[RodM]

Some in BC couldn't even find the right country to bomb in daylight....

You ask for evidence about BC going back to day bombing.....

That was not realistic given its effect on the career prospects of the decision-makers

Hi,

With regards to the first quotation, there were aircraft of the USAAF (and possibly other RAF Commands) that had the same problem in daylight, even in 1945, so what is your point?

With regards to the second quotation, I was not asking for evidence that BC went back to daylight bombing, I was questioning the validity of your implied statement that BC switched to daylight attacks because they were being 'decimated' at night.

As to the third statement, I would wager that there was more at stake for Britain, both politically and militarily, than just the "career prospects of the decision-makers"...

It's not so much the hypothesis that you are trying to put forward, but the way your frame your arguments that I question - i,e, some emotive statements that, when broken down, don't stand up to scrutiny. If your statements exhibited more objectivity, backed by evidence, then I wouldn't be saying boo...

As a point, a while back, someone posted stats from some book comparing the USAAF against Bomber Command to prove an argument. What was not mentioned is that the stats stacked up the efforts of at least three different USAAF AFs against one RAF Command, and, while implicitly noting the tonnage of incendiaries dropped by BC, failed to give a corresponding figure for the USAAF, thus implying that they didn't drop any.


As to the obsolescence of the Fairy Battle, you have a point but only from a limited perspective. The fact that the aircraft could no longer be effectively used in it's primary role, even at night, and could not be easily converted to another operational role meant that it had become obsolescent (i.e. outmoded, no longer of use). This is irregardless of pre-war doctines or specifications.

Was the Swordfish also obsolescent during the first two years of the war? Maybe from a technical standpoint but not from an operational point-of-view...

Cheers

Rod