Bombing accuracy

[KraziKanuK]

During the summer of 1944, 47 B-29s raided the Yawata steel works from bases in China; only one plane actually hit the target area, and with only one of its bombs. This single 500 lb general purpose bomb (which hit a powerhouse located 3,700 ft from the far more important coke houses that constituted the raid's aiming point) represented one quarter of one per cent of the 376 bombs dropped over Yawata on that mission.

In the fall of 1944, only seven per cent of all bombs dropped by the Eighth Air Force hit within 1,000ft of their aim point; even a fighter-bomber in a 40 degree dive releasing a bomb at 7,000 ft could have a circular error (CEP) of as much as 1,000 ft. It took 108 B-17 bombers, crewed by 1,080 airmen, dropping 648 bombs to guarantee a 96 per cent chance of getting just two hits inside a 400 by 500 ft area (a German power-generation plant.)


A chart can be found on this site, from which the above was taken.

http://www.freewebs.com/vf7_squadron/ww11casualtiesandhistory.htm

 

[mosquitoman]

And that, ladies and gentleman is why area bombing worked and prescision bombing didn't

 

[Nonskimmer]

Astounding figures, aren't they?

 

[KraziKanuK]

That is one large 'pickel barrel', eh.

"Average % of bombs dropped which fell within 1,000 ft (610 m) and 2,000 ft (306 m) of pre-assigned MPI's on visual missions under conditions of good to fair visibility."

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

wheras if you take a lanc they could hit a small target like a bridge or a dam with ease

 

[DaveB.inVa]

Now lanc... what makes you think that the only reason they hit their target was because they were flying a Lancaster?

 

[cheddar cheese]

They only got hits during that type of mission cos thy flew so damn low...its a diffeernt story altogether at 15,000ft

 

[evangilder]

Yes, dropping iron bombs from high altitude is far from an exact science. I would think that RAF and USAAF percentages were probably very similar at the same altitude.

The big problem with high altitude bombing over Japan was the jet stream that flows over the island. Very difficult to compensate for and that is part of the reason that LeMay went to the low altitude approach. Lower altitude leads to better accuracy.

 

[mosquitoman]

Yes but it's easier to hit a big city containing factories rather than a factory within a big city.

 

[evangilder]

Agreed, especially considering the fact that the bombs were not guided in any way. Plus although the bomb-sights were advanced for their time, they were still not real precise.

 

[mosquitoman]

It's better to have an easy target hit succesfully than a pinpoint target missed

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

They only got hits during that type of mission cos thy flew so damn low...its a diffeernt story altogether at 15,000ft

the minimum safe height for the dropping of a grand slam was 12,000ft, that's not low..........

 

[cheddar cheese]

But with a GrandSlam, why the HELL would you need accuracy?

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

you still had to accurate with a grand slam and they were, very accurate........

 

[cheddar cheese]

The bomb wasnt accurate, the guy aiming it was

 

[mosquitoman]

The Grand Slam bomb wasn't the thing that caused the damage, the shockwaves produced from it exploding was what cause everything to explode around it. That was how upkeep worked aswell

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

actually no that's not the way upkeep worked, due to the backspin placed on the mine (it was a mine, not a bomb as most people say) she "stuck" to the inside face of the dam, when she exploded, she would crack the dam, all the water pressure would then cause the dam to colapse, very clever really.................

and as far as bombs go, the Grand Slam and her family were about as accurate as you could get, they were amoung the very few bombs to be deigned with aerodynamics so much at the forfront, the bomb itself did actually have allot to do with accuracy...........

 

[mosquitoman]

It was the shockwave underwater caused by the explosion that broke the dams. The Tallboy/Grand Slam were so aerodynamic that they passed the speed of sound when dropped- you heard it land after it actually did