JU 87 Dive Bombing

[taffy2jeffmorgan]

Hi All. I'm not a bombing fan,and dropping bombs from fighters is more luck that judgement, So who has mastered the art of dive bombing ? looking at old WW 2 film footage the 87's seem to peel off and roll over onto their backs and all this from about 15,000 feet. given the time it takes to get to altitude in a 87, I would have to fly around the map about half a dozen times to get to 15,000 feet.

 

In real life the pilot would follow the procedure after locating the target- dive brake would activate automatically, set trim, close throttle, close coolant flaps, at a predetermined height, the automatic dive recovery system would activate.

 

So do you dedicated bomber boys follow a similar procedure in BoS  and what is your success rate.

 

 

Cheers.   JM.

 

 

 

PS.  after selecting siren, how is it activated in a dive, and to see the target through the floor panel [ bomb sight ] what key combination. 

[Finkeren]

In virtually all flight sims I've flown. Dive bombing has been pretty damn easy against even small targets, BoS is no exception. That's because dive bombing IS pretty damn easy and accurate. The reason it was gradually phased out was because dive bombers are inherently vulnerable, especially right after the attack. In the Pacific both sides clung to dive bombers till the wars end, because of the need of great precision when attacking ships.

 

In BoS I seldom do what you describe and flip the plane on its back to go into a near vertical dive. It can be more precise but requires a good deal of altitude and a longer pull out. Around 70 degrees dive going straight in from level flight is sufficient. It can be initiated succesfully from just 2500m, requires very little lead on the target and you can release from a lower altitude.

 

Just last week I flew the Pe-2 as a dive bomber on an empty server, practicing precision attacks and dodging Flak (which actually is posible to some degree)

 

On my most succesful sortie i loaded up with 10 100kg bombs and set it for single drop. Through a series of attacks I managed to take out all 6 Flak guns on the nearest German airfield on the new map. I had one engine out and a wounded gunner but I had completely wiped out the AAA defense and managed ro land safely. All attacks except one hit its mark, which has to be quite close using 100kg bombs, and all were conducted and around 70 degrees from less than 3000m.

[fjacobsen]

The dive brakes does not engage automatically - You need to activet them Yourself - look in the controls setup for the right key assignment.

When the dive brakes are activated, so will the siren, if fitted.

 

My procedure:

Find Your target.

Open the window in the bottom of the aircraft and manouvre to get the target inside it.

Activate dive brakes

Throttle back

Close coolant flaps

Roll over and dive at appr 80°

Line up the target in the sight

Drop the bomb(s)

Pull out

De-activate the dive brakes.

 

The automatic pull-out / bomb release is not simulated, at least yet.

 

Note that it takes some practice to succeed.

 

 

FinnJ

[7.GShAP/Silas]

FinnJ, what altitude(meters) do you usually attain before you roll and dive?

[ACG_KaiLae]

If someone could make a video showing optimal technique, I'd be very happy and thankful. Have never gotten this right for some reason and find glide bombing easier.

[7.GShAP/Silas]

If someone could make a video showing optimal technique, I'd be very happy and thankful. Have never gotten this right for some reason and find glide bombing easier.

 

 

Seconded.

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

Take a look at the real thing

 

 

Found this a few years ago and gave me a Aha-moment

Edited September 13, 2014 by SvAF_Klunk

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

Rememeb the Stuka also has it's dive bomb visor implemented ingame (open/close with shift+N). To get into a dive upon your target you can follow one of the 2 real approaches:

 

1. Open dive bomb visor and wait for your target to appear in it. Push the nose down inot a 70-80° dive once it does so and aling up for a proper drop.

 

2. (And what I strongly recommend) Don't fly straight towards your target, keep it somewhat aside of your flight path and watch it threw the side window. Once it is nearly straight  90° to your wing pull up a little and make a Stukarolle assisted with steady roll and soome rudder input. Under ideal circumstances you should enter a steep 70-80° dive right upon your target (though keep in mind you might have to correct some more than for procedure 1).

 

DIve brakes are not needed if you're attacking from 2500m or below. The Stuka can sustain a stunnign speed of 720km/h and as a high drag design haas enough resisdence to prevent you from overspeeding in a dive at given alt.

 

If you're attacking from higher than 2.5km make sure to deploy divebrakes before entering the dive. Also pay attention to your trim settings, as even small ammounts of rudder and elevator trim misadjustments can have effect on the effeciency of your dive attack.

Edited September 13, 2014 by [Jg26]5tuka

[MrHyde]

Hi

 

I like it to dive with the Ju87. This Video was made after the siren was added.

 

[keeno]

Hi all,

 

I haven't tried too much dive bombing in BoS but have practiced quite a bit in iL2 and CLoD but am still only so-so. I don't think the Ju-87 technique for dive bombing was to roll in on the target but was simply a nose down approach once the target was spotted in the target window between the pilots feet. The Stuka roll was used for propaganda movies during the war as it looked impressive for film. If you watch genuine footage of Ju-87's attacking shipping in the channel just prior to the Battle of Britain the staight nose down technique was employed.

