Tips on Albatros' and their use in dogfights.

[Popsical]

I have a few Albatross' (CIII, DII, DIII and DVa) and I am finding them very difficult to get any effectiveness out of in dogfights.
The CIII is just plain terrible across the board so I will move on to the fighters straight away.
I get that they are pretty fast for their time frames and that I am a relative newcomer to the ins and outs of WoG, but I really struggle to get the D series to perform well.
I found them below average when not using altitude and now that I have introduced altitude rules they have turned downright awful.
No turning circle to speak of leaves them relying heavily on immelman and split S turns to get into position which becomes very predictable very quickly. Their poor climb rates are an impediment too.

So, how do you use yours? (in depth tactics welcome)

[mrinku]

Yes, the C.III is a different beast, but as it has an observer gun it's not exactly "terrible across the board". In any case, 2-seaters should probably be the mission objective planes that are there to do the real work while their escorts duke it out with the enemy aircraft.

The basic problem is that the game is by default focused on late war. The D.II and D.III dominated in mid-war, so the best way to see them shine is to omit any Entente scout with A deck guns. "Bloody April" was April 1917, but SPAD XIII deliveries commenced in May 2017, and by June the Camel had started to be deployed. By August the German pilots were clamouring for better planes to deal with the new enemy scouts. The Dr.I (when the structural problems were addressed) helped a bit, but the Pfalz D.III and Albatros D.Va were only marginal improvements over the Albatros D.III and many pilots stuck with their older planes. It wasn't until 1918 when the Fokker D.VII arrived that they were back on an even footing... but it was never as dominant as the Albatros D.II and D.III had been in their day.

When played against Sopwith Triplanes, B damage Nieuports, 1½ Strutters, DH2's and so forth, their historical dominance becomes clear: A deck guns.

Unfortunately for the D.Va, it never did enjoy a period of clear superiority; at best it was operating at parity against SPAD XIII's and Camels.

However, a simple way to adjust is to do what the Germans did at the time when their machines were lagging behind in performance - concentrate the available aircraft locally and outnumber the Entente flights. Five D.III's should still be able to give 3 Camels a stiff fight.

One tip against Camels... break to their left so they can't take advantage as much of their right hand turns. Turning left, a D.Va has more options (three sideslips instead of the Camel's two). The SPAD XIII is fast, but any Albatros scout can at least turn inside it, so the best tactic is to con them into a turning fight.

[milcoll73]

zoom and boom. ie avoid turning fights. use your speed to zoom in guns blazing and then disengage, turn around and do it again.

as far as the CIII being a 2 seater its likely the objective of the mission so they have to come to you. try to keep them in your rear arc sp when they overshoot or turn off you can get a firing solution when they cant.

[flash]

I have a few Albatross' (CIII, DII, DIII and DVa) and I am finding them very difficult to get any effectiveness out of in dogfights.

Depends what you're putting them up against Steve.
You can also look at how you play scenarios - have them attack from a position of advantage and things may change but if you're struggling a default manoeuvre is to keep turning.

[monse]

Very interesting analysis, Mark.

[mrinku]

It's also probably worth mentioning that among the original four planes, the Albatros D.Va is probably the most average one. The Spad is faster and tougher, though less maneuverable, the Camel turns better to the right, but is slightly worse to the left. The Triplane is the most maneuverable, but also the most fragile and slowest of the group. All climb better than the Albatros, although altitude rules were not part of the original game and remain optional.

Average speed, average maneuver deck, average structure. But "average" can mean "better than the weak points of the other guy". Look for those, such as being able to out turn a SPAD XIII, or outgun a SPAD VII. If you find yourself the faster plane against a more maneuverable one (i.e. most Nieuports), boom and zoom as Phillip suggested. Even if you're the same speed, that can work.

But at the end of the day, the differences between broad aircraft generations weren't so wide that a better pilot couldn't succeed with a worse plane. Experience will help.

[surfimp]

Setting aside historical anecdotes, and focusing only on how the Albatros performs within the WoG rules:

The scout versions (D.II, D.III and D.Va) are the system's epitome of the "Jack of all trades, master of none" idea. They have a good deal of hitpoints, do A deck damage, and while neither overly agile nor particularly fast, they are reasonably good performers.

You'll need to adapt your tactics depending on what you're facing.

If it's a historical matchup from late 1916 or early 1917 - i.e. against a Nieuport N.11 or N.17 (which should essentially always be the B deck version if historical accuracy is the goal) or an Airco DH.2, you'll have roughly equivalent agility - though with one less sharp sideslip - and better speed and firepower, but significantly better hitpoints. You will, as you note, need to employ the turnaround card with some frequency, but in a 1v1 situation, you can afford to tank more damage than the Nieuport, and you'll inflict more damage on average.

