Originally posted by WhiteHawk
I think the gunery is here is escellent for a game. Imaigne if
you play for 2 years and get only 7 kills in AH? in real life
you would be an ace. Tghing is, if you make a mistake, you
are at a greater risk of dying. It was a fool indeed, in WW2,
who thought, 'jeez, dispersal coefficient gravitated by the
prostdigitation of the gravity reversal means I can set up
on this b17s tail, cuz he can only hit me with .069 bullets per
second.' The plane that sets up on the tail of a b17 genearlly
dies in AH and generally was shot down in WW2.
The fact that the tactics required here to kill buffs while
minimizing the risk to the fighter, are quite similar, if not
precisely the tactics described by buff killers in WW2.
That would tell me that the modleing is at least scaled
to realism while allowing for exciting gameply.
Anybody remember AW's gunnery. now there was some barnyard physics for ya.
I took the time yesterday to sit down with Mr. James Miller, who flew 57 combat missions with the 398th Bomb Group in B-17s during 1944. Jim was a waist and later, tail gunner. After his tour was complete, he returned to the States where he was assigned as a gunnery instructor. Few people alive today know the Browning .50 caliber machine gun and its use, function and accuracy better than Jim.
After the war, Jim earned a degree in mechanical engineering and started his own company, which today is the leading high tech division of the CIRCOR International conglomerate. Jim retired as company President in 2001 at the age of 80. Currently, he is building a small single-engine amphibian in his barn, he also owns and flies a Cessna 172. He is a long-time member of the Experimental Aircraft Owners Association. Last summer Jim and his wife (a highly respected attorney) spent two months hiking the mountains of Nepal, living on the local economy. To state that Jim is a remarkable man is a gross understatement.
We discussed issues, such as bullet dispersion, sights and sight accuracy. In his opinion, any gunner obtaining hits on a fighter at ranges of 1,000 yards or greater could attribute it to “dumb luck.” He stated that, “the tail gunner had a good chance to damage a German fighter once the range dropped below 5 or 6 hundred yards, assuming that the German is closing from behind.” However, he also stated that, “very few fighters attacked level from behind. Usually, they would dive in, roll over and go down through the box.”
So, being shot down by a single burst at 1,400 yards is improbable?
“Closer to impossible.”
What do you think of my simple analysis of shot dispersion?
“Dispersion varied from gun to gun and from mount to mount. In some cases it was much better than you show, and in other cases much worse. Many factors affected accuracy. What was a nice tight gun mount on the ground, might loosen up exposed to the –30 (degrees) temperature soaking. Gunner accuracy also declined as the temperature went down due to mechanical and physical difficulties associated with flying at high altitude in an unpressurized and unheated bomber.”
What about hit probability?
“I suspect that your numbers are close to reality, based upon my experience.”
What about the gun sights used .50 caliber MG? How accurate were the sights?
“You know that we had this big ring, and it was never accurately aligned to the gun’s bore.”
Meaning?
“Meaning that you used it only for reference, you shot based upon what you determined was the proper lead.”
What about wind?
“You’re an experienced sailor (sailboats), so you understand the difference between apparent wind and true wind, right?”
Right.
“Does the game’s programmer understand what apparent wind is?”
Good question, I don’t know for sure, but I would assume that he does. But, wind doesn’t exist in the game except at specific altitudes.
“Why is that?”
I can’t say.
I asked Jim if he was ever awarded any kills, he said that, “ I put in two or three claims of fighters damaged, I never claimed any shot down.”
Why?
“I was certain that I didn’t do enough damage to claim any shot down. But, some guys put in claims for everything they fired their guns at.”
Were these confirmed?
“Usually, yes.”
Why?
“Morale.”
Morale?
“You have to remember that your chances of finishing a tour weren’t terribly good. Everything possible to keep morale high was done or tried. Awarding kills was an easy way to keep morale up. Although I believe that most of the boys knew it was a sham. Don’t misunderstand me, a lot of Germans were shot down by gunners, but only a fraction of those for which victories were credited.”
Maybe we could discuss your experiences in greater depth some time?
“Sure, give me a call at home, if I’m not around leave your number with Rey.”
My regards,
Widewing
