DAY RAIDS ON GERMANY

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24152, 11 January 1944, Page 5

DAY RAIDS ON GERMANY

Developments In Attack

And Defence

HOW “THE FORTS” GET

THROUGH

LONDON, December 3. The whole Royal Air Force applauds the courage and skill of the Flying Fortress crews. They are out to make day bombing pay, and I believe they are doing it, says the air correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” (Air Commodore E. L. HowardWilliamsl. This eulogy of, notably, the United States Bth Air Force is a belated tribute. Theirs has been no easy passage. They hat? to start as beginners on this European battlefront. Wise leadership guided them through the experimental stages. They withstood a measure of rather hasty, uninstructed criticism; but now their name stands high. How has this come about, what has it achieved, and where is it leading us? Notable success has so far crowned their new policy of using long-range Thunderbolts to escort their “Forts” all the way to the target. After losing 60 in the last Schweinfurt raid, they lost only five bombers in the 1000 "bomber and fighter” raid on Wilhelmshaven on November 3; only 10 bombers on another 1000 “bomber and fighter” raid against Gelsenkirchen, on November 5; not one at all against Duren. near Cologne, two days later; and 15 bombers and nine fighters against Bremen district on November 13. when 43 of the enemy were destroyed. It is early days yet, but here is firsthand evidence of the trend of the air battle. The United States always believed that the day bomber could “get through” when properly armed and when used with the right tactics, i.e., good formation, high up, and in mass. Plenty of Fighting On the other hand the “Forts.” when they go deep inland, have all the fighting they want. Their formations rely largely upon the .5 machine-gun for defence. A formation of 21 carries more than 250 of them, and at least a quarter of the total can cover most attacks at any one time. A raid in force may include some 20 or more such formations. The F.W. 190’s soon found that they were outranged by the .5, and that the volume of fire the “Forts” could develop against a stem attack, whether above or below, made those tactics sheer suicide. They then devised the frontal attack, four or more F.W. 190’s coming straight at the “Forts” with a closing speed of nearly 600 miles an hour. At a certain point they would roll on their backs (I have seen that trick from films taken in combat) and pull out in time to avoid collision: passing underneath and using their seat armour protection from the lower turrets of the “Forts.” The "Forts” met these tactics by closer formation flying. They added guns in the nose, so that each machine could fire at least three forward, the leading nine "ships” thus employing 27 guns. The Germans then exploited some of their present method*. Sockets Met and Countered They used one main principle applied in three ways. The principle was to “brown” into the formation out of range. With this attack they use rockets, cannon fire, and parachute bombs. F.W.l9o’s carry rockets. Me.llO’s and 210’s each carry three rockets and fly at the same level as the “Forts,” but about 1000 or 1300 yards dead astern, and, of course, out of effective range. D0.217’s carry four rockets and several cannon, lobbing shots into the formation by a “quarter” attack. F.W.ISD’s, J. 88’s, F.W. ISO’s, and Ju.B7’s are also using cannon with the same object. It is of interest to note their anxiety. They have impressed night fighters and even bombers into daylight air defence. At first it looked as if the Germans had “found something.” - But they reckoned without General Baker and his men. Day bombers are now being escorted. It was always their intention to fit extra tanks to Thunderbolts and other types. These are now coming into service. It is expected that soon these fighters will go all the way. even to some of the more distant targets. %

An important effect will be Realised. Thunderbolts and Lightnings are too good for these “rocket ships” anyway. If they meet F.W.lSO’s they jettison their extra tanks to achieve their best performace, draw the enemy from the bombers, go into action, and then make for home.

The enemy can ignore neither the bombers nor this vast array of high performance fighters, comparable to any the Germans can employ at 25,000 feet, waiting to shoot down the slower rocket and Cannon-firing aircraft upon which they were largely relying. < In the development of this technique I see our night bombers one day going out with the “Forts” under a colossal air umbrella of long distance “Spits” and "Thunders” and “Flashes. 1 * to establish complete air mastery over Europe.