Quote:
Originally Posted by FramerT
Flying at tree-top level until close to the target before climbing to bombing altitude,would'nt that work?
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Yes, but there are many technical problems. One of which is that along the route aircraft routinely abort for mechanical trouble. In early 1943 a squadron of fast B26 bombers approached the Dutch coast completely undetected. Then one aircraft lost a engine. The pilot could not maintain consistent altitude, so he pulled up to avoid hitting the sea. This instantly triggered a alarm of the German AA defenses. This led to the second problem. Bombers at low altitude are extremely vulnerable to small caliber AA weapons. In the case of the B26 raid none of the remaining aircraft made it back to Britian. A 100% loss of those that crossed the Dutch coast. A group of fast LeO45 bombers attempted to interdict the German tank columns in the Ardennes on the 11th & 12 of May 1940. The German light FLACK & MG massacred them with just a few minutes warning.
Another problem is the ammount of training needed for extreme low level flight. Its extremely demanding and losses from miscalculations are significant.
Finally there is the problem of enemy ground observation stations spotting the bombers. Even a crude system like those early in the war were effective. And, a good system could create diasters like the Ploesti raid.
Low level tactics can be usefull under specific circumstances, but they are not suitable for massed bomber attacks.