#Bomber Aircraft Operations

[usafphantom2]

Yeah baby... B-1B approaching the contact position.

TSGT Lance Cheung, August 1, 2000

@tcamp202 via X

[nocternalrandomness]

Douglas A-26 Invader - 609th Special Operations Squadron - South-East Asia - 1967

[carbone14]

Fairey Albacore Mk I du 820 Naval Air Squadron opérant au large d'Alger depuis le porte-avions HMS Formidable – Opération Torch – Campagne d'Afrique du Nord – Novembre 1942

Photographe : Royal Navy official photographer

©Imperial War Museums - TR 296

[planesawesome]

The B-58 Hustler was the first operational bomber capable of sustained supersonic speeds. It could fly at Mach 2 (over 1,300 mph or 2,100 km/h), making it incredibly fast for its time and able to outrun most enemy aircraft and surface-to-air missiles.

[that-house]

December 3rd, 2031 – Sixty degrees, clear skies, and a nice southeasterly breeze. It was a beautiful day to lay siege to Dallas. It was a good thing the weather was nice, because everything else about the operation looked rough. Marian couldn’t wait.

Dallas was a classic Texan fortress-city, two rings of forty foot tall concrete walls with a killing field in between, bristling with anti-aircraft cannon. The ground-facing defenses were a little less thorough, but a few machine guns would make quick work of any infantry charge and Dallas had more than a few machine guns.

“We aren’t being paid enough,” Suzy griped. She was crouching in the shade, alternatingly blowing a bubble of gum and taking swigs out of a bottle whose contents were hidden by a paper bag.

“We’re mercenaries. Get used to it.” Marian hoisted her gun onto her shoulder. “Besides, they don’t exactly expect us to succeed.”

“Oh, are we leading a suicide charge? I wasn’t paying attention to the Duke.” Suzy was never paying attention, but the benefits of having her around outweighed the drawbacks. Most days, at least.

“Pretty much.”

“Did the guys we’re with know this was a suicide charge?”

Marion looked around at the Jeep the Duke of Austin had hastily assigned the duo to. The soldiers suddenly all looked a bit green around the gills. “I’m guessing not. Chin up, boys! Auntie Marian won’t let any harm come to you.”

One of the men, a lieutenant, managed to find his voice. “Why are we here?”

“The Duke hopes that we’ll die loud enough that Dallas won’t notice his bombers taking out the emplaced guns. Doesn’t strike me as very sound tactics, but hey, he’s got manpower to make up for what he lacks in brains.”

Silence in the back of the Jeep.

Marian continued, mostly to fuck with them. “And don’t think the tanks’ll be any help. See those big fancy guns up on the wall? Those are lonestar guns. You boys seen lonestar guns?”

“Yeah.”

“So you get the idea. But hey, cheer up! It’s not every day you get to storm the best-defended city in the state!”

The man slowly came to a revelation a long time coming. “You’re insane,” he said.

“Insane was my father’s name. Please, call me Marian Typhoon.”

Suzy cackled. “That was terrible.”

The soldiers looked between the two women, now realizing they were both mad. “How are you two so calm?”

Marian didn’t answer for a moment, looking out at the slowly-approaching walls of Dallas. The lonestar guns’ targeting algorithms would start flagging the vehicles soon. “Suzy, how far out are we?”

“About a mile and a half.” Suzy busied herself checking over her rifle.

“Now, boys, I’m gonna explain two concepts very quickly, so you’d best pay attention. The KL-90 fully automatic sniper rifle, sometimes called “Le Papillon,” was something of a failure, because for some reason those glorious Frenchmen decided to make it fire 1200 rounds per minute, giving it a tendency to dump the entire mag into one poor fucker. Only six were ever made, and nowadays they’re just museum pieces. In 2026, the American military plunged into the deep end of bioweaponry and concocted a little something known as the ‘vampire virus,’ which proved pretty damn lethal in 99.99% of cases. The 0.01% that survived were problematic enough that the program shut down, and all information about it was expunged from the record.”

Marion patted Suzy affectionately on the head. “Now you might be wondering how those two disparate pieces of information might happen to overlap, and if you boys just sit pretty for a moment I reckon you’ll be able to connect the dots. Suzy?”

The last surviving vampire, Suzy Nines, slotted the magazine into her KL-90 fully automatic sniper rifle, and squinted out at the Dallas walls. She squeezed the trigger, the barrel swinging into a wild blur of motion as the sound of gunfire filled the air. “Machine gunners down. Reloading.”