 

BTW, thanks for the training film Klunk, good viewing.

 

Cheers

[Requiem]

Another important thing to remember when dive bombing with the Stuka is to remain coordinated. I've found that if you don't remain coordinated when you release the bomb it may go far enough off target to render your bomb ineffective. I am in the process of finishing a video covering dive bombing with the Stuka, but I have an exam next week so it may not be finished this weekend. What everyone have shown above works well

[6./ZG26_5tuka]

I don't believe the roll to be a propaganda method only. Especially when flying within a closed formation this method proves to be safer, since one Stuka after another can roll in for their attack rowing up like a chain wihtout losing sight easily. Another advantage of the roll is that you can circle abpve the target scanning the surroundings or gaining some more alt before finally rolling in for your straight dive.

 

Both methods were more or less deployed by their pilots havign their own adbvantages over another. When pushing down for a dive you have to use the dive bomb window though to focus your target and not exeed your critical AoA when pushing.

Edited September 13, 2014 by [Jg26]5tuka

[7.GShAP/Silas]

Our(American) A-10's use the dive as well. Unsurprising given that the A-10 was inspired by the Stuka and it's development assisted by the greatest living Stuka ace.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Silas

[CreepiJim]

Although the game allows high dive speeds, never dive without the brake fully extended. The safe dive speeds are there for a reason :D The plane won't brake apart by exceeding these speeds, but you will have less time to actually aim. Most important thing is to keep the dive <= 90° or the bombs will destroy your own plane. Happened to me quite alot.

 

The Stuka-Roll is the best way to keep the target in sight. Otherwise you have to do a negative G-dive.

 

The bombs should be release the moment you pull out of the dive (in the vertex of your dive) when the terminal velocity is the highest. Do not drop the bombs just after any maneuvering, otherwise the mass inertia will throw the payload off target.

[ShamrockOneFive]

Our(American) A-10's use the dive as well. Unsurprising given that the A-10 was inspired by the Stuka and it's development assisted by the greatest living Stuka ace.

 

Which living Stuka ace assisted in the development of the A-10? The A-10s tactics are more reminiscent of the various attack aircraft used in WWII than a WWII dive bomber.

 

Although the game allows high dive speeds, never dive without the brake fully extended. The safe dive speeds are there for a reason :D The plane won't brake apart by exceeding these speeds, but you will have less time to actually aim. Most important thing is to keep the dive <= 90° or the bombs will destroy your own plane. Happened to me quite alot.

 

The Stuka-Roll is the best way to keep the target in sight. Otherwise you have to do a negative G-dive.

 

The bombs should be release the moment you pull out of the dive (in the vertex of your dive) when the terminal velocity is the highest. Do not drop the bombs just after any maneuvering, otherwise the mass inertia will throw the payload off target.

Good advice... I think I keep making the mistake of manoeuvring too much on target and not letting the mass inertia settle down. I think I need to pay much more attention to that. Good tips!

[CreepiJim]

Silas was not referring to the dive bomber, the A-10 is based on the Ju-87 G-2 and the IL-2 (anti-tank gun and highly armoured). Rudel was a consultant for the A-10 prototyping.

[7.GShAP/Silas]

Silas was not referring to the dive bomber, the A-10 is based on the Ju-87 G-2 and the IL-2 (anti-tank gun and highly armoured). Rudel was a consultant for the A-10 prototyping.

 

Yes.

[ShamrockOneFive]

Silas was not referring to the dive bomber, the A-10 is based on the Ju-87 G-2 and the IL-2 (anti-tank gun and highly armoured). Rudel was a consultant for the A-10 prototyping.

Interesting. This is not something that I had ever heard about the A-10.

[Gambit21]

 dropping bombs from fighters is more luck that judgement,

 

Incorrect actually.

[[DBS]El_Marta]

I personally also prefer rolling into the dive and pulling the plane onto the target. It provides better visibility and better authority especially on the rudder control. I like to initiate dives from altitudes > 3000m and drop between 1200 - 800m. Longer dives give you more time for aiming the plane and optimizing the dive angle.

 

Another much easier method is skip bombing from a dive which is basically diving down to the deck close to the target and lobbing long fuzed bombs on it during the pull out.

Edited September 13, 2014 by El_Marta

[taffy2jeffmorgan]

Incorrect actually.

" dropping bombs from fighters is more luck than judgement" I base this on my own experiences, although I have managed to completely destroy a moving train in a single pass, but of course everything has to be right, angle of attack, bomb release, and the train running straight and not on a bend. i still have not tried looking for a bridge up the track to drop as someone suggested ! its hard to pick out a river crossing in that frozen landscape!

 

Cheers.   JM.