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Well,
Not exactly, just wondering how each of the bombers would have faired if the roles were switched, B17-B24 doing the night bombing and the Lancaster-Halifax-Stirling doing the daylight raids...
Would the RAF have swapped the .303 for .50's etc., etc.
I don't doubt itThink that B-17 might have been a good night bomber.
With turboed engines some weight reduction (through MG posts removed) it was well suited to fly high fast, making an elusive target for NachtJagd
Think that B-17 might have been a good night bomber.
With turboed engines some weight reduction (through MG posts removed) it was well suited to fly high fast, making an elusive target for NachtJagd.
Can we just define 'fast' here - I thought we were talking about the B-17Except flying fast and high, at night, is a recipe to miss your target, even an area target
You are assuming the RAF continue to use slow heavy bombers. They could go the Luftwaffe route and build fast bombers like the Do-217 and He-177. A 300 mph bomber (with bomb load) still requires a fighter escort but it's inheritly more survivable then a loaded B-17 or Lancaster cruising over enemy territory at 160 to 180 mph.some of the Lancaster's payload advantage would need to be traded in
I don't doubt it
but fast? It was the slowest of the three. Any weight reduction not immediately taken up with payload would be a bit strange
Except flying fast and high, at night, is a recipe to miss your target, even an area target.
The British typically bombed at 14-18,000 feet during daylight, and 10-17,000 feet at night.
The USAAF typically bombed at 22-28,000 feet during daylight.
I cannot find the thread but somewhere in this forum there was a posting which covered this. A member did a huge breakdown of the heavy bombers missions both by day and night from both the USAAF and the RAF and compared them to the losses.
Going from memory the B17 had a better loss record but the Lancaster and B24 had almost exactly the same loss ratio by both day and night.
If anyone can find this I would appreciate it.