Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

FIGHTER MISSIONS 333
attacked just as early in the mission as possible. If the escort is forced to
jettison its partially used drop-tanks and use extra fuel (such as by lighting
afterburners) to defend against an early attack, its bombers may be required
to abort their mission or to complete much of it unescorted and vulnerable
to attack by other defenders. Even a feint attack or a "gun and run" by a
very few fighters may effectively "strip the escort" from the strike
package.
To fight the bombers before the escort fighters would mean in the long run to
take the second step before the first. But if instead of fighters, the bombers got
the priority in combat, then the peripheral defense . . . was absolutely wrong.
The continuous demand to attack the bombers as soon as possible could only
be successfully fulfilled if the attacks were made in groups. This meant that
each of our fighter groups . . . would attack a greatly superior enemy force. In
an action like this the results were naturally small, our own losses on the
other hand considerable. Instead of attacking the bombers when they were as
far as possible out of range of their fighter escort, our fighters had to attack the
enemy just when he was strongest/
If the defense is unable to strip the escort at long range, some of the
fighters of the main assault force should be assigned to engage and occupy
the escort while the remaining interceptors concentrate on the bombers.
When different types of fighters are involved, the best dogfighters are
generally assigned to the escort while the less maneuverable, but, hopefully,
heavier-armed, aircraft attack the bombers. When practical, the
number of interceptors assigned to engage the escort should be roughly
equivalent to the number of fighters in the escort, and the remaining
interceptors will tackle the bombers.
In air fights it is absolutely essential to fly in such a way that your adversary
cannot shoot at you, if you can manage it.
Captain Oswald Boelcke, German Air Service
Attacking heavy bombers can be a tricky proposition, as they are often
well protected by defensive armament, particularly in the rear hemisphere,
and usually are well equipped with electronic- and infraredcountermeasures
gear. In a heavy ECM/IRCM environment, guns and
unguided rockets are often the most effective weapons, but since these
have fairly short ranges, the direction of approach to a heavy bomber must
be carefully calculated to minimize exposure to defensive fire. Saddling-up
at close range on a bomber with rear-firing weapons, particularly in a large
enemy formation, is a very unhealthy approach. Bombers are almost always
less well defended in some directions than in others, and these weak
points should be found and exploited. Often head-on or forward-quarter
passes through an enemy formation, using gun or rocket snapshots, prove
to be the best tactics. In general, just as with most other military strategies,
the approach is to concentrate the greatest offensive firepower against the
enemy's most weakly defended point. Few bombers can match a fighter's
forward-firing weapons from all directions.
If you see enemy aircraft, it is not necessary for you to go straight to them and
attack. Wait and look and use your reason. See what kind of formation and
tactics they are using. See if there is a straggler or an uncertain pilot among