Dive bombers used for level bombing

[Admiral Scott]

If dive bombers are set for below 10,000 feet, will they level bomb instead of dive bomb?
Is that the cut off altitude?
Or will they climb in altitude as they approach the target and still divebomb?

[Admiral DadMan]

IIRC, all of the reading that I have done says that

>15K is a glide bomb attack and
<10K is a level bomb.

One would think that this is backwards (i.e. VMSB at Midway).

[btd64]

DB's will dive bomb at any altutute. Glide bomb I think was removed. Sorry Scot ....GP

[Admiral Scott]

So if I have a group of Dauntless dive bombers on ASW patrol at 2,000 feet, they will still divebomb a sighted sub?

[Platoonist]

So if I have a group of Dauntless dive bombers on ASW patrol at 2,000 feet, they will still divebomb a sighted sub?

Probably. When the Japanese sub I-70 was sighted and sunk by an Enterprise Dauntless dive bomber on December 10th, 1941, the SBD pilot first climbed the plane up to 5,000 feet from lower altitude to properly dive attack the sub.

[Admiral DadMan]

DB's will dive bomb at any altutute. Glide bomb I think was removed. Sorry Scot ....GP

Good to know. I appreciate the correction.

This game certainly have evolved over 15 years...

[RangerJoe]

I think that someone should test the dive bombers. Imagine them dive bombing when they start out at 100 feet . . .

[Chris21wen]

So if I have a group of Dauntless dive bombers on ASW patrol at 2,000 feet, they will still divebomb a sighted sub?

No, they will level bomb. Dive bombing only takes place between 10-15K inclusive out side of this they level bomb. They do not glide bomb, there is no such thing it was removed by a patch some time ago.

I tested all this when I put together the Air War guide. See https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=396274 page 20. The new manual also says this.

[Sardaukar]

If e.g. attacking land targets with DBs, put them on 16k altitude.

At 10-15k (as said and read Chris' excellent guide) they will dive bomb and 9k or lower they are hideously vulnerable to flak.

[BBfanboy]

There is another band from 20-25 K feet where they will dive bomb. Few use it as it just gives AAA more time to fire at the planes in the dive.

[Chris21wen]

There is another band from 20-25 K feet where they will dive bomb. Few use it as it just gives AAA more time to fire at the planes in the dive.

Really? I'll test and and amend it correct.

[Chris21wen]

There is another band from 20-25 K feet where they will dive bomb. Few use it as it just gives AAA more time to fire at the planes in the dive.

Tests didn't take long and my findings playing 26b and 27 are that dive bombing only takes place between 10-15K. Anything outside of these heights is level bombing.

I carried out the test for both sides and the results are always similar to below. It's the release height that is important with releases between 1-3K being dive bombing attacks. You can also tell the difference by the numbers involved for each unit. Much fewer for DB, all for level.

Aircraft Attacking: Height set 15K
12 x D3A1 Val releasing from 1000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
8 x D3A1 Val releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
4 x D3A1 Val releasing from 1000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
6 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
5 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb

Aircraft Attacking: 22K
18 x D3A1 Val bombing from 22000 feet Set to 22K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
27 x D3A1 Val bombing from 20000 feet Set to 20K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
18 x D3A1 Val bombing from 19000 feet Set to 19K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
10 x D3A1 Val releasing from 3000' Set to 10K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
27 x D3A1 Val bombing from 26000 feet Set to 26K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
9 x D3A1 Val releasing from 2000' Set to 10K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
8 x D3A1 Val releasing from 1000' Set to 10K
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Aircraft Attacking: Height set 20K
18 x SBD-3 Dauntless bombing from 20000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
18 x SBD-2 Dauntless bombing from 26000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb

[PaxMondo]

Consistent with my recent playing. I was sad to see the glide bombing mode disappear, not sure why, but I'm positive that the devs had a good reason.

