Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: ONTOS on November 03, 2014, 07:13:24 PM

Title: bomb package
Post by: ONTOS on November 03, 2014, 07:13:24 PM
Add the bomb package to the Il-2.  I've seen where they carried a cluster of 2.5 or 1.5 kg bombs that could penetrate 100mm of armor. I believe first used at Kursk, Jul, 1943.
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: MK-84 on November 03, 2014, 07:29:50 PM
Posted directly from wikipedia:

RS rockets suffered from poor accuracy. Early testing demonstrated that, when fired from 500 m, a mere 1.1% of 186 fired RS-82 hit a single tank and only 3.7% hit a column of tanks. RS-132 accuracy was even worse with no hits scored in 134 firings during one test. Combat accuracy was even worse since the rockets were typically fired from even greater distances. To further complicate the matters, RS-82 required a direct hit to disable light German armor with near-misses causing no damage. RS-132 could defeat medium German armor with a direct hit but caused almost no damage to light or medium armor with a near-miss.
Aware of their ground attack ineffectiveness, Soviets began to experiment two new tactics in order to destroy tanks with airplanes at the battle of Kursk:
Modified Il-2 based on two seat Il-2, armed with Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 instead of 20/23 mm cannons, this version is a very similar concept to the german Ju87G. However, combat effectiveness was quite low, may be because of the IL-2 relative low maneuverability or because of the level of training such weapon needed to attack the thin top of tanks. Moreover, bomb load decreased from 600 kg to 200 kg and even with 48mm of penetration, this gun didn't have enough punch for heavy tanks.
Conventional Il-2 with 220 PTAB anti-tank bomblets in the internal weapon bays or 192 PTAB in four external dispensers. The PTAB-2.5-1.5 has 1.5kg of explosive and could penetrate from 60mm to 70mm, which was enough to destroy any tank of the WWII even the heavier ones because it falls generally straight to the top of tanks. The amount of bombs dropped ensured high probability of hits against enemy tanks even when they were in open formation. The usual maneuver needed to use the PTAB was a dive bombing from 70 to 100m altitude and the footprint of bombs dropped by a single aircraft could cover 2 or 3 tanks spaced 60-75m apart.
First used on July 2 1943, group of eight Il-2 (Captain M.I.Smilskij, 1st Guard Assault Division) performed five runs over about 70 German tanks poised for attack, dropping no less than 1200 PTABs. Fifteen machines were set afire.
Pilots of 266th ShAD, 1st ShAK destroyed or damaged 10 panzers and 10 vehicles during an attack (led by Matikov of the 673rd ShAP) of stationary tanks near Yakovlevo and Pogorelovo. 491 PTABs were used.
The claims by pilots using the bombs were so extensive that they were often doubted by superior officers. Staffs officer and commanders started flying combat missions to monitor the result of air strikes in person, and finally stated : "the enemy losses statistics cited were correct"
"the encrypted message sent by Col Gen Vorozheykin to Stalin on 11 July 1943 says that Soviet ground troops deployed on Hill 255.1 saw six IL-2 attack 15 Tiger tanks, settings six of them on fire. A large panzer force was detected on a hill cast of Kashary on 10 July. Soviet attack aircraft delivered a pin-point air strike, killing 30 enemy tanks and settings 14 on fire, while the rest of the panzer group dispersed and started a chaotic retreat northwards"
The PTAB had indeed made an impressive debut, as a result the Soviet command chose to employ the PTAB on large scale. In other hand, production of the NS-37 variant of the IL2 stopped. Recovering from the initial shock of the PTAB, Germans tanks soon adopted open formations as a reaction, undermining their morale, speed of deployment, command and control efficiency but reducing the effectiveness of IL2 strikes.
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: ONTOS on November 04, 2014, 08:40:55 AM
Your long reply is appreciated and what you say is true, but I still think it would be good to have. :salute
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: wpeters on November 04, 2014, 11:16:42 AM
+1
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: Tilt on November 04, 2014, 01:15:01 PM
+1 to the PTAB.  An IL2 without this is not an IL2 IMO
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: bustr on November 04, 2014, 03:18:14 PM
While you are at it, Yak with PTAB. Our Yak9T with the 20mm option is effectively a Yak9B.

This would get abused in hilarious ways. NOE to a field, popup over the end of the runway and fling PTAB to vulch the spawn. Probably the same against Ships. Fling PTAB at troops. Lathrobe would have to put together a 30 IL2 Vbase attack where the first pass was mass PTAB flinging all over the Vbase. Or following up mass TuTu raid taking down the hangers.

CraterMA TT would become a PTABers paradise with all of the stationary tanks. And someone in a Yak would figure out how to bomb bomber boxes. This is Aces High, not real life after all.
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: wpeters on November 04, 2014, 03:35:07 PM
While you are at it, Yak with PTAB. Our Yak9T with the 20mm option is effectively a Yak9B.

This would get abused in hilarious ways. NOE to a field, popup over the end of the runway and fling PTAB to vulch the spawn. Probably the same against Ships. Fling PTAB at troops. Lathrobe would have to put together a 30 IL2 Vbase attack where the first pass was mass PTAB flinging all over the Vbase. Or following up mass TuTu raid taking down the hangers.

CraterMA TT would become a PTABers paradise with all of the stationary tanks. And someone in a Yak would figure out how to bomb bomber boxes. This is Aces High, not real life after all.

Sounds fun.  Big thing is how many could fling them accuratly
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: MrKrabs on November 05, 2014, 04:36:00 PM
Sounds fun.  Big thing is how many could fling them accuratly

You underestimate the number of bored people who will practice this.

Just like the number of people who will fight with a 190F-8 and use the AT rockers as A2A rockets...
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: bustr on November 05, 2014, 07:21:11 PM
If you give crabby these tiny little bombs you will be sorry................ :O
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: Tilt on November 06, 2014, 08:49:25 AM
Yak9b was not a success as the bombs were prone to jamming in the bay, arming them selves and going off inside the fuselage.

I thought the Yak9b was based on the shorter nosed Yak9d fuselage.
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: ONTOS on November 06, 2014, 09:27:11 AM
I believe those "crappy little bombs" were more effective than you give them credit for. Do more research on the Il-2. The fact is this plane had them and it should be available. Just like other ordnance in the game, people can elect to use them or not.
Title: Re: bomb package
Post by: MrKrabs on November 07, 2014, 12:12:46 AM
I believe those "crappy little bombs" were more effective than you give them credit for. Do more research on the Il-2. The fact is this plane had them and it should be available. Just like other ordnance in the game, people can elect to use them or not.

This exactly,

Just because they don't have a high-yield doesn't make them useless...

Haven't you ever felt satisfied by killing a wirble with a surprise 100lb bomb from a La-7?