TACTICS SCHOOL: A Joint Effort

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:FI:Rabitski
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Post by :FI:Rabitski » Fri Nov 12, 2004 8:36 am

This post was not ment as an effort to get the squad to fly full real, I don't think there is a full full real squad out there. Some guys just can't handle it others love it. I just feel that from time to time the squad might think of doing a wee session with tighter settings. As Gurb said it's damn hard to do a bomb run when you have a banner streaming along behind you. And No I joined the <PF> because of a time thing @ the thime I could only fly in the evening, but lately I fly during the day. They are a tiny squad and I would say theres only about 8 who like to fly full real which I guess is about the same as the :FI:.
As to the thing about flying power plane well on dog fight servers thats true but on the on line wars alas I never realy got the chance to pick and I normaly had a plane that was a pig compaired to the OKL planes.
With regards to the matter of the Germans not sticking to the mission well that's there problem we always did our mission and the :FI: done a great job.
I'm not trying to change the squad in any way that is not my place I'm happy in the squad and I to like to fly the sunday sessions there a great laugh and a nice break to the normal stuff I do. It was just an area I thought could do with some improvment but that's up to others to decide.

As to the bigger pond :D . Oh yes there is it's very very big and full of sharks and my hart sinks every time I come across one of them. There you are flying along thinking you going to down this guy and he totaly turns the table on you, you see it comming but the isn't a thing you can do he pulls a move that makes your jaw drop and your left waiting to take it. I have a fair idea of what I'm able to do but there are guys out there who fly the German planes who are WAY better than any allied pilot. You don't find them on the dogfight servers that much thank god but they are always doing the on-line wars. There should be a warning on the servers they go in to " Beyond here be monsters" :D .

Well I guess I'll put this matter to rest keep on keeping on and happy flying.S~
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:FI:Snoop Baron
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Mon Nov 22, 2004 6:54 am

Man I don't know how I missed all these posts after my post on the 11th :D Great discussion. Now my post on the 11th was simply regarding how to train to become a better pilot regardless of wether you play in an online war or a dog fight server. I said great post because there were a lot of good tips, even though I disagree on not practicing against the same type.

When it comes to training, I think that the online wars do provide a great medium to take your aircombat skills to the next level.

1) Online wars promote team work, which means you practice coordinated team tactics. And defence against coordinated team tactics.

2) Online wars help promoting thinking about aircombat whith the goal of first staying alive and second destroying the enemy. This is a key step in becoming better at aircombat. You will make better tactical decisions when you do not let your lust for points get the better of you, which is a comon and easy trap to fall into.

Anyone who has faced Rab and Ardmore can testify to the effectiveness of this sort of training :D

I like to mix things up when I play, from silly beached whale missions, to competitive but non-historical machine matches, or sports like Blitz missions. But one area that I am always trying to improve is my skills and my squad mates skills as fighter pilots. Because my second favorite thing after seeing an oponent go down in flames is seeing my squad mate make an oponent go down in flames :D

I want to dedicate one mission every Sunday to focus on improving serious TEAM aircombat skills for those of you who are interested. This mission will sometimes make sacrifices in the fun factor to improve the training factor. So you may be forced into flying on seperate comm channels or play at a slower tempo (longer distances more time spent pre-engagement) or forced to fly at a disadvantage or in planes/roles you do not like or to fly as wingman or leader. I want to make this a seperate mission as most of the time I try to optimize around what I personaly find *fun* which is not always the best for training :D

So next time I host I'll have a new mission that will change every once in a while as we continue to train. This will be the serious mission. I'll call it TeamTraining. The concept will be similar to MachineMatch. But instead of a serious of missions focused on pitting plane types against each other. It will be a series of missions for practicing team tactics. What do you guys think? The Team Training mission of the week will either be a special made training dog fight mission or a special made training coop.

What do you guys think?

If you like the idea I could use some help with people providing training material. That is virtual lesson plans + mission to exercise the lesson plan.

Example:

Reading material:

We are going to practice basic pair tactics. Starting from advantage or disadvantage position. There are many different tactics for flying as a pair...

