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That was against Italy not the Vichy French
In such landings the defender has many advantages, so the attacker can expect to take hits. Losing use of one turret and almost losing a light cruiser come at the lighter end of light losses in the scheme of things.
In such landings the defender has many advantages, so the attacker can expect to take hits. Losing use of one turret and almost losing a light cruiser come at the lighter end of light losses in the scheme of things.
Great information as this captures the entire Operation Torch campaign. I think you'll find that many of the navy aircraft lost (all causes) were due to them not finding their way back to their carriers (USS Ranger as the main player). One of the pilots who had to ditch was Tom Blackburn from VF-17 fame. I think the real combat performance can be gauged if we knew exactly how many aircraft were lost in combat rather than "other causes." At that point we can see if the USN "took a beating."As promised, here are the stats on the naval-air battles between Anglo-American and Vichy air forces in Nov 1942. This is from Mediterrenean Air War Vol III, starting on page 33, with comba stats starting on page 65. I'm only going to list the actual losses on each side, but I'll list the aircraft types which made claims. "Losses" means FTR, MiA, shot down, or crash-landed in target area.
Nov 7 1942
British Victories: Seafire IIc, Albacore I, and Sea Hurricane IIb and IIc, and Wildcat IV made claims.
British Losess: 4 x Albacores, 2 x Hurricane IIb, 3 x Sea Hurricane, 2 x Seafire IIc shot down, + multiple damaged
US Victories: Spitfire V made claims
US Losses: 1 x Spitfire Vb, 9 x C-47 shot down (some of the C-47s crash landed)
French Claims: D.520 made claims
French Losses: 8 x D.520 shot down, 1 x Boston shot down
Nov 8 1942
British Victories: No British aircraft made claims
British Losses: 4 x Hudson II and V (2 apparently shot down by USN Wildcats friendly fire)
US Victories: F4F-4 and SBD-3 made claims
US Losses: 13 x F4F-4, 3 x SBD, (three of the F4F lost actually landed at "Mazagan" and the crew were captured, one turned over during landing)
US Mishaps: 2 x F4F ran out of gas and ditched, 1 x SBD accident, 3 x TBF accidents (all during takeoff)
French Claims: French Hawk75A and D.520 (mainly Hawk 75) made claims
French Losses: 8 x Hawk 75A, 1 x D.520 4 x Martin 167, 1 x Potez 63.11, 5 x D.520 "damaged but pilot safe"
French Mishaps: 1 x Hawk 75, 1 x D.520 lost in accidents
Nov 9 1942
British Victories: No British aircraft made claims
British Losses: 1 x Spitfire PR, 1 x Hudson
US Victories: F4F-4 made claims (7 claims)
US Losses: 3 x F4F-4, 2 x L-4 (one by friendly fire)
US Mishaps: 2 x F4F-4 lost in accidents
French Claims: Gawk 75 made one claim
French Losses: 3 x Hawk 75, 1 x Db-7
Nov 10 1942
British: No claims or losses
US Claims: One claim by an F4F one by a SBD-3 (of a DB-7)
US Losses: 4 x TBF, 6 x Spitfire VB
US Mishaps: 1 x Spitfire, 1 x P-40F crashed on landing
French Claims: No claims
French Losses: 2 x D.520, 1 x Potez 63 (all to flak)
All in all, Shores summarizes the losses on page 88 as:
25 French aircraft shot down + 13 damaged
46 US aircraft "lost to all causes" (25 x F4F-4, 9 x SBD-3, 10 x TBF-1, 1 X OS2U-3, 1 x SOC-1)
My breakdown of the USN planes actually shot down by the French is 16 x F4F, 3 x SBD, 4 x TBF, 1 x L4, 9 x C-47, for 33 lost
On top of that you can add 7 x British fighters and 9 bombers, plus 2 more bombers lost to friendly fire
and 7 x USAAF Spitfires shot down (mostly by flak it seems)
So that's another 23.
Total therefore is 25 French vs. 56 Anglo-American.
All in all I'd say the French gave a good accounting of themselves, despite being heavily outnumbered and probably at least somewhat ambivalent, and flying 1940 vintage aircraft many of which lacked self-sealing tanks etc.. They were obviously well trained pilots.
To the original point, the loss of 19 US bombers, including 9 x SBD in 4 days of moderately intense fighting against year 1940 / Battle of France vintage aircraft isn't all that great IMO and doesn't bode well for fighting against Bf 109F and G and Fw 190 as opposed to Hawk 75s and D.520s. Also German AAA is much more effective and dangerous, can we agree on that?
Great information as this captures the entire Operation Torch campaign. I think you'll find that many of the navy aircraft lost (all causes) were due to them not finding their way back to their carriers (USS Ranger as the main player). One of the pilot who had to ditch was Tom Blackburn from VF-17 fame. I think the real combat performance can be gauged if we knew exactly how many aircraft were lost in combat rather than "other causes." At that point we can see if the USN "took a beating."
10 airman from Air Group 4 were lost.So it wasn't necessarily a super one sided beat down but I would say the air-arm of that navy task force was heavily damaged, if not to say 'reduced' from the four days of fighting, with most of the losses on just 2 days. "Took a beating" is a subjective term but the context was if the SBD was really up to snuff for Europe / MTO.
It is also worth noting that almost all of the American aircrew survived, whereas that was not the case with most of the lost French planes.
