Salute

We have all had problems getting obvious claims accepted. But this little system, based on honesty, may help. It may not answer every question but its simple enough to follow. I'll bet your "Hunting" style will change too.
have a read......


Points to remember:

It may not be prudent to just Shoot down the first thing you meet without enough/any witness present.

Following a wounded HA across his lines my not be a wise move.

You will have to be aware of just where the front lines are and where Ground Observers are too.

It may be better to locate and follow a HA until you are sure Ground Observers are present before you start your attack.

Pulling HA over your side of the lines may be better too.

Probable victory's are claimed with no witness given....so it may not go through.

This may not cover all situations, but common sense should guide you a bit.


Either way, these systems should alter your flying habits to some degree. I've followed them and found it works quite well. But you have to honest to yourself. You can only put in for claim when WOFF allows you to do so anyway.


For the purists out there this scoring system may come as a shock, with "oh no you can't do that..etc" But the system seems to work..for me anyway.

-First thing, in the workshop, Claims will have to be set to "Easy" (blank horror for some I know).
-Next you will need Fraps or something to that effect.
-And then the TAC is needed (ahhhh that cant be) set to 4km/2.2nm. This is your kneemap so to say.
With front lines and Ground Observation units etc.

Ground Observers are all units that show up on your TAC, even when set to look for just aircraft (i.e. Infantry positions, balloons, factory etc..). Trains, truck/tank columns and the such don't qualify as Ground Observers.
All witnesses must be seen (even if its just a corner of a position) within the TAC to qualify.





Claiming system for French Pilots.

2 seaters: both the Pilot and the Observer are awarded the victory.
No Shares.... If two or more pilots shot ONE HA down then they all could put in a claim.
No Probable victory. Crash was either witnessed or forgotten.
Must have at least one independent Witness.

A Witness included fellow Pilots in the air, Ground Observers..i.e. All Ground units that are present on a knee map (not trains or motor columns!).

TAC is to used to confirm a witness. Set to 4km / 2.2nm. Take a Pic (I use fraps) and make sure the witness can be seen within the TAC when HA crashes/lands.

Ground Observer witness HA falling in flames ............ +3
Ground Observer witness HA Explode mid air ............. +3
Ground Observer witness HA crash to earth ................. +3
Ground Observer witness HA Land behind friendly lines .. +3

You witness HA crash to earth behind own lines ... +2
You witness HA crash to earth behind enemy lines . +1
each Surviving Pilot witness ................................... +1

If score equals 3 or more then make a proper claim.

This allows the French a chance for offensive actions across the lines if they have the numbers (pilots) to witness victories. Generally a Ground witness was favored over Pilot witnesses.





Claiming System for the Hun.

2 seaters: both the Pilot and the Observer are awarded the victory.
No Shares.... If two or more pilots made a claim it was awarded to the Squadron.
Must have at least one independent Witness.

The German command was strict when it came to having a witness. HA shot down over enemy lines had to have a Ground Observer who witnessed the crash.

Ground Observer witness HA falling in flames .......+3
Ground Observer witness HA exploding mid air ......+3
Ground Observer witness HA crashing to earth ........+3
Ground Observer witness HA landing behind own lines ...+3

each surviving Pilot witness ...+1
You witness HA crash to earth behind own lines.....+2

** Over enemy lines **... If no Ground Observer present (TAC) then no claim can be put in..basta!

If score equals 3 or more then put in a proper claim.
If score equals 2 then make a claim without a witness. (allows probable victories on own side.)
score 1 or less then no claim may be made.

This should keep Hun formations and actions close to the lines. Going across to look for a fight is not going to add to your score if no Ground Observer is present. So deep offensive actions like the French and British had are useless to the Hun when it comes to scoring.




The British Claim system (or the real flying circus)

Must have at least one independent Witness.


A few words first regarding this service.

Shares: this is really a ww2 RAF thing. True that some RFC Squads allowed shares but it wasn't official in any way and not every Squad did. They looked at the fact that only ONE aircraft had been destroyed but 2 or more pilots claim they shot it down thus a decision had to be made. Depending on the C.O. It could be shared between the pilots, or, No Pilot got the credit but the Squadron did.

Sharing requires a bit of paperwork and recording events etc.. I do this by looking at the combat, dividing the victory by each Pilot present, and keeping track of my own fraction of the share, until I can claim a full Kill. When 1 kill is to be claimed you'll have to wait for the next combat and claim the next HA that you shoot down. You yourself will have to decide if your RFC squad will use shares or not.

2 Seaters: Again another decision your part. 2 Seater aircraft that only had the Observer able to fire at HA, then both Pilot and Observer are awarded the victory. Later when the RFC had aircraft that could fire through the air-screw then you will have to decide if you the pilot got the Hun with your front guns, or did the Observer finish him off. This is optional, as some Squads did this and others not. If not then both pilot and gunner get credit.

Offensive spirit: The RFC decided from the beginning to order deep offensive patrols. It wasn't very popular with the pilots. The Offensive spirit forced upon the RFC had to be rewarded in some way to keep the boys keen. And so the scoring system used by the RFC tended to be a little more relaxed when compared to other air services of the time.

Moral victory's counted well into 1916. The simple fact that you forced the Hun to abandon his mission was allowed to be used for a claim. Probables, Out of control, forced down.... all these sorts of claims were allowed and put in. Plus the RFC had one other advantage .... they did not require Ground Observation of a Victory! This allowed the Deep Offensive Patrols to be used and rewarded the "Offensive Spirit" forced upon all RFC pilots.


Ground Observer witness HA falling in flames ...+3
Ground Observer witness HA exploding mid air ...+3
Ground Observer witness HA Crashing to earth ...+3
Ground Observer witness HA landing behind own lines ...+3

You witness HA crash to earth own side of the lines ...+2
You witness HA crash to earth behind enemy lines ...+1
Each surviving Pilot witness ...+1
HA forced down (but not seen to impact) ...+1
HA out of control (but not seen to impact) ...+1
You witness HA land behind own lines. ...+1

Scoring 3+ put in a claim.
Scoring 2 then put in a claim with no witness (probable)
Scoring 1 or less then no claim put in.

As you can see, the RFC pilot doesn't even have to watch the HA go in. The simple fact that an RFC pilot believed the HA was doomed was enough when witnessed by others Pilots. The RFC pilot is free to go looking for fights miles over Hunland too. The RFC is also the only service allowing for HA being forced to land behind own friendly lines without Ground Observers. This, along with Forced down and OOC claims count as a moral victory over the Hun.





Another side note... Belgium: very strict indeed. No Ground Observation no claim..very simple. [u][/u]