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1 vs. 1 Tactics
Or, It's Mano a Mano
By
--)-Rapier
--, Fighter Ace
Content Manager
Aircraft Identification
The absolutely essential question you must answer before engaging in a one-on-one fight is, What's the enemy flying? Having the answer is the lynchpin of all your tactical thinking. Without knowing your opponent's plane, you will be incapable of formulating the correct tactics. Initially this seems to be a daunting task, but you can help yourself a lot by being familiar with the paint schemes of each of the enemy fighters. Keep in mind there are only four fighters per country and generally they have very different configurations: for example, radial engine vs. inline engine, or single engine vs. twin engine. Then they are painted differently and distinctly. For instance, the Russians have the radial-engined LA series and the inline Yaks. The La-5 is brown, and the La-7 is green. The Yak-9 is brown, and the Yak-3 is gray. The Germans have the radial-engined Focke-Wulfs and the inline-engined Messerschmitt 109s. The FW190-A8s are greenish brown in color, while the Doras (D models) are gray. Among the 109s, the Bf109-Gs are dark green, and the Bf109Ks are gray. By knowing these color schemes, you can quickly determine what plane your opponent is flying.
How to Win
So what do you do with this little tidbit of information? This one bit of knowledge combined with your knowledge of your own plane is the crux of all air combat tactics. Each aircraft in Fighter Ace
brings very definite strengths and weaknesses to the table. Winning is purely a matter of using your aircraft's strengths against the opponent's weaknesses. This means you must know the strengths and weaknesses of all the planes in Fighter Ace
. Flying without this knowledge is like flying with a plane that's already damaged 20%. You are at a disadvantage. "Know your enemy" is one of the first rules of air combat.
| "The magical four steps were: 'See - Decide - Attack - Reverse, or Coffee Break.' In lay terms, spot the enemy, decide if he can be attacked or surprised, attack him, and break away immediately after striking; or if he spots you before you strike, take a 'coffee break' -- wait -- pull off the enemy and don't get into a turning battle with a foe who knows you are there." |
| - Erich Hartmann The World?s Leading Ace
352 victories, WWII |
You should avoid a solid engagement until you have identified the plane. As always, it is a good idea to engage only with an altitude advantage. Make a high-speed pass down to a level where you can identify the enemy. If you are not in a position of advantage, regain altitude and change the situation, that is, either find an easier target or gain more energy in the form of altitude before engaging. Another key concept is to control when and where you fight. Most fights are won and lost before the combatants even engage. Along that line, you should be evaluating a whole series of different factors before engaging: things like your damage state, location, and distance from friendly fighters or airfields. In realism arenas, things like fuel and ammo states should also be considered before deciding to engage. While climbing into a fight may ensure a lot of action, it's likely to be of very short duration if you insist on engaging from a position of weakness.
To Angle or Not to Angle
It is the relative strengths and weaknesses that will determine whether or not you utilize angles or energy tactics. The single most critical aspect of this decision is probably sustained turn performance. If your aircraft has superiority in sustained turn performance, you will probably want to opt for angles tactics. As much as possible, force the fight to horizontal turn, make them fight your fight and not the other way around. The one caveat is don't get greedy! Grabbing angles off too quickly can leave you slow and vulnerable to the opponent's vertical move, as well as any incoming bogeys. Take your time (keeping aware of other possible bogeys entering the fight), and erode their energy until they cannot make that vertical move; then you own them.
For the angles tactician the fight really becomes a series of lead turns, where you seek horizontal separation and attempt to gain angles. As stated above, it's really not necessary to be too aggressive in grabbing off the angles. Doing so could bleed your energy off too fast and leave you vulnerable to a vertical move by the opponent that you can't answer. If you follow them up and can't stay close to being in range, you will become an "earth magnet" as your plane stalls, and right then they'll be pulling over on your tail. Not a good situation. Be patient and continue to turn with them, turning only as hard as necessary to keep the pressure on. As long as they are turning horizontally, time is on your side. Eventually they will bleed enough speed and energy and the fight will be yours.
| "The Messerschmitts took their time, coming around deliberately, no excess speed, blending into position behind me. The seven of us were locked into a vertical turn; the tip of my right wing pivoted on an imaginary point in the clouds below. I yanked the control wheel toward me with all my strength, screaming and squeezing to keep my stomach muscles tight and the blood circulating in my head, my body compressed under five times the force of gravity . . . I jerked my head back to glance at my attackers. It was an eerie sight. They were skillfully following my arc, but they couldn't get a shot at me unless they turned tighter and aimed their guns ahead of me, like a hunter leading a moving target . . . The 109s were starting to have trouble staying in the turn, stalling and losing altitude, their noses pointed far behind me." |
| - Frederic Arnold Distinguished Flying Cross
In "Kohn?s War" |
The Energy Game
If you don't have a sustained turn performance advantage, you will be forced into the energy game by default unless the opponent is very passive. If you are going to play the energy game, then you have to seize on which of your plane's strengths you are going to use to win. If it's heavy guns, then you should not avoid a head-to-head joust if it's unavoidable, though it is far better to hit the enemy from their six position -- no guns back there, if you know what I mean. Heavy, accurate fire will be your ticket to success. If you have climb-rate performance, then a few quick turns to encourage the enemy to bleed energy and speed followed by a climbing spiral may be just the trick. If speed is your advantage, then long extensions will be your forte. Keep in mind that nearly all of the planes of Fighter Ace
climb fairly well, so you will need a considerable energy margin to make this work.
One energy maneuver that can be very helpful is the extension-and-pitch-back tactic, which is a modified version of the Rope a Dope outlined in the energy fighting article. The energy fighter and the angles fighter approach head on. The angles fighter will naturally attempt to go for lateral separation on the pass to set up a lead turn. The energy fighter will try to minimize this (but watch the head-on shots!) by cutting close to the angles fighter. After the merge, the angles fighter will try to claw around in a hard turn heading for the energy fighter's tail. This is a good thing, as they will bleed energy in doing so. The energy fighter continues to extend away, building speed. Once the angles fighter has come around completely, the energy fighter goes for a shallow climb (make sure you are out of gun range), pulling up using minimum Gs, until completely vertical or even slight past vertical. The entire time, you MUST stay out of gun range. If you are unable to do so, you have misjudged the opponent's energy state. The opponent will either follow you up or attempt a flat turn below you. If they follow you up, you MUST be able to top out above them. If they flat turn, then you roll to put your lift vector on them, and pull over at the peak of your climb. Dive to the center of their turn, and roll to place your lift vector ahead (you will be in lead pursuit, see the rolling scissors article) and pull out to hit them. Shoot well -- you may only get a couple of opportunities during the fight.
Successful one vs. one fighting is the first step in the larger world of air combat. The skills that you hone here will be ultimately used in any engagement and your SA (Situational Awareness) will expand to the point that you'll be able to handle multiple bogeys and friendlies in the same air space. Good Luck and Good Hunting!
Arnold, Frederic. Kohn's War
. New York: Signet Books, 1984; pp. 162-163
Shaw, Robert. Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering
. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press, 1985; pp. 139-164
Toliver, Colonel Raymond F., and Trevor J.Constable. The Blond Knight of Germany
. New York: Ballantine Books, 1970; p.
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