Marian patted the hapless lieutenant on the shoulder. “Come along, boys. Auntie Marian’s got a city to take.”

[judgemark45]

How powerful is a U.S. aircraft carrier?

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is a large warship designed to serve as a mobile airbase for naval aviation. It is the centerpiece of a carrier strike group (CSG) and plays a crucial role in projecting power, protecting maritime interests, and providing humanitarian assistance worldwide.

Key features of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier include:

Flight Deck: The carrier's flight deck is where aircraft take off and land. It is equipped with catapults for launching fixed-wing aircraft and arresting gear to catch aircraft on landing. The flight deck is one of the busiest and most dangerous places on the ship during flight operations.

Hangar Deck: Below the flight deck is the hangar deck, where aircraft are stored, maintained, and prepared for flight operations. It provides sheltered storage for aircraft and equipment, as well as maintenance facilities and workshops.

Air Wing: The carrier's air wing typically consists of a mix of fighter jets, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, early warning aircraft, and helicopters. These aircraft provide offensive and defensive capabilities, including strike missions, air superiority, surveillance, and search and rescue.

Command and Control Center: Aircraft carriers serve as command centers for naval task forces, with advanced communication and information systems to coordinate operations. They have the capability to direct air, surface, and subsurface assets in complex operations.

Defense Systems: Carriers are equipped with a variety of defense systems to protect against threats such as enemy aircraft, missiles, and submarines. These include radar systems, anti-aircraft missiles, close-in weapon systems, and electronic warfare capabilities.

Overall, U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are among the most powerful and versatile warships in the world, capable of projecting power, maintaining presence, and providing support in a wide range of military operations.

[legions-top-dog]

tl:dr for people that don’t want to read and are going to miss out on the details and run the high risk of not actually understanding what’s happening in the battle: ncr, rogues, eagles and coalition attack the Legion controlled mojave outpost

The Siege of the Mojave Outpost, and what will be the last major battle of the war in the Mojave is finally about to take place.

30 formations of 3 Eagles helicopters (one Huey, one Vertibird, one AH-1 each) descend upon the heavily fortified Mojave Outpost, the last remnant of the once glorious Legion occupied territory.

Chinooks and Vertibirds carrying cargo containers, Sheridan tanks, and artillery pieces move towards the Outpost from the Strip, followed by two AC-130s the JCS had flown in for CAS.

At HELIOS ONE, Eagles artillery cannons begin an hour long barrage of saturation bombardment directed at the outpost.

The 8’th Tactical Fighter Squadron is going out in full force- the First Wing is having the time of their lives dropping high explosives on the fortified Mojave Outpost, shredding AA guns with ARMs and main guns, destroying Vertibirds and crude fighter planes, all while dancing and weaving through AA fire and SAM missiles.

The three fighter jets of the Crimson Rogues fire missiles and guns at various targets, doing the same, except in a very... flashy and flowy style that still gets the job done.

Patton tanks, logistics trucks, jeeps and APCs drive from the HELIOS ONE garrison through Novac and Primm which is now friendly territory of the Eagles’ new ally the NCR, and proceed down the road to the Mojave Outpost at high speed.

CIA and Sierra agents plant directional anti-vehicle mines and Claymores along various routes the Legion’s logistics team could possibly take to reinforce their position at the outpost, and sabotage AA gun radars, telephone boxes and firing mechanisms with thermite grenades to hamper AA efforts.

Four NCR Vertibirds soar across the desert towards the stronghold with Veteran Rangers and Sierra operatives armed with CBJ-MS firearms, unlicensed and once highly classified copies of Sierra Madre holorifles and NCR replicas of M56 Smartgun HMGs, assigned to assault teams of three, sniper squads of two and gun squads of two armed with a smartgun and assault carbine.

30 P-51 Mustangs, 8 C-119 Flying Boxcars, 12 F-86 Sabre fighter jets, and 15 B-29 bombers operated by the New Mexico Coalition (their state flag painted over the USAF logos) fly at low altitude above Novac, causing their residents to panic, and anyone that fought in the Korean War to have flashbacks.

B-52 Stratofortresses operated by the 2nd Bomb Wing travel towards the Outpost, flying over Novac (much to the consternation of Boone, which is feeling the effects of becoming an involuntary planespotter.)

The Reaper’s Sprint, with Phillips, Maynard, Kyle and Jacob (pilot, offensive weapons specialist, defensive weapons specialist and copilot respectively) soars in the sky in formation with two other B-1 bombers, labelled Skirtboy Shredder and Femboy’s Nightmare.

They show some well drawn but rather graphic images of a German Shephard shredding the Pteruges of a Legionnaire a la Coppertone ad, and a image of Vulpes on all fours facing the viewer while taking a MK82 bomb up the ass respectively.

NCR troopers wielding M16s and modified assault carbines with full auto fire ride in trucks, transport Vertibirds and APCs operated by the NCR towards the Outpost.

Legionnaire field mortar teams rush out with field mortars, and the howitzer artillery pieces become quickly manned as soon as the base siren goes off.

The Cobras fire their missiles, miniguns and rocket pods at targets, and the B-1s and Stratofortresses drop their payloads, flattening what hasn’t been flattened (tin buildings and crude airstrips) by the bombardments and leaving fire and devastation in it’s wake.

Ramshackle Legion fighters based on WW2 fighter aircraft and Vertibirds take off in the chaos, and try to intercept the bombers- only to be assaulted by the NMC P-51s. Although they nail one or two Mustangs in the fighting, many more are taken out by the Coalition pilots or whatever fighter wing happened to be within range at that time.

Mortar teams dash across the battlefield shooting shells of death at each other’s unseen yet esrimated position, and artillery cannons at the Outpost are swiftly brought out of commission by HELIOS howitzers.

Hueys and Vertibirds land on nearby mountains and fields, with droves of infantry disembarking among hails of Legion gunfire (for all of 30 seconds before an A-10 gun run reduces the machinegunners to thick red dusty paste speckled with metal.)

Machine gunners wielding CBJ-MS or M60s (including Sarah’s squad) lay suppressive fire against any infantry they see and occasionally try to kill each other using grenade launchers.

Pattons, Sheridans and whatever’s left of the Legion fleet duke it out, lobbing tank shells and HEAT rockets at each other. Troopers, Marines, Soldiers and their attack dogs (military cyberdogs in the case of the Eagles) disembark from APCs and while taking cover, fire LAW launchers at Legion tanks, which more or less instantly kills the crews inside. They also trade fire with Legion forces while making their way into the safety of the garrison’s trench network, blast Legionnaires with shotguns and send their fur missiles racing down trenches.

Legion AA guns and NMC M19 MGMCs light the flare-lit night up with hundreds of tracer rounds that hit basically nothing with the exception of the occasional helicopter or Mustang, while Eagles VADS systems fire short bursts of explosive sabots that utterly disintegrate whatever aircraft they shot at.

The 7’th Calvary Regiment and 2’nd Artillery Division, the historical reenactors of Siege of Alamogordo fame begin an assault with the NCR troopers, using gatling guns, Springfield rifles, calvary, and blackpowder cannons to provide an opening for NCR forces to move in.

82nd Airborne paratroopers (three squadrons) jump out of C-130s and make their drop in Legion territory behind the outpost, while NCR forces from the nearby garrison also take the fight to logistics teams.

Marine Scout Snipers, First Recon and snipers of the 75’th Rangers take positions on crests and the mountains surrounding the outpost, aiming for limbs, hydraulics units and firing explosive rounds at vehicle engine blocks and artillery pieces to sow confusion and panic in the Legionnaires.

Patton tanks with APCs following behind ram through the chain link fencing and concertina wire barriers. Their doors swing open and at least 15 screaming Crimson Rogues soldiers clad in handcrafted reinforced T-51 power armor holding MG42s on swivel mounts charge out and lay fire on Legionnaires taking defensive positions, utterly tearing their bodies to shreds, while at least 30 more Rogues infantry with assault rifles take up positions with the power armor elites in squads of three.

Reprogrammed sentry bots, Mister Gutsies, some securitrons and like three protectrons make their way towards the frontlines, with tank shells and sniper shots instantly taking out everything that isn’t a sentry bot.

A bright flash of light occurs as a beam from ARCHIMEDES II drops down from space and reduces a Legion platoon entering the complex into shadows on the hardpan.

The scrap metal statues at the Outpost has been annihilated by the saturation bombing and tank assault, leaving metal shards and fragments everywhere.

