Help me not suck at flying the EIII

[Ryan H 0]

So I'm starting an early war campaign and I'm already having problems. Maybe its just me but is the EIII a flying turd? Our flight of 6 got shot down by a flight of 4 Nieup 11s, is that right? Is the Nieup 11 ahead of the Fokker's time, in terms of dogfighting ability? I cant turn very sharp at all, a climb turns into a stall in a blink of an eye, and the Nieup 11 can turn twice to my one! Help me not suck please?

[Rickitycrate 10]

Boom and zoom with her. You need speed to attack with her as she is not so nimble as the Bebe. Do not bank turn but turn with rudder mostly. It is very challenging to fly the EIII. Time and practice. Good for you for trying.

[Olham 164]

The E III here in OFF doesn't have the right earlier opponents.

She has to face better enemy fighters; so I'd say, she is one of the hardest craft

to fly a campaign in. Hope you picked a quieter area at least (Alsace)?

 

My earliest craft for a campaign was the Airco DH-2, which is already much harder to fly

than my beloved Albatros. But that craft is modern, compared to the Eindecker.

 

So I can only say, like the commander, who knows he sends his guys out into a hell

of a mission: I wish you good luck!

(No reason to be ashamed, if it ends rather early).

[Hasse Wind 46]

So I'm starting an early war campaign and I'm already having problems. Maybe its just me but is the EIII a flying turd? Our flight of 6 got shot down by a flight of 4 Nieup 11s, is that right? Is the Nieup 11 ahead of the Fokker's time, in terms of dogfighting ability? I cant turn very sharp at all, a climb turns into a stall in a blink of an eye, and the Nieup 11 can turn twice to my one! Help me not suck please?

 

Yes, the E.III is indeed a flying turd. It wasn't a very good aircraft at all - the only good thing about the Eindeckers was that they were the first fighters to be armed with synchronized forward firing machine guns, and that gave them an advantage for some time over enemy aircraft, mostly 2-seaters, that were even slower and clumsier than they and lacked proper armament.

 

The problem with Eindecker campaigns in OFF is that we lack all the primitive early war aircraft which were the main course for Eindeckers - Farmans, Caudrons, Vickerses, and early Be2s. The Nieuport 11 is a better fighter than Eindecker in every way except the machine gun - they can easily outrun, outclimb and outmaneuver you. And it gets even worse when the French receive the Nupe 17 in the summer of 1916; that fighter will eat Eindeckers for breakfast.

 

If you try to turn fight with the Eindecker against Entente fighters, they will kill you. Your only chance is to try to avoid situations that are disadvantageous, try to maintain altitude and fight in the vertical rather than turning with your opponents. But the Eindecker is so slow and clumsy that it won't be easy. Your easiest targets (actually the only easy targets) are the Be2s. Good luck!

[Creaghorn 10]

fokker EIII was no dogfighter. they didn't fly too much in formations etc. either. they mostly simply tried to surprise a two seater out of the sun and made one or two passes and then they flew away, with or without a kill. so large dogfights against nieups etc. wasn't too common, if any at all. in those times they didn't know what a dogfight really is and how to do it properly. that's why a pilot with 8 kills was treated like a star.

if flying a campaign with EIII's, then do it with HiTR AI because in that time they didn't perform many manouvers and fought very long and fierce. in that time it was more of circling around each other without any fancy stuff. nobody hit nobody often and that's it.

in general. only attack two seaters and avoid fights with other scouts. in that time hardly, if ever dogfights between scouts occured, so actually the EIII never had the right opponents

[Ryan H 0]

Thanks for the excellent responses everyone! I figgured it was a case of apples vs oranges, comparing the Fokker to the Nieuport. I started a career flying the N11 and its a night and day difference!

[Pips 5]

As everyone has mentioned, the E.III is very ill-matched in OFF. Just about any Allied aircraft in OFF is superior to the Fokker.

 

In actuality though the only place where E.III's met Nieuport N.II's in any sort of numbers was over Verdun; and the Nieuports were there in very low numbers. Yet even those were sufficient to defeat the Fokkers. As was just one Squadron (No.24) of D.H.2's in Flanders - plus a couple of squadon's of F.B.'s. Which should give you an idea of just how primitive a fightiong machine the Fokker E series was.

 

By the time the Brits received the Nieuport the Fokkers had all but disappeared, although surprisingly some KEK's did labour on with it until around late September 1916. And they mostly were very unhappy with it.

 

Your best chance with flying the E.III in OFF is to gain as much height as you have the patience for and they start your patrolling. That way if you see the enemy most likely you'll have a height advantage, which is good because the E.III dive's well. If the enemy is not too numerous make a pass, pull up into a wingover, have one more go and then beat it for home. DO NOT stay and try to fight. If your feeling really brave and have the patience, gain height once more and keep patrolling.

 

 

Finally, to get the feel of the Fokker Scourge era, try and get your hands on "Sharks Amongst Minnows" by Norman Franks. It's a marvellous book on the subject.

