Thach Weave
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
Image:ThachWeave.JPG The Thach Weave was an aerial combat tactic developed by naval aviator John S. Thach of the United States Navy early during World War II. Thach had heard of the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero's extraordinary maneuverability and climb rate before he ever experienced it and devised a tactic meant to give the slower-turning American fighters a chance in combat. Every evening while he was based in San Diego, he would think of different tactics that could overcome the Zero's maneuverability, and tested them in flight the following day.
He eventually came up with what he called "Beam Defence Position", but what soon became known as the "Thach Weave". It was executed either by two fighter aircraft in formation side by side or as illustrated by two pairs of fighter flying together. When an enemy aircraft chose one of the two fighters as his target (the "bait" fighter) the two wingmen turned in towards each other and crossed each other's path. After the fighters had separated in opposite directions in this manner, they would then commence a turn back towards each other, thus bringing the enemy fighter into the gunsights of the other fighter - the "hook" fighter. If the maneuver was executed correctly, the enemy fighter has little chance of escape if he had followed the "bait" fighter through its turn.
The tactic was first tested by Thach during the Battle of Midway, when his flight of four F4F Wildcats was attacked by a gaggle of Zeroes. 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.
Soon enough, the maneuver had become standard among US Navy pilots, and the Army Air Force pilots also adopted it. So effective was the maneuver that it was used by American pilots during the Vietnam war, and is still a valid tactic today.