History Main / SittingDuck

NotToBeConfusedWith ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Ducks Sitting Ducks]]'', which was inspired by the same idiom that this Trope draws its name from.

** Londo's CrowningMomentOfAwesome was when he invoked this trope on [[spoiler:The Shadow base on Centauri Prime.]]

** In the backstory, this is how [=EarthForce=] successfully destroyed a Centauri base in 2175: many times [=EarthForce=] squadrons had chased Centauri privateers (employd by House Jaddo's rivals to "protest" Jaddo's monopoly of Earth-Centauri trade) to Centauri Royal Navy base but had not attacked, but one day the human ships suddenly fired a volley of nukes, with the Centauri caught by surprise because, in their complete technological and military superiority, they didn't expect them to be so suicidally stupid.

** Often pulled by the Italians themselves: during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Wien they would use small motorboats with torpedoes strapped on them to infiltrate Austro-Hungarian harbours and sink the warships there]] and invented the manned torpedo to deal with the increased surveillance and the deploying of torpedo nets (the former wasn't much of a problem, but [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakar_mockery the latter had foiled attempts at repeating the performance]]), an invention they used to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Alexandria_%281941%29 take revenge for the events of Taranto by sinking two battleships moored at Alexandria]].

* ''Film/TheLastJedi'': Kylo Ren launches a pair of torpedoes into the Resistance cruiser's fighter bay, destroying all of their remaining fighter craft. Poe only survived because he was just entering the bay.

* The first carrier-launched air raid exploited this trope during WorldWarOne. HMS ''Furious'', a battlecruiser which had her forward and aft guns replaced with launch and recovery decks, launched seven Sopwith Camels which attacked the German airship base at Tondern, which had previously been considered beyond the range of air attack. In return for one British pilot lost, the Germans lost two zeppelins and a balloon. The zeppelins in particular would have been very difficult to engage if they were airborne.

* In ''AeroFighters Assault'', one of the bonus mission has you protecting your AirborneAircraftCarrier from enemy attacks while it's refueling.

* An available tactic in a few missions of RogueSquadron.

* Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the [[ArabIsraeliConflict Six-Day War of 1967]]. At 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force launched a massive airstrike, using very nearly every airworthy plane they had, which destroyed the majority of the Egyptian air force on the ground. By noon, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed, allowing the Israelis to enjoy air supremacy for the entire war. The war only lasted six days.

* ''{{AceCombat}}'' has the player take out bombers or other aircraft on the ground from time to time. Attacking ships at anchor also shows up occasionally.
** Also makes the player the subject of this trope a few times, with ''you'' being the sitting duck after being on the recieving end of a surprise attack on your base or needing to refuel mid-combat. Slowly taxiing to the runway while fuel trucks and hangars are bombed to oblivion around you is one of the most intense scenes in the game.

* Clive Cussler's ''The Mediterranean Caper''. A UsefulNotes/WorldWarI biplane strafes a U.S. Air Force base and destroys a number of F-105 Starfire jet fighters and C-133 Cargomasters while they're helpless on the ground.

* Earlier in WorldWarII, HMS ''Royal Oak'' was lying at anchor in Scapa Flow on October 14, 1939 when it was torpedoed by a U-Boat.

** Often pulled by the Italians themselves: during WorldWarI [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Wien they would use small motorboats with torpedoes strapped on them to infiltrate Austro-Hungarian harbours and sink the warships there]] and invented the manned torpedo to deal with the increased surveillance and the deploying of torpedo nets (the former wasn't much of a problem, but [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakar_mockery the latter had foiled attempts at repeating the performance]]), an invention they used to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Alexandria_%281941%29 take revenge for the events of Taranto by sinking two battleships moored at Alexandria]].

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'' series, all Covenant spacecraft have DeflectorShields that reduce humanity's [[MacrossMissileMassacre Archer missiles]] into a WorfBarrage. Once they go down for whatever reason, those same missiles prove to be quite effective. In particular, the first mission in the fourth game has the player shred an entire cruiser with a measly two missile pods.

* ''SecretWeaponsOfTheLuftwaffe'':

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

* In the second episode of ''[[Franchise/SentouYouseiYukikaze Yukikaze]]'', the titular [[AIIsACrapshoot plane]] suddenly and inexplicably opens fire on an entire row of FAF planes parked at Tactical Air Base 15, causing the FAF top brass to recall Yukikaze and have it brought in for system checks. [[spoiler: Turns out it was a good thing it did, as those planes had been sabotaged by enemy infiltrators, and Yukikaze was also attempting to kill the infiltrators that were present on the airstrip.]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow''. Dr. Totenkopf's robot aircraft catch Sky Captain's planes on the ground (and in their hangers), almost completely wiping them out. Only Sky Captain's plane manages to get off the ground.

