The Circling Defense

[Bullethead 12]

However you feel like spelling it, the Lufbery/Luffbery/Luffberry/Lufberry/Luftbeery Circle was a common tactic in WW1. It's a shame the AI doesn't do it in OFF.

 

I'm thinking that it doesn't have to be THAT common for the AI. I'd use it only for 2-seaters that lack a try rear gun, like the Fee, the Quirk, and perhaps the 1-seat Strutter. The Fee is especially documented to have used the tactic on a daily basis with much success. By success, I mean staying alive until the Germans got bored and looked for easier prey. But enough about the AI.

 

What I really want to talk about is how to use this tactic yourself, should you, like me, be a Fee-fetisher. If you've spent any time on Fees, you know the usual story. There you are leading 2 or 3 buddies, sputtering arthritically along at 5000 feet or less like some ancient dowager walking her covey of equally old and gimpy pugs. Still, the view ahead is magnificent and the unobstructed air hitting you square in the face is quite refreshing, which makes it all worthwhile.

 

Then you look up and see about a dozen Albatri diving on you from way up there. If you've been in this position a few times, you're familiar with the usual result. You tell your wingmen to attack or cover you, your formation goes to pieces, all your buddies try vainly to run away and just die to rear attacks they don't bother dodging, and you end up (if you're lucky) making a forced landing just this side of the Lines and are in hospital for several weeks.

 

After suffering through this countless times, however, I have hit upon the solution: the Lufbery Circle! I have always known Fees used this tactic extensively and I've often cursed there was no wingman command in OFF to make it happen. But now I have discovered a way!

 

What you do is, you start turning fairly hard with 1 hand while pounding the RALLY wingman command continually with the other. This tells your wingmen to reform on you immediately, but they can't do it very well because you're turning. So what happens is, they get stuck following you, while you're following 1 of them. The result is an irregular, but effective, Lufbery Circle.

 

This proves to be effective because you're all turning fairly hard, and the AI of most beastly Huns won't try to follow you. Meanwhile, however, all your gunners will shoot at any Huns who come too close. So what usually happens is, the Albatri pull out of their dives somewhat above you, mill around in confusion for a while, and then go pick on somebody else. Best case, they go after those brown-nosers in A Flight a few miles ahead of you. When they do that, you can follow them (always ready to resume the circle) and then blindside them when they get tangled up with the others. Or, if you're so inclined, you can go on about your business.

 

This tactic doesn't always work. Sometimes your wingmen refuse to follow you around in a circle but wander around acting lost. Sometimes the circle doesn't deter the Huns and they blast you down from above anyway. But it works well enough most of the time for me to recommend it. My squadrons' losses have gone WAY down and kills somewhat up since I started using it. It's at least better than the other alternatives I've tried before

 

The important thing to remember is to NEVER use any wingman command that gives your AI pilots freedom of choice, unless the situation is overwhelmingly in your favor, and even then be prepared for bitter disappointment. Left to themselves, AI Fee pilots almost always run away, which not only is futile but often fatal, plus it makes survival more difficult for you.

 

Of course, this ONLY works if you're the flight leader.

 

Anyway, that's my contribution to Air Combat Maneuvering. If anybody has some spare time and wants to give it a try, let me know how it works out. And if anybody has a better survival tactic for the Fee, by all means let me know.

[HomeBoy 1]

Great observation Bullethead!

 

I too have noticed the AI never use the very valid Lufbery. Coming from an environment where there is no AI (Aces High), it was sadly considered "dweebery", "rookie", beginner to use this maneuver. The Lufbery is just as valid as any other ACM.

 

Love your advice on how to use wingmen commands too.

 

I'll have to try out your idea. Thanks!

[andqui 1]

yes, I've found that works sometimes too. Whenever I'm flying two-seaters and I see an enemy, the first thing I do is start to turn while hitting rejoing, trying to get my wingies into somekind of defensive formation. Then I can decide if I'm going to dive out or fight.

 

but it would be nice if they did this themselves in p4.

[Duce Lewis 3]

Sounds like a good tactic Bullethead

 

I pretty much stick to scouts but the Rejoin Command works here too

Many times there's a little death dance before the action begins

Each side angling for position

Hitting Rejoin alot usually keepd the flight with you

...aaand you're right, at the critical moment, A Flight usually fly away

[Bullethead 12]

Love your advice on how to use wingmen commands too.

 

Bear in mind that my advice was for 2-seaters, especially 2-seaters without rear gunners. When my Fee squadrons switch to flying Brisfits, I tell my wingmen to attack and let nature take its course, same as I do when flying scouts.

 

yes, I've found that works sometimes too.

 

More often than not, or just occasionally?

 

...aaand you're right, at the critical moment, A Flight usually fly away

 

I hate those A Flight bastards. Always sucking up to the Major, never looking back at whatever Hell has in store for us B Flight types and, should they somehow end up in the same dogfight as us anyway, their claims for the same Huns always take precedence over ours, even if they never got a shot off . So every chance I get, I use them as stalking horses, and shed no tears when any of them go down. That includes any of my erstwhile droogs who stepped up to fill a vacancy in A Flight, because as soon as they leave my B Flight, they start putting on A Flight airs

Edited July 22, 2009 by Bullethead

[Duce Lewis 3]

That includes any of my erstwhile droogs who stepped up to fill a vacancy in A Flight, because as soon as they leave my B Flight, they start putting on A Flight airs

I said usually, but last night they came through

It was a balloon buster, A Flight leading high and forward

Enroute we tangled with about 4 Se's and mopped them up

 

Reforming, we were now in the lead but still low

Approaching the balloon, 6 more Se's approached

Not only looking at the HA, but back up at A Flight, wondering 'will they back me up'

A Flight was quite close so I chanced it, diving on the balloon

 

Well, the Se's were just too fast in the dive so I called the break and we turned into them

For a few moments the Se's were everywhere but then A Flight dove in

We were giving them a good rippin ...then the Se's B Flight arrived

[Bullethead 12]

I said usually, but last night they came through...

 

Yes, sometimes the hangers-on do exceed expectations :).

 

We were giving them a good rippin ...then the Se's B Flight arrived

 

You weren't surprised, were you? Their B Flight leader was a man much like yourself, no doubt

[Duce Lewis 3]

You weren't surprised, were you? Their B Flight leader was a man much like yourself, no doubt

Quite right ...sneaking in at the last minute to poach victories from A Flight

 

... well ....it's, it's ...it's not like they don't deserve it ...right?

[Bullethead 12]

Quite right ...sneaking in at the last minute to poach victories from A Flight

 

In the heroic tradition handed down since the Sumerians, I like to pretend I'm giving a peptalk to my troops in B Flight before we go over the top. My standard speech goes something like this:

 

"Right, lads. Today the squadron's doing another bloody OP to bloody Douai. As usual, it's certain some of us won't be coming back, so let's all work together to make sure those for the chop are in A Flight. Same drill as always; let A Flight draw the Huns, then we sweep in to save the day or not, as the situation warrants. See you all in the mess tonight, where we'll drink to the shades of the latest casualties in A Flight. Right? Right! Saddle up!"