Attacking Bombers

[Mongoose]

   Is there someone who would meet with me in the training arena and give some lessons on attacking bombers?  I keep ending up in the six o'clock kill zone.

[Latrobe]

If the bomber has a blind spot, attack from that direction. The Lancaster doesn't have a ball turret so hit it from below. Bombers like the B17 and B24 that have every angle covered, I find the safest approach is from directly above with a LOT of speed. Hit them from 600 yards, or even 400 yards but no closer and just zoom by as fast as you can and get out of their guns range. Climb back up and set up for a second attack. When you do attack, aim for the wing! The fuselage of these bombers can absorb amazing amounts of damage, but the wings are relatively weak. If you can get really accurate, aim where the wing meets the fuselage. Bombers like the B24 catch fire very easily there.

Sorry I can't show you in the TA right now. Hope I explained it well enough.

[caldera]

Patience is the most important thing.  You dictate the terms of the fight.  Never attack from the low six.
 
Don't spend ten minutes chasing bombers, only to latch onto their tails.  Spend a few more minutes getting above them.
 
Get at least 1.5 above them and make fast hit and run passes.  Use your speed advantage to get in and out quickly.

Some people like high six o'clock passes, which is easier to hit with but easier to get hit yourself. 

You can also try high passes from the one or eleven o'clock positions and drop straight down onto him.  Aim in front, so the bomber flies right through your rounds and you exit out right behind and beneath him.  Stay low and fast to get out in front, then zoom back up. 
This works great for pilot kills but bad timing also leads to collisions (my specialty) .

Always keep an eye on defensive fire as you egress and then zoom back up above him to set up your next pass. 

Try to aim for one specific point (wings are best, or pilot if you have cannons) and attack that same point every pass until he goes boom. 

Don't force the attack if you are slow or damaged.  You will probably get much more damaged.   

[Mongoose]

  Thanks for the replies.  The problem is that I have tried all of these, and I still end up dead astern of the bomber where the guns blow me to bits.  I am doing something wrong on my approach.

[kvuo75]

 Thanks for the replies.  The problem is that I have tried all of these, and I still end up dead astern of the bomber where the guns blow me to bits.  I am doing something wrong on my approach.

it is patience as caldera pointed out.. seriously.. it may take 2 minutes between passes to do it properly. take the time to get out in front and above.. you want to be in the bombers 1-2 or 10-11 oclock.  pretend you're flying in formation with them, 2k away.

if you are impatient you're gonna end up on their 6.

[ScottyK]

 Try to work the drones first, which ever u attack first keep making passes on it till its down. 
 
 Also fly the bombers, get to know their blind spots and use that to your advantage.

[Mongoose]

it is patience as caldera pointed out.. seriously.. it may take 2 minutes between passes to do it properly. t

<Some deleted>

if you are impatient you're gonna end up on their 6.

That's my problem.  I have a patience problem.  I normally am trying to hit really fast.  Oh, well.  I just have to work on it harder, and more slowly.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[Latrobe]

That's my problem.  I have a patience problem.  I normally am trying to hit really fast.  Oh, well.  I just have to work on it harder, and more slowly.

Thanks again for all the advice.

That's the problem with bombers, they will not go down quickly (unless you're intercepting them over strats/HQ with a 163  ). I know I took off at a base in a 109, full fuel, to intercept some overhead bombers. After I had killed the last bomber I had just barely enough fuel to get back to base.

[mtnman]

That's my problem.  I have a patience problem.  I normally am trying to hit really fast.  Oh, well.  I just have to work on it harder, and more slowly.

Thanks again for all the advice.

You're getting good advice all around, but sometimes it helps to "see" how it should be done.

As an old has-been trainer, I know that "seeing" it is hard to teach.

As you've heard, you need to get above and in front of the group, and that may take patience.  If you watch my dive/approach, I'm almost vertical, and aiming for a point out in front of the bombers.

Watch the approach internally, externally, etc...  It really is probably the most important aspect of the attack.  It keeps you safe and sets up your shot.  When I have trouble with bombers, it's always because I mess up my approach.  It needs to be steep, fast, and at a difficult angle for the gunner to return fire effectively.  I don't remember seeing it in any of these films, but I often roll as I dive to keep myself from being "stationary" in the gunners view.  It also help me fine-tune my approach and aim.  I always line my wings up with his (if I can) right before I fire.  I'm careful not to be pulling too many G's when I fire, and to be sure that I fly "smooth" to conserve as much energy as I can.

I like to pass below the bombers and pull back up in front of them far enough out in front that I'm in no real danger of being hit.  Passing beneath the group does waste some energy, but I think it helps keep me safe by forcing the gunner to hop between guns (passing above the group might allow him to stay in the top turret for the entire attack).  When I pull up, It isn't to vertical.  It's a sloping uphill zoom that places me above and out in front again.  I can usually just pull back into a loop and begin my next dive.  Sometimes I use a notch or two of flaps to help me over the top, but retract them immediately when my nose is back down.

My general attack is a series of giant loops for the most part, but very often on my third pass I need to turn it into a barrel roll due to my depleted energy.  I try to kill the entire group in three passes, because after that I've lost enough energy that I may need to pause my attack and get some speed/alt back.  I like to use a convergence of 275, which works well for the .50's and my style of shooting.

http://www.4shared.com/file/EcQmbIlz/Bombers_from_above.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/wKWoxP0r/B24s_0001.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/wUpB-EdR/Lancs_0000.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/0h_xSRI2/6_buffs_with_saber.html

[Lusche]

I can't download your films, it's asking me to register first.

[The Fugitive]

Im registered, but I get this "The file link that you requested is not valid. "

[mtnman]

On my way out to chase some squirrels and rabbits with the bird...  Back in a few hours.

When I get back I'll see what I can do.  I got the invalid file link message too, but when I hit refresh it worked fine?

Is there another free hosting service that people prefer?  I can transfer the files there if you guys know of one.

[mtnman]

Do these links work better?

Lusche/Snail and Fugi- you guys have probably seen these before, they're nothing special...

For the OP though, this is a relatively easy, highly successful attack method.  I had one period way-back-when where I bothered to track my K/D vs. buffs.  It was in the neighborhood of 80 or 90 bomber kills to one death (which was due to me ramming into the rear of the guy I was attacking, not to being shot).  It was against a variety of bombers, flown by a variety of pilots.  There are a few bomber gunners who can still give you some grief with this type of attack (999000 comes to mind) but it'll still work on them more often than not.  Bombers with "average" pilot/gunners are pretty much "gimme" kills with 50 cals.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lhzcchded2c

http://www.mediafire.com/?2rh3dsjn2xbn0qf

http://www.mediafire.com/?g5h1prsvja3szkt

http://www.mediafire.com/?ct532t2rjvfahey

This film, OTOH, shows "bad" attack form on buffs.  I got lucky, but this type of attack will wind up killing you far more often...  I was sloppy...  Had I bumped into the wrong bomber gunner, I'd have been killed very quickly.

http://www.mediafire.com/?czdvwnnnzyi

[DEECONX]

Head on, Head on, HEAD ON 


If pressed for time, slashing attacks from the 2 and 10 positions are also effective but I find that sometimes if you pull to many G's rolling over and around that a collision is more likely to happen. usually with the drones.

[kvuo75]

but I often roll as I dive to keep myself from being "stationary" in the gunners view. 

good point.

if the bomber is stationary in your view, you're stationary in his.. you're on a collision course, and both will be able to hit each other quite easily. which is not good for the fighter.  I try for more crossing shots.. not quite full snapshots, but close..