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#4464885 - 03/10/19 11:09 PM GROUND ATTACKS  
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jerbear Offline
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After having read Schalchtflieger! I decided to make my newest pilot, Johann Georg Faust, flying a Hannover CLIII in Schlachtstaffel 30 b. I have generally avoided trench strafing because the ground fire is just too good in the game. I think it is probably a little too strong so I put the level down to easy. It still ain’t easy but you can at least take it for more than a few seconds before your wounded or too damaged to continue an attack. As VFw Faust, I have been experimenting with it. I would like to share what I have found so far that works.

First, don’t approach the enemy front line from the front or from the flank if you are going below 2,000 feet for machine gun work. Go through the gaps between the strong points.

Once you are behind the trenches, any fire you will receive will be light unless you get pretty close. You can attack the artillery positions behind the lines without much ground fire.

Machine gun fire doesn’t seem to have any effect on vehicles but it will take out a field piece pretty easily. You will need to be down to 600 feet or below to be able to hit anything (normal height for a Schlachtstaffel ground attack).

You can use your front MG, but it is more effective to do a fly by and let your observer do the work. At the 'normal' setting observer fire is still very accurate and he will do a great job. As with ground fire, I think observer fire is a little too accurate in the game but in this case I don’t mind because it’s to my advantage.

Also, don’t waste your bombs on infantry and artillery positions, save them for supply columns, rail depots, aerodromes and camps where they can do the most good.

When attacking the trenches themselves, come at them from behind, the return fire will be lighter. When you start taking fire, turn around and come again.

Pretty exciting stuff! I highly recommend it for a change up.

I’ll keep experimenting with it and let everyone know if I come up with any more useful techniques.

Anyone else out there have any advice?
[Linked Image]

Attached Files am.jpgan.jpgap.jpgaq.jpgah.jpg
Last edited by jerbear; 03/10/19 11:19 PM.
#4464897 - 03/11/19 12:43 AM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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ARUP Offline
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'Schalchtflieger!' is a great book... I have it! You have great info here. I found attacking front lines from the rear works the best, too. The other info is great for I didn't understand how the bombs' and machine guns' effectiveness varied so much. I love flying the 'Hawa'! It is pretty good at dog fighting. I never fly to the altitudes the mission says but keep low so that if attacked I can weave around trees, etc. It is a handy bird! Maybe the Devs 'updates' will include the AGO C.1!

#4465269 - 03/12/19 11:25 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: ARUP]  
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jerbear Offline
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ARUP: Hope you get your AGO. Yep," Schlachfliege!" is a great book, full of good first hand stories as well as tons of useful information and to sound like an advert. the pictures and color plates are worth the price of the book. Wish there were a way to carry some hand grenades and extra ammo in the game, like was done in the for real 1st WW.

Something new I stumbled on which is probably not news to any old hands out there, but maybe a few haven't come across: When you cancel the ground attack,"regroup," sometimes the wingmen will abandon the attack and go into "form up" mode but don't rejoin. They just circle around getting Archied. I got get up with trying to get them to notice me and pressing the "2" key and just pushed "3" to tell them to go home. This woke them up and they formed on me.

In regard to the machine gun attacks on forward enemy positions, they aren't greatly effective because you can't get close enough to do anything more than just throw some lead in that general direction without getting whacked by ground fire, but, according to the German reports in "Schlachtflieger!" the attacks had "have great moral effect. Losses from these attacks were fairly insignificant, but the feeling of helplessness created confusion among the soldiers. The prisoners say that at times artillery fire did not bother the troops as much as fire from low-flying aircraft."

So, even if they have no measurable effect as far as the game is concerned they are something that is worth trying to simulate as it would be something useful in a the real thing.


