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Let's begin with what is perhaps mandetory, and then work up from there in other posts. I begin with common mistakes
in wingman tactics.
1) NO ASSIGNED LEADER. Like chip n dale we often go about our business of killing people when we form up together. "You
first." "No, no, I insist. You first." All kindness aside, it is expected that one call the shots. Leader runs out of ammo,
wingman becomes lead, and lead then becomes wingman. Lead overshoots, wing picks up the bogie. Etc. But determine who will
call out the ACM and the bogies to chase and destroy.
2) FULL THROTTLE CRUISE. If you are lead you have less work to do to preserve the formation. Your task is offensive
(though we talk about double attack formations later). Chop throttle to 90% or even %75 so your wingman can maintain formation.
Might as well get used to this for campaigns. Thinning out the fuel may save your hide!
3) FOLLOW THE LEADERS. Enthusiastic wingman often try to execute their moves exactly when their leader executes them,
and follow them in tight and precise formations. In other words, the wingman is pulling either pure pursuit (nose on the leader)
or sometimes even lead pursuit (nose in front of the leader, anticipating his next move). Relax, and use lag pursuit. For
example, a common mistake is when the leader pulls up into a pitch back, the wingman immediately begins to climb. Then, lo
and behold, the wingman has turned inside the lead's pitch back and has lost sight. Instead, extend out to the point where
the lead began his pitch back, and go even a bit further. Then follow in his path.
4) WHO HIT THE MUTE BUTTON? One cannot be radio shy for wingman tactics to work. Set up the private line, and ignore
most of the other messages once you are in the thick of battle. Beginning radio chatter will include: load out for the mission,
destination, altitude, and formation (traditional, line abreast, loose deuce). The wingman will also call out the distances
so that proper spacing can be maintained. (Remember that your front view and his rear view will not match numerically. Lead
will need to subtract two for his rear view.) Then the lead will call out contacts: "Con, 2 red z" Lead will then choose bogie:
"In, top z" Or, "Talley ho, trailing 38." Important also will be the response, "cc". This completes the communication loop,
and then one need not worry about missed assignments. Major maneuvers should also be signaled. Suggested short cuts would
be: bp = pitch back (or immelman); ss = split ess; br, bl = break right, left; l, r = left turn, right turn.
During combat some important radio signals would be: 6 = on your six is a bandit; m6 = on my six is a bandit, can't
shake him; h = help; easy = hang tough, I'm lining up the shot on that bogie on your six. Also calling out kills is very encouraging,
and historically, part of the confirmed kill process. Please, don't announce your numbers over the open radio. But a private
score is fun. Especially when the other pilot calls out your kill for you. "Wow! nice move on that Zeke!"
When its time for an exit, one may hear this: "Bingo fuel!" or "Bingo ammo!" which means one of the two is ready to
depart. Call out the exit sign: "Snaggelpuss, exit stage right" Then both ac will hit the deck and run East. Anything beyond
this radio chatter can be ironed out between individuals. Good humor is allowed, and encouraged.
5) LONE WOLF MCQUADE. Wingmen are eager for combat too. But in a real rhubarb, any target fixation can become dangerous,
especially when both lead and wing are locked on a six of their own. Lead's first priority will be offense; traditional wingman's
priority will be defense. (Once again, line abreast, and loose deuce offer other advantages.) Lead can be selfless and call
on the wingman for a shot he finds to hard to pull lead for. (n.b. Richard Bong was most generous in this fashion!) Also,
lead can be traded on alternating missions. As one ace said, "To loose your wingman is to loose 75% of your fighting power."
Stick together, its a cruel world out there. If you get killed, or auger, wait on the runway for your wing, or lead, to return.
Loyalty will be rewarded.
6) CHECK YOUR OWN SIX. The lead, if he knows the caliber of his wingman, and trusts his dedication, can spend less time
checking six, and more time tracking bogies than his wing man. The wingman has a clear view of his lead's tail. A good trail
distance is 10-15. Any bogie that gets in between can be dealt with. But checking your own six is essential, and a great work
load for the wingman, than the lead. And don't just hit the rear view from time to time, but do the twists, the turns and
the inverts, to get a good view back there at the 6 o'clock low position. Your death will lead to your leads death soon after.
Know that you will often be the first target on a flat out pursuit.
7) MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. If the wingman gets below his lead, he will loose both his lead and the ability to close with
any bogie on his lead's tail. A 500ft advantages would be optimum, more if your lead can't see out the back of his FTD to
eye ball you. This potential energy (great altitude) can then be transferred into kinetic energy (speed) to clear your lead's
six in a pinch.
