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Air launched rockets were very successful in WW2 and perfect for shipping strikes. As the paper states there was a lot of river traffic which made ideal targets for rockets.
You could never call the rockets used by Typhoons as a precision weapon but allowing for the ballistic drop was a real skill which could be learned or taught. From accounts after D Day a rocket attack left a tank crew shaken even if they wernt hit directly hit and wiped out any infantry around it, meaning tanks and infantry couldnt work together as they wanted
IndeedNo one is trying to pretend that they were precision weapons. However, they were accurate enough to fire at small ships and would be lethal against river vessels. They were also excellent against targets such as railway lines/trains and if you want to stop transport, then thats what you need.
No one is trying to pretend that they were precision weapons. However, they were accurate enough to fire at small ships and would be lethal against river vessels. They were also excellent against targets such as railway lines/trains and if you want to stop transport, then thats what you need.
Hmm, while I would agree that RPs scared the living daylights out of those on the receiving end, the actual combat effectiveness was far greater than has been supposed. Beevor's work on Overlord demonstrates that the RAF were overclaiming fivefold, if not more, the number of vehicles destroyed and damaged, especially in the Falaise Pocket. I personally believe that the over claiming was driven by the fact that the weapons were inaccurate but created plenty of smoke and chaos, making it easy for a pilot to think he had hit and destroyed the target. Not knocking the pilots, but without proper BDA, it's often impossible to tell how much damage has really been done, and that lesson is reiterated in every account of WW2 air-to-ground combat you read.
I would love to give you a reference but have just realised that I have lent the book to my mum
If the percussion of a battery of RPs going up nearby is causing crews to abandon perfectly serviceable panzers en masse, then you might need to re-evaluate how you measure 'combat effectiveness'.Hmm, while I would agree that RPs scared the living daylights out of those on the receiving end, the actual combat effectiveness was far greater than has been supposed