Thread: F-84s vs MiGs
View Single Post
  #5  
Old 19th September 2010, 20:15
Daniel Nole Daniel Nole is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 56
Daniel Nole is on a distinguished road
Re: F-84s vs MiGs

Main and priority target of the MiG-15s were bombers and fighter-bombers(For that was designed originally); engaged defensive patrols of F-86 was a consequence of the main task and the first step for to go then for the bombers. From Dec 1951 with two Wings of F-86 in Korea, things went complicated for the MiGs and engaged F-86 was many times the sole objetive of the missions. Sometimes the job was organized to mantain F-86 occuped with a MiG decoy force and other force utilised other aproach routes to engage the fighter-bombers. Saturation was the idea.

The F-84s was a fighter with good perfomances under the 20.000 ft and better at 15.000 ft without ordnance. If the MiGs go down to engage the F-84 in his terrain the difference in perfomances was less dramatic. F-84 and MiG pilots were realistic of the strong and weak points of his planes and the idea was to nothing to concede to the enemy and conserve the advantage.

If the F-84s were attacked the planes build sometimes a lufbery circle for protection colective(like the Bf-110 in the Battle of Britain). MiG engaged in dive and climbs tactis with very shorts instants to aiming and fire and with his slow firing rate of the 23 and 37mm cannon , things can be very complicated.

With so a high speed in dive , overshooting was normal with the MiGs and a the oportunity for the F-84s to send a good burst with his 12.7mm. Several MiGs were hit like this. Also, when the F-84s under attack dumped his ordinance, the mission and his main task was acomplished for the MiGs.

Later in the war the PLAAF defined categories of missions after the experience and skills of his pilots and divisions. The fresh, inexperimented and new arrived Divisions were send to engage only fighter-bombers; the experiencied Divisions like the 3th FAD to engage Sabres.

Regards

Daniel
Reply With Quote