Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

DIVISION TACTICS 283
on the lookout for threats to friendly fighters. Whenever a wingman is
sighted, the airspace all around his aircraft should be scanned visually to
determine if he is under attack or is pursuing a bogey that might make an
easy target. Egress from the hostile area should be made with other friendlies
if at all practical. When a pilot is leaving the area, he should make a
"bugout" call on the fighter frequency so that the remaining friendly pilots
can assess the changing numerical odds.
If you have a lot of pilots flying around you, many to fly with, then you are not
very keen to look around. A lot of people are not looking at all.
Colonel Erich "Bubi" Hartmann, GAP
The problems associated with gaggle tactics are the same as for loose
deuce, with the added difficulties arising from increased numbers of
fighters and bogeys. With more bogeys comes greater difficulty in defining
the threat sector, since some of the enemy are almost always unaccounted
for at any one time. Some degree of task overloading is generally present
throughout the engagement. As the battle continues the bogey cloud tends
to expand and it becomes more difficult to define. When he is unsure of the
threat sector the pilot might be well advised to extend a considerable
distance from the fight, though preferably he should remain within visual
range of some participant, and then return in an attempt to redefine the
"fur ball" from a distance. Extending away in the direction of the sun or
climbing or diving to highlight the fight against low or high clouds are
effective techniques. Due care must be exercised during these maneuvers,
however, since enemy pilots may be using the same methods. The pilot
cannot afford to padlock some aircraft in the distant fight and neglect his
Figure 7-14. Gaggle Engagement (Conclusion)