Dogfights
A major form of aerial combat, dogfights were a massive war in the sky during World War II. (Today, the term "dogfight" is obsolete; the new term is "Air Combat Maneuvering", or ACM.). They consisted of aircraft flying at rapid speeds in the skies, while hailing thousands of rounds of ammo in hopes of destroying the opposing forces fleet. Dogfights were first introduced in WWI, but were most recognized in WWII, at the Battle of Britain in particular. These short-range aircraft encounters were extremely dangerous, considering both alliances of the war had their own specialized fighters, made with unique weapons. Most fighter-aircraft had machine guns, linked with around nine yards of ammunition. The phrase "give them the whole nine yards" was coined during war; it was used to by higher air force officials to encourage the fighter pilots to use all the ammunition their aircraft contained. At some points of the war, it was almost frowned upon to return to an air base with spare ammunition. It said that you didn't give your all; you didn't try hard enough during battle or a dogfight.
During World War II, arguably the most impressive dogfight air crafts were the A6M Zero, and the Spitfire/Seafire series. The Zeros were mainly used for suicide missions by the Japanese air force, and the Seafire was used to fly to carrier decks. Both air crafts had great maneuverability; a Zero could out-climb most fighters, while the Spitfire and Seafire were quite speedy.
In a dogfight, the pilot must rely on team-tactics, making quick decisions, and precise actions. One error could be extremely costly, from losing a few men and their planes, or losing and entire air-battle. Most of the time strength in numbers would account for victory, but the skill of the pilot also played a vast majority of the success of the fight. Dogfights were an important part of World War II. Winning a dogfight meant that a country could not only take control of the sky, but intimidate others on land and sea.
A major form of aerial combat, dogfights were a massive war in the sky during World War II. (Today, the term "dogfight" is obsolete; the new term is "Air Combat Maneuvering", or ACM.). They consisted of aircraft flying at rapid speeds in the skies, while hailing thousands of rounds of ammo in hopes of destroying the opposing forces fleet. Dogfights were first introduced in WWI, but were most recognized in WWII, at the Battle of Britain in particular. These short-range aircraft encounters were extremely dangerous, considering both alliances of the war had their own specialized fighters, made with unique weapons. Most fighter-aircraft had machine guns, linked with around nine yards of ammunition. The phrase "give them the whole nine yards" was coined during war; it was used to by higher air force officials to encourage the fighter pilots to use all the ammunition their aircraft contained. At some points of the war, it was almost frowned upon to return to an air base with spare ammunition. It said that you didn't give your all; you didn't try hard enough during battle or a dogfight.
During World War II, arguably the most impressive dogfight air crafts were the A6M Zero, and the Spitfire/Seafire series. The Zeros were mainly used for suicide missions by the Japanese air force, and the Seafire was used to fly to carrier decks. Both air crafts had great maneuverability; a Zero could out-climb most fighters, while the Spitfire and Seafire were quite speedy.
In a dogfight, the pilot must rely on team-tactics, making quick decisions, and precise actions. One error could be extremely costly, from losing a few men and their planes, or losing and entire air-battle. Most of the time strength in numbers would account for victory, but the skill of the pilot also played a vast majority of the success of the fight. Dogfights were an important part of World War II. Winning a dogfight meant that a country could not only take control of the sky, but intimidate others on land and sea.