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Hi BiffF15,
Question: I am under the impression that rate of pitch is just as important as rate of roll. That is, you can pull tighter than the guy behind you and get separation OR you can roll quicker and THEN pull to get separation.
So, for the point of view of a fighter pilot, which is more important, pitch or roll? If you HAD to have one be slower than your opponent near your six, which one would you choose?
I heard one P-39 pilot who basically said that he would roll as hard as he could for 1 - 2 seconds, stop and pull as hard as he could for 2 - 3 seconds, and repeat 3 times ... and nobody was ever on his tail after the third repetition. Not sure if that makes sense, but he was just trying to get separation when someone was near his six.
No agenda here, just curious.
I just read the 19 March battle from Genda'S Blade and the losses were 15 Shiden/Shiden Kai for 14 Hellcat/Corsair
You know, something I was thinking about, I still haven't cracked open my copy of Genda's blade quite yet, in confrontations between the Shiden Kai's and F6F's were the Shiden Kai's typically outnumbered? I'm only asking because I know the 343 began to take on inexperienced and young pilots, but that there were still a core group of aces and experienced veterans. I feel that these more battle hardened member of the 343 must've been on a level playing field with some of the more skilled American pilots at the time, if not maybe even a little more advanced than them. Do you think it's possible that the decrease in success from the 343 came from being overwhelmed by pure numbers, material shortages, and crew training? I'm sorry if my question seems biased or basic. Thanks for the inputThis is an excellent CG rendition of March 19, 1945 and the other combats that followed. Very accurate, right down to the aircraft markings of the units involved. If you haven't already watched it I recommend that you do....
Do you think it's possible that the decrease in success from the 343 came from being overwhelmed by pure numbers, material shortages, and crew training?
Good view on the situation, and well thought out. Thank youExcellent question. Without a doubt the group's effectiveness continually declined through the constant attrition of pilots and airplanes, which incidentally began on their very first day of operations (March 19th). Losing 15 airplanes and 14 pilots in a single day was a huge blow to the unit and set the stage for even more losses in the future. Besides a few isolated examples of holding their own, the Kokutai was handed defeat after defeat which slowly whittled down the belief that a fighter pilot 'dream team' could effectively make a difference at this late stage in the war.
It must also be remembered that Japan didn't have the resources like the US to recover from such a high level of losses. And although the thought of making a squadron of 'experts' looks good on paper, it most assuredly had a negative effect on other Japanese flying units which could have used the seasoned leadership and experience, thereby improving the competence of the IJNAF as a whole.
I will have to get back to you concerning the numbers involved in each action, but if memory serves me right I believe the 343rd had a numerical advantage on occasion but of course there were times when the opposite was true. I can't remember however a single instance of the unit being overwhelmed by the shear number of American warplanes.
Acheron,
Having an advantage in roll is the same as having faster hands to a boxer. The Zero above a certain speed would become very heavy on the controls which in turn means a slower roll rate. It's hard to get out of the way of bullets when your roll rate is slow.
Cheers,
Biff
... Do you think it's possible that the decrease in success from the 343 came from being overwhelmed by pure numbers, material shortages, and crew training? ...
You do not have to roll to turn...
I always thought that rolling is primarily used to escape a fight, while turning is paramount when engaging the enemy. I know there can be a mix of each in some ACM but it seems that planes with good turning characteristics are also considered to be better at performing aerial maneuvers too.
Maybe Biff or Greg can help sort this out for me....
To gun a guy you need to be in range, in lead, and in plane. Imagine a rod going from the tail of your adversary out through his nose to infinity. That rod is where he is going, and your nose has to point at that to get hits on him (in lead and in range). It's literally like shooting skeet but even more fun.
Naval aviators from VF-17 also noted that the enemy fighters [N1K2-J]
had excellent climbing characteristics and superior speed.
Weird snafu going on there with the code-names.They feel that their aircraft offers them tremendous advantages in firepower, armor protection and speed over the Japanese "Zeke", "Tojo" [in reality the N1K2-J] or "Tony".