Fighter Combat

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT 163further by skillful use of flaps. The Focke-Wulf, however, may have 20percent better power loading. Here are two masters at work:A plane was approaching, and because of its long nose I thought it was aMustang. Turning into it I received a shock; it was neither a Mustang nor anME-109, but a new Focke-Wulf; its long nose was the latest improvement ofthe famed FW. These planes with the longer noses were rumored to havemore horsepower than their predecessors, and were capable of giving aMustang a rough time. We met practically head-on and both of us banked ourplanes in preparation for a dogfight.Around and around we went. Sometimes the FW got in close, and othertimes, when I'd drop my flap to tighten my turn, I was in a position to nre ; butthe German, sensing my superior position, kept swinging down in his turn,gaining speed and quickly pulling up, and with the advantage in height hewould then pour down on my tail. Time was in his favor, he could fight thatway for an hour and still have enough fuel to land anywhere below him. I stillhad 400 miles of enemy territory to fly over before I could land. Somethinghad to be done. Throwing caution to the wind I lifted a flap, dove and pulledup in a steep turn, at the same time dropping a little flap. The G was terrific,but it worked, and I had the ferry nailed for sure. Pressing the tit I waited, butnothing happened, not a damned thing. My guns weren't firing.By taking this last gamble I had lost altitude but had been able to bring myguns to bear while flying below the FW. With his advantage of height he camedown, pulled up sharp, and was smack-dab on my tail again. The 20 mm.cannons belched and I could see what looked like golf balls streaming by me.A little less deflection and those seemingly harmless golf balls would haveexploded instantly upon contact with my plane. "Never turn your back on anenemy" was a byword with us, but I had no choice. Turning the plane over onits back I yanked the stick to my gut. My throttle was wide open and I left itthere as I dove. The needle stopped at 600 miles per—that was as far as itcould go on the dial. Pulling out I expected at any minute to have the wingsrip off, the plane was bucking so much. The last part of my pull-up broughtme up into clouds. I was thankful to have evaded the long-nosed FW, for thatpilot was undoubtedly the best that I had ever met. 1Practical Aspects of the Energy Fight. Although the foregoing tacticsare academically sound in a sterile environment, there are some practicalconsiderations which complicate matters in actual combat. One of these isthe difficulty of maintaining sight of the opponent. Extension/pitch-backtactics result in great distances being generated between fighter and bogey.Additionally, the pilot of the energy fighter spends much of his timelooking over his shoulder at the bogey, making visual tracking even moredifficult. A very small bogey may force the energy fighter pilot into reducinghis extension times, thereby achieving less energy advantage duringeach extension. Looking over his shoulder also complicates aircraft controlfor the pilot of the energy fighter. For example, it is difficult to judge awings-level attitude for commencing a pitch-back while looking backward.The aircraft's speed and altitude also may have to be judged by feel,since the pilot may not be able to afford to take his eyes off the bogey for apeek at the gauges. This can be especially hazardous during low-altitude