How do you hit the Vienna Flak Tower?

[Dirt Merchant]

I understand I only have one super-bomb, and it must be dropped from high altitude to be effective. However, I'm having trouble getting the bomb to actually hit the target. There is usually cloud cover when I arrive, and so all I see are the search lights. I guess I have to use the origin of the searchlight as the thing to aim at as I line up my bomb sights, but WHEN precisely do I pull the trigger? Do I drop the bomb THE MOMENT I think the flak tower is at the "top" of my bomb sight's crosshairs, or do I drop the bomb when I think it's dead center in the "+" of the crosshairs?

[David]

Try dead centre, that worked for mid altitude bombings for me.

[Dirt Merchant]

Oh it lets you destroy it at mid-altitude regardless? When I tried to go lower the guy who does the mission briefings popped up and said in order to do max damage you've got to drop it from high altitude. I guess he was lying.

Thanks!

[PJ]

In that mission I dropped the bomb the moment the origin of spotlights was in the center of the crosshairs and it worked just right for me. The bomb sights are supposedly already adjusted for your altitude of choice, so I don't think any "target leading" is necessary.

[Dirt Merchant]

Oh awesome - thanks!

[David]

For Grand Slam, don't drop it at mid alt, but try dropping from slightly above.

[Dirt Merchant]

Good idea. I just tried the mission again, went mid-altitude, and watched the bomb do absolutely nothing as it hit the tower dead-center.

I'll take your advice and approach at mid-altitude, then start to climb when I get close.

[PJ]

Originally posted by Dirt Merchant:

Good idea. I just tried the mission again, went mid-altitude, and watched the bomb do absolutely nothing as it hit the tower dead-center.

I'll take your advice and approach at mid-altitude, then start to climb when I get close.

Well, maybe I'd better wait for you to try this out, buuuut I think at the start of the mission your commander tells you that for the Grand Slam to work you must be flying at high alt and flying even. I was under the impression that it meant rising or lowering while dropping the bomb wouldn't work. Tell us if this works for you.

[Dirt Merchant]

Originally posted by Maxow:

Well, maybe I'd better wait for you to try this out, buuuut I think at the start of the mission your commander tells you that for the Grand Slam to work you must be flying at high alt and flying even. I was under the impression that it meant rising or lowering while dropping the bomb wouldn't work. Tell us if this works for you/

So far it hasn't after multiple attempts.

I'm going to give up on this tactic and just approach as high and level as I can, and try to figure out exactly what I ought to be aiming for.

[Dirt Merchant]

So I tried a different mission that features the Grand Slam bomb. I've discovered my issue isn't with hitting flak tower through cloud cover specifically, but the Grand Slam bomb itself.

I don't know if it's a bug or the way I have my bomber configured, but even if I drop the bomb when the sight is dead-center on the target, the bomb is landing just short of the target.

[Dirt Merchant]

I finally hit a submarine pen with a Grand Slam. Turns out, I have to let the target go ever so slightly past the center of the crosshairs before I pull the trigger.

[shde2e]

That seems quite counterintuitive. Thanks for the warning!

[David]

+1 confirm on this, at least when I tried it myself, I dropped a bomb with the X slightly past the target and it still undershot.

[bukkie661]

Originally posted by Hopeless Situation Warrior:

+1 confirm on this, at least when I tried it myself, I dropped a bomb with the X slightly past the target and it still undershot.

Which is weird, because aiming past the center coupled with being at high altitude should result in overshooting the target.
At least, it should if the moments that I was paying attention in physics class back then have any worth to them.

[Frederico12]

For me i waited until morning, them the cloud cover got transparent and i could see it.

[Dirt Merchant]

Originally posted by Bogor Represent!:

Originally posted by Hopeless Situation Warrior:

+1 confirm on this, at least when I tried it myself, I dropped a bomb with the X slightly past the target and it still undershot.

Which is weird, because aiming past the center coupled with being at high altitude should result in overshooting the target.
At least, it should if the moments that I was paying attention in physics class back then have any worth to them.

In this strange world, heavier bombs drop faster than lighter bombs, apparently.