Attacking Bombers with Fighter Escort
With American fighter aircraft now providing round trip protection for the bomber formations, German interception tactics were once again modified.
Recalling prior experiences with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, Luftwaffe fighters were deployed in "Big Wings" to engage the enemy en masse. Modified Fw -190's with additional frontal and cockpit armor joined standard Bf-109's in formations of up to 100 aircraft, referred to as Sturmgruppen. The lighter, more agile Bf-109's would occupy the American escorts as waves of Fw-190's, in tightly spaced vee's of a dozen or more, assaulted the bombers.
With American fighter aircraft now providing round trip protection for the bomber formations, German interception tactics were once again modified.
Recalling prior experiences with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, Luftwaffe fighters were deployed in "Big Wings" to engage the enemy en masse. Modified Fw -190's with additional frontal and cockpit armor joined standard Bf-109's in formations of up to 100 aircraft, referred to as Sturmgruppen. The lighter, more agile Bf-109's would occupy the American escorts as waves of Fw-190's, in tightly spaced vee's of a dozen or more, assaulted the bombers.