Download B-17 Flying Fortress B-24 Liberator Boeing B

Strategic Air Campaign in the
European Theater
Strategic Bombing Campaign
• During the Battle of Britain, the Germans had attempted to defeat the
Royal Air Force. Failing in that effort they turned to attempting the
destruction of Britain's industries, transportation and ports, inflicting
major damage on London and other British cities.
• The British and Americans struck back with four-engine bombers
carrying massive bomb loads into the industrial areas and cities of
Germany.
• From 1942 to the end of the war in 1945, the United States Army Air
Corp “Mighty” Eighth Air Force flew B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24
Liberators in daylight bombing operations against Germany and Nazioccupied Europe.
• The British Royal Air Force Bomber Command conducted “area
bombing” by night while the Eighth Air Force “precision-bombed”
targets by day.
Area Bombing or Carpet Bombing
• Area or Carpet Bombing is the strategy of indiscriminate
bombing of an enemy's cities, for the purpose of destroying the
enemy's means of producing military materiel, industry,
communications, government centers and civilian morale.
Precision Daytime Bombing
• Precision Daytime Bombing, in World War Two, was not
‘precise’ since most bombs fell somewhere near or around a
specific designated target such as a railway yard or factory.
Precision bombing allowed a greater possibility of striking the
‘target area’ and causing maximum damage.
Early Raids
•
1943 Raids Daytime bombing was especially hazardous. The British had tried
it and abandoned the concept as too costly. The Eighth's B-17s and B-24s
suffered heavy losses over Europe, especially after the bombing of Germany
started in January 1943. The heavy bombers had the range to reach almost
any target in Germany, but in the early months there were no Allied fighters
that had the range to follow. Once the Allied fighter escorts turned back, the
Eighth's bombers were vulnerable to attacks by German Luftwaffe fighters.
•
Defensive tactics pioneered by Colonel Curtis LeMay and others helped but
could not dissuade the German fighters or the fierce anti-aircraft defense.
During the spring, summer, and fall of the 1943 Eighth Air Force losses of
planes and men sometimes reached 12% for a day's raid. One in four airmen
were being lost. At one point it became statistically impossible for a bomber
crewman to survive a 25-mission tour of duty.
•
At Schweinfurt and Regensburg, for example, on August 17 and at
Schweinfurt on October 14, sixty B-17s, each with a crew of ten men, were shot
down over enemy territory.
Strategic Bombing Campaign
•
What is Strategic Bombing?
– The targeting and destruction of your enemy’s Industrial Capabilities (Factories),
Infrastructure (Roads and Railroads), and Civilian Centers (Cities).
RAF versus Luftwaffe 1940-1941(Battle of Britain or The “BLITZ”)
 The British and German bombers strike at each other’s industry and civilian centers in ‘daylight’
raids.
 Bomber loses on both sides are so great that ‘daylight’ bombing is stopped and ‘nighttime’
bombing begins.
 Nighttime or Carpet-Area bombing reduces the loses of bombers and crews to a fraction of that
during daylight raids.
American Army Air Corp 1942-1945
 Army Air Corp bombers based from English airfields conduct their first daylight raids in July
1942. Losses are high.
 Daylight Bombing = Accurate Bombing. Target can usually be seen.
The RAF Bomber Command continues nighttime bombing.
DEFENSIVE TACTICS:
THE COMBAT BOX
DEFENSIVE TACTICS:
THE COMBAT BOX
“Combat Box“:
• In contrast to the loose bomber stream used in the British night missions, the
Americans' choice of a daylight strategy had required their planes to be tightly
bunched for effective defense against attack.
•
LeMay's combat box further strengthened the defense. It consisted of as many as
36 planes (3 squadrons of 12 planes) staggered vertically and horizontally in
such a way that the bombers' guns provided maximum firepower all around,
and especially against head - on attacks.
•
On large raids, three of these boxes were formed into a combat wing, with one box
in the lead and the others stacked 1,000 feet above and below it.
•
Designed to increase bombing accuracy, LeMay placed his most proficient
crews in the lead planes of the combat box. All the planes in the box dropped
their bombs simultaneously-but only on cue of the lead crew. The result, at least
in theory, was a closely packed pattern of hits on the target.
