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08-28-2007, 12:10 AM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 1,381
Country:  | Overall, who had the better bombing campaign of the Third Reich, USAAF or RAF?
Well, I was wondering this question and thought I would ask.
Both Air Forces developed their own techniques.
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"What's the differance, they're all Nazis!"
"Luke, shut up!"
"Fear the hook!"
"Oh.....I wanna fly."
"You mean the kind that go under water and fly up the stairs?"
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08-28-2007, 01:05 AM
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#2 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 28,136
Country:  | Both the RAF and the USAAF did a great job however I have to go with the USAAF.
Several reasons:
1. Strategic Bombing is what is going to win a war not area bombing at night.
2. The USAAF had the ability to better do daytime strategic bombing.
Having said that the RAF did a great job as well and it was the combined effort of the RAF And the USAAF that helped win the war.
__________________  US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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08-28-2007, 03:40 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 1,381
Country: | Rightly said.
I do now that in the early stages, the Eighth Air Force made little bombing gains for the loss of many men. For one, they often didn't destroy the targets well enough. Ploesti Raids, they thought they did great damage, but then they found out they didn't. Or at least, not enough to really shut it down. But it was brave of them fo' sure.
Adler, six years is a long time to be a Crewchief. whew. I can remember what I was doing back in 2000 and after, and it can seem like a long time, but it certainly wasn't as engaging as that.
In 2000, did you have any inkling you would be fighting a war in 3 years?
__________________
"His motor's conked out!"
"What's the differance, they're all Nazis!"
"Luke, shut up!"
"Fear the hook!"
"Oh.....I wanna fly."
"You mean the kind that go under water and fly up the stairs?"
"What you doing? Oh Nooooo!"
Last edited by Soundbreaker Welch? : 08-28-2007 at 03:47 AM.
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08-28-2007, 04:06 AM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 12,018
Country:  | The USAAF used more aircraft for equal or less damage generally; so they weren't as effective per plane than the RAF. But overall the USAAF would have done more damage, it dropped more tonnage.
In any case, they were partners not competitors. And the USAAF offensive would have been useless without the RAF keeping it up at night - and the true is same vice versa.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004  To those in that club. | |
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08-28-2007, 04:38 AM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bucharest
Posts: 771
Country:  | USAAF...even an idiot would realize that...lots of planes...excellent bombers...
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These airplanes we have today are no more than a perfection of a child's toy made of paper."Henri Coanda" | |
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08-28-2007, 08:19 AM
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#6 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 28,136
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by Soundbreaker Welch?  In 2000, did you have any inkling you would be fighting a war in 3 years? | Absolutely not but you train for it and are ready to do your job.
__________________ US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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08-28-2007, 08:28 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Adelaide
Posts: 2,951
Country:  | Quote:
Originally Posted by plan_D In any case, they were partners not competitors. And the USAAF offensive would have been useless without the RAF keeping it up at night - and the true is same vice versa. | Couldn't agree more, without one it would've been alot tougher for the other.
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08-28-2007, 09:42 AM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: oregon
Posts: 1,605
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by plan_D The USAAF used more aircraft for equal or less damage generally; so they weren't as effective per plane than the RAF. But overall the USAAF would have done more damage, it dropped more tonnage.
In any case, they were partners not competitors. And the USAAF offensive would have been useless without the RAF keeping it up at night - and the true is same vice versa. | I've often wondered how much MORE damage to critical industries would have occurred if the RAF shifted most of their ops to daylight from D-Day forward.
Harris seemed suprised that his forces did well post D-Day striking rail and other transportation and logistics centers in France during daylight ops but only dedicated a small percentage of the force. The RAF had an excellent bombsight and their radar bombing was better than USAAF.
By that time German industry had shifted priority to day fighters - there were close to enough fighters to cover RAF in addition to USAAF for medium penetrations to Kassel area, etc and perhaps killed LW faster by doubling the strikes?
RAF probably would have had less attrition in daylight from that point forward also.
All speculation but interesting to contemplate | |
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08-28-2007, 09:55 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Phila, Pa
Posts: 2,013
Country: | In terms of sheer mayhem, I'd give it to the RAF. They all but erased German Cities from the map. So much so that after the war, the inhabitants that were left had to figure out how to rebuild the city from scratch.
In terms of obtaining their objectives, the RAF again but by not as much of a lead. They went after cities and they destroyed cities. They knew what they wanted back in 1941 and by 1945, they were very good at what they did.
The USAAF really didn't know what it was doing until the later part of the war. While the RAF had the strategy worked out by 1941 (and continued to improve the tactics througout the war), the USAAF didn't get around to targeting the oil and communications whole heartedly until 1944. Also, they never really went after the powergrid, which would've stopped Germany in it's tracks.
Not dissing the USAAF, just the RAF knew what it wanted to do, how it was going to do it and it knew it earlier. Made them more effective in the long run. | |
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08-28-2007, 03:09 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 3,001
Country: | Ideally, precision bombing would have been the most effective method but the precision wasn't there (forget about 617 Squadron- they were the best of the best). Razing cities to the ground meant that something big got damaged although "morale" as a target was completely useless.
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08-28-2007, 03:49 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 7,582
| The USSBS stated the long duration night raids did more damage than the short duration daylight attacks.
More time bombing a target meant more time for fires to burn out of control.
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"Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?" | |
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08-28-2007, 05:45 PM
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#12 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 8,565
Country: | the combination was needed both night and day to bomb the Reich 24 - 7
end of story, neither was worse or better, it taxed the German populace the LW in all branches, and the Nazi fool hierarchy to it's limits and absolutely was crucial to the demise of the evil regime for all fronts that it was engaged.
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shhhh ........ es ist ein Geheimnis | |
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08-29-2007, 12:48 AM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Queensland- Australia
Posts: 762
Country: | Hey everyone..... ive been gone for a while..... anyone notice 
one hell of a storm hit us nearly lost our roof... lost power for 61 hours and had to pull about 50 branches from trees off the road and one huge bluegum off our driveway....
anyway agree with enrich seems to be the most sensible..... not meant to offend.....
Just a little footnote... Have heard from several sources that the mozzie could carry the same bombload as a B17.... 4000 Lbs
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08-29-2007, 05:12 AM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 12,018
Country: | The Mosquito could carry the same payload as the B-17 if the B-17 had a long mission and the Mosquito had a short one. If I remember correctly the B-17 could carry 17,600 lbs on a very short mission.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 To those in that club.
Last edited by FLYBOYJ : 08-29-2007 at 08:39 PM.
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08-29-2007, 06:59 AM
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#15 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 28,136
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussie1001 Just a little footnote... Have heard from several sources that the mozzie could carry the same bombload as a B17.... 4000 Lbs | The B-17 could carry way more than 4000lb of bombs. I believe the usual was about 6000lb.
As pD put the Mossie could carry the same as a B-17 over short missions.
__________________ US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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