Jap planes destroying themselves!
 

I just got through playing a patrol. I had started a new campaign, and am using RSRDC and my Pre Pearl Harbor mod out of Manila. I completely forgot to install the air radar, so I only had my watch personnel for warning. I'd crash dive whenever they'd spot a plane, but because they were usually very close by then, I'd always get attacked. So I'd use the external camera to watch it until I'd fully submerged.

Not once, but twice a Betty bomber dropped depth charges, but seemed to be so low that they were caught in their own blast wave, would seem to bounce, then spin out of control and crash into the sea! I've never seen that before, and none of the other plane types I encountered did it. Weird.

And no, I didn't get credit for either kill. :cry:

Yeah, I've had that happen a few times with Betty Bombers. The times in which it occurred with me was usually early war. I don't recall seeing it later in the war. I chalk it up to pilot inexperience, even though in real life, most of them were veterans of the China campaign. Either that or he was committing 切腹 (Seppuku).:D

They didn't call it he flying lighter for nothing. ;)

I wish, the Jap planes I see would blow themselves up. :haha:

Sometimes I use the external view to take a look at them. The ones I've seen are almost always the 4-engine flying boats. At the last encounter I had I crashdived when I saw it was too close (inexperience crew and no radar). I was down to 200', so I had the luxery of being able to watch it. It made three seperate passes diving to drop a bomb each time. For a big plane, it seemed very maneuverable. On one pass, they were firing machine guns in all directions! I had to laugh about that.