More Legion tanks and supply trucks try making their way to the fortress as dire reinforcement, only to be turned to flaming wrecks by the rotary cannons and artillery guns of the just-arrived AC-130s, or pulverized by a singular A-10 dancing across the skies.

Alarmed Mojave Brotherhood scouts run horrifying news of the battle back to the bunker, alarming McNamara as to how cutthroat and horrifying (to outsiders) the battle has become.

An orchestra of gunfire, explosions, diesel engines, helicopters, sonic booms, buzzing, artillery and orders and screams of agony from all sides sets the backdrop soundtrack of the battle.

Music for NCR, NMC, Eagles, Legion and Rogues respectively (optional)

Quests are Eagles, Wastelander, NCR, Legion, NMC, and Rogues respectively

boone mod likes to be left alone so I won’t tag them

@bajarangers

@realpresidentkimball

@galileo-of-the-legion

@atombombskilledtheradiostar

@thinktankbigmt

@sonofmarzzzz

@bajarangers

[petermorwood]

Flying Officer B.P. “Squirrel” Nutkin of 266 Squadron RAF, seen here in a Hawker Hurricane Mk I flown by 266 during the Fall of France.

As the British Expeditionary Force were driven back by Guderian’s Blitzkrieg, 266 was badly mauled while keeping Luftwaffe bombers away from the Dunkirk beaches, losing enough Hurricanes that it re-equipped with the Supermarine Spifire Mk Ia just in time for the Battle of Britain.

Nutkin, resisting what was already becoming known as "Spitfire Snobbery", was one of the last 266 Squadron pilots to convert from his Hurricane. This snapshot, therefore, must have been taken at some time in mid-June 1940, between the end of Operation Dynamo on 4th June and the official start of the Battle of Britain on 10th July.

*****

It was during the BEF’s final withdrawal from Dunkirk that Flying Officer Nutkin, already with two kills to his credit, made ace in an afternoon and won his first DFC.

He was section leader of Red Section - comprising himself, Pilot Officer Tom E. Brock and Pilot Officer J.R.M.E. Fisher - providing top cover for the evacuation, when on 2nd June 1940 they found themselves up-sun from a raid directed against several of the “Little Ships” (civilian vessels with volunteer crews).

Red Section executed a perfect “bounce” that caught the enemy completely off guard, six Luftwaffe aircraft were shot down, and Nutkin personally accounted for two Junkers Ju.87-B Stuka dive-bombers as well as one Messerschmitt Bf.109-E4 from their escort.

(Representative images, not actual footage)

“Squirrel” Nutkin finished his RAF service in 1946 with the rank of Wing Commander. It’s widely believed he was promoted no higher after saying “Nuts!” to Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, even though this turned out not to have been an insult, merely a misheard comment about which bar snacks were running short in the Officers' Mess.

Regardless of explanation, Leigh-Mallory - always notoriously pompous about his own image and reputation - made a disparaging entry in Nutkin’s file and refused to amend it. His later death in an accident meant the unwarranted black mark was never deleted.

This didn't concern post-war fledgling new airline BEA (British European Airways), and Nutkin joined them directly he left the Air Force…

…going on to become one of their senior captains before transferring to Transatlantic service with BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation).

During a layover in New York he met and later married Cicely van Gopher of the New Hampshire van Gophers, and on retirement from flying made a fortune in forestry.

“Some people can’t see the wood for the trees, but for some reason I'm quite good at both.”

[usafphantom2]

F-4C and F-4D with Ecm pods on the runway at Ubon RTAB,Those look like F-105 Ecm pods so this may be a picture of Phantoms involved with Operation Bolo Tail codes are the same.

@MAC_VSOG via X

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Hubris before the fall

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

A decade ago there was a powerful world by the name of Oma that was the crown jewel of the Omak Domain. Rich with natural resources and rare metals, it was able to establish a powerful trade network that generated billions of credits monthly leading to the people of Oma to grow fat with decadence. This led to a rapid degradation of their societal values to such an extent that they believed that they and only they were truly worthy of running galactic trade and began pressuring their neighboring governments to relinquish trade control of their domains to them.

When they finally approached the humans they sent forth a trade delegation to their parliament. This delegation did not present a sympathetic view of their stewardship, nor a presentation outlining the benefits of their management skills in intergalactic trade. No; this delegation strode into the terran parliament and denounced human trade standards as inferior and unworthy implementation between galactic powers.

