shooting down bombers with 100 machine gun bullets?

Here I tried to shoot down a ju-52 with only 100 machine gun bullets. Any pros here tell me how I can improve damage for next time?

Also what is the least amount of bullets you have used to down a similar aircraft? can anyone here do it with under 100 bullets?

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Funny you should pick 100 bullets…
I just read an article about a RNoAF F-104 A-A gunnery competition, where the Squadron Leader won. He hit the target sausage 99 times, with 100 rounds in the mag…!

As for your question.
I’d go for the cockpit. It contains soft targets, and is close to the center engine. And, as always, get in close! No! Closer!!! :salute:

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Practicing on aircraft that don’t shoot back is “safe” and fun, however, you are using tactics that you wouldn’t in real combat.

I noticed that you are slowing down and trying to get close and steady with a very slow closure rate. When attacking armed bombers, that would probably not work out so well for you.

Fighters typically made/make “slashing” attacks. Try keeping your speed up and swooping in from the 4 O’clock to 5 O’Clock on the target (or 8 O’clock to 7 O’Clock).

Aiming at the engines, as you were, is good, however, as you slash by at an angle, you can give the target a bit longer of a burst into the wings and fuselage.

If you end up at a good 6 O’Clock, go ahead and press in for a few seconds, but then break off as you get too close.

I like to come down fast, to just under the target, put the target in the sights and shoot, then “firewall” the throttle and climb back up to the “perch” to set up for my next run.

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Valid points! I would have been destroyed by a rear gunner for sure!

Hangar is on point. Diving and coming up through the bomber formation is the way to go. I used 70 to 90 degrees of deflection. It takes a while to get accurate cos your bursts are short, but you are less vulnerable. Great fun when you get it right. Allow yourself a week or two of practice. Trust me, it’s hard

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That may be true, but would you use the same tactics IF you only had 100 machine gun bullets?
Wouldn’t the only reasonable tactic be to approach from 6 oclock and pick at the engines?

Yup, though I’d prefer head-on attacks and aim for the cockpit. Attacking from the rear in a 109 against a bomber with rear facing machine guns is a sure way to get shot down.

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That is true. I guess It was an easy choice as the ju -52 had no offensive weapons to worry about

This is where you treat is as a game. It’s not easy to line up for a specific place on the bomber. It’s very easy for the rear gunner to swing that MG and blast you. If you are talking about a formation w multi gun bombers, then its suicide. The 109 is delicate, the pilot is even more so. Better to walk away w a probable than to not walk away at all. The game is still the same…the object is to come home.

…which I should really do except when I do I seem to either run into the bomber or go sailing past way out of range…as @Maico said, it takes practice.

Another thing to remember is the Me-109’s cannon. That is your “bomber killer”. You should have a way to fire the MGs and Cannon separately (I don’t have the DCS Me-109, but seem to recall from IL-2 that it had that capability). It’s not perfect but to make the best out of each pass, when you get to a firing position, try a short burst from the MGs and if it looks good–like its going to hit–then a burst or two from tha cannon.

Very well put Hangar200. I just want to add that, Yes you have very little ammunition and you will miss a lot. But when you hit its catastrophic. The main thing is they miss you. As Franze points out, head on passes are deadly against bombers too. Again they take practice and patience.

If it’s an F-2, then technically the 15mm motorkanone is a machine gun. 100 rounds of 15mm heavy machine gun fire can do a lot of damage!

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