Hs 129 Strafing Technique

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This lesson teaches you how to perform strafing attacks against tanks and vehicles in the Henschel 129 using 30mm and 20mm cannons.
Here is the mission I created for this video so you can download it and fly it for yourself to practice: www.dropbox.com/s/pw246rj8d64...
Comments and feedback are always welcome, so if this video helped you out hit the like button and let me know in the comments below. Cheers!

[@paulmoore5401]

Very nice low level flying! Concerning off target "jinking" ....as a Navy A-6 pilot, our goal off target in a AAA threat was to fly for 3-4 seconds, allow anti-aircraft gunners to get a bead on you, then move the aircraft aggressively in two dimensions, continue on that vector for 3-4 seconds, repeat till out of the target area. Simply weaving back and forth doesn't significantly separate you from the intended lead.

[@madlarkin8]

Your videos are like gold. Professional quality narration and description really helps explaining these complex tasks. Your vids brought me back to combat flight sims after i got frustrated a while back. Keep it up!

[@aemmerich]

Pleased to see the Hs-129 get some love. Kind of a shame IL2 doesn't offer the B-3 variant with the ridiculous PaK40 75mm anti tank gun mount, but obviously the 30mm packs quite a punch nonetheless.

[@lwallace79]

The B-3 model is way out of Il-2's current time frame.

[@RequiemsACTL]

That thing was pretty crazy right? Couldn't it only get off a few rounds before the recoil created a risk of stalling the airplane?

[@aemmerich]

@@RequiemsACTL Sounds like a great way to land on a short runway.

[@hunormagyar1843]

@Roger Dodger Great way to remind airport structure designers that overruns could happen at any time :P

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

@@RequiemsACTL I'd imagine so. Man it'd be fun to fly though. XD

[@Superassgeyer]

Very few fans on Hs-129. Fly units !

[@thurbine2411]

Pike Stance and some go he 111 but if you have the ju 88 I think it is a better choice most of the time

[@dntlss]

Someone in that column is going "kill that man!!!" lol, excellent video as always, thank you.

[@Asgar1205]

fantastic flying, incredible precision. always inspires to try and get better

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks HerrStein, I always try and give the best examples possible for you guys to see and reproduce. There were plenty of attempts at this but some work out better than others in terms of learning value with the targets destroyed/attack patterns/etc.

[@wheelwrightpl9429]

Thanks for the flaps tip! Great video: the only thing you could add is that flying slow makes any airplane more wobbly so if you want to maximize your chances of hitting targets you should climb to at least 500 meters which should give you around 300km/h for more steady and precise targeting. At least that's a good way to start for a newbie who would otherwise get discouraged by how hard it is to hit targets in this simulation (as is in real life I suppose).

[@RequiemsACTL]

No worries Wheelwright, I tried to create the technique based on how I read the Henschel flew these attacks which is why I use about 250m. If 500m works for you then by all means do it! "Techniques" are simply how we may prefer to do something so modify anything how you see fit to make it work for you :-) Thanks for providing the extra tip so if anyone has trouble with my technique they can start out at 500m and see if that works better for them.

[@_Meriwether]

I'm fairly certain that some of the tank commanders, had they been unbuttoned, would have received propeller German haircuts!

[@lwallace79]

Great job, as always. Seeing how far away the targets are in the gunsight is a big help. Now I know why there is a gap in the vertical and horizontal lines of the reflector sight.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Cheers Luke!

[@joncoughlin_dev]

This video is fantastic. There is a couple weeks of technique to practice in here. Amazing job!

[@RequiemsACTL]

Cheers Jon :-)

[@Jay-Niner]

Great flying. Thanks for the tips

[@apotheosis27]

I'm currently grinding this bastard in War Thunder. Thanks for this video, it is very helpful for me!

[@RequiemsACTL]

Glad to know it helps apotheosis! I make these so you can apply it no matter what sim you use :-)

[@jadeybaby166]

i recently decided that IL2 wasnt for me, but i may give the hs129 a try. It still annoys the hell out of me that they don't have clickable cockpits. So may buttons to bind that you use so only once or twice per flight.

[@5.stg1-dlmalloy43]

Love it! Thanks for the info! Can't wait to try this out.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Hope it helps! :-)

[@skychaser996]

I remember your videos way back in ROF. You are the #1 reference for all of those who are getting into the genre. I really enjoy the way you put the contents together. Reminds me flight school hahahaha :). I will keep sending you fresh recruits :) A true CFI , tactician and gunnery expert. Great stuff ! Keep it up. Always a pleasure.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Thanks Skychaser, nice to hear from someone who watched my stuff back from when I wasn't a RL pilot!

