Quote:
Originally Posted by gaunt1
This is the truth. Contrary to popular belief, IL-2 was almost completely useless against tanks, it couldnt really do anything against them. However, it was a TERROR against troops, convoys, and light vehicles, and inflicted huge losses to these units. German tankers didnt fear Sturmoviks. Infantry did!
I still think that the only aircrafts that were capable of destroying tanks effectively were the Ju-87G and the Hurricane IID/IV (forgot this one earlier). 20,23 and 30mm guns were unable to even slightly damage them. In theory, the Hs-129B3 was also useful, but it was a poor weapon system in reality.
http://operationbarbarossa.net/Myth-...hbusters4.html |
English is not my language, so I’ll try to summarize precisely my opinion: all WWII era anti-tank aircrafts were very moderately effective, including Ju87G and Hurricane IId. The “popular belief” about their effectiveness is based on propaganda and over claiming pilots. Over claiming is perfectly understandable. A pilot flying above the battlefield, evading AA fire with all the possible speed, could not tell if the tank he fired at was really destroyed, or only damaged, or simply hit without any damage. Claims could only be verified in the aftermath of a battle if a serious survey is done on abandoned tanks. This was seldom done. One exception was the Battle of Falaise Pocket. Here, a serious survey registered an over claiming of ten to one and more. Perfectly average, I think.
This is not surprising. WWII aircraft were in general lightly armed. The most powerful gun was probably mounted in the nose of the Yak 9k, but even 45 mm was not enough to assure a tank’s destruction with a single shot. I don’t know if this is correctly modelled in our game. I didn’t fly many ground attack sorties, and found PTAB bombs – as modelled – more effective than 37 mm guns.
10-30-2013, 12:38 PM
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