RAF and dive-bombing.

[Juha]

Hello Tony
First of all, thanks for the answer to my accuracy question!

Here also Fw 190 fighter-bombers succeeded to destroy bridges.

Quote: ” It is my belief that fighter-bombers were not reliable bridge-busters.
But Skua dive-bombers brought down bridges in Norway in 1940 (as well as sinking the Koenigsberg) and Vengeances brought down bridges in Burma, so it is my belief that specialised dive-bombers were reliable bridge-busters.”

Now medium-bombers and fighter bombers were effective in destroying for ex Seine bridges below Paris during summer 44. And if Ju-87s were so effective destroying bridges, when did LW stopped a major Soviet offensive by simply destroying all bridges behind Soviet spearheads and by keeping them down from summer 43 onwards.
Here in Karelia Isthmus LW (both 87s and 190s) helped significantly Finnish defence in Tali-Ihantala by repeatedly knocking out bridges at Tali 23.-29. June 44, but because Soviet construction troops equally stubbornly repaired them every time, LW forgot the bridges and shifted to bomb Soviet troops north and west of Tali after that. Anyway, the periodical closure of the Tali bridges hampered movement of Soviet reinforcements and supply to north and west of Tali and so helped significantly the Finns. And of course the attacks against Soviet troop concentrations during the second week of the battle also helped. One extra reason for LW to shift from bridge-busting to direct support of Finnish troops might well have been that Soviet advance to west opened new bridging sites to Soviets. One disadvantage of Stukas was that they needed at least cloudbase at 2500m or higher to work effectively, so there were days when only fighter bombers could attack (and also Finnish level bombers).

Juha