Heinkels of steel?

[KOM.Nausicaa]

The HE 111 was very tough to bring down with early RAF ammo. There are dozens of stories about RAF pilots lining up behind the same bomber and emptying ammo belts, and they would keep going.

[Letum]

Big glass cockpit up front.
Attack from their 12 OC and see how ineffective your bullets are.

I think it is all right to have it difficult to bring down. It was so in real life me thinks.

[leadgtr81]

Originally Posted by Letum

Big glass cockpit up front.
Attack from their 12 OC and see how ineffective your bullets are.

Very effective indeed! Always gratifying to see that "pilot killed" text pop up after a nice head-on pass.

I've also managed to cause catastrophic damage by putting a 2 to 4 sec burst at convergence range on the engine nacelle/wing root area.

Flying on near-full real though... I'm sometimes lucky to bring down one or two in the quick mission. Other times I tend to go home empty handed

I also have to ask.. since I primarily fly the Hurricane, which of the available bullets is HE? De Wilde? I would like to optimize my loadout for bomber busting.

[jimbop]

Originally Posted by leadgtr81

Very effective indeed! Always gratifying to see that "pilot killed" text pop up after a nice head-on pass.

I've also managed to cause catastrophic damage by putting a 2 to 4 sec burst at convergence range on the engine nacelle/wing root area.

Flying on near-full real though... I'm sometimes lucky to bring down one or two in the quick mission. Other times I tend to go home empty handed

I also have to ask.. since I primarily fly the Hurricane, which of the available bullets is HE? De Wilde? I would like to optimize my loadout for bomber busting.

I didn't think the loadout changes were working in quick missions.

[winny]

Originally Posted by leadgtr81

Very effective indeed! Always gratifying to see that "pilot killed" text pop up after a nice head-on pass.....



I also have to ask.. since I primarily fly the Hurricane, which of the available bullets is HE? De Wilde? I would like to optimize my loadout for bomber busting.

.303 B MkIV incendiary is the Dixon/De Wildes.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by leadgtr81

I also have to ask.. since I primarily fly the Hurricane, which of the available bullets is HE? De Wilde? I would like to optimize my loadout for bomber busting.

As far as I can recall, there were no HE .303 rounds. Dixon/De Wilde rounds were incendiary.

[Blakduk]

From accounts i've read it seems accurate- the RAF was desperate to get reliable cannons to equip their fighters as they realised relatively small calibre machine guns were inadequate.
The RAF trained squadrons to attack bombers in sequence- that's why prewar films of RAF planes show formations of fighters 'peeling off' and then forming a long chain, one behind the other. The rapid defeat of France that allowed the Luftwaffe to have airfields close enough for their single engined fighters to provide bomber escort was something the RAF wasn't really prepared for (it was probably at the bottom of their tactical files marked 'Worst case scenario!').
When the RAF got to use these tactics against unescorted bombers they were very effective, as demonstrated when the Luftwaffe sent bombers to attack north England beyond fighter escort.
It takes a lot of .303's to shoot down a fast all-metal bomber, but only one to kill a pilot. As they say in 'Shawn of the dead'- AIM FOR THE HEAD

[Ploughman]

This is the best thing for me. Sitting on the arse of a Heinkel and filling it full of lead and it still keeps going despite the damage. Just like the history books say. Having said that fill the wing between the engine and the fuselage with incendary bullets and that fuel tank'll blow like Guy Fawkes. I can't wait for a butcher bird in this sim.

[baronWastelan]

Not of steel. 400+ rounds hit, fired by me in the Spitfire Ia, all 'realism' options on... just today as a matter of fact, with default load-out and convergence: