Miloch
November 17th 17, 01:13 AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thach_Weave
The Thach Weave (also known as a Beam Defense Position) is an aerial combat
tactic developed by naval aviator John S. Thach and named by James H. Flatley of
the United States Navy soon after the United States' entry into World War II.
It is a tactical formation maneuver in which two or more allied planes would
weave in regularly intersecting flight paths to lure an enemy into focusing on
one plane, while the targeted pilot's wingman would come into position to attack
the pursuer.
Overcoming the Wildcat's disadvantage
Thach had heard, from a report published in the 22 September 1941 Fleet Air
Tactical Unit Intelligence Bulletin, of the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero's
extraordinary maneuverability and climb rate. Before even experiencing it for
himself, he began to devise tactics meant to give the slower-turning American
Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters a chance in combat. While based in San Diego, he
would spend every evening thinking of different tactics that could overcome the
Zero's maneuverability, and would then test them in flight the following day.
Working at night with matchsticks on the table, he eventually came up with what
he called "Beam Defense Position", but which soon became known as the "Thach
Weave". It was executed either by two fighter aircraft side-by-side or by two
pairs of fighters flying together. When an enemy aircraft chose one fighter as
his target (the "bait" fighter; his wingman being the "hook"), the two wingmen
turned in towards each other. After crossing paths, and once their separation
was great enough, they would then repeat the exercise, again turning in towards
each other, bringing the enemy plane into the hook's sights. A correctly
executed Thach Weave (assuming the bait was taken and followed) left little
chance of escape to even the most maneuverable opponent.
Thach called on Ensign Edward "Butch" O'Hare, who led the second section in
Thach's division, to test the idea. Thach took off with three other Wildcats in
the role of defenders, O'Hare meanwhile led four Wildcats in the role of
attackers. The defending aircraft had their throttles wired (to restrict their
performance), while the attacking aircraft had their engine power unrestricted -
this simulated an attack by superior fighter aircraft.
Trying a series of mock attacks, O'Hare found that in every instance Thach's
fighters, despite their power handicap, had either ruined his attack or actually
maneuvered into position to shoot back. After landing, O'Hare excitedly
congratulated Thach: "Skipper, it really worked. I couldn't make any attack
without seeing the nose of one of your airplanes pointed at me."
In combat
Thach carried out the first test of the tactic in combat during the Battle of
Midway in June 1942, when a squadron of Zeroes attacked his flight of four
Wildcats. Thach's wingman, Ensign R. A. M. Dibb, was attacked by a Japanese
pilot and turned towards Thach, who dove under his wingman and fired at the
incoming enemy aircraft's belly until its engine ignited. The maneuver soon
became standard among US Navy pilots and was adopted by USAAF pilots.
Marines flying Wildcats from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal also adopted the
Thach Weave. The tactic initially confounded the Japanese Zero pilots flying out
of Rabaul. Saburo Sakai, the famous Japanese ace, relates their reaction to the
Thach Weave when they encountered Guadalcanal Wildcats using it:
For the first time Lt. Commander Tadashi Nakajima encountered what was to become
a famous double-team maneuver on the part of the enemy. Two Wildcats jumped on
the commander's plane. He had no trouble in getting on the tail of an enemy
fighter, but never had a chance to fire before the Grumman's team-mate roared at
him from the side. Nakajima was raging when he got back to Rabaul; he had been
forced to dive and run for safety.
The maneuver proved so effective that American pilots also used it during the
Vietnam War, and it remains an applicable dogfighting tactic today.
*
The Thach Weave (also known as a Beam Defense Position) is an aerial combat
tactic developed by naval aviator John S. Thach and named by James H. Flatley of
the United States Navy soon after the United States' entry into World War II.
It is a tactical formation maneuver in which two or more allied planes would
weave in regularly intersecting flight paths to lure an enemy into focusing on
one plane, while the targeted pilot's wingman would come into position to attack
the pursuer.
Overcoming the Wildcat's disadvantage
Thach had heard, from a report published in the 22 September 1941 Fleet Air
Tactical Unit Intelligence Bulletin, of the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero's
extraordinary maneuverability and climb rate. Before even experiencing it for
himself, he began to devise tactics meant to give the slower-turning American
Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters a chance in combat. While based in San Diego, he
would spend every evening thinking of different tactics that could overcome the
Zero's maneuverability, and would then test them in flight the following day.
Working at night with matchsticks on the table, he eventually came up with what
he called "Beam Defense Position", but which soon became known as the "Thach
Weave". It was executed either by two fighter aircraft side-by-side or by two
pairs of fighters flying together. When an enemy aircraft chose one fighter as
his target (the "bait" fighter; his wingman being the "hook"), the two wingmen
turned in towards each other. After crossing paths, and once their separation
was great enough, they would then repeat the exercise, again turning in towards
each other, bringing the enemy plane into the hook's sights. A correctly
executed Thach Weave (assuming the bait was taken and followed) left little
chance of escape to even the most maneuverable opponent.
Thach called on Ensign Edward "Butch" O'Hare, who led the second section in
Thach's division, to test the idea. Thach took off with three other Wildcats in
the role of defenders, O'Hare meanwhile led four Wildcats in the role of
attackers. The defending aircraft had their throttles wired (to restrict their
performance), while the attacking aircraft had their engine power unrestricted -
this simulated an attack by superior fighter aircraft.
Trying a series of mock attacks, O'Hare found that in every instance Thach's
fighters, despite their power handicap, had either ruined his attack or actually
maneuvered into position to shoot back. After landing, O'Hare excitedly
congratulated Thach: "Skipper, it really worked. I couldn't make any attack
without seeing the nose of one of your airplanes pointed at me."
In combat
Thach carried out the first test of the tactic in combat during the Battle of
Midway in June 1942, when a squadron of Zeroes attacked his flight of four
Wildcats. Thach's wingman, Ensign R. A. M. Dibb, was attacked by a Japanese
pilot and turned towards Thach, who dove under his wingman and fired at the
incoming enemy aircraft's belly until its engine ignited. The maneuver soon
became standard among US Navy pilots and was adopted by USAAF pilots.
Marines flying Wildcats from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal also adopted the
Thach Weave. The tactic initially confounded the Japanese Zero pilots flying out
of Rabaul. Saburo Sakai, the famous Japanese ace, relates their reaction to the
Thach Weave when they encountered Guadalcanal Wildcats using it:
For the first time Lt. Commander Tadashi Nakajima encountered what was to become
a famous double-team maneuver on the part of the enemy. Two Wildcats jumped on
the commander's plane. He had no trouble in getting on the tail of an enemy
fighter, but never had a chance to fire before the Grumman's team-mate roared at
him from the side. Nakajima was raging when he got back to Rabaul; he had been
forced to dive and run for safety.
The maneuver proved so effective that American pilots also used it during the
Vietnam War, and it remains an applicable dogfighting tactic today.
*