ORIGINAL: Mr.Frag
FRAG Now you are "straw dogging". RAF Bomber Command made all it's raids during
the war with each bomb aimer making his own run. Halsey's 1000 plane carrier raids
in 1945 didn't drop as 'formations". When 180 Japanese A/C attacked PH in one "raid"
they didn't line up nose to tail to do it---nor did theystay in a single large formation and
drop their weapons on the signal of the lead bombadier. For that matter, even your
rather silly example of a 45-mile long "bomber stream" takes only 10 minutes to cross
the target area at 240 mph. Hardly a long period for a bomber attack.
once again, mixing the wars Mike [:D]
RAF had excellent radio target identification coupled with pathfinders to bring the boy in on target. Even then, the records clearly show that hitting within a mile of the planned target was good.
As for Halsey, get serious, there is no comparison between a bunch of single engine high performance aircraft flying off a crap load of carriers in rather short range attacks compared against massed raids of heavy bombers. It didn't happen in the Pacific because the ranges and command and control simply did not exist. You can keep dreaming that it did all you want, but massed airpower of heavies like were seen in ETO simply could not and did not exist.
No FRAG..., you are straw-dogging again. The RAF used Radio beams and airborn radars
to enable the Pathfinders to set up and mark an "aiming point", but the rest of the
bomber stream bombed individually on that mark. And it's true that early in their
efforts they were lucky to hit the right province. But as the Pathfinders gained exper-
iance and the guidence systems improved, the target marking became more accurate.
and if the target was marked accurately, Bomber Command wrecked it. Ask the folks
in Hamburg, Lubeck, Dresden, etc. And target marking is beside the point in this dis-
cussion because we are talking about daylight raids. Each bombadier can see the target
for themselves.
It is true that Large bomber formations such as were seen in Europe weren't common
in the Pacific until late in the War. But large targets weren't either, until Japan itself
came within range. 40-60 "heavies" were generally more than enough to deal with
the kind of targets actually present, especially as Japanese opposition was generally
ineffective against B-17's and B-24's at 12,000 feet or more. I use Halsey's raids as
a max example. If hundreds and hundreds of single engined carrier planes could form
up and fly to a port, then split up and all go after individual targets at the same time
effectively before heading "home", then I can't see why you think bombers can't do the
same. And no, I don't mean they would dive-bomb, or anything else silly. Just make
aimed runs at individual targets before reuniting again to head back.
I do think the folks complaining about a few B-17's bombing from low altitude not get-
ting enough damage have a point. And provided that Betties and Nells (flying torches)
trying the same thing are appropriately shredded, I'm all for it.
