Night bombers interception in Western Europe in 1944

"Steve Mellenthin" wrote in message
...
They were getting the **** shot out of them every night as they flew
planes
with no belly turrets. And hey used the planes with belly turrrets,
B-17's
and
B-24's for electronic jammimg? Brilliant. Just brilliant.



Arthur Kramer

Art,

Going back to an earlier discussion on encountering AAA on a bomb run, I
have
always wondered if large formations all on the same run-in headig was an
appropriate tactic for a medium (attack) bomber such as the B-26. It
always
seemed to me that smaller flights on different target approach headings
might
be more effective for and that the danger of a mid-air in between
formations
might be less than the danger of flak in a bomber stream on a predictable
flight path. This is what the B-52s went to in Linebacker II to cut
losses.
There is a tacit assumption of a good measure of air superiority in my
question.

Steve

The strategy of the bomber stream is the same as that used
by birds and fish when they form dense flocks. Its much harder
for a number of predators to pick off 10 from within the mass
than 10 individuals.

In the case of daylight ops the bombers were separated
not only by distance but by elevation with high and low
formations as well as leading and trailing ones.

Once air superiority was available the RAF flew their
daylight missions in loose gaggles of 2-4 aircraft staggered
in height to minimise flak damage.

Keith