(8/11) Battlefield II Air War Over Germany Episode 1 (GDH)

SUBSRIBE TO EXCELLENT WORLD WAR II VIDEOS
The United States and Great Britain joined forces to create the Combined Bomber Offensive. The two nations had different bombing approaches. The British preferred to fly under the protection of night. Darkness made exact targeting impossible, so "area bombing"--dropping a large number of bombs within a designated area around a target--was used. The Americans, however, were extremely hesitant to participate in an action that might result in civilian casualties. Also, they possessed the Norden bombsight, which was quicker and more accurate than its predecessors, increasing safety for the bomber crew and improving the effectiveness of the bombs. With the heavy armament of the B-17 Flying Fortresses, the USAAF chose to fly during the day for "precision bombing," hitting specific targets, such as factories or transportation hubs, precisely and with minimal damage to the surrounding area.

On August 17, 1942, the Eighth Air Force undertook its first mission against the marshaling yards at Rouen-Sotteville in occupied France. A relatively easy first mission, the only casualties were two airmen who were injured when a pigeon flew into their plane. But for the first several months of the campaign, losses were heavy. Until the debut of the North American P-51 Mustang with its auxiliary gas tanks in March 1944, there were no Allied fighter planes with the range to escort bombers all the way to Germany. Meanwhile, to compensate for the lack of fighter escorts, American bomber forces under the leadership of Curtis E. LeMay implemented tight-formation combat flying. By early 1944, American industry was finally operating at peak capacity, producing enough bombers to replace lost ones, and add more for massive formations. The results were seen in the decrease in German aircraft and fuel production. After the Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944, the ground troops advanced quickly toward Germany, providing bases for escorts and destroying the German early air warning system in France. For much of the final year of the war, Allied bombers held air superiority over Germany, leaving bombed-out cities for the ground troops to occupy. (Excerpt from U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission)

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[spritz0]

A truly outstanding documentary, thanks for posting GD! 5*****

[jdoernte]

The example of the Fernnachtjagd is the perfect example of Hitler's "artistic" madman side. He decreed, despite its huge success, that it should be banned, because the bomber "did not fall amongst the people, so they could see the work that their Luftwaffe was doing for them." Which is the perfect example of why he was such a poor leader in wartime. He acted according to emotions, and not to facts and reality.

[faokim]

mitschwimmend=swimming along