Level bombing with BoS IL-2 (1942) and Ju 87 (Stuka)

[saintbrutal]

Was hoping to find more experienced flyers here that, perhaps has found some sort of reference they use for level bombing with il-2 and the stuka ?

 

For example the 1943 version of the IL-2 has lines indications for level bombing, were as in the 1942 version.. there arent any. 

 

Its not that Dive bombing isn't good enough, i just want other options, if dive bombing isnt the appropriate approach to take in certain situations..

 

Any suggestions/feedback are welcome! 

 

 

[saintbrutal]

heres the video to give more of a visual idea of what im asking, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9zW8cYKBYw

[Raptorattacker]

Well The Air Combat Tutorial Library is the place to find such things, surely? If it aint there then just send Req a message and ask him to do a tutorial?

[RedKestrel]

11 hours ago, MechSauce said:

Was hoping to find more experienced flyers here that, perhaps has found some sort of reference they use for level bombing with il-2 and the stuka ?

 

For example the 1943 version of the IL-2 has lines indications for level bombing, were as in the 1942 version.. there arent any. 

 

Its not that Dive bombing isn't good enough, i just want other options, if dive bombing isnt the appropriate approach to take in certain situations..

 

Any suggestions/feedback are welcome! 

 

 

I had time on my break so what the heck, have a wall of text.

Basically there's three types of bombing profiles employed by bomber and attack aircraft in WWII. You can technically do all 3 in any aircraft capable of carrying a bomb, but some aircraft are unsuitable for some approaches. For detailed tutorials with different planes check out the Air Combat Tutorial Library (ACTL) playlist "weapons employment guide". That has most of the attack aircraft tutorials.

Level Bombing: Level bombing basically means holding a steady course, altitude and attitude (i.e. coordinated flight) and dropping bombs when you reach the right point over the target. This point is always beneath your nose so unless your aircraft has a glass nose and floor you lose sight of your target well before the drop point. In an aircraft without a bomb sight you could just drop when you think you're over the target but you would be horribly inaccurate. A bombsight allows you to not only see the target but compensate for wind drift, speed, and altitude to see where the bombs should hit. Because our information in-game is always perfect and the wind effects on bombs appear a little simplified, it is possible to be much more accurate with bombsights in combat than it was in real life. Requiem has a great tutorial on using the bombsight in the Pe-2, but the bombsight is the exact same for all bombing aircraft in the sim so the video is a good general tutorial on level bombing with a bomb sight.

In the Il-2 1943 there are marks on the nose that, if you position your head just so, mark roughly where a bomb would hit if dropped in a specific profile. You have to basically find a landmark alongside the target to make this work though. Requiem's ACTL has a tutorial on how to do this. That said, given the limited bomb load and horrible climb rate, its use as a level bomber is, IMO, impractical. Too long to get to altitude and too little tonnage to hit the big targets effectively. 

Level bombing's advantage is that you can bomb from high altitude and avoid a lot of the more dangerous flak, and do so in formation with other bombers without worrying about collisions or getting caught in other's bomb blasts. But the height is limited due to the render distance in-game. The disadvantage is that you have to fly straight and level over the target which makes you more vulnerable to enemy fighters, and usually fighters are at your alt or above you. Accuracy can also be an issue, especially for smaller targets. You can see why the Il-2 doesn't work well as a level bomber, its too hard to be accurate without a proper bombsight, it can't get high enough to avoid the flak, and its defenses are poor compared to level bombers, making it more vulnerable to fighters. The Ju-87, lacking a bomb sight, has similar issues with level bombing, so its kind of a non-starter

Dive Bombing: Dive Bombing involves positioning yourself at medium altitude (anywhere from 2500-3500m, depending on attack profile, positioning yourself over the target, then diving almost straight down and releasing your bomb with the nose almost pointing at the target. Stukas are built specifically for this type of bombing and excel at it. Pe-2s are also built to allow dive bombing as are Ju-88s. Other planes can do it BUT its much more difficult as most aircraft will speed up very quickly, and if they start at normal dive bombing altitude a lot of them will have locked up controls or be losing parts before they reach release altitude. Il-2's can't really dive bomb steeply as they too quickly reach their maximum safe speed.