[Waldemar Kurtz 1]

my last Fokker pilot lodged 18 claims in 6 days. 11 of which were confirmed before he was killed in action. all of these victories were against Bristol Scouts and BE2c. I had the good fortune of having numerical equality in most of these fights. but some aircraft no longer frighten me: the Bristol Scout and the BE12c are pretty much destined to die by my hand if I encounter them. their woefully inadequate armament leaves them no choice.

 

the Bristol Scout is alarmingly easy to neutralize once you know how the machine-gun is installed. it's off-set to fire 45 degrees left of the line-of-flight. this means that if you're in a tight spot with a Bristol Scout on your tail you always go into a right-hand turn. it doesn't even have to be a tight turn where you bleed off a lot of energy. no, if anything you need only go into a slight bank, bleeding off as little speed as possible. if things get bed go into a slight climb or dive. the ONLY way that Bristol Scout can get a lethal shot on you is by over-pressing his turn and stalling out below you. once this happens you can start climbing and make an escape OR if the odds are favorable you can turn around and make a quick slashing attack.

 

I've found myself one-vs-six against Bristol Scouts on at least four occassions and I've always managed to make it back home alive.

 

it's not the Bristol Scout on your tail that kills you. not if you're flying in a straight line. they always kill you when you're in a left-hand turn. this sort of thing favors them!

 

against the BE12c the greatest asset is patience. it takes forever to chase them down. usually you can't even reach them unless you have an altitude advantage. but once you get in close, don't let up. they have no observer to defend themselves with-- so if you can get within 150 ft, hammer them mercilessly (in short burst, of course) and watch them burn. one thing to remember about the BE12c is that you don't want them on your tail. because they DO have a forward-firing machine gun. they'll make short work of you if you give them the chance.

 

against the Nieuport 11 you have to avoid them if at all possible. the best bet is to go at them head-on and hose-pipe them. you have about at least twice as much ammo as they do. so it doesn't hurt to "waste" bullets at long ranges if you're not badly out-numbered. it is, however, MUCH easier to see what you're aiming at with the E.III-- the Nieuport 11's weapon is so vastly inferior to the Fokker Eindecker that you must play up this advantage at every possible opportunity. if at all possible, try to aim for the lower wing root and the cockpit if you can catch them in a turn. the Nieuport doesn't like taking damage there and is prone to shedding wings. if you find a Nieuport coming after you always turn against him. if he flies in a clock-wise circle make certain that you're flying in a counter-clockwise circle. you may get fleeting chances at head-on shots which favor you in every possible way. it's easier for you to aim AND you've got a lot more ammunition. don't break out of a counter-circle unless there is an enemy on your tail OR another friendly engages him. if possible use the environment to assist you-- fly low towards friendly infantry positions. this has saved me at least twice. Nieports are almost impossible to defeat in 1-on-1 combat. so you have to use team tactics. I always fly as "flight leader" because the AI just doesn't not take the initiative often enough.

 

against the Airco DH.2 the same holds true. although I find that the Fokker E.III is more forgiving when it comes to stalls. play that to your advantage as much as possible. the Airco DH.2 did get christened "the Spinning Incinerator" for a reason! ;) the same "counter-circle" method will probably work against the DH.2 as well. these are not guarantees of success, but they can help even out the odds.

 

regarding the Sopwith Strutter-- I avoid them. they're superior in every way AND they have an observer's station. there's no real reason to attack these things in a Fokker E.III. your best bet is, if you have no choice, to linger back about 600 ft and just pepper them at long range. don't expect to shoot them down-- but you're odds of making it home are much better.

 

back when I flew the RB3D Western Front Patch I probably put more hours in the Fokker E.III than any other machine. when JG1 (RB3d) had their online wars called "Flanders in Flames" I got very familiar with this machine. the OFF flight-model is actually pretty similar. the key is good energy management.

 

don't give up energy unless you can do one of two things:

 

A. stay alive.... or

 

B. kill something.

 

use team work. protect your wingmen. you will NEED them. I always use the TAC display and command my wingmen to attack specific opponents before entering combat. wingmen should always be directed towards the biggest threat. you should always favor saving a wingman instead of taking a kill. since the E.III can't outperform anything you need to find "safety in numbers". I've taken the trouble to save AI wingmen only to find them save me twice over on the very next mission! additionally, keep an eye out for approaching enemy machines. the British seem to fall on you like rain. I always use the zoom-feature to get a better look at them. my computer makes it impossible to positively identify a machine until I am well within killing range.

 

 

 

 

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

Wow, WK, that may be the best tutorial on flying the EIII I have ever seen! Bravo!

 

P.S. Of course, I haven't seen many other tutorials on flying the EIII, either.

[Ryan H 0]

Wow, WK, that may be the best tutorial on flying the EIII I have ever seen! Bravo!

 

P.S. Of course, I haven't seen many other tutorials on flying the EIII, either.

 

 

No kidding! Thank you very much for that!