Combat Box Formation
Bombers in an Element
Formation (3 Bombers)
Bombers in a Squadron Formation
(4 Elements = 12 bombers)
B-17’s in an Element Formation
(3 Bombers)
B-17’s in a Squadron Formation
(4 Elements = 12 bombers)
Combat Box Formation
Bombers in a Group
Formation
(3 Squadrons = 36 bombers)
B-24’s in a Group Formation
(3 Squadrons = 36 Bombers)
“Mighty” Eighth Air Force
Workhorses of the 8th
HEAVY BOMBERS!
B-17 Flying Fortress B-24 Liberator
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
•
•
Specifications (B-17G):
Engines: Four 1,200-hp Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone turbocharged radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 36,135 lbs., Max Takeoff 65,500 lbs.
Wing Span: 103ft. 9in.
Length: 74ft. 4in.
Height: 19ft. 1in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed at 25,000 ft: 287 mph
Cruising Speed: 182 mph
Ceiling: 35,800 ft.
Range: 2,000 miles with 6,000 lb. bomb load
Armament:
13 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns
Up to 17,600 pounds of bombs
Number Built: ~12, 800+
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
– The B-17 Flying Fortress was the first mass-produced, four-engine US
bomber in history. It may also have been the most famous bomber of World
War II, becoming the symbol of the US Army Air Forces’ daylight precision
bombing campaign against Germany.
– The Boeing-designed “Fort” was an airplane of legendary toughness,
surviving with, as one author put it, “wings punctured and ablaze, tail
surfaces shredded, with chunks of its graceful body gouged out by cannon
fire, flak, or midair collision.” Thousands returned to base torn apart by
bullets, cannon shells, and flak. This characteristic gave the B-17 a certain
mystique, and aircrews loved it.
– Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed-Vega built a grand total of 12,731, of which
some 4,750 were lost in action. Following World War II, the B-17 was
declared obsolete, but its fame only grew. Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold,
Commanding General of the US Army Air Forces, said the B-17 was critical to
America’s “worldwide aerial offensive.”
The B-17G crew positions
B-17’s Flying Fortresses in action
Consolidated B-24 Liberator Specs
•
•
Specifications (B-24H/J):
Engines: Four 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 Twin turbocharged radial piston engines.
Weight: Empty 36,500 lbs., Max Overload Takeoff 71,200 lbs.
Wing Span: 110ft. 0in.
Length: 67ft. 2in.
Height: 18ft. 0in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed at 25,000 ft: 290 mph
Cruising Speed: 215 mph
Ceiling: 28,000 ft.
Range: 2,100 miles
Armament:
10 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns in nose, upper/ventral ball turrets and tail turret, and
lateral fuselage positions.
12,800 lb. maximum bomb load.
Number Built: 18,000+
B-24 Liberator in Action
B-24 Liberator in Action
German Fighter Tactics
• As the Americans joined the war effort in the European theater, the B-17
"Flying Fortress" and B-24 “Liberator” formations became a familiar sight
in the skies of occupied Europe.
• The bombers flew unprotected deep into occupied territory and over a
well protected "Third Reich" in an effort to devastate the German
production ability and thus slow down the entire war machine.
• But the Luftwaffe had air superiority and wasn't going to let the bombers
hit their targets without paying a price for it.
• The Allied staff knew that the bombers would have a hard time getting to
their target zones and back without any escort, but even if they wanted to
send in fighters with them, there was just no fighter aircraft that had the
range to follow their heavy friends all the way in and back. So for now
they would have to depend on themselves for protection and repel the
fierce Luftwaffe attacks with their own means.
German Fighter Tactics
•
The B-17 and B-24 bombers were equipped with heavy machinegun stations
placed in such a way that the whole area around the bomber could be covered.
•
The formations they flew made sure that the bomber crews were able to cover
each other as much as possible. That way multiple bombers could target the
same incoming attack to give the attacker a hard time placing a hit on the
bombers.
•
A close formation of B-17's was a deadly opponent, and it was nearly
impossible to attack a bomber formation from the classic "six o'clock" position.
German Fighter Tactics
•
Unless the German pilots had a death wish, there was just no way to attack the
formations from behind without sustaining substantial damage or in much cases,
destruction of the attacking aircraft. One of the "less defended areas" the earlier
versions of the B-17's had was the front as they didn't carry much firepower in
the nose of the aircraft.
•
So the FW-190, ME-109 (later on the ME-262,and others) pilots tried different
approaches and found out that a frontal attack on these bomber formations
minimized the time they were vulnerable to the B-17's defensive fire. During these
attacks the Germans targeted the cockpits and engines of the bombers.
