Matrix Games Forums

Yakface made an interesting comment, but the right way to think of it is that water, because of it's non-compressible nature, is more like sand than other liquids.

Can someone remind me? How do you do skip-bombing in game? Set altitude to 100 feet as a level bomber?

I think skip bombing is not available in the game. There are a number (that's really helpful isn't it, "a number") of things that actually happened (a little)which cannot be done in the game. I believe that's one of them.

You can do glide bombing. Why? I have no idea why you would opt for that. Somebody will pipe up and say it's one of their favorite tactics.

Case in point: (Don't make me try and find a source for this) A B-17, sometime in '42 dive bombed a ship anchored at Rabaul. The plane and the crew (all I believe) survived, but it was a many hour ordeal getting there and then leaving and they shot down a number [:'(] of Zeroes in the process but got riddled with cannon and mg fire. I believe the mission was recon but they were armed with some bombs and the captain decided to use them in a way no one had ever been trained for.

ORIGINAL: Anachro

Can someone remind me? How do you do skip-bombing in game? Set altitude to 100 feet as a level bomber?

IIRC, yes, that's how.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

I think skip bombing is not available in the game. There are a number (that's really helpful isn't it, "a number") of things that actually happened (a little)which cannot be done in the game. I believe that's one of them.

They don't call it skip bombing, but a low level naval attack (below 2000') by an attack bomber gets a boost in hit probability which pretty much equates to skip bombing results. I don't know if the hits obtained are all hull side hits or the usual deck penetrations as well.
So my understanding is that either 1000' or 100' Low Naval Attack will work, but the attack bomber type is also key.

EDIT: Just remembered - there is (IIRC) also a minimum skill requirement for the crew in LowN skill, but I cannot remember what the level was. I am guessing 50.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Case in point: (Don't make me try and find a source for this) A B-17, sometime in '42 dive bombed a ship anchored at Rabaul. The plane and the crew (all I believe) survived, but it was a many hour ordeal getting there and then leaving and they shot down a number [:'(] of Zeroes in the process but got riddled with cannon and mg fire. I believe the mission was recon but they were armed with some bombs and the captain decided to use them in a way no one had ever been trained for.

I never heard of a B-17 dive bombing, but there was a famous B-17 recon mission that had two crew get the Medal of Honor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_666

ORIGINAL: wdolson

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Case in point: (Don't make me try and find a source for this) A B-17, sometime in '42 dive bombed a ship anchored at Rabaul. The plane and the crew (all I believe) survived, but it was a many hour ordeal getting there and then leaving and they shot down a number [:'(] of Zeroes in the process but got riddled with cannon and mg fire. I believe the mission was recon but they were armed with some bombs and the captain decided to use them in a way no one had ever been trained for.

I never heard of a B-17 dive bombing, but there was a famous B-17 recon mission that had two crew get the Medal of Honor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_666

There was a B-17 mission against shipping at Rabaul on the night of Sep 23, 1942 where a pilot (Maj. J. Dougherty) won the Silver Star for a low level attack on several Japanese ships in the harbor. The attack involved throttling back the engines to reduce sound, diving from 4000ft to 1500ft so as to get below a bank of low clouds, then leveling out to approach a group of Japanese vessels in order to deliver a low level bombing run.

As described, the attack was a low level bombing run but since the pilot reportedly used the words "let's dive bomb the b*stards" before the action, it may have led to the mission being confused for one where a B-17 performed an actual dive-bombing run.

The mission was mentioned in Sheehan's "A Fiery Peace" (pages 36-38), which covers the career of (Gen.) Bernard Schriever, who was the co-pilot of the B-17 during that action.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Case in point: (Don't make me try and find a source for this) A B-17, sometime in '42 dive bombed a ship anchored at Rabaul. The plane and the crew (all I believe) survived, but it was a many hour ordeal getting there and then leaving and they shot down a number [:'(] of Zeroes in the process but got riddled with cannon and mg fire. I believe the mission was recon but they were armed with some bombs and the captain decided to use them in a way no one had ever been trained for.

Dive bombing in a B 17!!(Good grief!)

http://www.dba-oracle.com/dive_bombing_b_17.htm

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Dive bombing in a B 17!!(Good grief!)

http://www.dba-oracle.com/dive_bombing_b_17.htm

Same mission, different interpretation......

From Neil Sheehan's "A Fiery Peace in a Cold War", Page 76 -

In a moment of insane interpretation, Dougherty suddenly said, "Let's dive-bomb the bastards". Although Schriever later admitted he was not the type to have thought of anything so rash and hair-raising, he did not object. "I'll watch the air-speed and altitude," he replied, so that they would not dive too rapidly and tear off a wing.

They could not actually dive-bomb a ship with a B-17, but they did the next best thing to it. To keep the Japanese from hearing the noise of the engines as they descended and keep an element of surprise, they cut back the throttles. Then Dougherty pushed the wheel forward and down the big four-engined bomber went, leveling off at 1,500ft as Dougherty raced straight for four large ships he could see lined up in the middle of the harbor....

What a pilot. Seems he had his He-177 moment.

Trivia...EVERY German bomber of WW2 was designed to deliver it's payload as a dive bomber, with either underwing dive brakes attached, (like the Ju 88 and original He 111), or a "butterfly brake" (like the DO 17 series}.
The pilots preferred level bombing but this was considered a "secondary" delivery method by the designers.

The large FW 200 was originally designed as a transport so did not have the dive capability, (along with the fact it had a very weak mid section.)

Plus the ME-262 (at least in legend) was delayed because Adolf wanted it to take out tanks.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Plus the ME-242 (at least in legend) was delayed because Adolf wanted it to take out tanks.

What?? Were the tanks Adolph's ugly nieces? They couldn't get a date without his help? [:'(]

Didn't you see my carry-out post? When I do take out it isn't a Chinese fox.

ME-242

Do you mean ME-262?

Yes, thank you.

ORIGINAL: rustysi

ME-242

Do you mean ME-262?

He is a Gorn, be forgiving. [8D]

Yes please do. We gorn operate mathematically with base ©£ instead of base ten. Our system is far more advanced than your base ten, you pathetic Earthlings, but sometimes we get confused trying to convert.

Don't know what happened there, it was base Pi when I posted.

Let me try to do a capital Pi and get a lower case Delta again: ¥ð