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you are almost 100% correct but made one small error Bomber Command tried hard to hit the oil production faclities and it was one of the top priorities but they were unable to do it with any precision either in day or night up until 44Actually, I agree with you that the B17 was overrated. It was an older design than the Lanc and it showed by being just on the edge of obsolecence while being used. Too slow, not a large enough payload to do what it had to do. If I had to compare it to the Lanc in terms of being a airplane to haul bombs, I would go with the Lanc. About the only things it had over the Lanc were service ceiling and resilence.
Where the B17 (and B24) beat the Lanc was in mission focus. The Lanc went after cities at it's introduction and never really changed. The 17 and 24 went after several targets before finally focusing on oil/petrol. That created havoc for the Germans. In the end, the Germans ran out of men and fuel.
The Lanc's problem is not the aircraft, it was the way it was used. Night bombing could be effective. But it was not a war winning event that Harris said it would be. That's why I call it over rated.
It wasn't the Lanc's fault, it was the mission.
provided that the radar could discriminate the target which was a major problem but BC had since 1938 identified as its 3 top proirities in war with GermanyNow in reality from August 44 onwards also BC attacked oil targets and during late 44 - early 45 could hit them as accurately as 8th AF, the European winter weather took care of that and the fact that BC was more profilic in blind bombing with radar than USAAF. And according to Speer heavier British bombs made more mess in oil refineries than lighter US bombs and so the refineries hit by BC were more difficult to repair.
Juha
you are almost 100% correct but made one small error Bomber Command tried hard to hit the oil production faclities and it was one of the top priorities but they were unable to do it with any precision either in day or night up until 44
Timshatz. I agree with that. maybe 5th Group CO, Cochrane?, would have been a good successor.
Juha
It would have never been Bennett he was Austrailian and that would not fly in that period. Bennett being a colonial and all . I'm trying to recall the Name of the first colonial RCAF,RAAF,RNZAF that was given command of something larger then a squadron and it didn't occur until mid 42Man, that's a very good question. Problem with arm chair generaling is you are limited in what you know about the personalities and situations existing. What little I know is of the little that is written about the subordinate commanders of BC. Harris has plenty written about him, the others have considerable less.
Probably comes down to Bennett vs Cochrane. Neither were nice people (Bomber Command seemed to have more than it's fair share of abrasive personalities). Just from results, I guess I would go with Cochrane. He did a tremendous job with 5 Group. He was a good 15 years older than Bennet and seemed closer to a Leigh-Mallory type in terms of his character.
A big advantage of the B-17 to contemporaries was the service ceiling. (Making it less vulnerable to flak and more difficult to intercept)
I don't believe anyone from 6 group did either but I'm not sure if or if not Canadians could recieve honours or titles at that period of time . I know they can't nowYeah, Bennett was the only one of the Bomber Group Commanders that didn't get Knighted after the war.
Speaks volumes.
yes thats correct but I believe in late 44 45 they stated the process to use the draftees as replacements only 2500 went overseas and 80 kiaNot suprised if the put to the Canadians. That's the problem with being a colonial. Always of the wrong side of the blood line.
Quick question about Canada during the war. It is my understanding that Canadian citizens didn't have to leave the country during the war if they didn't want to. All the guys overseas were volunteers. While you could be drafted, you couldn't be shipped overseas without your permission.
Is that accurate?
Apologies in advance for the major thread drift.
Yeah, Bennett was the only one of the Bomber Group Commanders that didn't get Knighted after the war.
Speaks volumes.
It would have never been Bennett he was Austrailian and that would not fly in that period. Bennett being a colonial and all . I'm trying to recall the Name of the first colonial RCAF,RAAF,RNZAF that was given command of something larger then a squadron and it didn't occur until mid 42