Some of the basic techniques or maneuvers would be on a three-dimensional arena which would add another layer of complexity to dogfighting. In a dogfight, the best position is being above or behind a plane which is called the attacker position. The attacker would have to understand the geometry of pursuit in a three-dimensional area in order not to overshoot which would cross the enemies flight path or fly out in front of the enemy. If a pilot is a defensive position they would try to shake off the aggressor from their tail. In a defensive position pilots would have to know how to tighten, relax, reverse a turn in order to throw off the aggressor.
More advanced maneuvers would test pilots ability in reading their opponents before they made their move. As a Low-Yo-Yo is an attacker maneuver which sacrifices altitude for speed. If an attacker spots a defender head on and sees the defender tilt his plane 180 degrees and push up on his stick, the attacker dips his nose to have a smaller turn, this, in turn, helps with the angle of attack since the attacker pulls back on his stick to meet at the defenders height, this then helps the attacker not to overshoot. But this can also be taken advantage off if a defender spots this maneuver they can tighten their turn forcing an overshoot by the attacker. A defensive spiral consists of maneuver which is a last-ditch effort were the attacker climbs to the max altitude and using kinetic energy spiral down trying to evade the attacker. The idea was to have the attacker still tailing behind the defender but if the attacker was to focus on the defender and not pay attention to their altimeter they wouldn't have enough time to pull up causing them to crash into the ground. The idea was to keep the attacker preoccupied on the defender long enough so they wouldn't rely on the approaching ground beneath them.
Majority of the time pilot level of skill would dictate who would win as the RAF of the time was the best airforce of the time but also if pilot skills were equally matched then the plane would dictate the victor. As the arms race for planes grew there would be newer and newer versions of previous planes built. Due to this manufacturers and pilots would have to learn how to outdo the competitors for air superiority.
Low-Yo-Yo
Defensive Spiral
aireal conflict
sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/dogfight
I found this post really intriguing as it detailed some of the more specific maneuvers used by pilots during World War II. I think that one interesting thing about dogfighting is that one of its biggest impacts during the war was in the Battle of Britain. After Germany rapidly took France among other countries, the Battle of Britain was the key point where Britain was able to hold off German invasion, somewhat representing a turning point, showing that Britain was there to stay. British dogfighting was one of the key aspects of the British victory, as Germany was unable to gain air superiority. I just wanted to illustrate one of the most significant battles of the war was due to this technique.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about these tactics used by WWII pilots. I've always seen documentaries about pilots during WWII but I've never actually understand their strategies until now. Because of the success from the RAF in the Battle of Britain, I would assume, the RAF either had better aircraft or better pilots, and they were able to use these techniques more effectively.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, as I found the topic very interesting. I really liked how you included the diagrams of the aerial maneuvers, as they really helped me visualize what the pilots did. On the Allies’ side, the British Supermarine Spitfire and US North American P-51 Mustang were two of the most common fighter planes. Meanwhile, the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 made up the majority of the Luftwaffe.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_warfare_of_World_War_II
Your pictures helped to understand the maneuvers that you described.
ReplyDelete