AL Schlageter
Banned
- 220
- Oct 9, 2007
What you, and Bill, forget Udet is that it was Spitfires and P-47s which did the escorting for the first leg of the mission had already engaged the LW fighters over the Low Countries and western Germany. The P-51s, and P-38s, that were to do the relieving flew directly to the rendezvous point. Sure a few LW fighters might engage these P-51s, and P-38s, but most would be on the ground re-arming and re-fueling (basic flight time of the 109 and 190 was 1 hour - one does not cruise at most the economical settings in a combat zone). Don't forget that in early 1944 the 8th AF tactics changed with some escorts flying in front of the bombers to intercept and engage any LW fighters that appeared, and this would be well into Germany.Also you brought up interesting points i too have commented in the past...why not to bounce or intercept P-51 formations before they fly over continental Europe, forcing them to drop their tanks in order to deprive them of one of their essential features: long range.
Germany did not have enough fighters to force all the long range escorts to drop their tanks especially if you have them over France in your 'what if'. From June 1944 there was airfields in France that the escorts could use if they ran short of fuel, and many did.