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Excellent thread!
My two bits. To destroy heavies you need a gun platform with both lots of guns bullets. The most sensitive part of any plane to lead poisoning is the little pink body ensconced in it.
Aircraft:
F7F if available (previously discussed weapons load)
P-61 if escorts were minimized (previously discussed weapons load)
P-47 8x.50 x lots of ammo
Not delving into how I would strip the escorts (but it needs to be done), or when I would attack (the further from home the better), but focusing on the end game when the pilot pulls the trigger.
Tactics: Head on attacks focusing on the cockpit to the max extent possible. Reduces amount of guns that can be brought to bear against you, and shortens the time / opportunity window for the rest of the gunners to take a crack at you. The Germans figured that out and didn't stop doing it. The B-17G was up gunned by 2 x .50's but the pilots still didn't have "shiza" for frontal attack armor.
It's great to be a Monday night QB!
Cheers,
Biff
Although the 30mm was a devastating weapon, the 20mm battery of four in an Fw 190 was extremely effective and had the ballistics and rate of fire to be better in fighter versus fighter combat... the F7F and Spit were very well positioned as bomber/fighter destroyers than could compete (more or less) in daylight with F7F also doing night defense.
Removing four fifties and replacing with two 20's would have been a good fit for the P-38 and retro fitting four 20mm back in Mustang would have made it a GREAT daytime bomber interceptor while still enabling fighter vs fighter capability.. would have slowed it down about 10mph but except for VLR interception, the wing tanks and racks could be stripped and regain the lost top end speed.
I'll take any of the 1944-45 American frontline fighters with 5" HVAR rockets with proximity fuses plus their regular armament. Just like the Germans, you fire the rockets first to disrupt the formation then follow up with regular fighter attacks. (Of course, this assumes large heavy bomber formations like flown by the Americans. Without large formations, the rockets are likely more trouble than they are worth since they were known for being inaccurate.)
I think you have a good idea. Inaccurate at what distance? There is a big difference between attacking a fixed target with a 300+ mph closing speed and letting go a snap shot and settling in behind a bomber moving at say 200mph so you have little to no closing speed and taking your time to line up a shot. Plus, the proximity fuses would make accurate aiming a whole lot less important. What about dropping 500 or 1,000 pound bombs into the formations from above using proximity fuses? I know the Germans tried it with little success but they didn't have a proximity fuse either.
That is a cool looking airplane! But man oh man does it have a massive canopy! And why did it have two seats since there was no radar (relief pilot for long range flying)?
That is a cool looking airplane! But man oh man does it have a massive canopy! And why did it have two seats since there was no radar (relief pilot for long range flying)?
Yep, AFAIK the canopy rivalled that of the F-15B/D/E, and the second crewman was indeed a relief pilot:
OUCH!
That was like taking candy from a baby...
Actually the wouldn't have needed this weird tactic. Allied development of the proximity fuse for AAA would have made mass Luftwaffe daylight raids too costly anyway.What about dropping 500 or 1,000 pound bombs into the formations from above using proximity fuses? I know the Germans tried it with little success but they didn't have a proximity fuse either.