TLDR at the bottom.
We all have experienced the absolute hell of getting bombed over, and over, and over, and over again, wondering “why is he not dead yet?!?!?”
Fighter aircraft are your solution.
Unlike their attacker-bomber counterparts, they often come with minimal bomb load (or none), except in special cases of heavy fighters like the P-47, coming at the cost of maneuverability. Fighter aircraft are equipped with deadly guns and are much more nimble than attackers.
I intend for this to be your guide to flying, fighting, and killing. (clips are at the bottom)
Without further ado, let’s begin!
- Throttle Control
THR (Throttle) is rather important. It’s what makes your aircraft fly and possibly what makes your aircraft die. As you can see hear, i’m running at 110% throttle, or as the US Air Force calls it, WEP. What does WEP stand for? Wartime Emergency Power.
Yep, that’s right - although 110% makes you speedy, it also, after extended use, will overheat your engine. It will also leave a nice trail of thick, black smoke as you fly in a straight line towards the reload zone, otherwise, a nice “I’m here, come shoot me down” signal. Personally, I only use 110% in escapes or pursuits, and I tend to fly at 100 or even 90. If you need the extra speed, go ahead, but remember that it will kill your engine and leave a trail for enemies to follow.
Now, how do we use the throttle effectively?
Enlisted 2022-02-01 17-11-03_Trim.mp4 on Vimeo
There will be times when you need to cut throttle. Not just during close chases, however. Lowering the throttle will slow down your aircraft and provide you the ability to make a tighter turn (The IL-2 can do a fancy 180 flip if throttle is used right), provided that you do not stall (which is why it is important to watch your speed).
You can decrease throttle to try and force somebody on your tail to overshoot or turn away (Like the IL-2 in the video), and it may be required in a dive, as going too fast will lock up your controls and eventually rip your wings off. It can also be used to cool down the engine if it is damaged (depending on what in the engine is damaged, it may overheat very fast if ran near 100). - Flaps
Flaps have different settings, depending on your aircraft, including: Raised, Combat, Takeoff, Landing. Some unfortunately do not have flaps at all, like the I-153, and some only possess a few settings, like the IL-2 (1941) only having Raised and Landing. Flaps, when lowered, create drag and lift, allowing you to slow down without using/using minimal throttle changes, instead of stalling right away
Some aircraft like the SBD have specialized flaps that do not rip as easily
Other aircraft like the unfortunate case of the Harker Hurricane have very sensitive flaps - the Hurricane’s will rip at a measly 250.
Combat flaps will be your friend. They should not be deployed all the time, rather only when you need quick turn. You should, depending on how high your speed is, lower your throttle to a point where you will not stall, then lower your flaps one step, and turn. This will result in a much quicker turn than that of an unaided one (You can bind flaps in the CONTROLS menu, I like to bind flaps down/up to my scroll wheel down/up). In the case of aircraft like the IL-2, it’s landing flaps are strong enough to let it turn, however the IL-2, being a very heavy, armored aircraft, will loose it’s energy and stall if you push a turn too far. If you feel your plane sagging in a turn, simply let it fly straight again, retract your flaps, and gain speed. In the case of aircraft with no flaps, lowering your throttle (if your speed is high) should help with turning. remember that flaps do not instantly deploy, so if you are planning a turn you might want to release them a second before. You can also utilize flaps for a quick pull up, or for maneuverability in tight areas (this is a personal preference). - Aiming
Alright, we have a general idea of how to move better. Now, where in the world do we aim?
Well, usually a few cannon rounds should shred an aircraft, however due to Enlisted’s wacky hit models, you probably feel like it’s closer to 80000 cannon rounds.
This is where your aim comes in.
This is a Ju-188 A. See those engines mounted on the wings? they like to catch fire when hit. Keep pelting those and soon you should have yourself a nice enemy fireball.
Now, what about aircraft that do not have these nice targets present? Aiming against these depends on your attack angle.
The amount of lead additional you will need depends on your shell velocity. aircraft like the La-5FN and the IL-2-37 might need more, and others like the P-51 will need less than the previously mentioned. move your nose up/down/side to hit the wings. Also, when firing at an aircraft from directly behind, you might need to fire a little bit above the wings (see the video linked in section 2). - Knowing Aircraft
Every little detail of each plane in the game would take a while to explain, and is best learned based on experience. I can put some major points below -
I-153 - relatively slow, with crazy tight handling which has often led me to crash due to steering it a bit too much.
Hs 123 - Rather balanced biplane, no crazy roll rate like the I-153 but comes with a pair of flaps and is more durable and faster.
IL-2 - Deadly cannons, slow, large payload, durable/armored, bulletproof glass (7-9mm I don’t remember specifically), can turn fast but will quickly lose it’s speed and energy. has a gimmick where you can pull a quick 180 at the cost of a significant amount of speed. Will stall very fast if climbing too steeply.
Ju-188 A and other twin engine German attackers - decent speed, flies like a bus. Engines will set on fire easily. Good payload and guns.
Bf-109 - Deadly guns, high turn speed. Flaps recommended Can survive damage but performance will tank very fast.
La-5FN - Deadly guns, decent speed, high energy retention. Flaps recommended when turning. Damage will cripple it.
Defyn’s explanation of energy: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlFcQnxDy0zY&psig=AOvVaw3qcXZNEBH0T3VfiZle2Kzf&ust=1643859836871000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjhxqFwoTCJiFvaCN4PUCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
For War Thunder, however Enlisted has similar physics.
P-51 - Speedy boi, great fast-firing guns with high ammo count, will make quick work of aircraft with proper aiming. Uses a balance between turn speed and energy, flaps recommended when turning. Low bomb load, meh roll rate.
P-47 - High loadout, greater visibility (bubble canopy), great guns like the P-51. Much heavier when fully loaded, and it cannot turn as quick. It will gain speed much faster in a dive. flaps recommended when speed is adequate.
A-20 G - Flies like a bus, engines catch fire, good guns and payload.
Hurricane - an absolute crapshow. Has weak guns with a low ammo count. It’s better at strafing than at fighting.
Re. 2000 - In general, just okay.
Douglas SBD Dauntless - flies like less of a bus than an IL-2. Only has 2 machine guns so you need to be careful w/engagements. Effective payload. Combat flaps can be used for turning however it will slow the aircraft down quite a bit, rather just use them in dives.
Stuka - flies like a weird cross between the Hs-123 and the Bf-109. Great payload and okay guns.
Short video/TLDR
