A friend requested a re-post:
(Updated as of 11-2-01)
1. Select the right bomb;
100s if you are good and are certain that you are going for ack only.
250s if you are good and are certain that you are going for ack or strat targets only.
500s for most jobs and mixed targets.
1Ks if you are certain that you are only going for hangers or the HQ, or if you just don't need any more bombs, IE V-base.
2Kgers and 4kgers are great for the city and other targets where you may be able to take down a cluster of targets with a single bomb.
2. Set salvo to 1 for general bombing, 3 for hangers (1Kers). (Most of my "misses" come from when I have left the salvo at 3 from a previous mission.)
3. Get alt. Ack shoots up to 6300' and 9000', AGL (Above Ground Level)! V-bases have 6300' AGL ack only. All other bases and strategic targets have ack that shoots up to 9K AGL (Or a mix of 6.3K and 9K.), check your Snefens or Thunder maps for your target's alt (
http://home14.inet.tele.dk/snefens/ (or)
http://www.applink.net/thunder/map/ ). For safety, be an extra 500' over the ack max hit alt.
Flack can be found at large fields (the big triangle ones) and the HQ *. The higher you are around Flack the safer you are, (It has a low ceiling of 3K). Flack can kill you, however, on your first pass even at 30K! Never fly straight towards a large field or the HQ, zigzag into them! (Unless your wingman is significantly closer)
*Other targets protected by flack are the Flack Factories, (I think).
4. Look at the maps and decide which targets you will kill on your first bomb run (And second run, etc.). Look for a row of targets. As you gain experience, you will even see a Z pattern of targets as a good run. Figure out how to line yourself up for that first run. Also plan how you will set yourself up for your second run, and so on.
5. As you approach your target at a distance, hit the F3 key (external) and center the target under the center of your plane.
6.When you approach your target, hit the F3 key, and then hold down 8 and 0(Ins) keys on the keypad. You are now looking externally down at a 45 degree angle towards your target. Zoom back a bit if you are close up to your plane. If you are climbing, go auto-level ( X ) when you see the target touch the nose of your plane. If you are level and fast, zoom climb to scrub off speed a ways before the nose of your plane touches your target. (Auto Climb Speed 140 works well on the B-17, but don't engage if you are super fast, or your wings will rip off! ). This is all done so that you do not approach your target too fast. (Some AH bombardiers also engage flaps before going into the Norden.)
7. For the next few minutes, this will be your last chance to check for enemy fighters! Do it!
8. Hit the F6 key, the O (for Open bay doors) key and hold down the 0 (Ins) key * (you are now in the Norden bombsight, and your bomb bay doors are open). Make it a habit to open the bay doors when you get into the Norden, it really sucks when you forget! (Confirm that bay doors are open by reading text in the radio bar.)
*I made a little tripod out of a coat hanger and a big bolt for ballast. I place 1 leg on the 0 (Ins) key when I begin a bomb run, it's just an old habit from my WB days that frees up a hand or thumb. A programed key on some joysticks can sometimes interfere with other commands.
9. With the joystick, adjust the vertical cross hair until it lines up on the first target that you want to kill.
10. Ease back on the throttle, by ear, to about 80%.
11. As the target gets closer to the horizontal cross hair, hit the Z (zoom) key. Use the ] key to zoom in even more. If the vertical cross hair wanders, your joystick is probably out of calibration. Bombing can be very tough, or even impossible with a spiky or out of calibration stick.
12. Chop a bit more throttle if you think are approaching your first target fast. Unfortunately, it just takes experience to know what "fast" is.
13. Drop (B key, or secondary fire button) when the horizontal cross hair touches the target. 500#ers and 1Kers allow you to off from an ack target by quite a bit.
Airbase hangers need 3 fairly well centered 1K hits to go down. (Airbase hangers require so many bombs, at such high accuracy*, I consider them to be a poor target choice for a B-17, especially since they only go down for 15 minutes. A Lancaster can take down 4+ hangers, however.
A V-base hanger can go down with a single 1K hit anywhere within the hanger walls.
Other airfield ground targets (fuel, ammo, barracks, etc), and strategic target buildings go down well with a direct 250# hit, or a non-perfectly centered 500# hit. 1Ks allow you to be off by a pretty wide margin and you can often destroy more than 1 target with a single bomb.
The big building at the HQ takes 19,000# (That's 3+ fully loaded B-17s or 2 Lancasters) to be destroyed.
14. As soon as you release your first bomb, adjust laterally with the joystick until the vertical cross hair lines up on the second target in your planned "row". Be gentle! Continue to chop throttle*, as needed, to keep your bomb run slow and controlled as you progress down your planned row. Don't chop all of the throttle well before your last target, especially if your last two targets will require a big jog. Get the vertical cross hair lined up as soon as possible after each bomb release, and then let the plane "relax" until your next release.
All of this stuff in #14 is the "art" of bombing, and requires practice.
*Sustained low or 0 throttle while in the Norden can cause a violent stall! Listen for the stall horn.
15. After you drop your last bomb, apply full throttle and check your six! Smart fighter pilots in AH often attack bombers when they are on their bombing runs, knowing that they are unaware of their surroundings. Watch your targets go down after you are certain that you are safe.
16. If you have time, and have no threats, get into the ball turret (key 2 for B-17), point it straight down and zoom in to watch your bombs hit. If you are pressed for time, adjust your plane so that a 180 degree turn will line you up on your next run. Sometimes this means continuing straight, or turning 30 or 90 degrees, etc. At very high altitudes, it is often faster to immediately do a 360 oval turn and set up from the same direction, than it is to fly past the target, do a 180, and approach it from the opposite direction.
17. As you fly away from your target hit the F3 key, and then hold down 8 and 2 keys on the keypad. You are now looking externally down at a 45 degree angle towards your target as you fly away from it*. Adjust your flight path so that you are flying 10 to 20 degrees off of your next run, when you make your next 180 turn, you will close that angle. When the tail of your plane passes the target, you are then ready to swing 180 degrees and begin your next run. Make sure that you make your 180 degree turn in the direction that will line you up for your next run.
* The Arado (or any fast bomber) at speed requires longer bomb runs because of the increased horizontal bomb speed.
18. Repeat steps 7 through 17 (Bay doors are still open though, leave them that way.) as needed.
19. Close bomb bay doors, and go home.
eskimo
