I shared your frustration from the difficulty of knocking the bombers down. True, your 8 x .303 MGs don't have the hitting power of 20mm, but I reckon one or two of the Ju-88s you left smoking didn't make it back to their base. And, of course, the one confirmed 88 was probably from hitting the pilot. The 88 rear gunners managed to chew up your Hurricanes a bit, even wounding you, but you managed to make nice landings, so the mechanics could have a go at repairing them. Very nice flying, Taff, especially the dead-stick landing. I was a bit concerned you would put her down just short of the runway, but not so. Well done.
Slow down your approach and settle in the blind spot behind the tail.2 to 3 second burst and pull away.303 ain't great though eh? Makes the job difficult. Good flying though, excellent deadstick landing. Good video 👍👍👍
Fantastic episode taff, tense and gripping, challenging.. but fantastic regardless. Quite a blessing to see Junkers 88s making an appearance without fighter escort on their wings.. mind you that might be down to Spitfires chasing them off.. that is.. might be. The Hawker Hurricane lives up to it's reputation in taking punishment, got you home safely twice despite getting bloodied, 303s.. yeah I know.. weak hitting power at times, hence the affectionate nickname.. the BBs.. if you speak to war thunder players.. I'm not one but my sister in law is. That accurate firing and masterful performance served you well, sweet damage dealt as well as getting a well earned kill. Great episode taff, looking forward to the next episode, stay safe and happy gaming mate 👏👍
Wondering about convergence setting. A couple of times it looked like you were shooting at an engine and got wing hits either side. I like your attack style, but it does make it hard to settle in at the convergence distance without getting hosed by one of those nasty MG34s. No problem with fuel tank hits that set them up for a Channel swim later on. Except you don’t get individual credit.
Comment on first engagement: contrast your AI mate who just settled in behind a bomber and unloaded. Shredded the bomber but wrote off his Hurricane. Your approach was better, shooting better than you give yourself credit for while saving your plane. .303s are a challenge, but the Ju-88 is not going to make it home with engine damage and enough fuel leaks even if the aircraft does not immediately blow up or fall out of the sky. Bad luck on the random hit to the propeller hub.
In common day-to-day parlance the Germans generally refered to the 109 as the Me 109. In written sources the terms Bf 109 and Me 109 are used interchangeably, *_including_* in the same document! Overall, though for many years I called them Bf 109's, I'm now convinced that, since the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke only had control for a very brief period, before and after which it was under the control of Messershmitt, Me 109 is slightly the more correct of the two.
Nice flying, Taff, and this time you brought the plane home ! ^^ Bearskin 3 could be renamed "Swiss cheese" after that pass. I wonder if the AI is supposed to be this "laser focused" on a target.
Great flight. Looking at this reminded me of the movie Battle of Britain. Epic scenes. You had some really good attacks. Unfortunately, you were hit when you focused on the target for too long - a few seconds too long. Ammunition focus seems good. Unfortunately, when shooting with 303 ammunition, you have to be patient for the end result and even repeat the attack several times. I wonder if you can choose your ammo composition? Load more armor-piercing shells. I also wonder if when attacking from the sun, the rear shooter has less chance of hitting? And the appropriate target - when attacking from below, when rising, you stay in the danger zone longer and have lower speed. However, when you fall from above, you have a better situation.
Actually, the best .303 ammunition to have is Incendiary (De Wilde) ammunition, which can set the enemy aircraft's fuel tanks on fire (especially if they are already leaking). Historically, the RAF had a mixture of bullet types in its ammunition belts.
@@timonsolus Thank you. Were there any recommendations regarding the types of ammunition in ammo belts? That is, for example, were more incendiaries recommended for bombers and more anti-tank weapons for escorts?
@@roberts1938 : In the Battle of Britain, the RAF had no doctrine of separating its fighter squadrons into bomber interceptors and covering fighters. All fighter squadrons always had orders to intercept the German bombers. RAF fighters in 1940, whether Spitfires or Hurricanes, only engaged in dogfights with German fighters when they were attacked by the Me 109s or Me 110s, and were forced to defend themselves rather than attack bombers.
I forgot the RAF armed their early-war fighters with .303 machine-guns. Going after bombers with those is a bit like chopping down an oak with a hatchet.
Phew! That gunner almost got you. You probably approached too high altitude. You would have been better protected at least from dorsal gunner if you were right behind the tail of that bomber. On the other hand, I am a bit amazed about the weakness of Hurricanes armament considering they were expected to attack enemy bombers. (Maybe in Battle of Britain they still did not have anything more than machine guns, not auto cannons. IDK)
British fighter planes at this time only had .303 rifle caliber machine guns. Spitfires had 8 and the Hurricanes being flown had 12. Pretty much everyone was realizing that rifle caliber machine guns weren't gonna cut it for modern aircraft engagements
@@TheSDB13 Yeah. That meant a Spitfire or Hurricane pilot had to fire at German bomber longer time in order to damage it significantly leaving them too vulnerable to machine gunners of said German bombers.
