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Torpedo Bombing is hard, slow and tiring (when performed in historical or full real battles), but when used in the right conditions and with the right timing it can be tremendously rewarding.

 

Bristol Beaufighter Mk

The Beaufighter. A heavy fighter/torpedo bomber hybrid.

A torpedo bomber is an aircraft primarily designed to attack and destroy ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight of a torpedo, and remained an important type of aircraft until the 1950s when the role devolved to conventional bombers, and later taken over by anti-ship missiles in part due to their vulnerability in making an attack. During World War II torpedo bombers were an important element in many famous battles, notably the British attack at Taranto and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Torpedo bombing basics[]

Torpedo bombing requires a torpedo, if it's either a 700 kg torpedo or a 1600 kg one, a torpedo will suffice.  To start a torpedo run, you should try to fly at an altitude of at least 2 to 3 kilometers before coming close to the naval units, as their AAA is usually very accurate when flying straight at them, and it´ll rip your plane apart before you´ve even gotten the chance to drop your ordnance. Go into a dive about 2 kilometers from the navies and level your plane at an altitude of around 100 to 150 meters. Make sure the target indicator remains focused on the target 

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A successful torpedo hit against a destroyer.

When within a range of 1000 to 500 meters, drop the torpedo, still making sure your plane is perfectly leveled. Immediately gain altitude with the speed you've attained with the earlier dive to evade the AAA. Usually, depending on where you dropped the torpedo, it'll take about 5-10 seconds for it to hit the target, which will give you a hefty amount of RP and Lions as well. Even more so when performed in historical or simulation battles, where the rewards can go up into the thousands. The torpedo will come in range at about 1.00 

Tips[]

If the target is moving, for instance a destroyer following a path, it is easier to hit it when the torpedo is dropped from the side. Focus your aim at the bow (front) of the ship, and release the torpedo at roughly 150m/490ft (make sure you have enough velocity to pull up immediately). This is a risky maneuver. Another method is to release the torpedo facing the front of the ship, however there is a small margin of error versus hitting from the side.

The optimal torpedo drop speed is 205km/h, or 128 mph.

Which destroys which[]

Below is a small table to show which torpedo can destroy which target in one successful hit.

Torpedo one-hit-kills

Mk. XII (702kg)

Mk. XII (702kg)

Type 91 Mod 2 (835kg)

Type 91 Mod 3 (849kg)

Mark 13 (1005kg)

Cargo Ship

Fire Boat

Landing Craft

Destroyer

Heavy Cruiser

Mark 12 (1593kg)

Aircraft Carrier

Trivia[]

6 Mark 13 torpedoes were dropped from above 5,000 feet, with 5 of 6 torpedoes operating normally.

FAA procedure for an attack with the Fairey Swordfish was to fly to the target at 5000 ft (~1540 m) and to then dive to a release altitude of 18 ft (~6 m).

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