Best way to shoot down Bombers

[Yarbles]

Ive tried slowly climbing up from their 6:(

Anyone able to say how its done properly?

[The Fugitive]

Coming in from above in slashing attacks. Most times I'll get out front a bit then cut in and dive to where the bombers are goin (lead turn), fire on an engine or two coming in on the bombers 7-9 oclock, and booming out on their 3-2 oclock possition. Diving a bit low on one pass, maybe not the next time.

It takes a few passes... unless your in one of those big cannon jobs, but as long as you stay fast and take different paths in and out each time, you shouldn't have any trouble taking them out.... unless it's 999  

[Blooz]

Get in front of them and fly straight at their nose and empty your guns into the bombers cockpit.

It takes patience to set up but provides the quickest kill with the fewest bullets and exposure to defensive fire.

[Rich46yo]

Strange how so many fly into the rear gun. I was once jumped by an ME who slashed and I was almost helpless against him. The really good sticks seem to adjust tactics by the bomber they are attacking.

                        Another thing I see guys do is to line up the bombers center and just pour it on. Well those 50s can reach out a long ways and a B-17 is pretty tough. I took out a 110 at almost 1,000 K cause he was creeping in to use his cannons thinking I'd never hit him from that distance but thats what happens when you creep in and the gunner can spray a few rounds at you to range you and then opens up with 3 planes worth of 50s. With zoom we can see the rounds hit you from that far and then we open up.

                   I rely on sneak tactics as my main defense anyways and try to limit my exposure to radar and enemy. The way I see it if I can take out a target and never see a bogey then its a success. I'll take an hour and 1/2 to get Lancs up, do an end around, and take out a refinery from 25,000'.

[Krusty]

Fly at historical speeds and they won't fall behind into a tail chase. At historic speeds they will overtake and make slashing attacks.


But, bomber pilots in this game don't fly anything but full throttle.

EDIT: Sorry for not clarifying, but this means you have to be fast to attack them successfully. A hurr2c can't catch them, so it's a bad choice. A P51 is faster. Usually something with cannons is best (but 50cals do work as well).

[Hap]

Originally posted by Blooz
Get in front of them and fly straight at their nose and empty your guns into the bombers cockpit.

It takes patience to set up but provides the quickest kill with the fewest bullets and exposure to defensive fire.

KA-boom.

[Lusche]

Originally posted by Krusty
Fly at historical speeds and they won't fall behind into a tail chase. At historic speeds they will overtake and make slashing attacks.

At historic speed, they still will attack a bomber from it's six.
In most cases, it's not the bombers speed, but the fighters lazyness and lack of brains  thad results in such a attack. Just look at the myriad of tail chase attacks on buffs cruising at 5000ft, hardly an alt that leaves you no other choice...

[Krusty]

Historically at 5000feet they'd be flying 160mph or so. I don't care who ya are, you're going to attack buffs smarter when you can. Even at 5k they're still pretty fast. It's easier to overtake them most times than it is up at 15k+, but still their speed is still a factor (and pilot laziness) in the number of pure dead6 attacks we see.

IMO most pilots only do dead6 attacks because it's nearly impossible to learn/practice any other attack, due to the speed of the bombers.







(I can't COUNT the number of times I've told somebody "don't sit on his tail, he'll shoot you down, man!" and seen them go *pop* moments later after they ignored me)

[comet61]

Get in front of them and fly straight at their nose and empty your guns into the bombers cockpit.

Not advisable if it is a B26. A lot of fighter jocks forget that the B26 has forward guns (not nose gunner). I have at least 3 kills because of the "head-on" approach on a 26. Usually at 600-800 I can pull the nose up and let'em have it.

Coming from the perspective of a bomber pilot/gunner (me) I can tell right off the bat the experience level of the con by his/her engagement tactics.

The enemy needs to know the bombers capabilities and their firing patterns. When flying 24's or 17's and I get attacked from 11 or 1 o'clock high positions, I know I have a seasoned fighter on my hands. He is using his/her advantage of the fact that I can only train a few guns that way. Usually 9 out of 10 attacks are on my 6 and low. Bad news really. At 1000 or less I can direct several guns in that direction including waist guns by using the N key. Normally, that type of tactic they can score one bomber....maybe even 2. This goes for the less seasoned fighters. I have been on many sorties where I'll lose all 3 because of the frontal/high attacks. B26's have no belly gun. Good fighters will attack from below where there is less for the bomber/gunner to shoot at.