Part II: Wingman Tactics
Here is some more information on Wingman tactics and formations. The previous post was on common mistakes. This will
look at formations and tactics within those formations as outlined by Robert Shaw. But first, a couple comments. There are
some things not directly portable for history into CK. It has been estimated that throughout the history of air combat 80
to 90 percent of downed fighter pilots where unaware of the danger until the moment of the attack. Surprise was the great
advantage, and formations and formation leaders, organized themselves to avoid this situation. However, in CK, there are no
enema bogey dropping out of the sun unaware, but the radar and range indicators put a different twist on our wingman needs.
Though of course, when SA goes down, one has fallen on many occasions to a hidden attacker. But still, by this time formation
discipline isn't as crucial.
Also consider the lack of peripheral view the air craft in CK that inhibit the line abreast formation. Thought tactically
the line abreast is the better formation, it would never work in a P-38 with not only the need to intentionally look 90 degrees
to the side, but also the fixed view limitations of the art inhibit this. (One can move their head a few inches to look around
those bars!)
Please, I beg you, revise this as needed. I am no expert on this, but offer this as a beginning for the dialogs on wingman
tactics.
First the formations:
I. WELDED WING This is the formation we often think of when we visualize a two man team in flight. One is designated
the lead the other wing, and the wing man's position is anterior and defensive. During the war this was also a mentor role
for younger more inexperienced pilots to gain combat experience at the side of a veteran. The lead's primary tasks are navigation,
forward hemisphere search for attack planning and engaged maneuvering and he has the secondary responsibility of rear-hemisphere
visual coverage. The Wing man flies a rather loose formation on the leader. His primary task is maintaining a rear hemisphere
defensive look out and he has secondary forward hemisphere duties. During WWII the separation was normally 600 ft. My suggestion
would be a range of 6 showing over your lead and with some alt to the wingman's advantage to close on any bogey that drops
on the lead's tail. Traditional the wing was in the right echelon position, at about 4 o clock.
Pros:
1) Mentor for new pilot
2) Releases lead for dedicated attack
3) Requires less discipline and training
4) A reserve ac is always there to be called in when needed
Cons:
1) Who watches the wingman's six?
2) Only one ac is engaged in dedicated attack--less pressure on enema
3) May frustrate the more experienced wing man to do more chasing than killing
II. DOUBLE ATTACK With a double attack the wing man leader hierarchy is still retained, however the wingman's ac is
pressed into offensive capabilities. Both ac with engage the enema aggressively. Within this philosophy are two tradition
formations: LINE ABREAST & LOOSE DEUCE. In brief, the line abreast formation requires the most discipline and offers the
most in tactical maneuvers that force stunning air victories. It is the most aggressive formation, and brings in the quickest
kills, but not without risk. This formation is for the experienced and the disciplined. Loose deuce is more in the line of
tag team wrestling. Where one ac drains the e of the enema plane, using pure and lag pursuit, and then trades off with the
wing with a higher e status.
A. LINE ABREAST This formation places both ac at 90 degrees with each other of the 3 and 9 o clock respectively. A great
combat spread is required, perhaps in the area of 10-12 showing over the partner's ac. This offers several defensive and offensive
maneuvers against an approaching enema. There is the "Offensive Split" the "Defensive Split" the "Beam Defense" "High-Low
Split" "Bracket". What these maneuvers do, and we can cover them in a later post, is they seek to commit the enema to pursuit
of one of the two offensive planes so that the free plane can maneuver for the kill. As mentioned above, this require a great
deal of discipline and much trust in the gunnery and maneuvering proficiency of the partner pilot's abilities. Would you offer
yourself to sucker in the enema if you though your partner could gun him down quickly when you needed him to do it?
Pros:
1) This things kills them dead....it works
2) When enema is in pursuit he becomes predictable, and thus dead
3) It keeps the maximum pressure on thus leaving the initiative with you
Cons:
1) To apply this doctrine requires a high proficiency between both pilots
2) It requires discipline in terms of familiarity with maneuvers and execution of them
3) It suckers the enema in and the fish may swallow the bait before you reel him in
B. LOOSE DEUCE This formation places both ac in the same position, but a different philosophy, the that requires less
discipline, yet the same amount of team work. While in the double attack doctrine the pilot of the engaged fighter is expected
to get the kill while the free-fighter avoids death and cheers on, it is more often the free fighter that gets the shot in
the loose deuce. The engaged fighter sets up the kill by forcing or inducing the bogey to maneuver predictably, thereby making
it easier for the free fighter to position for a shot. The illustration of tag team wrestling is perhaps helpful. The first
ac tires the opponent draining his precious energy, and also sets him up at the proper position for his partner to slap his
hand and merge into the attack from above, or from an another advantageous position.
Pros:
1) It requires less communication and discipline between pilots
2) It is keeps the pressure on the enema, though to lesser degree than double attack
3) It sets up the best shot over the snap shot and thus guarantees the kill
Cons:
1) It makes for a prolonged engagement which in a rhubarb may not be advantageous
2) It is vulnerable to surprise from the rear, though free fighter often can "perch" and thus check six from there,
yet there is no coordinated defense such as in the double attack.
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