ORIGINAL: witpqs
I am NOT pulling for either side in this. I want the truth, and I can handle it! [:D]
I've started reading Rodman's book but have not gotten to the Scheer attack.
ORIGINAL: sandman455
...For instance:
He references the Admiral Scheer's attack by 2E's on the first day of the war as the first "decisive use" of skip bombing tactics. Here are the "decisive" results:
First 5 Blenheims attack an unalerted German CA Scheer - 1 aircraft shot down, 3 hits but all bombs failed to arm. Yes, its hard to miss when you are that low. Just ask a Uboat crew. Second group of five aircraft moments later (AA crews were ready) - 4 of 5 Blenheim's were shot down. No hits.
Scheer was undamaged and it was stationary. 50% loss rate of aircraft on a totally surprised vessel on the very first day of the war. "Decisive" was the word he used. I'm detecting a little bias here.
Observations:
- I suspect he used the word "decisive" in light of three bomb hits.
The word "decisive" was used in reference to the efforts of Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, not to the attack on Admiral Scheer. Sandman misread the quote. Here's what was actually said:
Actually, the first use of low-altitude bombing in the war belongs to the British: “Though Fifth Air Force can deservedly
take credit for skip bombing’s first decisive use, the concept did not originate in the SWPA. . . . On 4 September 1939, 15 [British] Bristol Blenheim bombers assaulted enemy vessels [including the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer] near the entrance to Wilhelmshaven [Germany].” In fact, these low-altitude attacks were the first ones made against the Germans, taking place a day after Germany’s invasion of Poland. From 100 feet above the ships, aircraft intended to drop the weapons straight onto the deck—not skip them up to or into the hull of the warships. These first efforts failed, likely because the low altitude offered insufficient time for the weapons to arm before impact. They did, however, demonstrate the uncanny precision available from low altitude. The British continued to use low-altitude techniques and eventually began to incorporate skip bombing into the mix.
