WW2 Fighter Command Attacks
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WW2 Fighter Command Attacks
As someone who, as a lad, read the biog's of early WW2 fighter pilots (Bader, Tuck etc.) the existence of the "authorised" fighter attack profiles (I believe there were six) always puzzled me.
The apparent reasoning behind them was that at the relatively high speeds of Spitfires, Hurricanes etc. people at the Air Ministry thought that dogfights were a thing of the past and therefore standardised attacks were the only way forward.
Naturally, in the quick-learning environment of the first months of the conflict, these ideas were rapidly discarded and the free-for-all methods re-asserted themselves.
However, many pilots were lost trying these--not least being Roger Bushell of later Stalag Luft 3 fame over Dunkirk who, it is said, was shot down trying one which entailed gracefully zooming over the enemy aircraft and allowing a good peppering of the underside of his Spitfire (a Number 6 attack, I think).
My questions are:-
1. Does anyone know the descriptions of the six different attacks?
2. Does anyone know where these ideas came from and when? I've tried the Air Historical Branch many years ago, with no joy. They are probably buried in various service papers.
3. Are there parallels here to any modern assumptions regarding air operations?
LFittNI
The apparent reasoning behind them was that at the relatively high speeds of Spitfires, Hurricanes etc. people at the Air Ministry thought that dogfights were a thing of the past and therefore standardised attacks were the only way forward.
Naturally, in the quick-learning environment of the first months of the conflict, these ideas were rapidly discarded and the free-for-all methods re-asserted themselves.
However, many pilots were lost trying these--not least being Roger Bushell of later Stalag Luft 3 fame over Dunkirk who, it is said, was shot down trying one which entailed gracefully zooming over the enemy aircraft and allowing a good peppering of the underside of his Spitfire (a Number 6 attack, I think).
My questions are:-
1. Does anyone know the descriptions of the six different attacks?
2. Does anyone know where these ideas came from and when? I've tried the Air Historical Branch many years ago, with no joy. They are probably buried in various service papers.
3. Are there parallels here to any modern assumptions regarding air operations?
LFittNI
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http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mantis/FW/Bob/Fat.htm
The above link might give you some idea of the std attacks.
The above link might give you some idea of the std attacks.