Mission:

A coop where 2 vs 2 battles can be practiced quickly and effectively in three different basic scenarios. co-alt, alt advantage, and alt disdavantage

s!
Snoop
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:FI:Snoop Baron
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:16 am

Btw, the electricity went out in my house, incase you are wondering why all of a sudden my server went down in the middle of the machine match and it did not come back up.

It's getting late but here are some quick tips on the zero.

The best way to win when flying a zero is to have an altitude advantage over your opponent.

Do not fall into the trap, of thinking that you are better of flying downlow because you turn better than your opponent and you can't dive as well as they can.

If you fly low it will be a bit harder for someone to boom and zoom you because they have to be more careful with mother earth but you should not purposely put yourself at a disadvantage.

The great thing is that the Zero is a good climber. So against many opponets given the same amount of time you pre-fight time you should be able to start above them.

So for example against the Wildcat your zero has two key advantages.

a) Better climb
b) Better *sustained* turn rate

A lot of pilots fly with the better turn rate in mind but this is not your greatest strength. The wildcat turns much better than you at high speeds and they do not have to follow you into your energy bleeding sustained turn. More over when fight team vs team turning becomes much less important as compared to one vs one.

So when fighting against Wildcats try to climb whenever you get a chance and minimize the amount of hard turns that you execute.

Better yet, instead of using a flat break turn as a defensive manuver practice spiral climbs.

Now the Zero has many disadvantages against a wildcat.

A) The zero is physically very weak and easy to criple or destroy.

It doesn't take much to criple or destroy a zero while it is much touger to take out a wildcat. You really need to work hard to prevent the enemy from getting any shots on you even bad ones. This is why you cannot depend on your great turning ability. The wildcat may not be able to stay with you in the turn but they can under most conditions stay with you long enough to get a shot.

B) The zero has horrible high speed controls.

Elevators and roll are horrible at high speeds. This really hurst your ability to use diving as a means of escape and makes it very difficult for you to dive when on the offense. The most important thing to remember here is that this disadvantage applies equaly when you are on defense and when you are on offense.

Do not dive as a form of defense unless you are low on airspeed and then only dive long enough to get back manuvering speed but do not enter the regime underwhich your controls stiffen up.

Do not dive after a plane that is diving to get away from you instead build your energy advantage. Climb or stay above it and wait for it to come up to you or if they do not climb and start running away carefully use a shallow descent to gain a speed advantage and intercept their flight path. Your top speed is about the same as the Wildcat so you have a good chance of catching them if you do not follow them into the dive screw up your controls while they zoom climb above you and pounce. If the enemy runs away consider it a victory.

There are exceptions to every rule, but in general I think this advice is very sound.

And as with any plane there is strength in numbers, so fly as a team and emply team tactics while flying the zero two it's two strengths vs the wildcat climb and turn and avoiding it's pitfals fragile plane and bad high speed controls.

s!
Snoop
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:FI:Snoop Baron
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:19 am

Forgot one important tip. In all planes but particularly important in the zero.

Because the zero is so fragile you really need to avoid getting hit. As much as you should try to always be above your enemy this won't all ways be the case. The number one threat is usualy a Wildcat diving at you from your high six. So with this in mind you really need to constantly check your six. So get into the habit of looking all the way to the right and hitting your right rudder then looking up and down then looking all the way to your left and hitting your left rudder. If you are not going to fast a *short* split S can be a good defensive manuver against a fast diving opponent. If you are going fast a climbing turn with some added rudder and roll works well.

The way to fight in a zero is pretty different to some of my old familiar rides. In most of those the key is to keep your speed high and to not get slow. In the zero the key is also to not get slow AND to not get to fast. So the energy that would normaly have gone into going fast now needs to go into climbing and building your energy advantage.

While it is useful sometimes to think in simple terms such as this plane is a turn and burn plane and this one is a boom and zoom plane. In reality all planes should be flown as energy fighters. Just that the way you gain and use energy will vary based on plane and oponents plane.

s!
Snoop
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Post by :FI:Falcon » Mon Nov 22, 2004 3:32 pm

nice post Snoop!

I like the part about the bunnies particularly.

I'm glad you all got a good chance to shoot at wildcats last night ...

I was 0 - 4 on that last map.

My socks are still damp.

gah!


