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Slipdigit:
My point was this.....
The American doctrine was based on daylight bombing, combined with the designs of their aircraft, which had small bomb loads, and large numbers of defensive machine guns. All those Browning 50 cals and the ammo for them, reduced the possible bomb load.
The British designed their aircraft to carry larger bomb loads, and with a minimum of crew ( one pilot not two ) and less guns. Compare the 33 foot long bomb bay on a Lancaster, to a 17, or 24.
AS to the NEED for a well trained navigator, in each plane......
Tell me how an entire USAAF bombing group could bomb a neutral country ( Sweden ) not just once, but dozens of times?
Did you know that at one time there were more than 1,000 USAAF aircrew being held in Sweden , after being shot down, by the Swedish airforce, during bombing attacks on Swedish citites, and factories? To me that it either horrible navigation, or a deliberate attempt to wreck the Swedish industrial plants, to reduce their output. The US Ambassador was in the Swedish capital city, conducting negotiations to get your aircrew released, BUT the USSAF bombed the city, again so the talks fell thru, and the USAAF guys stayed in the camps until the war was over.
Yes the PFF did mark the targets, but the bomber stream still had to get there, and home again, in the dark . No escorts, and no formation flying, either.
Jim Bunting. Toronto.
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