Mosquito better than B-17?????

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Oh dear, Chiron has opened this tin of worms again....what fun !!

Chiron, the Mosquito was a superb and unique aircraft, in ALL the roles it flew in, it became a LEGEND with the service it performed.....don't let anyone tell you different......

It's probably not fair to compare these two aircraft, the only thing they had in common, was they both carried roughly the same bomb weight into Germany.....

You should perhaps check back into some of the older topic postings, and you will find how this topic on the Mosquito has been ''discussed''....but you can take my word for it, the Mosquito was a dynamic and integral component to Germany's downfall........
 

Attachments

  • raf_487__nz__sqn._-_on_the_hunt..._121.jpg
    16 KB · Views: 334

I agree it was a great plane with a versatile airframe though the individual planes were pretty much limited to the rolls they were built to perform. That in no way tarnishes it's contributions.
 

That was not the problem. The problem was that a ball bearing plant was a very hard target to destroy. The nature of the machinery was that nothing short of a direct hit was going to actually destroy it, and there was no way to tell where within the plant the machinery really was to a sufficent degree to target it. And B-17's could and did carry 2000 lbs bombs on occassion, and a 1000 lbs bomb was pleanty if it hit the machinery (or nearby). Targeting Schwinefurt was a mistake and this was realized and more appropriate targets, such as aircraft factories and fuel production facilities was adopted.

The problem with the idea that Mossies could have done the job the B-17's did is that it fails to consider the German response. Had the Allies concentrated their resources on bombers which had to go low to be effective, the Germans would have responded with better low-altitude interceptors, which are much easier to build. And AA defenses would likewise have been adjusted, and within a relatively short time bomber losses would have been excessive. The whole idea of the US daylight bombing campaign was not only to destroy targets on the ground, but also to destroy the Luftwaffe' by forcing it to engage in a resource hungry fight which German industry could not sustain.

=S=

Lunatic
 
After the 8th had attacked Schweinfurt 16 Oct. 1943, Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production, reviewed the ball-bearing position and found that German Industry, fearing there would be a shortage, had so over-ordered that they had sufficent stocks to last them 6-12 months....

The Schweinfurt raid essentially failed because as soon as their escort left, the Luftwaffe fighters pounced and harassed them there and back....it was significant then, that without a long-range escort, deep-penetration in daylight was suicidal...the 8th withdrew then to regroup.....
 

Attachments

  • raf_487__nz__sqn._-_on_the_hunt..._539.jpg
    16 KB · Views: 293
The B-17G had a 17,600lb bomb load.It also had two 0.5in machine guns in the chin turret, one 0.5in machine gun in each cheek position, two 0.5in trainable machine guns in the dorsal turret, one 0.5in machine gun in roof position, two 0.5in machine guns in the ventral turret, one 0.5in machine gun in each waist position, and two 0.5in trainable machine guns in the tail turret.
 

Attachments

  • b17at10oclock_152.jpg
    39.4 KB · Views: 293
Thats a really pretty pic Bounty
I agree with R G Loony I don,t think you can really compare a heavy bomber with a light bomber different tools for different jobs.
 
i've notised he's done that with many planes now, it's quite good that someone's going round doing that really, anyone new to the subject gets a bitof info on the planes talk about and can participate more in the discussion................
 
The B-17 and Mosquito were equally fantastic. The B-17 was one of the epitomizations of the air raids over Germany in WW2, while the De Havilland Mosquito was a jack of all trades like the Junkers Ju 88, doubling as a light bomber, night figher, fighter-bomber, maritime strike plane, and reconnaissance plane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

G
Better Dambusters
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
GTX
A
How did B-17 and B-24 formations avoid shooting each other?
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
5K
Peter Gunn
S
Italian series 5/6 fighters really better?
Replies
8
Views
1K
GregP
Canadian Mosquito Production Dates
Replies
1
Views
592
Geoffrey Sinclair
G
A
A better Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
wuzak
W
Menu
Log in
Register