finally got the B17!!

[kozzm0]

To get the best effect with the b17's guns, try setting up a custom layout and set the left stick to elevator/ailerons, the right stick to freelook, and change the guns to R2. Set l1 and r1 to throttle up/throttle down and leave the rudder off, you won't really need it.

This allows you to shoot and aim at the same time, which you can't do with most of the layouts. So you can strafe any approaching plane with ease.

The only real blind spots for the b17 gunner are the exact 3 and 9 o'clock, and directly above. If you're attacking someone who knows how to shoot below them, flying under them is suicide. After attacking them in training lots of times, I got the best results by flying above and beside them at a distance till I get in front, then dive towards them at an angle, from about 2 o'clock from the top or the side. Just like a head-on pass with fighters, it's harder for the gunner to hit a target when there's more closing speed. After the pass, fly away at 90 to 60 degrees angle to the direction the b17 is headed, then repeat.

B17's weren't hard to shoot down in real life. Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpnIiln14NM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyJAl...rom=PL&index=4

The first one has inspired me to keep trying to knock down 4 to 6 with one 109 in training, but so far I've managed it once with a k4, and it took a while.

The gun-cams in the second one, in BOP they would have been blown to bits in seconds. The 110 was just parked right behind a b17 leisurely strafing all 4 of its engines. Try doing that to a b17 in BOP.

[The_Goalie_94]

Originally Posted by kozzm0

B17's weren't hard to shoot down in real life.

I dont think so, maybe, and i will have to bet, that the rear and ball turret gunner eithr ran out of ammo or in a worst case sonario shot dead by incoming fire. And cant help that most of the bombers that were in that video were not firing back and were completly alone.

[kozzm0]

Originally Posted by The_Goalie_94

I dont think so, maybe, and i will have to bet, that the rear and ball turret gunner eithr ran out of ammo or in a worst case sonario shot dead by incoming fire. And cant help that most of the bombers that were in that video were not firing back and were completly alone.

In the guncam video, they were, but the other one was USAAF or War Dept video and they were dropping out of formation all over the place, and only hit one fighter.

they only carried a few hundred rounds and ran out of ammo fast. Gunners getting killed was also common, they don't get killed in BOP. The bop gunners also don't have to yell to each other what direction you're at and high or low and deal with the confusion of having the formation attacked by hundreds of fighters.

Real b-17's had to fly for hours over enemy territory and endure multiple sorties of attacks by the same fighters. The Germans figured out early on that it took just a few rounds to down a b17 if you hit it in the front quarter, and they had plenty of time to fly ahead of them and then dive on them. They show them doing that in the American video

[f1rebrand]

Ah yes Betty Grable. Mind if I call you Betty?

I'd love to hear more. What was your role?

[McQ59]

Of course I should have guessed Branko... U were a rear-gunner in the B-17 in u'r last life!

Please tell us about the "Sentimental Journey"! I'd love to hear u'r story and see a few pics of the bird if possible.

[CRANNY]

BRANKO!!! Thanks for helping keep Her in the air. You have stories that make us all wide eyed welps. See you in the air soon, send the results to Shadow.