@@TheSDB13 : The Hurricane Taff is flying is a Hurricane IIA, which historically wasn't in service until early 1941. In the Battle of Britain, the RAF had only the Hurricane I with 8 machine guns (and it was also slower than the later IIA).
Be happy it's not a fixed pitch 2 blade prop ... At that time you would most likely have a manually adjustable pitch prop: coarse *and* fine. Turns out pilots found out that if you set the adjuster to somewhere in the middle, you got a 3rd setting, between coarse and fine. Excluding the wooden Watts 2 blade fixed prop, there were 2 manufacturers, DH (De Havilland, which used metal prop blades) and Rotol (blades made from Jablo -- a compressed wood composite -- and lighter than the DH variant), and each produced a Spitfire (which is a bit wider and blunter) and a Hurricane one (actually fitting the airframe), and all of them saw business on the Mk II Hurricane. The De Havilland units soon got a field modification kit making them a constant speed prop. (It included an oil ring to divert oil going to the winsdcreen, as these units leaked oil.) It is reasonable to assume this also happened to the Rotol ones, but I do not have any sources for that from the top of my head. The Rotol Hurricane ones were preferred for giving the best performance, except for the Tropical version (metal probably seen as more durable) and the Sea Hurricane, where the heavier nose helped balancing the arrestor hook Feathering was not available: since you only have one engine, feathering the prop so the other engine can keep you in the air is not exactly an option.
If it is stupid but it works, it a) works and b) is not really stupid. But feel free to explain what sort of attack you would prefer and explain how that is either safer with the same kind of results or is not more dangerous and gives consistently better results (or, of course, both), considering the circumstances ... no "take a Vampire and a couple Sidewinders" 🙂
I shared your frustration from the difficulty of knocking the bombers down. True, your 8 x .303 MGs don't have the hitting power of 20mm, but I reckon one or two of the Ju-88s you left smoking didn't make it back to their base. And, of course, the one confirmed 88 was probably from hitting the pilot. The 88 rear gunners managed to chew up your Hurricanes a bit, even wounding you, but you managed to make nice landings, so the mechanics could have a go at repairing them. Very nice flying, Taff, especially the dead-stick landing. I was a bit concerned you would put her down just short of the runway, but not so. Well done.
'Cabbage Crates coming in over the briny'.
Slow down your approach and settle in the blind spot behind the tail.2 to 3 second burst and pull away.303 ain't great though eh? Makes the job difficult. Good flying though, excellent deadstick landing. Good video 👍👍👍
Fantastic episode taff, tense and gripping, challenging.. but fantastic regardless. Quite a blessing to see Junkers 88s making an appearance without fighter escort on their wings.. mind you that might be down to Spitfires chasing them off.. that is.. might be. The Hawker Hurricane lives up to it's reputation in taking punishment, got you home safely twice despite getting bloodied, 303s.. yeah I know.. weak hitting power at times, hence the affectionate nickname.. the BBs.. if you speak to war thunder players.. I'm not one but my sister in law is. That accurate firing and masterful performance served you well, sweet damage dealt as well as getting a well earned kill. Great episode taff, looking forward to the next episode, stay safe and happy gaming mate 👏👍
You got a better bounce this time. And made it home!
404 always ready to fight.
Bearskin 3 needs some more training I think..... Nice dead stick landing on your part though!
Wondering about convergence setting. A couple of times it looked like you were shooting at an engine and got wing hits either side. I like your attack style, but it does make it hard to settle in at the convergence distance without getting hosed by one of those nasty MG34s.
No problem with fuel tank hits that set them up for a Channel swim later on. Except you don’t get individual credit.
Thanks Taff
The luftwaffe would've for sure claimed you as a kill
I thought it was Cliffs of Dover Blitz, but it's BoS... nice!
Comment on first engagement: contrast your AI mate who just settled in behind a bomber and unloaded. Shredded the bomber but wrote off his Hurricane. Your approach was better, shooting better than you give yourself credit for while saving your plane. .303s are a challenge, but the Ju-88 is not going to make it home with engine damage and enough fuel leaks even if the aircraft does not immediately blow up or fall out of the sky.
Bad luck on the random hit to the propeller hub.
Watched and Liked 👍
In common day-to-day parlance the Germans generally refered to the 109 as the Me 109. In written sources the terms Bf 109 and Me 109 are used interchangeably, *_including_* in the same document! Overall, though for many years I called them Bf 109's, I'm now convinced that, since the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke only had control for a very brief period, before and after which it was under the control of Messershmitt, Me 109 is slightly the more correct of the two.
Talk about Bearskin being laser focused! Geez!
Nice flying, Taff, and this time you brought the plane home ! ^^
Bearskin 3 could be renamed "Swiss cheese" after that pass. I wonder if the AI is supposed to be this "laser focused" on a target.