Last edited by jerbear; 03/12/19 11:59 PM.
#4465436 - 03/13/19 11:39 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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jerbear Offline
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I think this is why you don't get as much fire from the rear of the infantry positions as you would get coming at them from in front. The riflemen are turned around, firing at me, but the machine guns remain facing forward, so the ground fire is much less intense. If there is an AA machine gun this would probably be altered somewhat but still not as intense as having all the machine guns in range firing at you. [Linked Image]

Attached Files asa MGs dont face to rear.PNG
Last edited by jerbear; 03/13/19 11:40 PM.
#4532488 - 08/03/20 09:31 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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jerbear Offline
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FINALLY GOT A TRUCK! I gave up on it but I decided to do some trench strafing and came across a short column of trucks. You really have to pump some lead into them but it seems that the trick to taking one out with machine gun fire is to aim at the back. My theory, which I will try out some more, is that what you are actually destroying is the supplies inside. Supplies are a relatively easy flame up and when this went up it looked rather like a pile of supplies when it flames up.
[Linked Image]



Attached Files Shot0.jpg
Last edited by jerbear; 08/03/20 09:37 PM.
#4532747 - 08/05/20 04:55 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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jerbear Offline
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Found four short columns of trucks traveling together so I strafed them to see how much it would take to get some of them down. I fired 670 rounds with 200 hits to get four of them. I don't know if the damage is cumulative or if there have to be a certain number of hits during a certain time period. I will find another column and concentrate on only one truck to see if I can figure out the number of hits needed. From the rear, as I said on the last entry works, but also aiming at the box from the side is effective, especially if you catch them when their sitting still for awhile. I don't know if the empty flat beds will go up or not. They took about as many hits without any effect. Try that later. I still think it's probably the supplies in the box that go up and cause the truck to blow. [Linked Image]

Attached Files za.jpgzb.jpgzc.jpgzd.jpg
Last edited by jerbear; 08/05/20 04:56 PM.
#4533084 - 08/09/20 10:48 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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jerbear Offline
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After years of spraying trucks and trains with my machine guns to no end, I finally took the time to experiment with ground attacks to see just what you could take out with just machine guns. Turns out, that would be just about everything. You just have to put enough lead into em.

Thing is, you have to pick your target, you can’t just spray rounds into a supply truck column and expect something to go up. You can, of course, hit a whole truck column with strafing runs to soften them up, but after a couple of these, you have to start aiming at individual trucks before you run out of ammunition or get hit with ground fire.

I flew in behind the enemy lines to attack specific target types. Then, after I had destroyed the specified target, I stopped firing and either headed for home or quit the game.

Since my object was just to find out how many hits (not rounds fired, actual hits on the target) it took for each type of target I put on the invulnerability setting and unlimited ammo. Very unsporting of me, I know, BUT THIS IS FOR SCIENCE!!!!!!.

Here are the results:

Supply stacks – 1-2 hits easiest target out there, easy to see and go up in a very satisfying blaze. Usually well protected though.

MG nest – 2-3 hits, very easy to knock out but hard to spot…and they shoot back.

Field gun – 2-4 hits, very easy but even more difficult to spot than MG nests. You really have to get down on the deck to see them.

Flak gun – 2-4 hits, like MG nests, they shoot back.

Trucks, both covered and flat bed – 25 hits

Truck mounted AA guns – 25 hits, just like any truck, except it fights back.
.
Small tent – 20-30 hits, they will start to smoke then holes will appear in them. Easy target, visible and a large target. You can usually take one out in a single pass.

Large tent – 50 hits, very easy target, can be taken out in a single pass. Well protected by ground fire.

Parked aircraft – I used to think they wouldn’t go up, but after a few good passes they catch fire. To make them flame, you need about 80-90 hits. They do not count as aerial victories, only as another ground claim. Not really worth it unless you are on an airfield attack mission or just want the satisfaction. Lots of ground fire to deal with, as everybody knows.

Small hangar tent – about 100 hits and the whole thing just collapses.

Large hangar tent – about the same as the small tent hangar, very easy, big as a balloon but you have to take some ground fire.

Locomotive – between 150 and 200 hits. It may depend on the angle of attack.

Box car – about 125 hits and they flame up and get holes in them just like a bomb hit them.