Another fighter that bombers really hate are the Me262/163. Their cannons make scrap metal at a fast rate. Because of their speed, tracking the target on the bomber can be difficult...even if the attack on the bombers 6.  However, I did manage to shoot down a 163 because he was directly behind me, but that doesn't happen often enough. Of course more than 1 bandit is bad for the bomber/gunner, especially if they coordinate frontal and back attacks at the same time. If that is the case....you can kiss your mission goodbye.

[Lusche]

Originally posted by Krusty

IMO most pilots only do dead6 attacks because it's nearly impossible to learn/practice any other attack, due to the speed of the bombers.
 

*sigh*... while I do understand were you are coming from, I really don't understand why you allow yourself to get carried away to absolute BS (excusez-moi) statements like this. It's at least grossly exaggerating...


A B17 does about 248mph at 5k. Allmost all fighters fly at least 100-150mph faster at that alt. And many fighters do have a huge altitude advantage at that point to start with.

And considering the number of buffs flying below 15K, there are countless opportunities to practice every possible attack variant. "They are too fast" is a lame and in 99% of all cases utterly wrong excuse.

I learned my "don't attack from 6" lesson in my first week, and was able to practice slashing attacks from that moment without problems...

[Spikes]

I'd take a 110 to intercept...Big guns, and those rockets are pretty nice...

I would not go from the six...but come in from his side (Aiming at his waist gunner)

[Rich46yo]

I just had a classic shootout from B-17s against a few F-4Us. The first guy did well. He was just sitting over an airbase flying circles very high and he saw my bombers heading to a refinery. I tried making the bomb run but he came on. He attacked my drones first and since I was so busy trying to lay my bombs down he got the both of them. But he was also slashing very well. What happened is he saw a lone 17 and figured it was easy pickins so he came in stupid and I just shot him to pieces.

                         I turned and made the run on the refinery and did some damage. I turned for home when I saw another F-4U. What he did was he stayed left and high trying to herd me into a furball. I stayed away from that and just used my rudder pedals to center him when he would make an actual attack. It was a waiting game and he ended up winning cause he was able to come in high from the sun and I just didn't see him coming. He got the bomber to flame and I was just to far away from anything to put it down. Anyway I appreciated the masterful fighter attack and him. I sure wish someone good would gun for me when I call for one.

                    So I came back in an AR-234, bombed the refinery again, and on the way out when an F-4U tried to get on my 6 I turned the nose down and hit the RATOS. He actually came close with one spray but that was that. The 234 is the one airplane I actually feel safe putting my head down in the bomb view for a few minutes.

[Krusty]

You may call BS if you like. I say it's all related. Even if most fighters can catch them at 5k, are they in the right place? The right direction? By the time you turn to them you are behind 'em. Even though you CAN catch 'em, it's still a far cry from the slow, lumbering, easy prey that bombers were historically.

Even though you CAN catch 'em at 5k, you're still working twice as hard as any fighters would have historically, to get the same end result.


But, I understand if I'm sounding like a broken record. I'll drop it.

[Rich46yo]

Originally posted by Lusche
*sigh*... while I do understand were you are coming from, I really don't understand why you allow yourself to get carried away to absolute BS (excusez-moi) statements like this. It's at least grossly exaggerating...


A B17 does about 248mph at 5k. Allmost all fighters fly at least 100-150mph faster at that alt. And many fighters do have a huge altitude advantage at that point to start with.

And considering the number of buffs flying below 15K, there are countless opportunities to practice every possible attack variant. "They are too fast" is a lame and in 99% of all cases utterly wrong excuse.

I learned my "don't attack from 6" lesson in my first week, and was able to practice slashing attacks from that moment without problems...

                         Lusche is a bad enemy to have coming at you. I'll attest to that. Also , for that matter, as much as I like flying all the bombers I pretty much limit myself to 17s, 26s,KI-67s, and 234s, now. I like the JU but its pretty slow and I dont like the guns. The Lanc is great but its hard to defend as well. I might fly one if the war room is not full and the Lanc is a long, long mission for me.

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Yarbles
Ive tried slowly climbing up from their 6:(

Anyone able to say how its done properly?

that works pretty well....you should come try that against my JU88's:D
honest...their guns aren't dangerous.....

seriously..........get above em.......slice through their formation, never giving them a good shot.........