Great flight. Looking at this reminded me of the movie Battle of Britain. Epic scenes. You had some really good attacks. Unfortunately, you were hit when you focused on the target for too long - a few seconds too long.
Ammunition focus seems good. Unfortunately, when shooting with 303 ammunition, you have to be patient for the end result and even repeat the attack several times. I wonder if you can choose your ammo composition? Load more armor-piercing shells. I also wonder if when attacking from the sun, the rear shooter has less chance of hitting? And the appropriate target - when attacking from below, when rising, you stay in the danger zone longer and have lower speed. However, when you fall from above, you have a better situation.
Actually, the best .303 ammunition to have is Incendiary (De Wilde) ammunition, which can set the enemy aircraft's fuel tanks on fire (especially if they are already leaking). Historically, the RAF had a mixture of bullet types in its ammunition belts.
@@timonsolus
Thank you. Were there any recommendations regarding the types of ammunition in ammo belts? That is, for example, were more incendiaries recommended for bombers and more anti-tank weapons for escorts?
@@roberts1938 : In the Battle of Britain, the RAF had no doctrine of separating its fighter squadrons into bomber interceptors and covering fighters. All fighter squadrons always had orders to intercept the German bombers. RAF fighters in 1940, whether Spitfires or Hurricanes, only engaged in dogfights with German fighters when they were attacked by the Me 109s or Me 110s, and were forced to defend themselves rather than attack bombers.
25:38 This is England! Keep off the grass!
Well done! But where is the Spitts?
Wazzap Taff
What the Hurricane MK2B could have been in the Battle of Britain.
I forgot the RAF armed their early-war fighters with .303 machine-guns.
Going after bombers with those is a bit like chopping down an oak with a hatchet.
Congrats on the dead stick landing, Taff :) - Edit: I sit corrected. Both landings were 1st rate :)
Phew! That gunner almost got you. You probably approached too high altitude. You would have been better protected at least from dorsal gunner if you were right behind the tail of that bomber. On the other hand, I am a bit amazed about the weakness of Hurricanes armament considering they were expected to attack enemy bombers. (Maybe in Battle of Britain they still did not have anything more than machine guns, not auto cannons. IDK)
British fighter planes at this time only had .303 rifle caliber machine guns. Spitfires had 8 and the Hurricanes being flown had 12. Pretty much everyone was realizing that rifle caliber machine guns weren't gonna cut it for modern aircraft engagements
@@TheSDB13 Yeah. That meant a Spitfire or Hurricane pilot had to fire at German bomber longer time in order to damage it significantly leaving them too vulnerable to machine gunners of said German bombers.
@@TheSDB13 : The Hurricane Taff is flying is a Hurricane IIA, which historically wasn't in service until early 1941. In the Battle of Britain, the RAF had only the Hurricane I with 8 machine guns (and it was also slower than the later IIA).
@@timonsolus Yeah, saw another comment bringing that up
Do you use head tracking old boy?
If this is supposed to be the Battle of Britain in 1940, there were no 12 gun Hurricanes available until November of 1940.
Yeah, but the designer of the missions had to go with the planes available in IL2 BOS at the time.
You need to get laid
The early Hurricane I with 8 machine guns is not available in the latest IL-2 game.
I thought you could modify it in plane set up and remove 4 guns?
No fethering in the Hurricane ?
Be happy it's not a fixed pitch 2 blade prop ...
At that time you would most likely have a manually adjustable pitch prop: coarse *and* fine. Turns out pilots found out that if you set the adjuster to somewhere in the middle, you got a 3rd setting, between coarse and fine.
Excluding the wooden Watts 2 blade fixed prop, there were 2 manufacturers, DH (De Havilland, which used metal prop blades) and Rotol (blades made from Jablo -- a compressed wood composite -- and lighter than the DH variant), and each produced a Spitfire (which is a bit wider and blunter) and a Hurricane one (actually fitting the airframe), and all of them saw business on the Mk II Hurricane.
The De Havilland units soon got a field modification kit making them a constant speed prop. (It included an oil ring to divert oil going to the winsdcreen, as these units leaked oil.) It is reasonable to assume this also happened to the Rotol ones, but I do not have any sources for that from the top of my head.
The Rotol Hurricane ones were preferred for giving the best performance, except for the Tropical version (metal probably seen as more durable) and the Sea Hurricane, where the heavier nose helped balancing the arrestor hook
Feathering was not available: since you only have one engine, feathering the prop so the other engine can keep you in the air is not exactly an option.
Bruh you gotta slow down when straffing
Going slower makes it easier for you to hit the bombers - but it also makes it easier for the bomber gunners to hit you.
Why the f... after so many years of flying You are attacking bomber from behind ? I'm sure some of Your viewers are here to learn.
If it is stupid but it works, it a) works and b) is not really stupid.
But feel free to explain what sort of attack you would prefer and explain how that is either safer with the same kind of results or is not more dangerous and gives consistently better results (or, of course, both), considering the circumstances ... no "take a Vampire and a couple Sidewinders" 🙂