•
It took quite some skill as the closure rate during these head-on engagements were
tremendous, leaving little time to aim and fire the machineguns and cannons before
they had to break off the attack and maneuver themselves to avoid a collision.
•
To counter this the Allies removed the nose gun and added "chin-" and "cheek
guns" giving the front of the bomber more punch.
Luftwaffe
German Fighters
The 8th AAF Enemy in the Skies
of Europe!
Messerschmitt Bf 109G
Bf 109G-1:
•
One 30mm MG 108 cannon firing through hub.
•
Two 13mm MG 131 machine guns above engine.
•
Two 20mm MG 151 cannon under wings.
Bf 109G-6:
•
One 30mm MG 108 cannon firing through hub.
•
One 20mm MG 151 cannon
•
Two 13mm MG 131 machine guns above engine.
Fw 190A-2:
•
Two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns above engine.
•
Two 20mm MG/FF cannon mounted in wing root.
•
Optional:
•
Two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in outer wings.
Fw 190A-3:
•
Two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns above engine.
•
Two 20mm Mg 151/20 cannon mounted in wing root.
•
Two 20mm MG/FF cannon in outer wings.
Fw 190A-4/R6:
•
Two 20mm Mg 151/20 cannon mounted in wing root.
•
Two 210-mm WGr.21 rocket tubes
Fw 190A-8/F-8:
•
Two 20mm Mg 151/20 wing mounted cannon.
•
Two 13mm Mg 131 fuselage mounted machine guns.
Focke Wulf Fw
190A/F
Focke Wulf Fw 190D-9
Armament
• Two 13mm MG 131
above engine
• Two 20mm MG 151/20
in wing roots
Focke Wulf TA-152
ARMAMENT:
One 30mm MK 108 mounted between the
cylinder heads, firing through the propeller
hub
Two inboard wing mounted 20mm MG151/20
Me 262A-1a:
• Four 30mm MK 108
cannon in nose
Me 262A-1a/U1:
• Two 30mm MK 103
• Two 30mm MK 108
• Two 20mm MG 151/20
SURPRISE!!!!! ALLIED SCUM!!!
The Luftwaffe had a REAL surprise
for the 8th AAF in late 44’
The first Jet Fighter!!
GERMAN AIR DEFENSES
German Flak
The first greeting that American bomber formations had on the way to a
target in Europe was from anti-aircraft "flak" batteries along the North
Sea and English Channel. The word "flak" is a Americanization of the
German word ‘Fliegerabwehrkanone’. US slang for these types of guns
is AAA - Anti-Aircraft Artillery
German Flak
There one second gone the next!
"I served as a fighter pilot in the 15th Air Force, 52nd Fighter Group, 5th Fighter
Squadron. I flew my combat missions in the North American P-51 Mustang."
"It was during a bomber mission when I saw the most shocking sight my eyes
had yet seen. I was flying Red-Two, the wingman for the squadron leader. We
were patrolling parallel to the side and above a bomb wing when it started its
run. I noticed an exceptionally large and accurate burst of flak exploding
directly in front of the lead aircraft.”
"The altitude of the burst was precisely calibrated. ... I thought, oh, that next
burst is going to hit right in the middle of them. Within seconds, the next burst
did exactly that. ... That poor B-24 did a sudden quarter roll to the left, away
from the formation ... and then in a blazing explosive flash, it simply
disappeared."
"No parachutes, no traces, other than a few small smoking falling pieces.
Nothing. Gone. Ten men, gone. I felt as if someone had hit me in the pit of my
stomach. I was stunned. I could visualize in my mind the young pilot and his
crew, who only seconds before were just as much alive as I was. And now
there were no traces left of them or their aircraft. They no longer existed."
"I would see similar scenes of disaster several times, and I always felt a sense
of personal loss when it happened, but that first B-24 is the one I'll never
forget."
German Flak finds its mark
8th AAF Fighters could not
protect Bomber formations deep
in to Germany until late 44’
P-38 Lightning
German Fighters would just simply wait till P-47 Thunderbolt
the American Fighter protection had to
turn around for home – low on fuel. Then
the German Fighters would attack the
unprotected Bomber Formation.
In late 1944, the “Cadillac of the Sky” – the
North American P-51D Mustang could escort
Bomber Formations all the way to BERLIN!!!
AAF Fighters could NOW protect Bomber
formations deep in to Germany!!
P-51 Mustang