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Re: RAF and dive-bombing.
Mmmm, Juha.
In your definition does the angle of the aircraft have to be 75 degrees at time of bomb release, because Sutherland started the pull out from 75 degrees before release and counted to three. He would therefore have released at some unknown angle that was less than 75 degrees, which explains the poor accuracy. He did this to ensure the centre-mounted bomb did not hit the propeller. The dive was only his method of tactical target-approach.
The point of my definition was to limit dive-bombing to a technique that delivered bombs accurately and repeatedly on target. Yours does not do so, as you admit, and might be defined as "steep glide-bombing".
I think, however, my definition should be revised to 70 degrees or steeper, since the Luftwaffe, RN, Imperial Japanese Navy and USN all considered 70 degrees as the ideal angle of dive.
In the late 1930s, RAF doctrine, according to Smith, restricted the dive angle to 50 degrees and refused to use the term 'dive-bombing', referring to it as "losing height bombing".
Tony
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