Should the Me262 been used exclusively as a jabo ....

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Franek,

I'm dealing with one or more test reports of the Lotfe bombers' bombing accuracy. I believe it is pointless for you to argue against the facts.

Regards,
Richard

[bearoutwest]

Thank you Gary & Leo for confirming a vague memory of what I'd previously read.

As I understand it, the immediate problem was with the small numbers of jet bombers or jabos (if you prefer) involved, was that it allowed the Allies to swamp them with defensive fire and/or interceptors. This forced the jets to keep their speeds up and reduced their bombing effectiveness. I guess a larger number of jets in each attack would have reduced the ability of the defenses to concentrate their fire; but the jets still would have had to slow down to bomb accurately. Then their effectiveness would have been similar to the hordes of Typhoons and Thunderbolts flying into 20/30/37/40mm flak to attack the tank columns - better accuracy of bomb delivery (I am staying away from any heated discussions on rocket effectiveness) but heavier losses.

The extract from Leo's copy of "Warplanes of the Third Reich" (if reasonably accurate) would indicate that the high speed of the jets allowed for relatively safe approach to and egress from the target area, and appears to have helped in keeping away from the defensive fighters.

The lack of hits on the bridge would summize that high-speed/low-level jet raids got them to the target but didn't make them any more effective in hitting the target. If the Ar 234 raids were from medium-altitudes using the auto-pilot/bomb-site, then their bombing accuracy would also seem to be ineffective.

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Geoff

Thank you for your reply. Here are another pair of excerpts from The Warplanes of the Third Reich that deal briefly with the suitability of the Me 262 as a fighter-bomber.

"Although the externally-mounted bombs reduced the speed of the Me 262 A-2a en route to its target to the extent that it could be intercepted by conventional fighters, the high speeds attained by the Sturmvogel during the diving attack itself enabled it to fulfill its mission in complete Allied air superiority. Bombing results were as accurate as those achieved with the Fw 190, but one disadvantage of the Me 262 A-2a was that its high speed rendered identification of very small targets virtually impossible. The usual practice was to approach the target in level flight until it disappeared from sight under the port or starboard turbojet, and then commence the diving attack."

"Some attempt was made to employ the Me 262 for ground strafing missions but the aircraft was poorly suited for this role. The MK 108 cannon had so low a muzzle velocity that the attack had to be made from an altitude of 1,300 ft. or less for accuracy, and the 360 rounds of ammunition carried were inadequate for the amount of target area that could be covered by a fast-moving Me 262A."

I hope that you find this information interesting as well.

Horrido!

Leo