[Graham Boak]

The Army did not need a dive bomber, they needed close air support. The dive bomber was seen as an intrinsic part of the successful German CAS, which indeed it was, the RAF were not at the time providing adequate CAS, and the divebomber was a gap in the RAF inventory. QED? Not really. The dive bomber was only one solution to the problem, and its drawbacks have been discussed above (and in the previous thread). The RAF developed its own highly successful methods of CAS, resulting in the Army being unable (or at least unwilling) to advance in its absence.