Fal "Cabbagepatch" con
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"He who warned, uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed."
- The history of Paul Revere's midnight ride, by Sarah Palin.
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:FI:TacticalS!
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Post by :FI:TacticalS! » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:39 pm

Yes, definitely some good thoughts and pretty bunnies there mate! :D

The early-war Zeros definitely are easy to cripple. Playing the RN campaign at the moment, and flying the Seafire in and around Iwo Jima. Granted she has a lot of fire power, but almost always tearing wings or causing major engine fires (that later results in mid-air explosions). The only gripe so far is how bloody long an AI plane can fly while still on fire! :shock:

Was reading how at least some of the early Seafires were difficult to land on carriers; in fact, they apparently lost more on hard landings than in actual combat. Hey, my campaign is historical (painfully historical). :lol:

Seem to be getting a couple of kills each sortie so far. Landed a couple of times, and had to bail a couple of times. Love that little boat, eh? While I love the new dot, a bit ugly and hopefully Oleg will tweak it a bit. But it makes playing with no-icons a whole lot easier on the eyes. Just look for two big round red circles and fire. :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:

Try to keep your suggestions in mind Snoop.

Regards,
TactS!
Last edited by :FI:TacticalS! on Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by :FI:TacticalS! » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:56 pm

:FI:Snoop Baron wrote:Forgot one important tip . . . Because the zero is so fragile you really need to avoid getting hit.
OK chaps, starting today we are going to implement this new plan - no one is to allow themselves to get hit any more; and that goes double for you Falcon [now why didn't I think of that? ](*,) ].

TacticalS! presses the button and a magical forcefield surrounds his plane. I'm ready, are you mate? :lol:
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:54 am

A fluffy bunny plane would probably be more durable than a zero :D

Just wanted to add one more thing to the you really need to avoid getting hit.

If you are short a force field, then tactics to avoid getting hit fall into two general categories.

1) Avoiding giving the enemy a shot. This is why climbing above them is so important ;)

2) Effective defensive maneuvers. This is where checking your six and performing a split S at low speeds or a level or climbing barrel roll at higher speeds or a similar defensive maneuver comes in.

Adding to number one you should avoid this situation other wise you are inviting the enemy to go in for a shot.

It is tempting when fighting a wildcat when you finally have an opportunity to go in for a kill to park your zero on their six while trying to shoot them down. Now this is ok if there are no other enemys around or close by. But often this is not the case and you will still see pilots do this. The result of this is usually a slightly damaged Wildcat and one dead zero.

Wildcat's due to their good high speed controls and the zeros fragility usually have the luxury of getting their kills in one quick swoop. They dive in-shoot-and-get-out. Unfortunately for the zero with our bad high speed controls and the ruggedness of the Wildcats we can not do the same. So if there are several enemies and you see an opportunity check your six go in for a quick shot take it and then check your six re-evaluate the situation and most likely climb to gain additional advantage not just against the guy you just took a shot at but against all enemy wildcats. If in doubt error on the side of caution and climb after taking your shot. To do this you have to be patient but you need to avoid taking unnecessary risks while in a zero. Instead wear down your opponents and build up a greater and greater advantage over them until you can destroy them with less risk to yourself.

I hope someone finds this useful ;) All you zero jocks out there feel free to jump in with some tips :D

s!
Snoop
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Did someone say...

Post by :FI:Fenian » Tue Nov 23, 2004 7:25 pm

FLUFFY??
_________
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"When people agree with me I always feel that I must be wrong."
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:06 am

Here is a wonderful list of combat tactics from da man Pappy of the black sheep squadron:

MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON TWO FOURTEEN HISTORY
Appendix E: MAJOR BOYINGTON'S COMBAT TACTICS

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS APPLYING TO ALL MISSIONS

1. Tactics in the air should be studied and developed in comparison with time-tried tactics on the and on the sea. The principles of scouting, out-flanking, ambushing, etc., all provide a basis for the development of air tactics. Of course allowances and modifications must be made for our speed, for the additional dimension in which we operate, etc. But land and sea experiences provide a starting point.

2. Fighter aircraft are designed, and fighter pilots are trained, to fight. If there are enemy aircraft in the air, and contact is not made, something is wrong. The only exceptions to this are those situations where we must stay close to something we are expected to protect; where to attack means that we have been lured away.