[@skychaser996]

Real pilot now ? Welcome to the club ! I did not expect any less from you ! You will be an absolute top dog CFI and CFII! You will be the praise of all the students you will have. How many hours now? What are you flying ? if you have your private , get your instrument rating first before getting your commercial. You can do 10 hrs in the sim that will count towards your total time. Then go for you commercial, then CFI and after that CFII. this way you will maximize your hours and the numbers of students you can have :) You could also make videos in the same type of format that you make for the real stuff ! Make sure you refer to the holly checklist and remind your students to constantly use it. Having and instrument rating that is current while doing your commercial is a real asset ! he also could save your life. Being knowledgeable about the weather is half the battle. Too many pilots sadly go much too soon by flying VFR without a flight plan or flight following and entering IMC. It is one of the major cause of tragedies. Being able to request an IFR clearance on the fly is a must. and it needs to be practiced. I am sure you will have a great flying career. If you happen to visit Thailand one of these days, I'll give you a tour of Bangkok :). Jeppesen has 2 big books (bibles lol). 1 is brownish , the other is greyish. the latter being commercial oriented. really cool books for your collection :) By the way if you want to get your tail dragger endorsement, they are guys out there doing it , just a matter of looking around. Cubs, DH82's, Stearman, etc.. They do charge more than for a 172 nose wheel operated lol but it's doable. South Africa has also TD in Rand Airport :) Happy landings and no shooting at anyone up there lol :))))

[@RequiemsACTL]

@@skychaser996 Yep I'm a RL pilot now. I started learning to fly in 2015 and came to my airline in 2017. So now I'm a Captain flying passengerd around:-)

[@skychaser996]

Very cool . Which airline ? Air NZ ? 737 ? I have a good friend who flies corporate I UAE. He's not complaining :))) I know quite a few people, shoot me an email someday. just add triple 4 after my name at yah and you know the rest :) Hpay landings & keep the blue side up ! Good man !

[@kamicj3522]

I love flying low, I do it in gta5, battle of Stalingrad, and war thunder, this is how you survive in war thunder

[@nickmitsialis]

Interesting tips! I always assumed (from watching those gun camera films from allied Jabos ripping up Falaise and other choice targets in other parts of occupied France) that the preferred way to attach was to strafe down the length of the road/column because you could 'tear up' several vehicles/train cars in a row with each pass (or you are a crap pilot like me, you would fly into the ground like a glorified lawn dart!)

[@RequiemsACTL]

I agree that if you were attacking a bunch of light cars or trucks that would be a good way to do it as the armor penetration isn't a big factor so the fact it would change with each target during the dive and pull out doesn't matter. Doing it this way is important if you didn't want to hang around the area. Just make a quick and fast pass then fly off. Against tanks though it's unlikely you will take out more than 1 in a pass unless it's a T-70 and you're a crack shot. The Henschel works best when you have some air superiority obviously, so this lets you spend a bit more loiter time over the target area and focus on destroying as much as possible.

[@atmaca3331]

Hello. I watch your videos with pleasure. Are you preparing the game you prepared for these training videos yourself. If not ready to install in the game

[@aaronwhite1786]

I'm going to definitely have to re-calibrate my TrackIR in Il-2. I feel like I have the hardest time keeping sight picture when trying to get guys lined up. I feel like my sight is constantly drifting up even though I'm keeping my head pretty stable.

[@RequiemsACTL]

I have a trackIR available for download if you wanted to try it. I created very small deadzones around the center to prevent sight drift by very subtle movements. www.dropbox.com/s/2hj9dl5ckcpmd51/Requiem%20Jun%202014.zip?dl=0

[@TheRaptorXX]

Another CLASSIC! Thanks as ever Req! I just came across this after watching mighty Liverpool beat Barca 4-0 to get to the UCL Final so it was welcome relief!! I'm knackered so I think I'll jump in and give it a go!! By the way, is the 20 degree flaps an auto setting or is it manual, I can't remember and I'm not actually in - game?

[@RequiemsACTL]

Didn't get to see that game, I'll have to check out the highlights. To get to 20° you need to do it manually. The start position is at 15° IIRC.

[@TheRaptorXX]

@@RequiemsACTL I strongly recommend watching that Req. It is probably THE BEST game of football I have EVER watched, and I've watched a few over... ooooh.... 55 years or so. Thanks for the info, by the way. My head's still not right!

[@silvervaldvee7972]

epic

[@iknowcarsbetterthanu]

If you give the flaps a single tap downward they automatically go to 35% on technochat. Idk what that translates to as far as degrees but I've found it works well.

[@lwallace79]

There is a degree marker next to the flap handle.

[@RequiemsACTL]

I think its 15°

[@Spartan18a]

Thanks a lot. By the way, do have anything on Radio Beacon Navegation? :)

[@RequiemsACTL]

No not yet

[@MrCarvion]

As always very good explained. Do you create a map on your own to do this tutorials?

[@RequiemsACTL]

I did create my own mission. It's included in the video description for download.

