Subject: Night bombers interception in Western Europe in 1944
From: ojunk (Steve Mellenthin)
Date: 7/16/2004 9:35 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

smartace11 wrote:

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.

I suggest that the bombing radar system in a B-52 was more
reliable/efficient
than the navigation methods and Norden bombsight that Art had available to
him
during WWII. Especially considering that, IIRC, the VN B-52 raids were night
missions, fewer airplanes. Weather and selection of IPs was not as critical
as
in WWII.
Also consider the B-52s had two navigators and more training than Art's
contemporaries. Different war, different systems, different all the way
around.

Rick Clark


I don't disagree at all, I am just asking the question. The B/A-26 was used
in
Vietnam as well and my question is whether using a medium bomber/attack
aircraft was appropriately used in a heavy bomber role. There is no doubt
that
the heavies in War 2 were employed in what seems to have been the most
logical
tactic. The -26 is a bit of a different beast and its main advantage seems
to
have been speed and maneuverability, not payload.


The avergae B-17 group flew 21 planes per group each plane loaded with 5,000
lbs. of bombs for a total of 105,000 pounds. Each B-26 only carried 4,000 lbs
but we put up 56 planes per group for a total of 224,000 pounds of bombs per
mission. And we achieved very high accuracy working from 10,000 feet as opposed
ot the B-17's much poorer accuracy working from 22,000 feet. Of course the
B-17's had longer legs and they could hit targets we couldn't reach. But I
remember when they hit the fuel dumps at Wurzburg and missed. We came in and
wiped it out at the first pass. In fact I think it is still burning to this
day. See " Wurzburg" on my website.


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