Quote:
Originally Posted by JtD
In solo flight, I attacked a formation of two flights of four rookie G4M each from dead 6, 10 times, in an F6F-3. I tried to maintain a position at their 6 at a distance between 500 and 700 m. I shot down 20, and got hit exactly 8 times, 3 times one flight, once in five flights, not at all in four flights. One of the hits was a 20mm hit, the rest came from the light machine guns. I always returned to base no problem.
|
But, on the other hand, you were hanging out at 500-700 meters rather than getting any closer.
While I don't know what the Japanese gunnery doctrine was, or what they considered the effective range for machine guns/20 mm cannons to be for aerial gunnery, consider that USAAF doctrine held that 0.50 caliber MG were basically useless beyond 600 yards (~550 m).
So, that actually means that the "rookie" AI might have been pretty good.
A slightly more realistic scenario to test gunnery skill would be to fly a typical "pursuit curve" coming in from 2-4 or 8-10 o'clock high initially, making a diving turn as the bomber flies straight and level to attack from 5-7 o'clock level or high, and then continuing the dive beneath the bomber to the other side. On the the exit, drop at least 300 meters below the bomber, gain speed to get ahead of it bomber, zoom climb to gain altitude and repeat the attack. That would test the AI gunners' ability to hit an attacker traveling in two three dimensions and at very different ranges.
But, to test your theory about effectiveness of rookie AI gunnery, I set up a QMB mission - Midway map, 5000 meters altitude, no advantage, no situation, 2 flights of 4 Rookie G4M1 vs. 1 Ace F6F-3. 10 different flights. Autopilot for the F6F.
In sortie, the Hellcat got lucky and/or used good tactics and got 5 Betties before he broke off the attack. That was the exception, however.
In the other 9 sorties, despite jinking around as he bored in from the stern (obviously, in IL2 AI fixed gunnery school, they don't teach pilots beam or head-on attacks, nor diving attacks, against bombers), he ate a significant amount of lead while shooting down a maximum of 1 Betty per mission.
In 2 sorties he took enough damage to the engine or fuel tanks that his engine stopped in the air. In one, he burst into flames. In the other 6 sorties, he suffered enough engine or wing damage and fuel leaks to the point where he couldn't keep up with the bomber formation or felt the need to RTB.
NOT a realistic outcome, to say the least, if only due to the amazingly Stoopid Hellcat tactics.
And, while the rookie Japanese gunners weren't exactly wielding Radar-Guided Blaster Cannons of Death like their Ace counterparts, their gunnery was quite effective even at ranges well beyond 150 meters.
I hate to say it, since TD has done so much to improve AI behavior, but at least in this case the gunners ARE still too accurate, and fighter tactics vs. bombers, even for Ace AI, would get you washed out of fighter training.