive flying the Dauntless against most aircraft. That means that any of you can do the same, probably even better. Do not underestimate the SBD-5, it is a very capable dogfighter, if (and I stress "if") you fly it to its strengths. Forget the rear guns, they are next to useless when faced with cannon armed fighters on your six. Remember that hits to the tail area will often result in the loss of your elevators. So, be aggressive, horde your E, fly in F3 mode (until ready to shoot) and you will find that the SBD can not only survive in the MA, it can prosper.
My regards,
Widewing
