Me 262 should have been used as a bomber?

[Juha]

Hello Graham
sorry, I had to take the twice a week sauna session before answering.
On IL-2 successes on anti-shipping role. I cannot remember how the sinkings by Soviet naval aviation divided between ac types but IIRC Bostons/Havocs were clearly most successful type maybe Il-4s/DB-3Fs second but our Russian friends surely know this better.
My point still is that the 700 kg? armour weight was too much in anti-shipping role. 8 - 12mm armour kept out rifle calibre bullets, maybe halved, one must remember that wings, rear fuselage and tail were unarmoured, the effects of 20mm AAA, and somewhat reduced the effects of 37 - 40mm AAA. But it probably didn't give any meaningful protection against 4" - 5" AA fire, which was the principal AA weapon of naval units. That's my point.