Its purpose is to generate maneuver trajectory so that UCAVs obtain better air combat situation. The famous “Red Baron” appears in the cockpit.Autonomous air combat is an inevitable trend in the development of unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) equipment. 13, 2013.) Manfred Von Richthofen and the fliers of his Jasta 11. If too many friendlies dive onto the same prey, it leaves enemy aircraft free to escape or counter-attack. When engaging an enemy squadron as a group, pilots should make sure they’re each targeting different planes. While retreat is rarely a safe option in any dogfight, Boelcke maintained, when mixing it up over hostile territory, keep an eye on the compass and always have an escape route back to friendly lines open just in case. Use caution, especially when over enemy lines. Steal the initiative, put him on the defensive and then look for the chance to get on his tail. Always attack! Turn your guns onto the threat, even if the enemy is diving on you. ![]() When surprised by an enemy, don’t run, Boelcke said. Stay on the enemy’s tail and you’ll eventually prevail, he said. Head on passes are risky and trying to hit a plane that’s travelling across your flight path is near impossible, Boelcke warned. Follow a defeated opponent’s kite down to the ground to make sure he’s finished. Don’t be fooled, the German squadron leader advised. Too often, outmatched pilots looking to escape from a losing fight would feign a fatal hit and nose their machines over into bogus death spirals. Keep your eye on the enemy at all times, even if you think he’s going down. Boelcke recommended his pilots to close to within at least 100 m or closer before opening fire. Get close to the enemy before pulling the trigger.īlazing away at a distant target is just a waste of ammo. Running from a fight only leaves a pilot at the mercy of pursuers. Always, hang in there and let the other guy retreat. Once engaged, remain committed to the battle. Strike from above while keeping the sun at your back, Boelcke said. ![]() Here is the Dicta Boelcke: Oswald Boelcke taught young Von Richthofen all about air combat. He would apply them with ruthless efficiency until his own death in April 1918. Yet throughout 19, early flying aces made ad hoc efforts to codify the life and death lessons they were learning in the cockpit each day.īoelcke’s teachings, which he eventually wrote down, made an impression on young Manfred. Often called the “Father of Air Combat”, the influential captain tutored the junior Von Richthofen while the pair served together in Jasta 2 in 1916 along with air legends Werner Voss and Paul Bäumer, aka “The Iron Eagle.” Boelcke established his famous Dictawhile racking up a then unheard of 40 kills.Īt the time, dogfighting was still in its infancy - virtually no recognized tactics existed for air combat. The Baron himself credited his enviable success not just to his gifted marksmanship, but rather to a near slavish devotion to a set of simple dogfighting maxims handed down to him by his own hero and mentor, Oswald Boelcke. In fact, Von Richthofen would become the greatest war hero of Germany and the most celebrated combat pilot in history. Yet the Prussian aristocrat and one-time cavalry officer chalked up an astounding 80 air-to-air victories in two-and-a-half years – more than any other flaying ace of the First World War. Nor was the 25-year-old native of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) the fiercest warrior in the air - he often avoided taking risks preferring to prey on slower-flying observation planes. GERMANY’S RED BARON, also known as Manfred Von Richthofen, wasn’t a very good pilot - his flying instructors thought him a mediocre aviator at best. ![]() ![]() For more aviation art, visit “Boelcke’s teachings, which he eventually wrote down, made an impression on young Manfred.” Thijs Postma’s famous painting of the Red Baron’s best-known aircraft - the Fokker Dr.I tri-plane.
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