I am interested into what the consensus of the community is.

When you are in a flight with an AI flight commander what do you do when you spot the enemy and the flight commander apparently does not? Or does not wish to attack for whatever AI reason.

Do you break formation and attack? Are there any gameplay repercussions (I.e. the mission debrief) for doing so?

So far I have played it as a good little flight member and stayed in formation but I was curious as to what the majority is doing.

I do the same and only consider attack if I am flight leader and feel it won't compromise my mission, but that is just me.

Shoot a flair and assume the flight leader position and then lead your flight to target?

I'd say follow the flight leader unless you think you can take them all on your own...since that might just be what happens.

That said, the golden rule is "When in doubt, Win the War."

I attack if I have the advantage. Don't fly tight formation when not leader. I'm above and a tad behind. If feeling threatened I can dive into and through formation and see what they do when the enemy closes on them.

Some of it depends on how good your flight leader is.

For the moment in my DID campaign, my flight leaders have often left the mision (reco, bombing) to attack incoming enemy planes when we would have enough time to complete the mission.
In any of these fights, I tend to stay above the furball and pick up planes trying to evade climbing, or go down sometimes to clear a wingman's six. I fear collisions !

Salut

problem is the AI as sometimes they tend not to do what you think they would. Most 2-seater flights will make a run for it unless the enemy is realy low. And somtimes scout flight ignore enemy untill its toooooo late. Another problem is that if you are not the leader, and you decide to force a fight you might find yourself all alone and the rest of your friends flying off following the mission.

If your not leading then there is not much you can do. If you think your flight is doomed then you'll have to decide for yourself when to run for it, and don't worry about your AI comrades its thier own fault.

In real life:
Certainly not - you stayed in formation.
A formation is a strong opponent. Splintered up, they are just single, vulnerable planes.

And you were busy enough with flying in a formation, plus constantly checking the airspace around you.

They had some ways to call the leaders attention - they could fire some rounds, and the tracer fingers
wouldn't remian unnoticed.
They could dive and fly ahead and wagg their wings - a sign for enemy aircraft near.
But that would be used only as a warning from close enemy planes.

From all I read, they did nothing, except when they got approached from behind
or from higher up. The wingmen had to make sure that the sides, the rear and the sky
above AND below their six was clear.
The leader was searching for targets.
He was not the leader for nothing - he was very good at that, and so it is unlikely
that E/A would remain unseen for him, while you saw them.

I never read anywhere, that a wingman fired a flare, and I can only think of one situation
(when near the enemy) where he should be allowed to do so: as a warning from immediate danger.
Flares would give your position away for every other flight around for miles.
So I think they were mainly for the leader's use.

In the sim:
In the sim, I often swing round and engage enemy planes, which are sneaking up from behind.
When they are many and dangerous types, I dive forward under my flight, hoping to draw everyone's
attention to the enemy aircraft. Sometimes works.

If your not flight leader and attack but the leader still doesn't your on your own..even if you and the enemy are very close to your Squadron. This is something I'd like looking at.

Wodin, in that case I try to lure the enemy close to my own flight.
I have even been diving through my own formation to achieve that.
After that, everybody WAS startled up!

I've done that too, Olham

I have done and still nothing.

Well looks like I will stick with my first instinct, and probably the most "realistic" option, and stick with my flight.
Thanks for the opinions and insights.

Wodin, I had that 1 or 2 times, that my own flight would not switch to "combat mode" -
then you can only decide to either run, or fight alone...

Hi there,

From what I have read, flares were only used when forming up to leave, whether in haste, or if scattered after a bombing raid.

Cheers,

Britsheh

I will normally stay with my flight, but sometimes the target is too juicy to resist. Like last night, flying in my Halberstadt D.II with Jasta 12, my flight leader dove towards a flight of 4 F.E.2b's. Suddenly, he got cold feet and decided to break off the attack.

I continued on and attacked solo. It took me all 500 rounds of my Spandau, but I finally forced one of those buggers to crash land. Dang, those F.E.2b's are tough! It took 103 hits!