3. All missions must be preceded by thorough planning and briefing, with respect to the purpose of the mission and the purpose of any alternate missions, with respect to the rendezvous point and any alternate rendezvous points, etc. All possible contingencies must be considered in advance, particularly because all of our present operations are over enemy territory far from our bases. Success in the air is a lot of little things. Most of them can be taken car of before takeoff.

4. All missions must be flown as planned and briefed unless there is real justification to the contrary-there must be discipline. Along with realizing the purpose of the mission, each pilot must realize fully his responsibilities for its successful execution.

5. With proper planning and briefing, no use of the radio should be necessary except in emergencies and except in situations where tactical considerations require otherwise.

6. Every effort must be made to obtain relevant weather information and to make intelligent use of such information.

7. All fighters must realize the critical importance of recognition in order to distinguish our planes from those of the enemy, in order to identify the enemy's different types so that his particular points of weakness can be exploited and his particular points of strength respected.

8. Fighters must not go into combat feeling that the division leader or at most the section leader will answer for problems of tactics, navigation, communication, etc. In these regards leaders and wingmen are the same-at any moment the customary leader may go down or may be required to return to base, or may become lost, or may be without a radio, and every one of the others must be ready to take over. And in particular all pilots are equally responsible for spotting the enemy and for initiating immediate action either through their leader or by taking over the lead themselves.

9. Pilots must make a steady careful observation a habit. They must have a system and a routine for scanning the air both above and below, behind, on the flank and ahead. The vigil must be unceasing.

10. When bogies are called the call must be so worded that every one will know the location of the division from which the call has come, and the location of the bogies either with respect to a geographical landmark or with respect to the line of flight of the friendly force.

11. Surface bogies should not be called unless it is practically certain that they are enemy bogies. The comparative slowness of movement of friendly forces on the water makes any revelation of their presence or position undesirable.

12. In the execution of all missions, all advantages of sun, weather, terrain, etc., must be exploited.

13. In danger areas high speed must be maintained. In the less dangerous areas, such a speed must be carried that all formations stay together comfortably.

14. We must not climb into bogies. We must gain our altitude away in a position from which the action can be observed, and our climb must be made with a high forward air speed.

15. We must not pull up when closely and dangerously attacked. Speed is our defense. With moderate loss of altitude and certainly without going all the way to the water and running for home, the enemy can be outdistanced, and then altitude and position recovered for further attacks.

16. Close attention must be given to the efficiency of our firepower. Our guns' loading, their boresighting, their cleanliness, and their general performance at altitudes as well as at lower levels, must be perfect. As a result of tests of the comparative destructive power of tracer, armor piercing and incendiary ammunition, our squadron changed its belting 1-1-1 to 2 incendiary-1 armor piercing-2 incendiary-1 tracer. In actual combat we found this load much more satisfactory. We also found it desirable to use the ring sight entirely in determining range and establishing lead, using the tracer merely to check the bore sighting.

17. It must be remembered that with our armor plate, our self-sealing or purged fuel tanks, and with proper evasive action, our rear vulnerability is not great.

18. On the other hand it is apparent that, our most successful runs against fighter opposition are from eleven to one o'clock ahead and from five to seven o'clock astern, from a level just above to a level just below.

19. The most common maneuver of the [Japanese] fighter at present is a split-S, which happens usually when he is approached from ahead or from astern. In normal combat, if he cannot be hit before he has started down, he is usually gone.

20. In normal combat in enemy territory it is not desirable particularly for a single plane, to go below a base altitude, which might well be 10,000 feet. To go lower with a section of two planes may be desirable if both planes carry ample speed and are prepared to cover each other when necessary.

21. In normal combat, clouds may provide cover either for us or for the enemy and must be considered constantly in both connections.

22. All squadrons must keep the white star on their insignia freshly painted. Cleaning of the fuselage causes them to become indistinct in a matter of days.

23. In all missions involving layers of aircraft stacked up through considerable air space, all must remember the difficulty of maintaining visual contact through all the layers.

24. All pilots must check their oxygen equipment (as well as everything else) thoroughly before takeoff. To return to base early for oxygen reasons can hardly indicate anything less than negligence in preparation for the flight.