[@MrCarvion]

@@RequiemsACTL thank you! Didn't know that the mission is included. Lol "if ppl just would read properly" a sentence I said a houndred times myself 😂

[@Topper_Harley68]

So how do you see what type of tank it is? I only see that it is a tank but too far away to be able to see the difference between them.

[@RequiemsACTL]

Generally after the first pass you'll definitely be sure of which tank is what, so if you're flying with friends it will make things easier to identify

[@CospasSarsatov]

nice guides, dude! pls tell how to kill tanks with bf110 and ju88

[@RequiemsACTL]

I don't have anything related to using the 88 yet, but you can apply the Stuka 37mm video to the 110 for strafing. It's the same gunsight after all :-)

[@CospasSarsatov]

@@RequiemsACTL Roger that) waiting for bombing tips

[@daroth7127]

can confirm this works in warthunder

[@vicnighthorse]

Did you discuss your use of zoom? I don't remember you explaining how you use it on strafes. It could be that you are only using to give the video watcher a closer view.

[@RequiemsACTL]

No I don't really talk about zoom as that comes down to personal preference. How you see me zooming while strafing in this video is what I was actually doing at the time.

[@vicnighthorse]

@@RequiemsACTL Okay, that in itself is helpful. However sometimes it seems that your reticle is on the target steadily for so long that I get envious and want to report you to the physics police;-)

[@jakubwedrowycz8791]

What was historical weapon grouping in hs129? Could you fire all weapons 7.9, 20, 30mm separately? Could you combine it with 7.9+20mm together and 30mm alone? Etc.

[@RequiemsACTL]

That's something I don't know

[@jakubwedrowycz8791]

@@RequiemsACTL How can that be? :O hehe

[@Lemard77]

There was a selector to choose which weapon to fire, so the pilot could have any combination if i'm corrrect

[@robant7899]

Most awesome video! Thanks. Was this a “quick mission” set up?

[@themigmadmarine]

Looks like a career mission, that is the sort of column that spawns on the "tank column attack" mission type.

[@RequiemsACTL]

I created the mission myself and it's available for download in the video description.

[@robant7899]

@@RequiemsACTL Oh that's super cool! Thanks again for all the help! I'm just an amateur! :D

[@robant7899]

@@RequiemsACTL Hello I copied and pasted the mission you created into my Steam BOS. It shows up on the "drop down" menu in the game but won't "open" up. Gives me an error message. Is there something I'm missing with the install?

[@RequiemsACTL]

@@robant7899 you cant fly the mission unless you own the hs129

[@UmutcanOktem-et7ig]

How can you have speed after going vertical when i go vertical even with boost i can not get speed what i want what is the problem with me?

[@RequiemsACTL]

You'll need to adjust your propeller pitch manually for the most efficient power. If you leave it in auto it will be sluggish

[@UmutcanOktem-et7ig]

@@RequiemsACTL Thank you sir for your reply ill go and try it

[@_Meriwether]

Not sure if you'll see this question Req, I see a modification option for x4 MGs in a pod instead of the 30mm cannon. My question is, why would you? Is there a use case for this option? Cheers. :D

[@RequiemsACTL]

I choose that option if I want a lot more ammo and I planned on attacking soft targets such as trucks or artillery. It's useless against tanks...but if you stick to the soft targets you can destroy a TON of stuff with all that extra ammo.

[@_Meriwether]

@@RequiemsACTL Gotcha, cheers mate!

[@golffoxtrot5721]

angle of attack monster

[@Cryton12345]

Yeah I got a question, is it worth it to buy a Collector plane out right?

[@RequiemsACTL]

I enjoy flying all the planes honestly as they all have their own unique quirks. I tend to just buy the premium editions as I think it's worth owing them

[@syzygysyzygy8332]

If you are wealthy consider buying premiums just to support the developer, this might be the most game for the smallest return in the gaming industry, every sale really helps them be able to carry on their efforts. If you not wealthy wait for a sale, I picked up almost every plane over the winter (Northern Hemisphere) holiday period.

[@thurbine2411]

So you can't fire the 30 mm alone?

[@RequiemsACTL]

No not at the moment, the weapon group for the MG and the MK cannons are still together.

[@RequiemsACTL]

@John Doehler I wouldn't count on it

[@rationalassessments2628]

Why would you deploy flaps at 20 degrees for a side attack but not for a rear attack? Your precision recommendations are highly suspect (a bunch of BS).

[@RequiemsACTL]

It's about optimising your attack angle relative to the armour plating on the tank as you want your rounds to hit as close to perpendicular to the armour as possible for maximum penetration and avoiding the round ricocheting off the armour. You need a flatter approach from the side to achieve that (which requires flaps) and a steeper approach from the rear (which doesn't require flaps).

[@syzygysyzygy8332]

I'm not sure that OP made a rational assessment of the content, that was some aerial sniping presented in this video. (NOT a bunch of BS)