#4426936 - 06/21/18 01:01 AM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: Hellshade]
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Ace_Pilto
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I don't have any particular academic credentials to offer unlike some here but having read fairly widely on the subject I would offer that the specific nature of a patrol was dependant upon situational factors. Thus, to understand the geography a patrol would cover, you first have to look at the purpose of a patrol and the aircraft conducting it. The most important thing to account for, in my opinion, is that squadrons of aircraft don't exist in a vacuum, they support other assets and aims so their orders are cut with both specific (tactical) and overarching (strategic) objectives in mind.
The movement of ground troops, operations of the balloon corps and other aerial units could be a potential factor in the cutting of a day's operational orders. Priority may be given to protecting advancing troops, covering areas that have been under reconnaissance by the enemy or areas that need to be reconnoitered by friendly aircraft. They were also deployed to protect logistical operations, observation balloons and other very localised points of interest. If any of these specific objectives formed part of the day's operations then you would expect the General Staff to make use of local units in a more specific area tactical way a priority over more general aims.
However, in the broader scheme of things, squadrons were also positioned reactively to counter the deployment of enemy forces in an overarching, strategic role. From what I gather a squadron would usually be assigned a general area of operations based upon their position along the front such that, when they were not given any particular area of a particular tactical interest to patrol, then they would roam within a wider area of the front at the discretion of the flight/squadron commander according to such factors as the weather, (especially the position of the sun and prevailing winds) and the observed routines of enemy aircraft. A squadron would be expected, in times where no specific point of interest had been designated, to maintain a designated quota of patrols in their sector with the aim of projecting a continual presence over their sector. Almost every source I have read suggests that there was some kind of "quota" that was to be fulfilled and that these patrols maintained coverage of a designated sector. The precise radius or area covered by such a patrol would be more dependant upon the number of aircraft available to cover a given area, the importance of the region being patrolled and the squadron's specific technical capacity to do so (aircraft capability/range etc). So, in an area of the front where the local squadrons had been reduced in strength due to attrition for example, this would create a requirement for longer, wider ranging patrols for the remaining operational units.
In summary I believe it would be a mistake to simply pull some numbers out and say that "A patrol covered X miles". There were routine procedures carried out but the battlefield is dynamic and what is routine can evolve and change at a rapid rate.
Last edited by Ace_Pilto; 06/21/18 01:05 AM.
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Wenn ihr sieg im deine Kampf selbst gegen, wirst stark wie Stahl sein. "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors." - Gaiden Shinji
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#4427018 - 06/21/18 04:22 PM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: Hellshade]
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Raine
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In the RFC, patrol orders came from Wing by dispatch motorcyclist, typically around the evening dinner hour. Flights could be assigned to standby, awaiting a call from Wing about Huns over a particular sector; or escort; or distant offensive patrols (10-12 miles over); or defensive patrols (4 miles over, and sometimes called close offensive patrols); or line patrols (over the lines). North and south limits of the patrol areas were given in orders. I believe it was left up to the squadron commander to decide which flight took which assigned task, although Wing orders might specify the desired strength to be tasked to a patrol.
Lee is a decent source for this stuff, but much of what I've written above is derived from "Into the Blue," a memoir by Wing Commander Norman Macmillan, formerly of 45 Sqn RFC / RAF.
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#4427234 - 06/22/18 07:02 PM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: HarryH]
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Robert_Wiggins
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The way WOFF offensive missions seem to be constructed is to loop from the initial target point on the lines to a point back in to friendly territory and back to the lines again a couple of times, before heading home again. HarryH, that is a valid observation but with the use of ME, it is possible to change the routing to be more in line with standard RFC practices if you desire.
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#4427248 - 06/22/18 08:58 PM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: Robert_Wiggins]
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HarryH
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The way WOFF offensive missions seem to be constructed is to loop from the initial target point on the lines to a point back in to friendly territory and back to the lines again a couple of times, before heading home again. HarryH, that is a valid observation but with the use of ME, it is possible to change the routing to be more in line with standard RFC practices if you desire. That's a great idea
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#4427278 - 06/22/18 11:20 PM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: Hellshade]
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Ace_Pilto
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Can you change the climb out behavior too? I typically spend more time circling the field than patrolling when I could be climbing out enroute and patrolling longer.
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Wenn ihr sieg im deine Kampf selbst gegen, wirst stark wie Stahl sein. "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors." - Gaiden Shinji
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#4427326 - 06/23/18 09:12 AM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: Hellshade]
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Ace_Pilto
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Ahh, I've never played with the waypoints much. I'll have to experiment with them. Thanks.
Let's pretend I got the BWOC badge to embed here.
Wenn ihr sieg im deine Kampf selbst gegen, wirst stark wie Stahl sein. "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors." - Gaiden Shinji
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#4427540 - 06/24/18 04:44 PM
Re: Patrol question for our historical scholars
[Re: HarryH]
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DukeIronHand
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The way WOFF offensive missions seem to be constructed is to loop from the initial target point on the lines to a point back in to friendly territory and back to the lines again a couple of times, before heading home again. Yes. Patrol route waypoints could use a programming once-over. This has been mentioned many times over the years.
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