25. When a pilot decides that for some reason he must return to base, he should make a visual signal to the other member of his section that he must do so, and should indicate by a visual signal whether he is able to go back alone.

26. When a plane drops out, the other member of the section should join up on some other single plane, if any is available. A one plane section is about as useless as a three-plane section.

27. [Japanese] fighters approaching from angles ahead will usually turn away at the suggestion of a run on them, or at any other suggestion that we mean business.

28. Fighters must hold their fire until within range, as indicated by the size of the target in the ringsight. Otherwise the [Japanese] will be warned by the first over-anxious burst, will split-S and will be gone. On the other hand fire should be opened sooner in a head-on run because then we are closing faster and because the plane opening fire last usually turns away first and is a good target during that turn.

FIGHTER SWEEPS

29. The larger a striking force, the greater its power, provided that it is not so large as to be unmanageable. At the present time it would seem desirable to restrict sweeps to thirty-six to forty-eight planes, upon the assumption that all or nearly all of them will continue to the target and will participate in the action. Later on the tactics of such sweeps may reach such development that larger forces can be handled efficiently.

30. On each particular sweep the number of squadrons represented should be as small as possible, i.e. each squadron which does participate should have a larger number of planes.

31. On each particular sweep the number of different types of fighters participating should be as small as possible.

32. The leader must fly in a position where he can be seen and followed easily. At the present time enemy patrols are not ordinarily airborne, or at least are not at altitude, before our arrival. Such being the case the sweep leader can fly satisfactorily in the bottom layer with the upper layers stepped back from his layer. However if the enemy patrols should be at altitude, it would be better for the sweep leader to be in the uppermost layer. On some sweeps the leader has led the middle layer. By and large, therefore, the sweep leader should be at that level where it is expected that the first contact will be made.

33. The fighting should be kept in the same part of the air. It should not degenerate into a number of small fights, some going in our favor and some going otherwise, with some planes out of the action altogether.

34. After the initial contact it is hardly possible to keep a division together, although it would be desirable if it could be done without throwing the division into a tail chase with only the leader doing any good. A section is a thoroughly satisfactory combat unit, and can be kept together much more easily than a division. Every effort should be made to keep the section together, but the wingman should not be simply chasing his leader. If the efforts to keep together fail, the separated planes should join up as soon as possible on other friendly planes.

35. A rally point should be designated before hand for all planes on the sweep. If for any reason this is not done, those planes from any one squadron should have their own rally point. The rally should be at a certain altitude, not too far removed from the probable center of action and preferably into the sun.

36. Our fighters must be kept in the fight for the time specified unless lack of fuel, lack of oxygen, or some other reason requires otherwise.

BOMBER ESCORTS

37. The responsibility for the success of a bombing mission rests partly upon the bombers and partly upon their escort. When the bombers do a good job they (aside from hitting the target) do the following: (a) They keep good formation, with all units massed as closely as practicable. (b) They select courses which will allow sufficient clear air space above the bombers for the fighters to maintain visual contact. (c) They select courses avoiding anti-aircraft fire as much as possible. (d) They use imagination in varying their times of attack, their altitudes of attack, their courses of approach and retirement, etc.

38. The layers of fighter cover are ordinarily roving high, medium, low and close. On the approach all layers will tend to lean ahead of the bombers; on the retirement they will be over the bombers. The higher the particular layer, the farther sideways its coverage should extend.

39. The roving high cover should fly as high as possible consistent with good visual contact with the bombers (not more than a 10,000 foot spread), but not at more than 30,000 feet. It should fly well ahead of the bombers on the approach and ordinarily behind them on the retirement. Its mission is the engagement and annihilation of enemy interceptors operating anywhere but particularly at the upper levels. It may leave the air space over the bombers if that is necessary for the performance of its mission. It is a free unit.

40. The high and medium covers are ordinarily the second and third highest covers. Their positions are respectively about 6000 and 4000 feet above the bombers. Unlike the roving high cover, the high cover is not authorized to leave the air space above the bombers.

