First and foremost, work on your SA. Absolutely nothing is more important than keen situational awareness. Secondly, stay off the deck. N1K2s are pigs, but pigs that dive well and retain energy well. Getting caught low is a surefire precursor to big trouble.
Tactics are determined by the type of aircraft you fly. For example, if you fly a P-51D, you would use energy tactics exclusively. If you are flying a Spitfire, you can use both energy and angles tactics.
In any engagement, your chances of success are dependent upon three factors. Altitude, speed and stealth. Ideally, you would want to have all three. However, any combination of two is adequate. Possessing only one factor marginalizes your chances to emerge victorious. Having none is grounds for avoiding the enemy altogether (I am not considering ACM skills whatsoever).
There is a fourth factor, shock. Shock results from you doing something completely unexpected. A typical example of this is using the SBD dive bomber as a fighter, bouncing enemy fighters from high altitude. This is always unexpected and can cause momentary hesitation while the enemy pilot digests his bizarre situation. Frequently, that hesitation is the opportunity you will need to gain the victory.
Since we are talking normal encounters, we will omit shock as a viable factor.
Using energy tactics against the N1K2 takes patience. Should he see you coming, it is not difficult to break-turn out of the line of fire. However, each time he turns, he cuts into his airspeed. Do not extend so far out that the enemy pilot has time to regain his speed. Keep the pressure on, but mind your own energy as well, being careful not to squander your initial advantage(s). Break down the energy state of the N1K2, by forcing him to turn frequently. Once his speed drops below 200 mph, he’s in serious trouble. Why, you ask? Because, although low speed turns result in small turning circles, those same tight turns change the enemy’s aspect to you very little. In other words, he cannot gain enough lateral displacement to avoid your guns. At this point getting the kill depends on your deflection shooting skills more than any other factor.
Should you be flying a good, but slow turn fighter such as the FM-2, you will not be able to sustain energy tactics for very long. However, you should have little trouble working your way onto this 6 O’clock. Once on his 6, use lag pursuit and wait for an opportunity. Should the N1K2 begin to scissor, you have two options. Scissor with him, or do what I do, pull off power and wait until he crosses in front of you. Take a snap shot, but then immediately assume a lag pursuit again. There is almost nothing that the N1K2 can do to escape, short of an error on your part.
Finally, it is essential that you know the capabilities and limitation of the aircraft you are flying. Without this basic knowledge, you cannot adequately determine the ideal tactics to be employed.
My regards,
Widewing
