Quote:
Originally Posted by Oberst
Bill aka drgongog always say how usaaf were always out numbered by the luftwaffe fighters, simply not so. even is the winter/spring of 1944. Just reading JG 11 diary tells me LW always behind the 8 ball vs usaaf heavies & escorts. Other West front JG units same deal.
Kind regards.
|
I say it and I back it up. If you will personally start getiing and reading 8th AF Mission Summaries, spend the time looking at any FG Mission Board for those missions, note the P-47 Group limitations to go to Dummer Lake and return - or pick up returning bombers at Dummer Lake to Meppen - you will note how each long range escort fighter group is spread out to allocate group level resources along individual bomg divisions - each splitting up to branch to each separate target.
Failing to perform the diligence use logic and recall the mix of fighters available to the US 8th AF and further recall range limitations. Once you have grasped the fact that the P-47D short of the -25 (june 1944) was strictly limited to Meppen/Dummer Lake while flying escort, and Brunswick when untehered and flying a sweep. The reflect that even the P-38 could only get to Berlin while flying directly there with no weaving in close escort. Then reflect that only the Mustang could escort over Berlin, Posna, Brux, Schweinfurt and note the ORB for Mustang units in December, 1943 through May 1944
Next step, calculate the spread of Mustangs in coverage along a 100 mile stream inbound, along different target branches which spread the coverage out to one to two long range fighter groups per Division (250-400 bombers in a 30-40 mile trail - and figure out what the coverage/odds were when the controller put 200-250 fighters in a 5 cubic mile volume along the 40 mile trail.
The Luftwaffe controllers massed different Gruppes to attack points lightly defended, and did so successfully.
I don't have any images on photobucket so I can't show you what I mean.
I can upload on aircraft of WWII or armyairforces.com.