41. The fighters' air speed should be considerably greater than that of the bombers, for the safety of the fighters as well as for their greater maneuverability. As a result they must weave, in order to keep their assigned positions. The low and close covers will weave back and forth over the bombers' line of flight. The other covers ordinarily will put half of their strength on each side of the line of flight, each half then keeping to its side of the line of flight.

42. The low and close covers are respectively 2000 to 1500 feet and 1000 to 500 feet above the bombers. They must hold those positions at all costs.

43. When the bombers are SBD's and TBF's (which usually approach in that order and a mile or a mile and a half apart), the low and close covers must go down with the bombers, leveling off at about 5000 and 2000 feet respectively. The upper layer must settle down proportionately.

44. Ordinarily the low cover must see that straggling bombers are covered.

45. It is desirable for the bombers to open up on the radio if the fighter cover is inadequate at any particular point, i.e. Someone in the bomber force should act as a fighter director or fire control officer. The fighters are often innocently unaware of enemy pressure at some particular point.

46. Fighter divisions should be able to keep together and fighter sections must keep together. The lower the layer in which a particular fighter happens to fly, the more vulnerable his position and the more prepared he must be to operate defensively with his section.

47. No fighter straggling can be permitted, on the part of single planes, sections or even divisions. Fighters in real trouble should dive under the bombers.

48. A bomber strike should be preceded by a fighter sweep, timed to arrive at the target at least half an hour before the bombers.

STRAFING

49. The importance of thorough planning and briefing is particularly great in strafing. Every scrap of knowledge with regard to terrain, vulnerability of targets, location of anti-aircraft defenses, etc., must be utilized. Each pilot must know exactly what his approach will be and where his targets will be found.

50. Probably no target is completely invulnerable to successful strafing. But strafing missions cannot be run off under just any circumstances. Surprise is absolutely essential. All cover of weather, darkness, etc., must be utilized. A mission which has succeeded largely because the attack was not expected certainly cannot be repeated immediately.

51. Strafing restrictions issued by the intelligence and operations authorities must be strictly observed. But in the unrestricted areas there should be no hesitation or delay in destroying enemy targets which present themselves. Something which is wide open one moment may be gone the next.

52. We in the air sometime fail to appreciate the effect of strafing upon the enemy morale. We know the actual physical destruction which .50 caliber guns cause, but we sometimes forget the amount of less tangible damage which those guns can inflict. Often such a target as a bivouac area in a coconut plantation cannot be seen but strafing of such targets had inestimable value.

53. High speed runs are essential. Speed will reduce the number of rounds which can be delivered and will diminish the opportunity for observation, but it must be maintained. Ordinarily each plane should make but one run-if more firepower is desired the number of planes should be increased.

54. Particularly if the approach is made in line or in a flat echelon, the last mile or two of the approach should be made at a consistent power setting so that all pilots will be able to devote full attention to the target. Any pilots who unconsciously jam on the throttle just before reaching the target, will run the risk of entering the fire of the other planes, [and] of colliding with those planes later in their attempt to get back into position.

55. Strafing must not be done in column. The greatest safety factor is achieved with a line or flat echelon. If the target is so small that all planes cannot get their guns to bear from a line or flat echelon, they should approach from different angles attacking as simultaneously as possible.

56. The approach must be as low as possible, with a momentary pull-up just before reaching the target, for the purpose of identifying the particular targets, and getting the guns to bear.

57. An impulse to fire too early must be restrained. For effectiveness and for saving gun barrels, fire should be held until one is definitely in range.

58. The retirement must be low and very fast, with an eye for possible water spouts from heavy fire.

59. Upon the word to Scramble, it is important first to get the fighters off the ground, and only second to get them joined up in their usual order. Any four panes can make a division if the take off has been mixed up. And if the take offs are unduly delayed, any two planes should proceed together as soon as possible. Planes should never proceed singly.

60. Since fighter direction by radio is never perfect, due to the failures of radar, the adversities of weather, etc., it may be possible to locate the enemy only if our planes operate as a scouting force, i.e. It may be necessary to break the interception force into smaller units such as divisions, which should keep each other in sight but should make their coverage as wide as possible. Of course upon establishment of contact the force should be reunited. It should be exactly like locating the enemy in operations upon land and sea.

