Historical combat advice

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory >> Historical combat advice

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Historical combat advice - 2/20/2008 10:00:41 PM

Tomus

Posts: 234
Joined: 9/22/2003
From: UK
Status: offline

I reinstalled this after Matrix re-released it and am having a blast.

I am just wondering what the historical combat doctrine was for fighters. Was it to stay with one plane and bring it down or try and damage as many as possible. For example the Stukas drop their bombs the moment they are hit. So its often more effective to try and hit as many as possible to neutralise their attack. Is that a historical tactic or was it bring the plane down completely thus denying it and the pilot to the Germans?

Also do you guys snipe with the guns or just unload everything till you see smoke trails?

Post #: 1

RE: Historical combat advice - 2/21/2008 12:05:33 AM

sullafelix

Posts: 1520
Joined: 1/11/2005
Status: offline

Well it matters if we are talking historically good for your country or you as a pilot. Historically as a pilot, all the great aces ( who lived ) did the following. The would hunt for one plane that did not notice them get as close as possible. When�I mean close I mean close, most would not fire until the other plane filled their windshield and then fired. At that distance you only need a one or two second burst. I would say that 98% of the great pilots were ambush killers much like crocodiles etc.. There are exceptions to every rule and some pilots went hell bent into furballs, Werner Voss for example among many others. But like him their life expectancy was not long at all.

If you are flying as a Brit do remember that even with eight machine guns your 303 bullets do not do much damage. You will have to aim for�the cockpit or the�wing tanks. Spraying led all over a Heinkel will not�do much. Also as a Brit�any plane that you do serious�damage to�and it can't make it back to France is essentially a kill for your country but not always one for you. Most of any nations bomber killers would get ahead and fly right at the bomber and unload into the cockpit, or try. The closing speed is naturally much greater going at one another so you don't have much time at all to aim, but there is little to no lead headed your way. Staying with bomber killing, JU88s are the toughest of the lot the most flimsy being the DO17. Just as an aside, Allied pilots trying to bring down Japanese bombers were able to pretty much throw caution to the wind. Light armament and no safety features at all meant the Japanese bombers were pretty much Zippo lighters with wings. This is just if you get into more flight sims.

As a German use your machine guns as an aiming and range finder and only then open up with the cannons. The ME110 has the most lethal front end of all the planes in the game. But it can't turn worth a dime. So especially when flying it use hit and run tactics, what is called " boom and zoom ". It's speed is right up there with the other fighters so just kill and escape.

Last but not least, deflection shotting. Very, very few of any nations pilots were any good at it ( Gunther Rall being an exception ). Angled shooting in any flying sim worth it's salt is just an ammo waster.

I hope any of this helps. I could run on and on but I was trying for concise.

< Message edited by sulla05 -- 2/21/2008 12:07:26 AM >

(in reply to Tomus)

Post #: 2

RE: Historical combat advice - 2/21/2008 8:27:25 PM

Hard Sarge

Posts: 22741
Joined: 10/1/2000
From: garfield hts ohio usa
Status: offline

in this game, for Ju 87s, I would say, attack the formations, try for the kill of course, but if the target breaks, let it go, let your mates take care of the cripples (remembering that the 87 with out bombs turns into a fighter)

once the formations are broken up, then go into kill mode, if you got ammo left

the twins, go for the kill, aim for one place and keep aiming, 303s will saw a wing off, will kill an engine, or put it on fire, and when you lucky will also explode the target

(dead 6 is not the best attack postion, even though it is the one you will get the most of, a little angle off will give you a good burst into the cockpit area, for a quick kill, diving down, the wing roots, from underneath, the belly, if you get the postion, head on is best, but HARD to get, HARD to keep it truly head on)

Fighters are tricky, if they are breaking into you, you got to fight, but if you turn into them too fast, you just put someone on your tail, fight to kill, or at least cripple before you break off, but watch, the AI is good at 2 on 1 fighting, 3 on 1, then you have to keep changing your target, these kinds of fights, you can get some quick kills on the 110s as they try to come head on to you, but stay out of there guns, you got to get good at snap shots for these kinds of battles, SA in this game is a little ruff, check the maps, hit the padlock, know who you are and pay attention to your wing mates (a pain when you are closing in on a target and your mate is yelling for Yellow 1 to break, and you are green 1)

only fire when you think/know your going to hit, work on your angles, you are going to need to be able to fire in a turn, in a climb/dive (use the training missions to try and get a idea on your range and angles, in the campaign, you need your ammo)

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(in reply to sullafelix)

Post #: 3

RE: Historical combat advice - 2/21/2008 11:30:00 PM

Tomus

Posts: 234
Joined: 9/22/2003
From: UK
Status: offline

Thanks guys. I've played IL2 loads, since release and there as the amount of planes is usually quite limited it usually easy to stay with a target. But in BOB its impossible there is so much going on.

Good advice cheers fellas!

(in reply to Hard Sarge)

Post #: 4