Subject: B-17's and Strategic Bombing (Was:Was D VII a good plane)
From: (WalterM140)
Date: 4/17/04 3:11 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

When noting that at one point 63% of bomber crews failed to complete their
tours, you could have added that towards the end of the campaign -many-
completed their tours and never even saw a German fighter.


But what did this have to do with the Fortress's ability to protect
itself?

Wow.

I thought you were a lot more knowledgeable than that.

After a period in which the B-17 formations stumped the Germans to a degree,
the Germans adapted and were pretty much able to pierce, break up and destroy
the bomber boxes at will. The self defending bomber idea was broken.

To do this, the Germans heavily modified their single engine fighters to have
more punch and more protection. They added the twin engine ME-110's into the
mix. They adopted new tactics; especially the head on attack was adopted and
the attacks from the tail was discouraged. The ME-110's used heavy cannon and
rockets and stayed beyond the range of the .50 cal MG's of the bombers.

Perhaps providentially, just as the Germans perfected these additions to the
equation, the P-51B's began to arrive in numbers. The equation changed again.


Starting in about January, 1944, the heavily armed German single and twin
engine fighters were more and more overmatched by Mustangs (and also the
Thunderbolt).

Here's the thing: If the Germans up-armed and up-armored to kill B-17's,
they
were dead meat for the escorts. if they slimmed down to deal with the
escorts
they were basically back where they started -- too lightly armed to kill
B-17's
at a favorable ratio. A B-17 bomber box was a pretty damned tough and
dangerous opponent.

The Germans never solved that conundrum -- it was built on two pillars --
1)
the very tough structure of the B-17 and its heavy, punshing armament and 2)
the high technical achievements of the US fighters.

That, and a lot of guts by both bomber and fighter crewmen.

I'm very surprised that you seem unfamiliar with this pretty much common and
undisputable interpretation.

Walt

Those who talk of the innacuracy of our bombing have never seen Germany in
1945. We left damn little standing.




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer