Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Walker
The Allied attitude to "special purpose" weapons like dive bombers can be seen in the remarks of Major General Davenport Johnson, Director of Military Requirements for the USAAF about the Vengeance: "a shining example of the waste of material, man-power, and time in the production of an airplane which this office has tried to eliminate for several months".
But of course he was brain washed by the evil RAF high command.
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Yes, he was. You've quoted me before with sarcasm, and I let it pass because you were venting, and how boring it would be to correct every misapprehension. Now you've repeated your attempt at ridicule, perhaps it's time to respond lest others are influenced to think you're on to something.
I will quote from Tami Davis Biddle;
"Throughout the interwar years a debate raged inside the US military ......... about the degree to which an air force could and should act independently in war. A desire for greater autonomy naturally inclined the airmen to focus their attention on strategic bombing - a role that promised them greater independence, responsibility, and prestige. Their subordinate status caused them to behave differently from the British, but the differences were, ultimately, more in the realm of official action than in the realm of ideas. RAF leaders defended themselves and Air Corps leaders sought to assert themselves by using similar claims about the possibilities for independent air operations. In both cases, the circumstances caused them to become heavily invested in those claims.
....American airmen ..... were not immune from problematical assumptions, faulty analyses, oversights, and a tendency to make bold, unsubstantiated claims. The latter in particular stemmed from a desire to win greater freedom from the institutional confines of the army."
Thus, as you say, "The Allied attitude to "special purpose" weapons like dive bombers can be seen in the remarks of Major General Davenport Johnson, Director of Military Requirements for the USAAF about the Vengeance: "a shining example of the waste of material, man-power, and time in the production of an airplane which this office has tried to eliminate for several months"".
Bottom line; an Air Corps desperate for independence believed sincerely in the RAF's judgment that a B-29 trumps an A-31. 'Brain washing' was an apt description of the process whereby the Air Corps adopted the Air Ministry's Trenchardist nonsense. By contrast, the VVS and Luftwaffe developed their part in the war-winning all-arms equation by concentrating on specialised CAS equipment.
As for Rudel and the Kanonenvogel, the lesson lies in his success. The RAF had a surplus of fully trained pilots who could have got the best out of the Ju-87G2, whereas the GAF suffered from deteriorating training standards caused by the fuel shortage. So your point is irrelevant to the Allies.
Tony