At the beginning of WWII Japan's Zeros were know for their extraordinary performance. Aware of the shortcomings of the US Wildcat, John Thach, devised a tactic to give the Wildcat a even chance in combat. The tactic paired two fighters side-by-side, or pairs. When an enemy Zero went after one of the two, that US fighter baited the enemy into pursuit. The US fighter then crossed in front of his friendly companion with enemy in trail, his friend had a clean shot. If executed correctly, assuming the bait taken, left little chance of escape.