[[folder: Literature ]]

** In ''Mission Of Honor'', [[spoiler: The Manticore and Grayson home systems]] get cold-cocked by an unexpected new enemy, in the [[WhamEpisode single most one-sided engagement of the series.]] Just after [[TemptingFate they had decided that things looked as if they would come out on top.]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

** Londo's CrowningMomentOfAwesome was when he invoked this trope on [[spoiler: The Shadow base on Centauri Prime.]]

** Later on, Captain Sheridan attempted to invoke this trope on a Shadow [[FanNickname Battlecrab]] on [[spoiler: the Jovian moon of Ganymede]], but arrived just in time to see the ship launch and destroy the facilities there.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''SecretWeaponsOfTheLuftwaffe''

* If you get into a Japanese harbor in Silent Hunter 4 you can often find a lot of enemy ships that are this.

** It features heavily in the [[spoiler: Reapers']] plan to [[TakeOverTheWorld Take Over The Galaxy]] [[spoiler: Again]]. By attacking the Citadel first [[spoiler: through its built-in mass relay]], they can make sitting ducks out of both the Fleet ''and'' the Council with one fell swoop.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the ''Normandy'' is disabled by a computer virus and then [[spoiler: boarded by the Collectors.]]

* In the VideoGame/{{Halo}} series, all Covenant spacecraft have DeflectorShields that reduce humanity's [[MacrossMissileMassacre Archer missiles]] into a WorfBarrage. Once they go down for whatever reason, those same missiles prove to be quite effective. In particular, the first mission in the fourth game has the player shred an entire cruiser with a measly two missile pods.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* The Japanese raids on [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor and the Philippines]], catching the American Pacific Fleet and the hundreds of planes based on Oahu (bunched together to prevent sabotage) flat-footed as big easy targets for the Japanese to destroy, is quite possibly the TropeCodifier. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy failed in their ''primary'' objective, the destruction of the American carriers, and [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant contributed to the US entering the war]], it was a punishing blow for the unprepared American forces. It would be six months before the Allies could regain the initiative and start pushing the Japanese back.
** One of the main reasons ''why'' the Americans were sitting ducks in Pearl Harbor was partially due to surprise, and partially due to being GenreSavvy in the wrong department. In Hawaii, while no one was prepared for an aerial attack, the top brass at Oahu were more concerned with possible saboteurs, since the appearance of Hawaii's natives made it hard to tell a native apart from a Japanese spy. For this reason, the fighters were organized in large, clustered groups which made them easier to guard and watch over, but also made quick takeoffs in an emergency, such as, say, an aerial attack, all but impossible....

** The US Navy got its revenge at the Battle of Midway, where American bombers caught the Japanese carriers right as they were getting ready to launch the next wave of their own attack aircraft. All four of these carriers had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and all four were sunk during the battle (at the cost of the ''USS Yorktown'').

* Earlier in WorldWarII, HMS Royal Oak was lying at anchor in Scapa Flow on October 14, 1939 when it was torpedoed by a U-Boat.

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

* In several ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' games and ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', ships in port in a city/base under attack receive a negative modifier to their defense, reflecting this trope.

* Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the [[ArabIsraeliConflict Six-Day War of 1967]]. At 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force launched a massive airstrike, using very nearly every airworthy plane they had, which destroyed the majority of the Egyptian air force on the ground. By noon, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed, allowing the Israelis to enjoy air supremacy for the entire war.

Historically, a combat pilot would get no credit for destroying an enemy plane while it was still on the ground, until the Americans began to grant credit for such kills during WorldWarII[[note]]It was decided that it was better to destroy a German fighter on the ground rather than risk letting it take down an American bomber or two in the air later.[[/note]]. It was theoretically possible to become an ace by only destroying planes on the ground, although German airfields tended to be very heavily defended by [[AntiAir anti-aircraft]] [[MoreDakka batteries]] that could do wonders for shortening your flying career.

* Clive Cussler's ''The Mediterranean Caper''. A WorldWarI biplane strafes a U.S. Air Force base and destroys a number of F-105 Starfire jet fighters and C-133 Cargomasters while they're helpless on the ground.

** Several ''StarFleetBattles'' scenarios involved ships being caught by surprise attacks while in orbit or docked to a space station. The scenario usually had rules for "powering up" ship systems so the ships could fight.
** ''{{Starfire}}'' scenario "The Paurl Harbor Raid". Rigellian carriers smashed Khanate battleships "at anchor" in Paurl Harbor, an obvious ShoutOut to "Pearl Harbor".

** One of the main reasons ''why'' the Americans were sitting ducks in Pearl Harbor was partially due to surprise, and partially due to being GenreSavvy in the wrong department. In Hawaii, while no one was prepared for an aerial attack, the top brass at Oahu were more concerned with possible saboteurs, since the appeatance of Hawaii's natives made it hard to tell a native apart from a Japanese spy. For this reason, the fighters were organized in large, clustered groups which made them easier to guard and watch over, but also made quick takeoffs in an emergency, such as, say, an aerial attack, all but impossible....

** The German Luftwaffe's victories over the Polish, French and Soviet air forces early in WWII were mostly from destroying enemy planes on the ground, rather than in the air.

* In ''MartianSuccessorNadesico'', the Jovian Lizards hit the Nadesico while it's landed to pick up survivors of the invasion of Mars, giving Yurika the SadisticChoice of turning on the ships' DeflectorShields - crushing the refugees beneath it - or letting the attack destroy the Nadesico (likely killing most of the refugees when it crashed in flames). She chooses the former, but not without some angsting.