10 airman from Air Group 4 were lost.
With that said, if only 4 SBDs were lost in combat, I'd say it did performed well in lieu of the opposition it faced -
Now, over Italy or say over German occupied territory? I'd beckon differently.
No need to scan copies - I believe some of the combat losses and losses to other factors (getting lost/ running out of fuel) were co-mingledRight well, there seems to be some discrepancy with Shores - I quoted what the pages were, if you want I can take photos and upload the scans but I think many other people here have those same books and can check for themselves. Shores says 25 F4Fs "lost to all causes", and in the details I counted 16 shot down. Now some that the French would claim in "aerial combat" the Americans may have claimed were lost to flak or something. That kind of thing isn't unusual.
Same as above - it's doesn't jive with what Air Group 4 reported.All we can say for sure is what the losses were. And of that original contingent of 72, Shores says 46 US aircraft were "lost to all causes" (25 x F4F-4, 9 x SBD-3, 10 x TBF-1, 1 X OS2U-3, 1 x SOC-1). This is on page 88. Not 16.
Blackburn had to ditch and floated in the ocean for almost 3 days - I think the rest of his flight diverted and crash landed - there's 4 or 5 right thereThere were also some F4Fs which after being battle damaged, crash landed on the beach and were captured by the French, but were probably later recovered by the Americans. I am not sure how they counted those.
Saw that as wellThere were also the British fighting, mainly on the 7th, on which day the French lost 8 fighters (and the British lost 7 fighters and 4 Albacores)
USN fighters also apparently shot down 2 x RN Hudsons and 1 x L4.
You can read many things into statements. A landing such as operation Torch, Avalanche or Overlord is decided in the first three or four days. There isnt a stalemate situation where he could return to the US for replacements. At the end of the first day many objectives had been achieved.After meeting with the pilots from his air wing who had been captured, he remarked on the stout defense by the French: 'If this battle had continued at the pace of the first day, I would have had to return to the US for replacements.'
I think a bit of an exaggeration on Capt. Durgin's part but then again he was sitting offshore on the Ranger seeing one side of the battle and probably very concerned that a good portion of his aircraft weren't making it back to the carriers due to non-combat causes.You can read many things into statements. A landing such as operation Torch, Avalanche or Overlord is decided in the first three or four days. There isnt a stalemate situation where he could return to the US for replacements. At the end of the first day many objectives had been achieved.
Maybe not even an exaggeration it is probably completely true, but that is the nature of a landing operation like a battle in the Napoleonic era, you either win or you lose. Also maybe trying to convey how hard it was for his guys in that first 24 hrs.I think a bit of an exaggeration on Capt. Durgin's part but then again he was sitting offshore on the Ranger seeing one side of the battle and probably very concerned that a good portion of his aircraft weren't making it back to the carriers due to non-combat causes.
A former B-17 pilot told me that he went through multi-engine school in AT-6's. Apparently, they didn't have enough twin engine trainers so they put guys through training in AT-6's and figure that they could learn on the job as co-pilots. It would be very interesting to see those guys learning on the job in Mosquitos.That is for sure - looking at crew numbers a B-17 carries ten and includes two pilots.
Mosquito two crew with one pilot. That means you can crew two mossies with 6 left overs from one B-17 crew. One of the B-17 crew would need to be retrained as a Navigator and that would be a problem unless they used the USAAF lead navigator idea to get them on target as then the radio operator can get them home (as often happened in real life)
I would agree with that but the Mosquito bombing at low altitude is far more accurate than the B-17 can ever be.
Flying at altitude until near the target then dropping low gives the Mosquito a large edge. It has a far lower radar signature than a B-17 because the wood structure reflects very little radar signal which makes it harder to find and track.
The Germans had excellent AA and when used against high altitude aircraft the aircraft is in range for a looooong while.
Travelling like a bat out of hell at ground level the aircraft is in range for seconds at most and, in most cases, the AA will not be able to keep a bead on the aircraft.
See above - the unused B-17 copilot is repurposed as Mosquito pilot - yep I know experience level is going to be lower and that will lead to losses but....
And if they are attacking an airfield incendiary cluster bombs and fragmentation bombs will destroy aircraft and fuel dumps and hangars and accommodation/messes etc just as easily as HC bombs.
For the German pilots losing their (often few) comforts would not improve morale.
Looking at that in hindsight is so wrong on many levels. Multi engine training at the primary level was just about non existent during the early stages of the war. As some of our multi-engine pilots on here can attest is the most dangerous thing you're going to learn while training on a twin is engine out procedures, especially during take off. Now jumping from an AT-6 into a B-17 as co-pilot trainee might be do-able but I think real engine out skills will be lost with a four engine aircraft unless you happen to have a double engine failure on the same wing during take off! Compound that with operating a high performance twin with a tail wheel, an accident waiting to happen IMO.A former B-17 pilot told me that he went through multi-engine school in AT-6's. Apparently, they didn't have enough twin engine trainers so they put guys through training in AT-6's and figure that they could learn on the job as co-pilots. It would be very interesting to see those guys learning on the job in Mosquitos.
A former B-17 pilot told me that he went through multi-engine school in AT-6's. Apparently, they didn't have enough twin engine trainers so they put guys through training in AT-6's and figure that they could learn on the job as co-pilots. It would be very interesting to see those guys learning on the job in Mosquitos.