No strangers to prideful boasting, the humans naturally took great offense to the grand standing of the delegation and cast them out without even hearing their full proposal. In response, the Oma began sanctioning the terran domain; isolating its trade routes and starving it off much needed resources.

For months the human diplomats tried to reach out to the Oma to find a political solution, but each attempt was met with the repeated message “Submit”.

As time passed and riots began to break out across human worlds from the lack of materials, the terran government finally had enough and dispatched a war fleet to Oma. The fleet was comprised of nearly three fifths of their entire naval power and was spear headed by the latest Herald class battleship “Saladin” with the equally famous Admiral Timmins in command.

Being comprised of mainly trade ships; the Omak Domain navy was primarily built around fast moving frigates, destroyers, and smaller patrol craft capable of catching pirates that preyed upon their shipping lanes. They were little more than a speed bump to the well-disciplined prowess of terran armada and was swept aside easily as the human ships made for orbit directly above Oma. Yet even with this encroaching ring of steel the Oma public did not panic.

Unlike their navy, the Omak Domain’s ground forces were substantially better in comparison. They had fought many ground wars to secure trade outposts, mining operations, and subjugation camps and were thusly made up of a hardened collective of veteran soldiers and automated war machines that were capable to five terran soldiers. So when the human fleet finally did position itself in orbit above Oma, the Omak military was confident they would repel any invasion attempts made by the humans; even going so far as to openly mock Admiral Timmins in a direct communique that not one human soldier would live to set foot on their world.

To their surprise Admiral Timmins agreed to those terms and began the battle.

From the launch bays of every terran ship came hundreds of heavily armed fighters, bombers, drones, and reconnaissance craft that swarmed through Oma’s atmosphere. Not a single lander or ground soldier was deployed as the Admiral coordinated a planet wide devastating air campaign of destruction.

The Omak air force was overwhelmed in a matter of hours by the constant waves of enemy aircraft and found itself further crippled as their launch sites were surgically struck from orbit by human warships. When the last of the Omak air power was expended the human air power had complete control over the skies of the planet.

Civilian targets such as cities and towns were ignored; but the precious foundries, factories, and mining complexes that had given the Omak people such wealth were reduced to little more than burnt pieces of metal and ash. The Omak rulers watched as their life blood of commerce was taken from them one continent at a time and sent countless messages to the human fleet for peace. Their reply was always a single word that none of the Omak would agree to.

“Submit.”

By a month’s end the world of Oma was little more than a smoldering crater. Gleaming cities now stood as silent watchers over miles of burnt landscapes and wasted industrial complexes. The people who had only known wealth and power were now left to wander the ruins of their former trade empire as the human fleet still held orbit over the world. Fragments of the Omak Domain attempted to bypass the human fleet to deliver supplies but each attempt was met with the humans either seizing the ship and the valuable cargo or destroying it just as it was about to land.

It didn’t take long for the previously subjugated peoples that had relinquished control to the Omak to begin rising up once more and regaining their sovereignty. Some the newly freed powers sent their own delegations to the human fleet and kneeled before Admiral Timmins; thanking the humans for bringing their oppressors low. Each time the Admiral would thank the aliens and invite them to the viewing decks so they could look down at the burnt world that had once held them so firmly under its thumb.

In a way it was both a gesture of friendship and a warning to all those that would come after; that the realms of man would never take kindly to the hubris of fools.

[gremlins-hotel]

alfred rocking some different flight jackets (nerd stuff under cut)

The flight jacket, an iconic piece of any aviator's outerwear. Before they ever became symbols of fashion and the 'exalted' place that came with the occupation of pilot, the flight jacket as we know it was first made for function. Aircraft of World War I and the earliest designs were open cockpit machines, and many would remain that way in the Interbellum. All that to say this paramount paraphernalia's original purpose was to keep an aviator warm in the sky.

Keep in mind that the images above may not reflect every specimen of their type. Jackets differed in design by manufacturer, production block, and even by the military branch (Navy jackets also often have a different name) & unit ordering them. A great example is the wide range of looks for the quintessential B-3. My apologies in advance for them being all American designs. I would love to show off some of the British flight jackets, but I would rather do a little more research (and practice drawing Arthur more)!

A-1 (1927-1931) A thin leather jacket designed for lower altitudes and made with a flattering fit high on the waist, the A-1 was the kickstart to the wide variety the Army Air Corps would come to know. The A-1 had differing designs between the Navy and the infant Air Corps, and early A-1s are distinguished by having seven buttons and a knit collar, which later models did not keep. However, later models did retain the knit waistband and cuffs.