61. When an enemy force is approaching and the fighters go out, some of them should be required to remain over the area or object in danger of attack, in case the interception is not a complete success.

62. When it is expected that bombers are included among the approaching bogies, our interceptors should have as little as possible to do with the enemy fighters. In such a case our mission is to prevent those bombers from doing any damage with their bombs. This means that the bombers must be located, and shot down, or at least their formation must be broken up and the individual bombers forced to jettison their bombs.

PATROLS, INCLUDING DUMBO AND TASK FORCE COVERS

63. Too often, fighters consider patrols and dumbo and task force covers a waste of time. However, along with performing the mission properly, the time involved can be utilized to good effect. (a) Wingmen can develop their formation flying, making it perfect but effortless. (b) Leaders can exchange the lead with their wingmen, to see how well the wingmen can lead and to see how well they themselves can fly wing. (c) Divisions can perfect their teamwork and section maneuvers by practicing tight turns, violent scissors, etc. (d) Leaders can select patterns for flight the basis of which will be readily apparent to those following them, so that a minimum of concentration will be necessary in keeping the planes together. (e) All pilots can practice their own systems of observation particularly in focusing upon very distant objects. (f) In the case of a dumbo cover, the fighters can fly as if escorting bombers. (g) Quite frequently, upon completion of the mission, the divisions can go into tail chases which will release energy and improve technique. The average tour of combat duty involves much too much straight and level flying.

64. As much altitude should be held as is consistent with good visual contact with the object or area being covered. The position should be into the sun and generally between the object or area being covered and the enemy's territory.


I got the list from this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs ... things.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I posted it here to keep a safe copy. I highly recommend you read it. It's a great list especially when it comes to team tactics which is an area we can really work on.

s!
Snoop
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Post by :FI:Falcon » Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:22 am

...

he left out the part about the bunnies.
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:FI:Sneaky_Russian
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Tactics and formation - Basic Flight School

Post by :FI:Sneaky_Russian » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:12 pm

Pleased to announce that I've passed the J_O BSF course

I know this is going to clash with HE, but theres a graduation Coop on Friday
at 20:00 Eastern Standard Time andhere is an open invite for any squad members to join in.

Check with :FI:Nightcat for more details ^:)
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"The marksman hitteth the target partly by pulling, partly by letting go. The boatsman reacheth the landing partly by pulling, partly by letting go." (Egyptian proverb)
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Post by :FI:TacticalS! » Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:55 pm

Congrats Sneaky!

--

Snoop I especially liked these comments -

34. After the initial contact it is hardly possible to keep a division together, although it would be desirable if it could be done without throwing the division into a tail chase with only the leader doing any good. A section is a thoroughly satisfactory combat unit, and can be kept together much more easily than a division. Every effort should be made to keep the section together, but the wingman should not be simply chasing his leader. If the efforts to keep together fail, the separated planes should join up as soon as possible on other friendly planes.

35. A rally point should be designated before hand for all planes on the sweep. If for any reason this is not done, those planes from any one squadron should have their own rally point. The rally should be at a certain altitude, not too far removed from the probable center of action and preferably into the sun.

--

Something we should try also is flying in layers and see how the AI reacts. Long read but some interesting thoughts.

TS!
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:35 pm

Yes, those two also caught my attention. I want to implement that as part of our plan to improve our team work.

Point #33 is also a good one. It's challenging to "corral" the fights but it is important if we want to keep fighting as a unit. One way to keep a fight from spreading out is for us all to stay at similar altitudes this helps keep the fight from spreading apart in the vertical dimension. We can help prevent spreading in the horizontal dimension by not over committing to planes that are running away and are no longer the highest threat.

33. The fighting should be kept in the same part of the air. It should not degenerate into a number of small fights, some going in our favor and some going otherwise, with some planes out of the action altogether.

The layered approach seems to be targeted at escort missions. It will be interesting to see if the AI handles that intelligently. It should help in keeping our precious bombers alive :)

How can I keep forgetting the bunnies :D Maybe you can provide some tips on their usage Falcon :D

Congratulations Sneakster!

s!
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Post by :FI:Snoop Baron » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:38 am

Hi guys,

What do you think about making this thread sticky before it gets lost bellow the fold? Is there any way to do that?

s!
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