Every now and then some bright spark comes along asking why these "AA guns" don't shoot at random planes, and I answer them.
So please search the forums and you will see the various responses.
But (ho hum, here we go yet again) - for a brief over view,
one last time - later responses will be along the lines of "search the **g forum posts"
- 88mm and others used special AA predictors and fired in barrage mode at
medium and high level bomber formations. These predictors were
not mounted on the guns. The predictor connected up to the guns with cables, so the guns required to be within a few metres of the predictor equipment.
- The medium AA guns
do not have individual AA sights! (unlike 20mm etc). (The 3.7 inch had absolutely
no sights other than the pointer dials 2 different gun numbers used to follow the predictor input. I have seen a picture of a detached 3.7 at Tobruk with a simple lash-up sight ring brazed onto the gun tube)
- 88mm guns in the game are distributed as anti tank guns dotted about the countryside. The AAA predictor is nowhere nearby, it would be useless in the ATG role, and would not have miles of cable to connect to the medium AA which are sited for AT work, not out in the open in a gun line as for AAA. The sights and fire control on the in-game guns are the
direct fire telescope for firing at ground targets, and not what any AAA predictor model would be (rather lower stats - area flak is not very accurate). Dual sights are not an option in SP, so these anti-air 88s would be less use than the ATG model in game terms, for plinking at tanks. And would have little Ap ammo, anyway.
- Medium AAA did
not fire at low level strike aircraft. They simply could not follow such high tracking rate targets. GE 88mm battalions often had 20mm AAA attached to
protect them from low fliers...
I have seen both the 88 and the 3.7 inch at IWM Duxford, they are displayed near each other. Even if the 88 is a 'little baby' beside the hugeness of the 3.7, it is
still a lumbering great thing. Bigger than a 25 pounder field gun. Manual traverse just would not allow following a strafer, though it was enough to follow lumbering high level bombers. (The USA 75mm powered traverse Skysweeper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skysweeper was an over-complex approach to medium AAA in the jet age in the 50s. It failed).
- Apart from the
level bomber class,
all SP planes
are low level strafing 'Jabos'...
So,
what use is a gun that will only be able to fire at the one-pass level bomber class, and otherwise be less accurate for engaging ground targets, especially in an OOB that is completely crowded already?.
And of course, if we did this for the Germans, then everyone else would wail that OMG they needed their 3.7 or 85mm medium AAA pieces. Because wargamers are like that, especially the rivet counter types.
And after al the work of shoehorning in a medium AAA class, then they would be used about as often as the level bomber class - the only thing they are useful for shooting at. In other words, slightly above
nil usefulness.
However, every 6 months or so, a bright spark will have the wonderful 'new' idea of introducing 88mm AAA guns to the game.
For recursion, see recursion.
Andy
88 antitank, antiaircraft and artillery?
Re: 88 antitank, antiaircraft and artillery?
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