A-2 (1931-1943) The direct successor to the A-1, the A-2 quickly replaced its older brother. This is one of the more recognizable jackets from the States after becoming the standard for the Air Corps in the early 1930s. The quality of the jackets would fall due to wartime rationing, with early designs of horsehide and silk becoming goatskin and cotton, however, the general look remained. The A-2 was still primarily for open cockpit designs, lower altitudes, and warmer climes. Identifiable from the A-1 by its snap-down leather collar, zipper, and varying shapes and sizes of a hook-and-eye clasp at the collar to close it.

G-1 (1938-present) This looker would replace the A-2 in form and function during the 1940s, first becoming popular with the Army and Navy before being adopted by USAAF. Originally named the ANJ-3/AN-J-3 the jacket gained its new designation by the time the Air Corps caught on. The G-1 came with a mouton collar and a bi-swing back to allow for greater arm movement, meanwhile, it lacked the over-zipper 'wind flap' of its predecessors. A keen eye for pop culture might realize that this is the jacket from the 1986 hit Top Gun.

B-3 (1934-1943) Ah, the B-3! Commonly known simply as the "bomber jacket," the B-3 was made with a high-altitude bomber in mind, unlike previous designs. Incredibly bulky and lined with sheepskin the B-3 was made to keep crews at 25,000 feet above from freezing in their unpressurized cabins, with many such as the early B-17 Flying Fortresses possessing open waist gunner ports. The wide collar could be closed with two leather straps and the jacket did not come with the famous knit waistband or cuffs that others did. "The General" was a B-3 design made specifically for General George S. Patton, who popularized the B-3 outside of the Air Corps. (The B-3 had a slimmer cousin - the B-6 - designed as the 'quality of life' inside bombers improved, such as pressurized cabins.)

B-7 (1941-1942) Short-lived, the B-7 Parka was manufactured for pilots operating in the brutal cold of Alaska. However, not much is known of it due to its limited production. In fact, the B-7 was discontinued swiftly due to its high manufacturing cost. Either way, the B-7 is a funky one-off that is easily distinguishable from the lineup by its three-quarter length and coyote-lined hood.

B-15 (1944-1954) The infamous green flight jacket that many today typically know as the "bomber jacket". The B-15 quickly replaced its older brother, the B-10 (1943-1944). Like other designs it had many variations. Similar to the G-1, the B-15 shared the same pocket design and lack of a wind flap, yet the B-15 was cloth with a mouton collar and a knit waistband and cuffs. The shell was produced in a range of materials including nylon and cotton-rayon. It was lighter weight and far less warm than its sheepskin predecessors and spoke to the advancements in aviation technology. A quirk of its design that soon became standard was the designated pen pocket on the upper left arm.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[whencyclopedia]

The Bombing of Berlin

The bombing of Berlin, aka the Berlin Air Offensive or Battle of Berlin (Air), was a sustained bombing campaign on the German capital by the British Royal Air Force and United States Air Force from November 1943 until March 1944. The objective, which failed, was to bomb Germany into surrender and win WWII without the necessity of land operations.

Area Bombing

The commander-in-chief of the RAF Bomber Command, Arthur Harris (1892-1984), had received backing at the highest level for the night-time area bombing (aka carpet bombing) of German industrial targets and industrial cities. The Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) had already conducted a Combined Bomber Offensive and made repeated attacks on the Ruhr industrial area of Germany (Battle of the Ruhr, March-July 1943) and on Hamburg with the utterly devastating Operation Gomorrah (July-August 1943). Typically, the RAF bombed by night and the USAAF by day in these combined operations. As Winston Churchill (l. 1874-1965), the British prime minister put it:

We shall bomb Germany by day as well as by night in ever-increasing measure, casting upon them month by month a heavier discharge of bombs, and making the German people taste and gulp each month a sharper dose of the miseries they have showered upon mankind.