Mark IV tank - Surprisingly, you can take out one of these monsters with about 200 hits from your machine guns. Suicidal though, They really, really shoot back and they’re always around the front line where the ground fire is thickest. I was only able to do this by making myself invulnerable. The pings on my machine from bullet strikes sounded like rain.

I tried to attack a German A7V during the Battle of Cambria with an SE5a, but every time I found one, the artillery took it out before I could get to it. Maybe I can spot some behind the lines on the road. I see them traveling near the aerodrome sometimes when I fly German.

Trenches - The best way to attack is from behind. Most of the shooters are facing forward. Best to not get closer than about 200 yards before turning around for another pass. You’ll take some hits regardless.

Buildings – I took out one of the huts at the rail station just to see if it would go up. It did, but I had been firing at other targets as well so I don’t know how many hits it took, probably about what a tank needs, about 200 or so.


I attached a few shots of the carnage I wreaked in the rear areas with my superpowers.

[Linked Image]






Attached Files A.jpgAB.jpgac.jpgad.jpgae.jpgaf.jpgag.jpgah.jpgai.jpgaj.jpgak.jpgal.jpgam.jpgan.jpg
Last edited by jerbear; 08/09/20 10:50 PM.
#4533086 - 08/09/20 11:25 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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VonS Offline
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Many thanks Jerbear for the detailed report regarding various targets, this will definitely come in handy.

(In terms of parked aircraft, I think two Rumplers that were damaged at a German 'drome in my casual campaigns thread ended up counting as air victories - but this may have been a glitch perhaps? Who knows; at any rate Major Dobson did not complain.)

Von S smile2


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4533101 - 08/10/20 05:45 AM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: VonS]  
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JJJ65 Online cool
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Planes parking in front of hangars are not counted as destroyed. However, planes ready on fight line are.

#4533103 - 08/10/20 06:55 AM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: JJJ65]  
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VonS Offline
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Originally Posted by JJJ65
Planes parking in front of hangars are not counted as destroyed. However, planes ready on fight line are.


cheers


~ For my various FM/AI/FPS/DM Mods. for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, and tips for FlightGear, recommended is to check over my CombatAce profile (https://combatace.com/profile/86760-vons/) and to click on the "About Me" tab while there. ~
#4533126 - 08/10/20 02:58 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: VonS]  
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jerbear Offline
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That explains it. Thanx JJJ65 and Herr VonS. You certainly take as much of a risk taking one out on the ground as in the air.

JerBear

#4533201 - 08/11/20 10:56 AM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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Polovski Offline
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Great write ups of your findings Jerbear, also note many of those ground objects will be revised for WOFF 2020.

For example.

Attached Files MG crew Shot07-28-20-17-08-05.jpg
Last edited by Polovski; 08/11/20 11:00 AM.

Regards,

Polovski,
OBD Software, developers of immersive flight sims;
Wings Over Flanders Fields and Wings Over The Reich
http://www.overflandersfields.com
http://www.wingsoverthereich.com
#4533212 - 08/11/20 01:15 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: Polovski]  
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jerbear Offline
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Looking forward to mowing them down.

#4534004 - 08/18/20 01:50 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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jerbear Offline
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Another thing I've started doing, when attacking a convoy, army base, or rail yard...maybe do a few strafing runs to soften up a convoy, then circle it at low altitude and let your gunner (excuse me...observer,he's not just there to be your shotgun) do the work. Works good if ground fire isn't too heavy. For an army base or rail yard you can do some drive by shooting with the observer.
[Linked Image]

Attached Files zShot08-16-20-16-18-49.jpg
Last edited by jerbear; 08/18/20 01:54 PM.
#4534211 - 08/20/20 01:33 PM Re: GROUND ATTACKS [Re: jerbear]  
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I've always enjoyed how if you come in from a different angle than the rest of your flight, you can watch the tracer stream try to swing around and track you. If you are careful, you can really minimize your exposure that way!


The older I get, the more I realize I don't need to be Han, Luke or Leia. I'm just happy to be rebel scum...

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