Chain (aviation)
Chain is the name of a flying tactical unit or describes the flight formation of three aircraft .
In the air force of the Wehrmacht , the chain was the second smallest tactical unit in airborne units. The name for the unit leader was chain leader or chain commander. Three to four chains formed a relay . Fighter units took on special flight formations during combat flight, such as the gang or the swarm .
The fighter planes usually flew in the chain wedge , in which the chain guide flew in the middle about 30 meters in front of the other two aircraft. The lateral distance between the aircraft was about 18 meters at the wing tips. To prevent the two following aircraft from getting caught in the propeller gusts of the aircraft ahead, the difference in altitude was approximately 4.50 meters. The chain row on the right (or left) was rather unusual in combat flight. Here the chain leader also flew ahead and the other two aircraft followed, offset to the right or left. With several chains, this resulted in the relay angle, which was only used for the parade flight.
A-10 in chain formation
Chain wedge Heinkel He 111
Chain wedge from the front with Dornier Do 17
Chain row on the right with Heinkel He 111
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ulf Balke: The aerial warfare in Europe 1939-1941 . Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-86047-591-6 , p. 25 (1057 pp.).
- ↑ Ulf Balke: The aerial warfare in Europe 1939-1941 . Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-86047-591-6 , p. 26 (1057 pp.).