Author Topic: Kate Torpedo Bombing Totally Explained! (Read 2072 times)

Kweassa · « **Reply #15 on:** December 18, 2002, 09:45:05 AM »

Yes, Mogi it is possible.

But contrary to what people think, 90 degrees deflections are the most difficult attempt on a torpedo run, because while the largest surface on a ship is exposed, it is also a 90 degrees deflection on a moving target. In case of 45 degrees runs, small mistakes do not matter much, but in the 90 degrees runs, absolute precision is required. It's either right timing or total miss!

Also, if you are aiming for large, capital ships, 90 degrees runs are very dangerous, because Destroyer Escorts are placed on the sides of the capital ships.

In using the sight, there is a way to use it by relative estimates. But as I said 90d runs require very accurate estimation.

The relative angles large than 40 degrees can be roughly estimated in this manner:

Kweassa · « **Reply #16 on:** December 18, 2002, 09:56:48 AM »

Also, a precise approach is required. What you want to do is first run along the TG group in perfect parallel, and then when you pass the TG, turn towards the TG in exact 90 degrees. When at the moment you do so, the target ship must be seen at the 90 degrees position marked in the upper picture.

If the target ship is behind that position, you turned towards the ship too late, so you have to throttle down. If the target ship is in front of the position, you turned towards the ship too early and have to throttle up a bit.

So in my view,

HO runs: easy to aim, and easy to survive.. but with slightest movement the ships can evade torpedos easily, as much as it is easy to aim it is also easy to miss if the aim is wrong, it takes a long time to set up

90 degrees runs: no pros, only cons. takes long to set up, requires precision, low survivability, hard to aim, hard to hit...

45 degrees runs: average difficulty in aiming, average survival rate, easy to set up runs, high possibility of hitting ships, and ships cannot evade torpedos easily.

Halo · « **Reply #17 on:** December 18, 2002, 10:07:20 AM »

Excellent presentation that took a lot of extra work. Thanks, Kweassa.

Oldman731 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 18, 2002, 11:04:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Halo
Excellent presentation that took a lot of extra work. Thanks, Kweassa.

Agreed. Very impressive.

- oldman

pangea · « **Reply #19 on:** December 18, 2002, 11:58:47 AM »

Thank You! Very useful information to know. I have never had any success at torpedo runs....now I know why. I always tried a 90 degree approach. I will try this method tonight.

Also, what about approach speed and altitude. I have been told to approach at 100-feet alt and at a speed of 200 mph. Is this correct?

Thanks and !

pangea

Mogi · « **Reply #20 on:** December 18, 2002, 12:13:57 PM »

Thanks very much Kweassa!!

BigMax · « **Reply #21 on:** December 18, 2002, 12:35:45 PM »

I'm gonna have to try this out.... I'll add it to my "bag o' tricks". Nicely done!

Jose Gallegos · « **Reply #22 on:** December 18, 2002, 07:39:44 PM »

here's a film using this method from 45 degree angle. terrain used is philippines.

Ghosth · « **Reply #23 on:** December 19, 2002, 08:07:16 AM »

Thats the 2nd time Kweassa, carefull you may get put to work!

Blank · « **Reply #24 on:** December 19, 2002, 10:39:21 AM »

Very good Kweassa, thanks

One observation though which may help survivability (the real hard bit) :

In Kweassas pictures he shows himself attacking the front left quarter of the fleet, I believe that it would be more prudent to attack the front right as this is no so well defended by manned ack.

this image shows the field of fire for each manned ack

Blank · « **Reply #25 on:** December 19, 2002, 10:40:05 AM »

this image shows the fields overlapped notice the two weeker areas front right and rear right only defended by 1 gun .

in conclusion:

45 degree front right side attack defended by = 1 ack
90 degree right side attack defended by = 2 ack
45 degree front left side attack defended by = 3 ack
90 degree left side attack defended by = 4 ack (suicide)

hope this helps as well

ccvi · « **Reply #26 on:** December 19, 2002, 11:28:23 AM »

Nice post. But...

I seriously doubt that this is how this thing is supposed to work.

Take a closer look at it. That thing with the angle is round, as if it could be turned IRL. This would be just a device to measure an angle if you moved your head to the side. If it was also possible to adjust the forward notch along the roll axis of the aircraft (forward/backward) off the center of the disc with the angles this would increase the degrees of freemdom to 2.

With the right settings (turnin the thing and moving the forward notch) it should be possible to adjust it for a certain angle of attack, relative speed of target and torpedo and distance of the drop.

If it was just a device to guess the lead angle neither would it need notches nor would there be any reason to draw the angles to a disc.

SlapShot · « **Reply #27 on:** December 19, 2002, 12:29:36 PM »

Kweassa .. very nice !!!

We, the MAW, flew JU88s in TOD one night and our orders were to torp a CV Group.

IceMAW, after many practice runs, established very similar targetting method to yours, but used the position of the ship/target at a particualr spot on the windscreen lined-up with something else in the cockpit. This approximated a 45-degree angle of attack. It worked quite well, for those of us that didn't get jumped by Zeros ...

Your method, while it maybe very effective, still doesn't (at least for me) explain the use of the targetting device that we see in your second picture.

If it does ... then I apologize for being so thick.

vorticon · « **Reply #28 on:** December 19, 2002, 01:11:00 PM »

wow...very good...i think you work to hard for this game though kweasa you and mitsu have probably put more into this game that anyone except htc staf

Dr Lecter · « **Reply #29 on:** December 19, 2002, 05:10:05 PM »

Thanks Kweassa for more good stuff (again). however, I do have that questioning feeling raised by ccvi two posts up.

The degrees ring does indeed appear to be able to be rotated. It presumably does not in the game. If it WAS rotated (say, to 30 degrees), I suspect the sight would then offer a new aiming mark through whch you could then line up on the target. I think that the degreees to be read off are those that would align with the sight centre (i'e for 30 degrees offset attack) place '30' dircetly in front of you

However, we need help on practical bombing techniques and any guidance which works is a good thing. We just need to be clear if this was the technique actually used in real life.