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Training Pages
Torpedo Attack Lesson
There are two very important things that one should understand about making torpedo attacks:
- Torpedo bombers need to get very close to the fleet in order to gain decent chance at a hit. This means that you will be exposing your plane to very deadly shipborne AA. Torpedo attacks are by their very nature extremely hazardous.
- Torpedo attacks are inherently unreliable. Even a "near perfect" run can easily result in a miss.
Having said that, I have to say that I find a successful torpedo attack to be one of the most fulfilling experiences you can have in WarBirds. It is difficult, dangerous, and not many people have the right stuff to do it. If you can do it and get away with it, you will see a healthy dividend in your score. And its just darn good fun to see the torpedo streaking away towards a ship!
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- Drop torpedo at a 90 degree angle to the target ship.
- Release altitude: 25-120 feet (8-35 meters) Any higher, and the torpedo will explode when it hits the water.
- Release airspeed: 200 knots/320 kpm or less. Any higher, and the torpedo will explode when it hits the water.
- Lead your target - torpedoes run only about twice as fast as the ships, so getting the right lead is crucial.
- Don't stick around - as soon as you release, get the heck out of there as soon as you can, jinking all the while.
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Take off and immediately set your autopilot for level flight. I usually do this at about 100 feet. There is no point in going much higher since you have to be low to drop anyway, and at 100 feet above the water you aren't going to visible to too many people (ie., you won't show your icon to them).
Set a course that will bring you to a perpendicular heading to the ship you want to attack. A good thing to practice is flying parallel with the fleet. This allows you to make sure that you are going to have a correct final heading when you make your turn. Check with your side views and map view that you are actually parallel to the fleet, and make a note of the fleets exact heading. This is very important.
If you are off by 20-30 degrees in your estimation of the fleet's heading, you will probably miss.
Get lined up on the fleet so that it is to your far right (if the ships are traveling right to left across your screen) or the far left (for ships heading left to right) of your screen. If the fleet is in front of you on your run, your torpedo will pass behind the ships. You have to lead the ships by quite a bit. The torpedo you have is approximately twice as fast as the ships.
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Line up the target's bow as shown in the boxes below. The line up spot is different for each cockpit. Study the release point marked in blue in each of the pictures below, and try to remember that point. The idea is to release the torpedo when the bow of the target vessel enters into the release point area outlined in blue. You will notice that in each picture, the target ship's bow is well past the release point. That is because each of these pictures was taken just after release, with the successful results for each run shown on the maps below.
A couple of tips to help you remember the release point:
- On the Kate, the position is just to the outside of where the windscreen bar meets the fuselage, and to the left of the "20's" in the vertical speed indicator.
- On the TBF, the release point runs vertically from the "E" in the fuel guage.
Release Area for Each Torpedo Bomber
(Click on the image to zoom in) |
B5N2 "Kate"
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Ju-88A4
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TBF-1C
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The Final Run, Release, and Getting Out in One Piece
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- Make sure that your are traveling under 200 knots (you will probably have to reduce throttle to achieve the correct speed: I recommend about 70% on the Kate, 50% on the Ju88, and 75% on the TBF), check that your altitude is 120 feet or lower, and above all, make sure that your are on a perpendicular heading to your target.
If you are at an angle of 45 or even 70 degrees to the fleet, your torpedo will probably miss.
- If you have confirmed that you are within the parameters for a successful run, release your torpedo when the target ship begins to open fire with AA and is within the release point. This is very important. If you release too early, your torpedo will go astern and miss. If you wait too long, the AA will kill you dead. If you see red tracers coming towards you, and the target ship's bow enters your release area, let the fish go!
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Example of a Ju-88 Attack on the Carrier
Overhead View
In this map mode picture, we can see the Ju-88 approaching the fleet. Please note the location of the plane vis a vis the carrier, which is the target. Also note that this picture was taken at the edge of ack range for the closest destroyer.
Torpedoes Away!
This picture was snapped just after both fish were released. Note:
- The heading, 150 degrees, which is exactly perpendicular to the heading of the fleet, 240 degrees in this case.
- The speed: under 300 kph.
- The altitude - very low.
- The release point. The cv's bow is situated exactly on the Ju-88's release area.
- The ack. To hit a fully protected cv, you have to fly a bit further into the ack with this attack method.
Torpedo off the Starboard Bow!
Both torpedoes from the Ju88 bore in on the the carrier amidships. It's quick, painless, and is guaranteed to sink any cv or cruiser.
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- Don't stick around and watch the fish! Go full throttle immediately, bank away from the ships, and begin maneuvering aggressively with your rudder. You might take some pings, but otto can be defeated if you don't get too close, and if you use your rudder while heading away from the fleet.
- Once you are at a safe range, it is usually prudent to go back down to 100 feet or so unless you are absolutely sure that there are no enemy planes in the area. While heading home, use the map to check the course of your torpedo. You should still be in range to see whether or not your fish hits or not.
If you made it out alive, you've done pretty well. If you hit a ship, you've done an excellent job! Grab a cold brew back at the officer's club and brag about your success.
Good Luck!
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You can become very proficient at torpedo bombing by following the rules I have outlined above, and practicing them offline. I recommend the following method:
- Set starting altitude to about 10k.
- Select your plane.
- Set fuel to about 30%.
- Check that torpedo is the ordnance selected (TBF: ord 0, Kate: ord 0, Ju-88: ord 3).
- Move to F15 (don't change your country).
- Hit Fly.
- You will be heading 240 degrees, so turn to 300 degrees to gain separation, diving as you go.
- Reduce throttle and reverse to on course 150 to the fleet when you are low enough. This should put you in position to make a decent run.
Don't get frustrated! When you get it down, you will be able to hit the ships with relative impunity.
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