Impact of Allied fighter-bombers

[tcolvin]

Originally Posted by Jon

I still think the Typhoon was the best ground attack aircraft of World War Two with its ability to hit targets hard with cannons bombs and rockets but have the ability to revert back to a fighter should it encounter enemy aircraft. The IL2 although superb at dishing it out apperas to have only been able to lumber along and defend itself by flying low, allowing mutual covering fire from its gunners

Surely the 400mph Typhoon was vulnerable to the 452mph Bf109K, to the 472mph FwTa152C, to the 474 mph Ar335, and to the 541mph Me262. It was another myth, and RAF rationalisation, that the fighter-bomber could revert to being a fighter and defend itself. For a start the RP rails could not be jettisoned.

Pierre Clostermann flew the 440mph Tempest, and said this about the Typhoons' vulnerability in February 1945 in his book 'The Big Show'; "Typhoon formations frequently lost six or seven machines out of twelve in encounters with Fw190s and Bf109s. The Spitfire was powerless. It was to remedy this state of affairs that 122 Wing was sent to Volkel equipped with Tempests. It was a crack unit and on it depended the entire offensive and tactical system of the British front".