 | Bombing accuracy| Aviation Discuss Bombing accuracy in the World War II - Aviation forums; During the summer of 1944, 47 B-29s raided the Yawata steel works from bases in China; only one plane ... |
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03-09-2005, 12:47 PM
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#1 | | Banned
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| Bombing accuracy
During the summer of 1944, 47 B-29s raided the Yawata steel works from bases in China; only one plane actually hit the target area, and with only one of its bombs. This single 500 lb general purpose bomb (which hit a powerhouse located 3,700 ft from the far more important coke houses that constituted the raid’s aiming point) represented one quarter of one per cent of the 376 bombs dropped over Yawata on that mission.
In the fall of 1944, only seven per cent of all bombs dropped by the Eighth Air Force hit within 1,000ft of their aim point; even a fighter-bomber in a 40 degree dive releasing a bomb at 7,000 ft could have a circular error (CEP) of as much as 1,000 ft. It took 108 B-17 bombers, crewed by 1,080 airmen, dropping 648 bombs to guarantee a 96 per cent chance of getting just two hits inside a 400 by 500 ft area (a German power-generation plant.)
A chart can be found on this site, from which the above was taken. http://www.freewebs.com/vf7_squadron...andhistory.htm | 
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03-09-2005, 12:51 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
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Country:  | And that, ladies and gentleman is why area bombing worked and prescision bombing didn't
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03-09-2005, 03:26 PM
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#3 | | He who does not skim
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Country:  | Astounding figures, aren't they? | |
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03-10-2005, 09:40 AM
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#4 | | Banned
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| That is one large 'pickel barrel', eh. :P
"Average % of bombs dropped which fell within 1,000 ft (610 m) and 2,000 ft (306 m) of pre-assigned MPI's on visual missions under conditions of good to fair visibility." | |
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03-10-2005, 03:10 PM
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#5 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Country: | wheras if you take a lanc they could hit a small target like a bridge or a dam with ease 
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03-10-2005, 03:20 PM
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#6 | | Senior Member
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| Now lanc... what makes you think that the only reason they hit their target was because they were flying a Lancaster?
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03-10-2005, 03:21 PM
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#7 | | Konfused with a 'K'
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Country:  | They only got hits during that type of mission cos thy flew so damn low...its a diffeernt story altogether at 15,000ft 
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03-10-2005, 04:04 PM
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#8 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
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Country:  | Yes, dropping iron bombs from high altitude is far from an exact science. I would think that RAF and USAAF percentages were probably very similar at the same altitude.
The big problem with high altitude bombing over Japan was the jet stream that flows over the island. Very difficult to compensate for and that is part of the reason that LeMay went to the low altitude approach. Lower altitude leads to better accuracy.
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03-10-2005, 07:25 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
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Country: | Yes but it's easier to hit a big city containing factories rather than a factory within a big city.
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03-11-2005, 08:14 AM
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#10 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
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Country: | Agreed, especially considering the fact that the bombs were not guided in any way. Plus although the bomb-sights were advanced for their time, they were still not real precise.
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03-11-2005, 08:32 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
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Country: | It's better to have an easy target hit succesfully than a pinpoint target missed
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03-13-2005, 05:10 AM
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#12 | | Master of Ewes
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Country: | Quote: |
They only got hits during that type of mission cos thy flew so damn low...its a diffeernt story altogether at 15,000ft
| the minimum safe height for the dropping of a grand slam was 12,000ft, that's not low..........
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." | |
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03-13-2005, 10:40 AM
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#13 | | Konfused with a 'K'
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Country: | But with a GrandSlam, why the HELL would you need accuracy? 
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03-13-2005, 12:10 PM
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#14 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Country: | you still had to accurate with a grand slam and they were, very accurate........
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." | |
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03-13-2005, 02:46 PM
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#15 | | Konfused with a 'K'
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Country: | The bomb wasnt accurate, the guy aiming it was 
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