Tactical Notes:  Defending in the Two-Seaters

Flying the Two-seaters and bombers... making life misery for the scouts!

"Lt Douglas and Lt Child were now attacked a Fokker from behind.  They opened fire and a tracer bullet was seen to hit the Fokker which nose dived and was still seen diving when three other Fokkers attackd.  One Lewis gun jammed at this moment and the second gave a series of stoppages.  After fighting for 15 or 20 minutes with the three Fokkers, Lt Douglas went down in a steep spiral to within 20 feet of the ground followed by the three hostile machines....  One Fokker dived and attacked but retired back to 1,000 feet when met with rapid fire from the B.E.2c." ........  Lts Douglas and Child in a BE2c of No. 8 Sqn engaging Fokker monoplanes near Cambrai, 29 Dec. 1915.  RFC Communique, 29 Dec. 1915

TG2 has added much to CFS.  As a result, the Two-Seaters are no longer easy prey.

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Key Points About Two-Seaters: Generally speaking, two-seaters are not fighters (there are exceptions).  However, if handled well they can be very effective and increase survivability. First, two-seaters have a weapon blind spot.  This is usually to the front and below, starting with the trailing edge of the wings and going forward, and also beneath the plane.  The tail area also tends to block the gunner's view.  Keep these blind spots in mind when being attacked. Second, two-seaters are very stable.  This allows you to use an effective technique to engage enemy aircraft.

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CFS Engagement Technique Using TG2: Tailgunner 2 (TG2) has greatly enhanced CFS.  However, you need to know how to use this program to effectively engage enemy planes attacking you in a two-seater or bomber. Use the TAB key to lock onto an enemy plane.  Next, use the apostrophe / Spanish key ( ` /~) [located usually above the tab key] to set tracking.  This key is a toggle, so you turn it on and off with the same key.  The tracking allows you to follow the enemy plane's flight path.  Next, make sure your plane is positioned in such a way as to allow the enemy plane to be in the rear area zone, or wherever the flexible machine gun operates from.  Finally, use the mouse to aim near the enemy and the keyboard to fire.  This is not easy, and will take some practice to get used to it.  Furthermore, the cursor is not actually accurate in position.  Therefore, it is best to aim well ahead of the enemy plane's flight path, and then walk in to the target.  When you see the message that you are starting to hit, deliver a long, solid burst.

Special Situations and Aircraft: Some of the planes in CFS have machine guns in different locations than the rear observer.  These include the bombers, like the Gotha and Handley Page, and smaller planes like the Vickers Gunbus.  In particular, the Gunbus has two machine guns, one that is flexible to the front, and one that is flexible aiming above and behind (in real life the gunner fired this machine gun over the top wing to the back by standing up in his seat!).  Because of the Gunbus' configuration, it is an excellent machine to attack enemy aircraft from beneath.  One of our pilots (Feckless) once shot me (Udet62) down in this manner!

Flying Techniques: Much of the fighting with a two-seater is actually good old fashioned flying.  A very effective tactic is to stay above and in line with a pursuing machine.  Concurrently, you continue to gradually climb, always keeping the enemy plane below you and going approximately the same direction as yourself.  In this way, the enemy cannot bring their guns to bear.  If the enemy scout should try to lead you away from your own lines, you can gradually maneuver away from him.  Once he turns away at a crucial point, you can quickly dive to gain speed and extend for the safety of your own side.  This tactic is very effective, especially if you have any friendly scouts in the area who can join into the fight.  You buy time and maintain flexibility regarding the mission being undertaken. However, it must be pointed out that the superior performance of single seat scouts later in the war tends to negate this tactic.

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