Best Bomber of WW2 -- #3

[MP-Willow]

I would agree with the He-111, it had some promise, but I think that the whole German bomber development was mismanaged. All that push for dive bombers had to have taken its toll.

I do not know a lot about the Do 217 can you all recomend some good places to start reading

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I think with the whole dive bomber thing, it goes with the German strategy before the war and in the beginning. The Stukas and other dive bombers fit in all to well with the Blitzkrieg tactics and with the early success they placed to much emphasis on the dive bombers.

It was a big mistake for the Germans not to develop heavy bombers and a better bomber strategy.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

but you have to wonder how much that would really help?? it'd severly limit their fighter production and i still don't think, owing to us having RADAR, they'd have won the BoB with heavy bombers.......

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

If they had had a better bomber strategy or even stuck with the original strategy it may have.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I think with the whole dive bomber thing, it goes with the German strategy before the war and in the beginning. The Stukas and other dive bombers fit in all to well with the Blitzkrieg tactics and with the early success they placed to much emphasis on the dive bombers.

It was a big mistake for the Germans not to develop heavy bombers and a better bomber strategy.

Don't forget The First Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff, Walther Wever. General Wever was a proponent of strategic bombing but was killed before the war. Once he was gone the Luftwaffe leadership embraced medium bombers and dive bombers.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Exactly but I think it all goes back to the Blitzkrieg strategy the most.

 

[JamesBlonde]

Sorry to interrupt but I just had to share this song that Lancaster pilots used to sing about their Fortress counterparts.

We're flying Flying Fortresses at 30,000 feet,
We're flying Flying Fortresses at 30,000 feet,
We've bags of point five ammo and a teeny weeny bomb
And we drop the b*stard from so high we don't know where it's gone!

Glory, glory shall we drop it?
Glory, glory shall we drop it?
We've bags of point five ammo and a teeny weeny bomb
And we drop the b*stard from so high we don't know where it's gone!

I believe that in terms of the performance vital to good bombing that the Lancaster is far superiour to anything in it's class.

Ceiling, (Stirling escort)
Speed, Cruised faster than a Fort. I spoke to a gentleman who told me about the time he overhauled a Fort who tried to race him. The Fort jockey was comically smoking a cigar and cursing his machine as my friend's Lanc idled past on cruise setting.
Bombload, even the mossie could carry more bombs than a Fort. Nothing else except the B-29 compares.
Manouverability, the Lanc was actually quite agile for it's size
Range, no problems there.
Versatility, Dambusters anyone?

In terms of tactical support or medium bombers I think that the B-26, B-25 and Ju-88S are the best here.

 

[P38 Pilot]

I think the B17 is the best long range bomber.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree in the fact that I like the B-17 the best but the Lancaster was a better bomber than the B-17 (yes Lanc I said it). However the B-29 was better then both.

The Lancaster could carry a larger bombload than the B-17. However the thing that makes me like the B-17 the best is the fact that it could take so much damn punishment and still get you home.

 

[plan_D]

The Mosquito could not carry more than the B-17. The Mosquito could carry 6000 lbs on a short range mission, the B-17 carried typically 6000 lbs on a long range mission. The B-17 could carry up to 17,600 lbs on a short range mission.

Across the same distances the B-17 would be able to carry more.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

and if the B-17 was the best long range bomber i'll, say the lanc was shit!!

(sorry to by beloved lancaster, i didn't mean it!!)

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Were we talking about the Mossie up there or the Lancaster?

 

[plan_D]

I was replying to this

Bombload, even the mossie could carry more bombs than a Fort.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Oh okay, I guess I got lost there!

 

[mosquitoman]

We're flying Flying Fortresses at 30,000 feet,
We're flying Flying Fortresses at 30,000 feet,
We've bags of point five ammo and a teeny weeny bomb
And we drop the b*stard from so high we don't know where it's gone!

Glory, glory shall we drop it?
Glory, glory shall we drop it?
We've bags of point five ammo and a teeny weeny bomb
And we drop the b*stard from so high we don't know where it's gone!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It is a catchy tune.

 

[MP-Willow]

WEll the B-17 song was interesting, thanks for the post

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

no one else has anything else to say so now everyone's just commenting on the song to gat a post

 

[cheddar cheese]

The Caproni Ca.311 was a great light bomber.

Put your theory to pot hasnt it lanc

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Well it was a light reconnaissance bomber that could carry about 880lbs of bombs. The funny thing about this one is that the British ordered several hundred of them from Italy during the war.

Users Italy, Croatia
Horsepower 2) 470 hp
Range 1,181 miles
Engine (2) 470 hp Piaggio P.VII C 35 radials
Max Speed 217 mph at 13,125 ft.
Max Ceiling 22,965 ft
Bomb Load 882 lbs
Armament Two 7.7mm machine guns in the wings, one flexible 7.7mm machine gun in dorsal turret guns

In the contract finalized during 1/40 for the delivery of some 400 Ca.310 series aircraft to Britain, the Air Ministry included 100 Ca.311 in place of the 200 Ca.210. These aircraft were to be delivered in disassembled form to an airfield near Marseilles, assembled and then flown to Britain. The Germans knew of the order and in 3/40 signaled their approval for the contract to go ahead despite the fact that Germany and Britain were at war. Six weeks later however, the Germans changed their minds and requested the Italian authorities to halt implementation of the order. Faced with this German embargo, Count Caproni (who was anti-German) arranged for the aircraft to be delivered to Britain via a front organization in Portugal, but less than four weeks later Italy entered the war on the German side and all further work ceased on the British order.
http://www.comandosupremo.com/Ca311.html