Message text >> How much more successful would those "lone wolves" >have been if they had had a competent wingman to >watch their back?
>You are missing the point. There's a Spanish proverb that says "better alone than in bad company"
Men,
"lone wolf" pilots were popular, but often they die. A lone patrol can be performed between the 1915 and the first half of 1917 with some danger, after that it would mean literally "suicide".
Aces that were killed acting alone ?
Immelmann, Ball, Dorme, Voss, Guynemer and even Richtofen the moment that he found himself alone pursuiting a Camel far of his wingmen.
The most successul pilots flown in formation. Richtofen Manfred and Lothar, Boelke, Udet , Mannock , Loewenhardt and I think even Fonck and hundreds of other aces. Generally fly in a wing meant better chances to kill a plane and longer life.
>Also, remember that airplanes didn't have radios, wich made leader - point tactics more difficult.
Flying in formation and attack an enemy was a duty
performed day by day, so after some mission to "coordinate" a wing of 3 - 6 or more planes would be really dangerous and surely more dangerous than a single top ace scout. Communication before an attack were made by "standard gesture" , having your wingman on your side at 5 metres. Anyway even actual pilots use radio with "slang" and communications in combat are coded and really short.
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