If it's against a late 1917 or 1918 plane, then you've got your work cut out for you. As noted above, by this point the Albatros was getting pretty severely outclassed in both speed (SPAD VII and XIII) as well as maneuverability (Camel). If you're unable to use team tactics to focus fire your opponents, you may have a hard time as you can't dictate the terms of the engagement. You will be able to out-turn the SPAD, and if you can force the Camel to turn to the left, you'll at least neutralize its far-superior turning performance. But these are going to be tough matchups, as they should be per history.

With all that said... the Albatros is a solid plane and in a game where the RNG of the damage deck can prove decisive, the good health stats of the entire Albatros scout series, combined with good damage output, see the plane being a solid if not stellar piece.

[Ken at Sunrise]

Setting aside historical anecdotes, and focusing only on how the Albatros performs within the WoG rules:

The scout versions (D.II, D.III and D.Va) are the system's epitome of the "Jack of all trades, master of none" idea. They have a good deal of hitpoints, do A deck damage, and while neither overly agile nor particularly fast, they are reasonably good performers.

You'll need to adapt your tactics depending on what you're facing.

If it's a historical matchup from late 1916 or early 1917 - i.e. against a Nieuport N.11 or N.17 (which should essentially always be the B deck version if historical accuracy is the goal) or an Airco DH.2, you'll have roughly equivalent agility - though with one less sharp sideslip - and better speed and firepower, but significantly better hitpoints. You will, as you note, need to employ the turnaround card with some frequency, but in a 1v1 situation, you can afford to tank more damage than the Nieuport, and you'll inflict more damage on average.

If it's against a late 1917 or 1918 plane, then you've got your work cut out for you. As noted above, by this point the Albatros was getting pretty severely outclassed in both speed (SPAD VII and XIII) as well as maneuverability (Camel). If you're unable to use team tactics to focus fire your opponents, you may have a hard time as you can't dictate the terms of the engagement. You will be able to out-turn the SPAD, and if you can force the Camel to turn to the left, you'll at least neutralize its far-superior turning performance. But these are going to be tough matchups, as they should be per history.

With all that said... the Albatros is a solid plane and in a game where the RNG of the damage deck can prove decisive, the good health stats of the entire Albatros scout series, combined with good damage output, see the plane being a solid if not stellar piece.

Great write-up. Thanks,

[Popsical]

Thanks for the tips, advice and tactics guys!
Now to see if my albatross' can improve their record.

[Gallo Rojo]

ditto Mark

Match Albatros D.II and D.III only against their historical adversaries and take advantage of its speed and fire power

Albatros D.Va: use to chase enemy two-seaters (take advantage of its speed) and avoid superior enemy scouts -- leave them for the Fokker Dr.I
If you have to fight enemy scouts then use a combination of Fokker Dr.I as dogfighers and keep your Albatros D.Va as boom&zoom planes: make them get in the furball, shoot anything in rage, then run out fast... imelmann and get back in -- inside the Furball the Fokkers Dr.I whould be dogfithing the enemy scouts.

Yes, the C.III is a different beast, but as it has an observer gun it's not exactly "terrible across the board". In any case, 2-seaters should probably be the mission objective planes that are there to do the real work while their escorts duke it out with the enemy aircraft.

The basic problem is that the game is by default focused on late war. The D.II and D.III dominated in mid-war, so the best way to see them shine is to omit any Entente scout with A deck guns. "Bloody April" was April 1917, but SPAD XIII deliveries commenced in May 2017, and by June the Camel had started to be deployed. By August the German pilots were clamouring for better planes to deal with the new enemy scouts. The Dr.I (when the structural problems were addressed) helped a bit, but the Pfalz D.III and Albatros D.Va were only marginal improvements over the Albatros D.III and many pilots stuck with their older planes. It wasn't until 1918 when the Fokker D.VII arrived that they were back on an even footing... but it was never as dominant as the Albatros D.II and D.III had been in their day.

When played against Sopwith Triplanes, B damage Nieuports, 1½ Strutters, DH2's and so forth, their historical dominance becomes clear: A deck guns.

Unfortunately for the D.Va, it never did enjoy a period of clear superiority; at best it was operating at parity against SPAD XIII's and Camels.

However, a simple way to adjust is to do what the Germans did at the time when their machines were lagging behind in performance - concentrate the available aircraft locally and outnumber the Entente flights. Five D.III's should still be able to give 3 Camels a stiff fight.

One tip against Camels... break to their left so they can't take advantage as much of their right hand turns. Turning left, a D.Va has more options (three sideslips instead of the Camel's two). The SPAD XIII is fast, but any Albatros scout can at least turn inside it, so the best tactic is to con them into a turning fight.