(Liddell Hart, 189)

By the summer of 1943, the Allied leaders began to shift their focus to a future invasion of Continental Europe. The Allies issued the Pointblank Directive in June 1943, which stated that bombing raids in Europe should prioritise Germany's capacity to produce fighter planes, which could be used against ground troops in the D-Day Normandy landings (Operation Overlord) planned for the following summer. Air supremacy had to be achieved before Overlord could get underway. However, Harris remained sceptical of the possibility of hitting small but strategically important targets like weapons factories. This was in some way born out by the USAAF's Schweinfurt-Regensburg raids. The first Schweinfurt raid in August 1943 had not been very successful in damaging the crucial ball-bearing factories, and many aircraft had been lost in the process. (The USAAF returned to Schweinfurt and was more successful in October). Berlin did have key armaments factories, and these could be knocked out with a wider and more indiscriminate bomb-dropping strategy, Harris thought. Berlin was also an obvious transport hub and, of course, a prestige target, too. Harris believed that the heavy bombing of Berlin could ultimately lead to Germany's surrender and so the Allies might even avoid the necessity of dangerous and time-consuming land operations.

There were some flaws in the plan. Berlin was a much bigger city than those bombed previously and so would take many more raids to damage. Harris knew this, and so he called for a force of 6,000 bombers, but this was never possible; the RAF and USAAF combined only had some 3,000 bomber planes at any one time. Berlin was also well-defended with over 100 anti-aircraft batteries. The historian M. Hastings describes Berlin as "the largest and most heavily defended industrial urban area in Europe" (285). As the historian R. Neillands put it, Berlin "was always a difficult target. It lay a long way into Germany, close to the eastern frontier, and was a very big and very flat city, with few physical features…" (217).

Another problem was that in 1943, Allied fighter planes still did not have sufficient fuel range to escort bombers to targets deep in Germany. Finally, the other bombing campaigns, which included the thousand-bomber raid on Cologne in 1942, had not shattered civilian morale despite causing enormous casualties and damage. This had also been true of the German bombing of British cities and the London Blitz earlier in the war. Even if German civilian morale could be broken, in a totalitarian state built on violence, there was probably not much civilians could do to influence policy change anyway. Despite these pitfalls, the Combined Chiefs of Staff gave Harris the green light, and the bombers were sent to Berlin. Crucially, the USAAF, preferring to pursue its own targets like Germany's oil supplies, would not join the raids until near the end of the campaign. The RAF bomber crews would be on their own in their effort to bomb into submission the city they called "Big B".

Continue reading...

[pinturas-sgm-marina]

1942 06 04 Midway IJN Aircraft Carrier Akagi vs B-26 Marauder - Randall Wilson

Having taken off prior to the Japanese attack, American bombers based on Midway made several attacks on the Japanese carrier force. These included (…) four USAAF B-26s of the 18th Reconnaissance and 69th Bomb Squadrons armed with torpedoes.

One B-26, piloted by Lieutenant James Muri, after dropping his torpedo and searching for an escape route, flew directly down the length of Akagi while being fired upon by fighters and anti-aircraft fire, which had to hold their fire to avoid hitting their own flagship; the B-26 strafed Akagi, killing two men. Another B-26, piloted by Lieutenant Herbert Mayes, did not pull out of its run after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and instead flew directly at Akagi's bridge. Either attempting a suicide ramming or out of control, the plane narrowly missed striking the bridge, which could have killed Nagumo and his staff, crashing into the ocean. This experience may well have contributed to Nagumo's determination to launch another attack on Midway in direct violation of Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve strike force armed for anti-ship operations.

[pukindawgsblog]

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, also known as the "Butcher Bird", was a German single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. It was a highly regarded aircraft for its combat performance, adaptability, and ease of maintenance. The Fw 190 excelled in anti-bomber operations and ground-attack roles, with its rugged design capable of withstanding heavy combat damage. The aircraft went through various variants from 1941 to 1945, including the Fw 190A-8/R-8, Fw 190 D-9, and Fw 190 F-8. Its advanced performance, including its superior roll rate, surprised Allied forces and led to the development of countermeasures and the rapid development of Allied aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire MKIX.

When the Second World War began in September 1939, the Luftwaffe had only one front-line, single-seat fighter: the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

In many ways, the 109 was an effective combat aircraft, but it had some notable and inherent design flaws that limited its usefulness and led to the Fw-190.

Most notable was the 109’s narrow-track undercarriage. The undercarriage legs were mounted in the narrow fuselage.

This simplified maintenance: the wings could be removed without the need for placing the aircraft on stands.

However, it also made the 109 tricky during taxiing, landing and take-off. Precise figures are disputed, but a substantial proportion of 109s were lost due to non-combat accidents that may be partly attributable to its unusual undercarriage design.