Fighter Combat

204 SECTION TACTICS, TWOVERSUS-ONEpilot should disengage immediately and call in the wingman to assume theoffensive. The engaged fighter—free fighter roles then reverse, and the newfree-fighter pilot assumes the duties of visual coverage and replenishmentof his expended energy until he is called once again into the fight by theengaged pilot.Only one man can shoot down an opponent. If one airman has tackled hisenemy the others cannot assist. They can only look on and protect his back.Otherwise, he might be attacked in the rear.Baron Manfred von RichthofenTo be most effective, the pilot of the double attack free fighter needs tokeep the engaged fighter in sight and stay close enough to offer adequatevisual support and quick response to an attack on his teammate withoutgetting in the way. In order for the pilot of the free fighter to provide thequickest defensive reaction potential, he must maintain high energy (preferablyhigher than that of the engaged fighter), minimize separation fromthe fight, and avoid letting the fight get too far behind his wing-line.Probably the most effective technique for meeting all these parameters isto maneuver in a plane perpendicular to that of the fight. For instance, ifthe bogey and the engaged fighter are making essentially level turns, thefree-fighter pilot can perform a series of vertical or very steep oblique loopsaround the fight. He can also use a series of high and low yo-yos. Conversely,if the fight is progressing vertically, the free fighter can arc aroundthe fight in level turns. In this way the free fighter stays close to the fightand can keep the engaged fighter within about 90° of the nose for a quickerdefensive response. This is especially important for slow-turning fighters.In addition, the free fighter's turn rate is "decoupled" from the fight in thismanner. This means the fight itself may be allowed to go through two orthree turns while the free fighter completes just one revolution in a perpendicularplane. The free fighter can therefore hold lower G and build anenergy reserve for future offensive or defensive maneuvering.In most situations involving double attack, there are clearly definedengaged and free fighters, but this is not always the case. For instance,when both pilots have the target in sight prior to the attack, they may takean "offensive split" in an attempt to "bracket," or surround, the bogey.One such scenario is illustrated in Figure 5-3. In this case the sectionis meeting the bogey head-on (time "I") and takes a wide offensivesplit, forcing the opponent to choose one fighter or the other to engage(time "2"). This choice gives the other fighter flight-path separation,which its pilot uses to make a lead turn to gain a good advantage at the pass(time "3").In the case of the offensive split, the bogey pilot is allowed to choosewhich fighter he will engage. Until that choice is made, both aircraft in thesection are, theoretically, engaged fighters. If the bogey continues merrilystraight ahead, both fighters could convert to its rear hemisphere. Whenthe bogey pilot chooses to engage one fighter, this should leave the other ina more favorable offensive position. Following the pass, this more offensivefighter usually will assume the engaged-fighter role and commence