Ground Attack
by Mathman
F6F Hellcat loaded for Ground Attack
Note: This page is the last part of Mathman's write-up on the F6F Hellcat in Aces High. The tactics and techniques he describes for Jabo missions, however, apply to just about any type of ground-attack mission and are worthy of their own space.
Bombing Ground Targets
I have found that when I have time to or I am making the initial attack on a field, I will approach the target at about 7-10 thousand feet above the target before starting my attack run.
Approaching target, keep it in sight
and prepare to line up for the dive.
It is often helpful to make line up with the target inverted. This allows you to keep it in sight and line up to make sure that when you drop down to dive on it, you will be heading towards it and not something else. Of course, you may need to practice your inverted flying skills, too.
When making an attack, roll inverted, slightly pull back on the stick and let the nose fall towards the target. Make sure to throttle back to keep from accelerating too fast (otherwise, you may be forced to release too high in order to pull out and sacrifice your accuracy). Roll upright when the sight is just above the target and hold the nose there.
Lining up for the pull-through to dive.
Inverted to allow easy sighting of target.
Pull through to dive on target
There are 2 things to note in this picture. One is that the throttle is all the way back. Two, the bank indicator is pointed straight up. When it is straight up, your wings are “level” and your dive is straight. This will make sure that your bombs drop where you are aiming them.
At about 2,500ft to 1,500 feet, release the bombs, and pull out. Make sure that you do not pull too hard (unless you need to) or you may rip vital parts off your plane. As you egress, make sure that you perform some break turns or rolling turns to avoid ground fire should the acks still be up.
This is a graph of what the dive attack
looks like from the side. Note the dive is steep, the altitude of release.
Just prior to release of bombs. Note the
altitude, speed and bank indicator.
Also, note that the center of the sight is
placed just above the target.
Bombs Away! Note the dive angle.
As you practice, you will be able to find out what altitude works best for you for your initial attack, bomb release, and pull out. If you are making a quick strike or a low level attack, the above is still valid, but the dive into the target is not as steep and the release point is lower (though not too low, as you may damage yourself in the explosion of your bombs). It would look like this:
Typical low-level jabo attack.
Hopefully, if everything went well, you hit and destroyed your target.
Success!
Rocket Attacks
Rockets attacks are very effective. They do not hurt your plane’s performance as much as heavy bombs do, can be used to finish off damaged hangars, kill fuel, barracks, ammo bunkers and acks at fields, and are excellent to use against ground vehicles. I often carry rockets whether I plan on hitting ground targets or not, because you never know when you might just want to pop a GV or sink a PT on the way to the furball.
The problem with rockets is just getting used to where they go when you fire them. The trajectory tends to be lower than where your bullets go.
Note that the aim point is till on
the target, but towards the top.
Another fighter hangar blown up.
Strafing with Guns
Strafing with guns is very easy and effective. Normally, a shallow run into the target is preferred. However, as you practice and get better at it, you will find you are able to strafe all sorts of angles and attitudes. The key to strafing is getting a sense of speed and being able to judge when to pull out of your run. Sometimes, you may need to pull out before the target is destroyed. If this is the case, then all you need to do is pull away from the target and then reverse back and finish the job. Strafing is probably the most effective way to destroy field acks, as it allows you to fire and maneuver away to avoid getting hit. Guns are also very effective against fuel, ammo, barracks, and other “soft” targets like buildings in towns.
Strafing attack on a fuel tank.
That is the basics of jabo attacks. These guidelines are general, and as you practice, you will find some tricks that may work better for you.