Dive bombing can be very precise, you can hit very small or large targets. The downsides are many. Your approach to the target must be level and you have to slow down before the dive, so you are more vulnerable to enemy fighters. During your dive attack, since you are moving straight down any flak that targets you has a low-deflection shot (though you avoid AA guns that can't fire directly upwards and avoid the light AA during your approach). Then when you pull out of your dive, you're vulnerable to the AA that has seen you coming and any fighters that have followed you down. 

Glide Bombing: 

Glide bombing is the term I use to describe the attack profile most people use in the sim, especially against tactical targets. Its also pretty much the way most tactical aircraft were delivering bombs by the end of the war. You position yourself at around 2000 m altitude and approach the target, keeping it off to the side and in view. When you reach the attack point you want, you turn towards the target and dive on it at about 30 degrees (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how fast you want to go, how close the target is, etc.) When the target disappears under your aircraft's nose, you release your bombs (you need to use different aim points depending on dive angle and speed, the only way to know is by experience).

Glide bombing can be very accurate but there's significant margin for error due to speed, angle, etc.. However, since you are usually pretty low when you release, the error matters a little less. It allows you to come in very fast but usually doesn't make you have to worry about reaching dangerous speeds, and you end your run very low so you can avoid some of the AA on the way out. You can make some maneuvers on the way in to throw off the flak but your final run basically has to be straight and with coordinated flight. Flying low can make you vulnerable to fighters overhead, but you're harder to pick out against the ground clutter, and your high speed at the end of your run means that you might be too fast for them to easily catch without a long tail chase - a good situation if you have a tail gunner or friendly fighters overhead.

This is the best way to attack in an Il-2 (and most other aircraft like the fighter bombers), though you don't achieve very high speeds when doing so so you are very vulnerable to AA. The same is even more so true of the Ju-87. The Il-2's strategy of heavier and heavier armor as the war goes on helps against light and heavy MG flak but as soon as you get into the cannon-based flak the speed cost becomes an extreme liability. This is why on multiplayer servers with well-defended targets (such as TAW) you will rarely see Ju-87s and Il-2s unless the AA has been taken out by other aircraft: both planes are simply too vulnerable. And in the case of the Il-2, its ability to loiter over a target and make several strafing runs can only really be utilized without AA.

[CrazyDuck]

Why would you want to level bomb with an IL-2? It's like being a world boxing champion, and responding to pub insults and provocations by calling your lawyer and filing a lawsuit!

Hell, go in low, close and personal and plant those eggs exactly where you want them, your armor will protect you from AAA for a pass or two. With some practice you can learn to score direct bomb hits on tanks (non moving). 

[danielprates]

I think he means the procedure you use to low-level straight bombing runs, which not only the il2 can do quite well but also the hs129, thanks to the fixed sights specifically put there for that very purpose. You fly at a certain speed and altitude, you spot the target, you try to locate some ground reference at the same distance as the target (but farther to the side), and when the target diasapears below your nose, you just wait for the reference to cross some line in the sights. 

 

This procedure is a thing, I never do it because I dont master it well but it certainly is a thing. There is even a couple of DDs a while bacl talking about them.

[MasserME262]

1 hour ago, CrazyDuck said:

Why would you want to level bomb with an IL-2? It's like being a world boxing champion, and responding to pub insults and provocations by calling your lawyer and filing a lawsuit!

Hell, go in low, close and personal and plant those eggs exactly where you want them, your armor will protect you from AAA for a pass or two. With some practice you can learn to score direct bomb hits on tanks (non moving). 

darn, this.

Simple, right, and straight to the point.