low lvl bomber nutz

[slimm50]

"AcId
Senior Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Houston, Texarse
Posts: 604"

Acid, what part of Houston you work/ live in? I work downtown/ live in Richmond.

[ALF]

Let me be clear:

I never said that B17's in particular were used for low loevel bombing (although they were, albiet very rarely).  The point is that many LEVEL bombers, with bombsights, where used at medium to low altitudes.  Heck those damn busting brits sure come to mind.

The idea isnt that its the most common (or smart) thing in the world.  Just that they were able to do it, nothing stopped them from being done that way...and they have in fact be used in the exact fashon we see in AH.......how high was the Dolittle raid again

[yb11]

i am a buff guy and i can tell why you cee so much low bomber runs. you have a beter chance to make it to target. the fix is simpell get rid of the wind. buff will go higher it gets old bombing from 15k all the time. noing fighters are wating at 20 k to pick you off. i say if you are willing to take the time to go to 25 or 30k in a bomber you shud be abble to hit what you are trying to hit . and thin all we will have to worry about is 163 and 262 hell the bombers are tuff enuff with out makeing it any harder for thim

[JoyFul]

If you want to have less NOE bombers, we would have to get rid of damn calibration.  When flying alone, you can not do the calibration and fire at the nme on your 6.  That's impossible!

That's why I always fly NOE with my B26's and then drop without using bombsight in a max 2-3 seconds window.

I don't like to have a gunner wasting my ammo.  I rarely miss my targets, I often land 4-6 kills per flight of B26 that way.  I even killed 15 once and landed it.  I won't ask for any other gunner than myself.

[ALF]

Im just not sure I understrand some of these issues.  The 'wind' issue is a non issue if you callibrate, and even more so if you fly directly with or against the wind (for those not good at judging the offset approach vector to account for side slip).

Callibrating while under attaack is...shall we say...ummm....stupid?  If the enemy is near, adjust your calibrations accordingly.  You can get a very good callibration in 10 seconds, and you can jump back and forth while 'setting up' the callibration to make sure you are clear.....and if its THAT heavily defended...you need to be higher:D  Iva said it till Im blue in the face....those that think callibration is bad tend to be those who want success without effort....and where is the fun in that?

There are other threads complaining about dive bombing level bombers to sink CVs....and this is pure foolishness.....especially since a lone flight of b26s can take out a CV almost every time if flown well.

[SKurj]

Originally posted by ALF

Callibrating while under attaack is...shall we say...ummm....stupid?  If the enemy is near, adjust your calibrations accordingly.  You can get a very good callibration in 10 seconds, and you can jump back and forth while 'setting up' the callibration to make sure you are clear.....and if its THAT heavily defended...you need to be higher:D  

You can't jump around to guns and bombsight within a few seconds of drop time....

Last buff mission I got caught just as it was time to drop... drop eggs?  Fight off fighters?  Just spent 20 mins lining up and calibrating... odds are a second pass will result in lower accuracy...
Tough call.

Employ a gunner.... ?  you see many experienced AH'rs volunteering to gun?  I see 99% newbs...

Sure you can go higher, but 2-3 hr buff missions aren't alotta fun...

Its a tough job for buffers, for very little reward...

I'd only change 2 things with bombers that did NOT in RL have dive bombing capability...  not letting them drop when in a dive, and I'd arm the guns when the plane is moving at say 20mph or more like someone else suggested.


SKurj

[Warchief]

I am the XO of a bomber group. We do alot of low level short range NOE Lancaster runs. I agree a B-17b and Lancaster should not dive bomb. We all know that cant really do it so it shouldnt be able to it here. I have been one to do 30k alt 3+ hour bombing missions. If a bomber is below 20k he/she should have to calibrate. Making it alittle easier to calibrate yeah do it. Taking out calibrating speed yes but you would still have to mark your target. But any one here besides me do 30k alt bombing raids. If you have you know it is very difficult. So add in a very easy way to calibrate for those above 20k. And it takes alot of time to get that high and if you manage to stay alive and fight off fighters. You reach your target and spped valuable time calibrating and in the end. Half the time your bombs miss by a wide margain.

[PSYKOJR]

Hey if u don't like low lvl dweebs then catch me if u can cause i'm one of them buddy. Besides i'm more accurate that way:D

[Warchief]

I have noticed no matter what you use. You have a better chance of hitting targets at low levels than high lvl bombing drops. Dont matter to me what alt you bom from as long as you hit your target

[B17Skull12]

Originally posted by Warchief
I am the XO of a bomber group. We do alot of low level short range NOE Lancaster runs. I agree a B-17b and Lancaster should not dive bomb. We all know that cant really do it so it shouldnt be able to it here. I have been one to do 30k alt 3+ hour bombing missions. If a bomber is below 20k he/she should have to calibrate. Making it alittle easier to calibrate yeah do it. Taking out calibrating speed yes but you would still have to mark your target. But any one here besides me do 30k alt bombing raids. If you have you know it is very difficult. So add in a very easy way to calibrate for those above 20k. And it takes alot of time to get that high and if you manage to stay alive and fight off fighters. You reach your target and spped valuable time calibrating and in the end. Half the time your bombs miss by a wide margain.

i do:D

[Rutilant]

You do what?

[Warchief]

I am glad! For a sec I thought my squad was the only ones who took the time to get that high . But I think you can agree Skullz from that alt it is very hard to calibrate. It aint impossible but very diificult. And I aint saying make it a cake walk but alittle easier for bombers bombing from that alt to calibrate.

[Rutilant]

My bombing runs are typically like this..

Fuel/field strats - 15k, B17, 16 250lbers (pickle leftover bombs on runway spawn in case anyone ups..
Hangars - 15k Lancs, 18 500lbers
Enemy strats deep within enemy territory - B17s, 20-25k, 16 250lbers

CV killin - 14k Ju88s with a friend or two, no formation, 4 500kg bombs only.. come up from straight behind the CV, look down till i see the CV through the very bottom-left floor panel. Then I'll cut throttle and extend dive flaps, diving STRAIGHT down on a position a bit in front of CV, keep diving to 8,500 feet before pickling bombs and pulling out to hopefully 7k above the CV, and my buddies will follow in a straight line behind me, each performing the same manuever.. with luck (and no 5 inch guns manned) we'll form up to give eachother gun cover and head home. (well, that's the idea, anyway )

That's how i bomb. I'll occasionally take some bostons to pork ord, but i've never really found much of a use for Ki67s.

Also.. I pickle my bombs individually, all my bombers are set for Salvo 1, Delay 0.05. If you hit the bomb realease button too quickly, it'll cancel out the command and NONE will drop. If i'm in a area with heavy enemy presence, i'll Salvo and carpet bomb so i can jump back into the guns ASAP.