Requesting tactical help for LaGG-3

[Guggy]

I despise the Lagg early war when I'm in a 109F2. It doesnt seem to take much visible damage compared to its comrades the MiG, Yak, and I16 even. Is that just due to an outdated damage texture model as I expect, or is it really that durable a plane?

[Treetop64]

The laminated plywood construction of the LaGG series makes it more flame and damage resistant than the Yakovlevs. The I-16s and MiGs had somewhat similar construction but were more vulnerable.

As for fighting 109s when in a LaGG, I say avoid the fight in the first place if you can. The LaGG suffers every disadvantage in a fight against 109-Fs and beyond, though if flown competently against a less-than-ace or veteran AI 109-Es you have a fighting chance. If you have the initial altitude advantage then make a diving attack, but unless you outnumber the enemy, get the hell outta there after your run! Don't stick around. Now that you actually have some chance of losing the AI and bugging out I would do that and try to survive.

[CWMV]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

...avoid the fight in the first place if you can...If you have the initial altitude advantage then make a diving attack, but unless you outnumber the enemy, get the hell outta there after your run! Don't stick around. Now that you actually have some chance of losing the AI and bugging out I would do that and try to survive.

Only thing Id add is don't attack unless you have the advantage!
An equal fight is for losers!

[K_Freddie]

If you get your mindset right, you can dictate the combat even in an inferior plane, and with somebody on your 6.

First of all.. you're in a slower plane.
This generally means you can turn better - So you use this to your advantage.

The ME109 is coming from 'advantage' so you need to reduce this advantage.
You 'bait' him/her/AI by going into a gentle turn but keeping an eye on your attacker.
You turn in such a way that the deflection is just too much for the attacker to get a lead shot on you. By doing this you keep your speed up and bleed their speed.
If the attacker suddenly pulls extra lead to get a deflection shot, you just roll about 30 degrees and carry on turning - they'll miss by a mile, and they'll bleed more speed.

Now's the big point:
Practise rolling your a/c at max roll rate... the best way to do this is put the aircraft into a psuedo controllable stall condition. It bleeds speed but it will whip you around so fast onto his tail (any aircraft can do this) into a firing position as he/she/AI (I'm not desciminating against the AI ) passes. You usually have only 1 second window to get a good shot.

A human will cra,p themselves and give up after a few go's, but maybe an AI will be dumb as usual and suck in your shells.

There you go.. simple isn't it...

[K_Freddie]

If you're doing this online go down to ground level.... and play there.

YOU'RE MAD SAYS EVERYONE...

You're mad to stay at height, I'd say... Why??

Because if you go down, you're reducing your opponents advantage over other team mates that will arrive on the scene. You do not have advantage anyway, so by going down, your opponent now has to look over their shoulder, distracting their attention from you.
This has a big psychological impact making your opponent impatient and prone to making mistakes, which you can take advantage of..

Of course if more of their mates arrive .. you're in the poo

Take your chances..

[TinyTim]

Lagg-3 vs 109F is a tough, tough situation even on equal terms, let alone him having initial advantage. If you are going against a skilled pilot online, you will go down great majority of cases. Quality difference between the planes is just too big. There really isn't much your Lagg-3 can do better than your opponent. Bf 109 is faster and more maneouverable, and as if that wouldn't be tough enough to deal with, it's also a better climber and better diver! Lagg has somewhat better firepower (IMO) and is more durable (again, IMO). This would make me go for a headon Russian roulette, I'm dead already anyway.

[WTE_Galway]

You could take a big gun Lagg 3 and learn to snipe

Or get down amongst the smoke stacks and hope they run into one ... at least you are negating the diving advantage ...

[Kittle]

At very low level, the Lagg is fairly fast for that era of fighters. That is the only thing you have going for you, so use it. 109 pilots like to use their climb rates, and for good reason, they climb like home sick angels. Elevator authority in the 109 is not nearly as good at high speed however, they handle like a brick. The Lagg does not, and with this alone you can keep him in your sights. You can not be sucked in to giving up your speed, as this is your life in the Lagg. Enter the fight with speed, and keep it. If you are attacked from a superior position, wait for him to close, break, and try to lure him into a rolling scissors. If he doesn't commit, put the nose down a few degrees, and get your speed up.

This is not easy, any of it. If you stick to your doctrine of keeping your speed up, you will get better in the Lagg. It's just like flying the Hellcat, just more difficult since the F6F enjoys a decent speed advantage over it's main opponent. You can't let him use is greatest strengths against you. Negate those as much as possible with your tactics, not your flying!