Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Battle of Britain tactics vs the Japanese Message-ID: <1990Dec17.051624.29937@cbnews.att.com> Date: 17 Dec 90 05:16:24 GMT References: <1990Nov20.021615.27073@cbnews.att.com> <1990Nov21.221654.20431@cbnews.att.com> <1990Nov27.044525.3091@cbnews.att.com> <1990Dec5.030403.6197@cbnews.att.com> <1990Dec8.222406.28016@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington IN. Lines: 42 Approved: military@att.att.com From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) >>... The Tigers stuck primarily to Claire >>Chennault's tactic of hitting and running in their P-40s, while the >>RAF pilots, veterans of the Battle of Britain, tried to turn with the >>Japanese. Well, I went back and re-read the part where the British send the Spitfire squadron to Australia. It took place in March 1942, so the Spitfires were probably Mk. Vs (or even the earlier Mk. IIs). The Mk. IX and VIII didn't enter service until mid-1943, I be- lieve. The Mk. Vs probably didn't have too much of a speed advantage over Zeros. >Should these seem like wimpy tactics, consider that they were the preferred >tactics of Erich Hartmann... the greatest ace of all time, who scored >352 confirmed kills between 1942 and 1945 without ever getting hurt or >losing a wingman. Hartmann had another interesting tactic for escaping. When someone was on his tail, they would have to pull a lead on him for a de- flection shot. So at some point his airplane would be under his pursuer's nose and invisi- ble. When this happened, he'd shove forward on the stick and dissapear without being no- ticed. Hartmann fought entirely on the Eastern front, but this trick would be very effective against earlier Spitfires, which had problems with the engine cutting out under negative Gs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS !