Subject: Night bombers interception....
From: Guy Alcala
Date: 7/15/2004 10:04 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

Jack wrote:

ArtKramr wrote:

We offered to give the Brits B-17's each with a big fat belly turret.
They wouldn't take them. Big mistake.

I presume they did so because they preferred some other aircraft (or
weapon system) which we also offered. Do you know what the preferred
alternative might have been?

Perhaps they wished to avoid large manning requirements and sought
aircraft with fewer required crew positions.

The British used B-17s in combat before we ever did. They were B-17Cs which
were used by day, but proved to be less than wonderful. Contrary to Art's
assertion, Bomber Command did operate some B-17Gs, but they were used by
100 Group (electronic countermeasures), not as part of the main force.
Coastal Command also used them, but the B-17 was less suited to night
bombing than the British a/c, barring considerable modifications. Given
that the B-17 was preferred by the 8th AF for daytime missions over the
B-24, and the B-24 was preferred in the Pacific and for various other
roles, there was no good reason for RAF Bomber Command to use them in
preference to the Lancaster and Halifax.

Guy


They never used them where they really needed them against night fighter attack
with their big fat 50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns. The German planes
were never well armored enough to withstand the American 50's. The war at night
would have gone a lot better for the Brits with B-17's..and their belly turrets
with powerful twin 50's. Have you ever seen a German fighter take the full
blast from American twin 50's? It's a beautiful sight to see and a lovely
emotional experience never to be forgotten.




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