Very possible that for a time there was a hole in the alogrithm above 20K ft that BBfanboy discovered, but that was patched subsequently. Could even have been the glide bombing remnant. Face it; it isn't something that you would use too often, or at least I don't. Bombing from 4 miles up in a Val just can't be very accurate, they don't have a Norden handy ...

[Chris21wen]

Consistent with my recent playing. I was sad to see the glide bombing mode disappear, not sure why, but I'm positive that the devs had a good reason.

Very possible that for a time there was a hole in the alogrithm above 20K ft that BBfanboy discovered, but that was patched subsequently. Could even have been the glide bombing remnant. Face it; it isn't something that you would use too often, or at least I don't. Bombing from 4 miles up in a Val just can't be very accurate, they don't have a Norden handy ...

Also diving from that height would probably tear bl$&* the wing off.

[BBfanboy]

Consistent with my recent playing. I was sad to see the glide bombing mode disappear, not sure why, but I'm positive that the devs had a good reason.

Very possible that for a time there was a hole in the alogrithm above 20K ft that BBfanboy discovered, but that was patched subsequently. Could even have been the glide bombing remnant. Face it; it isn't something that you would use too often, or at least I don't. Bombing from 4 miles up in a Val just can't be very accurate, they don't have a Norden handy ...

Also diving from that height would probably tear bl$&* the wing off.

That's what dive brakes are for - to keep a consistent dive speed.

[PaxMondo]

Consistent with my recent playing. I was sad to see the glide bombing mode disappear, not sure why, but I'm positive that the devs had a good reason.

Very possible that for a time there was a hole in the alogrithm above 20K ft that BBfanboy discovered, but that was patched subsequently. Could even have been the glide bombing remnant. Face it; it isn't something that you would use too often, or at least I don't. Bombing from 4 miles up in a Val just can't be very accurate, they don't have a Norden handy ...

Also diving from that height would probably tear bl$&* the wing off.

That's what dive brakes are for - to keep a consistent dive speed.

Yeah, most any DB in wwii had dive brakes, so any could have dived from 4 miles up ... but why? As pointed out earlier, that's 4 miles in a straight line for the target .. a long time for a lot of AA to be shooting straight at you ... no leading needed you are shooting at a target coming straight for you. At 300mph that's 5 miles in a minute ... so call it 45 secs to suffer all that AA from 4 miles up ... a frickin' LONG time to me.

[Chris21wen]

Consistent with my recent playing. I was sad to see the glide bombing mode disappear, not sure why, but I'm positive that the devs had a good reason.

Very possible that for a time there was a hole in the alogrithm above 20K ft that BBfanboy discovered, but that was patched subsequently. Could even have been the glide bombing remnant. Face it; it isn't something that you would use too often, or at least I don't. Bombing from 4 miles up in a Val just can't be very accurate, they don't have a Norden handy ...

Also diving from that height would probably tear bl$&* the wing off.

That's what dive brakes are for - to keep a consistent dive speed.

Year I know that but they are only effective up to a point, gravity will always win.

[PaxMondo]

Also diving from that height would probably tear bl$&* the wing off.

That's what dive brakes are for - to keep a consistent dive speed.

Year I know that but they are only effective up to a point, gravity will always win.

Didn't the pilot have/train for the proper angle of attack to maximize his dive flaps, but not exceed their capability? I remember reading somewhere sometime that was one of the strengths of the Stuka, it could handle one of the highest angle of attacks due to its very effective dive brakes .... or maybe I miss-recall this.

[RangerJoe]

That's what dive brakes are for - to keep a consistent dive speed.

Year I know that but they are only effective up to a point, gravity will always win.

Didn't the pilot have/train for the proper angle of attack to maximize his dive flaps, but not exceed their capability? I remember reading somewhere sometime that was one of the strengths of the Stuka, it could handle one of the highest angle of attacks due to its very effective dive brakes .... or maybe I miss-recall this.

I do believe that you are correct.

Also, the A-36 was equipped with dive brakes so it should be like the Fulmar - a fighter and a dive bomber.