Question for those with a much greater knowledge of Bomber Command in World War 2. The German night fighters took a very heavy toll on Allied bombers during the war yet the British knew the location of the airfields and sent over nightfighters to stalk the leaving and returning fighters at these fields. I’m puzzled as to why they didn’t spend a period of time using the bombers themselves to obliterate the airfields and deny them a base to operate from. Was it down to Bomber Harris and his hatred of ‘panacea targets’ or was there more to it?
By: phil103 - 13th October 2014 at 23:17
Thanks for all the replies much appreciated
By: mike currill - 13th October 2014 at 12:36
For much of the war it is doubtful if the RAF could have reliably hit a target as small as an airfield.
Moggy
By all accounts much of the time they were doing well to even hit the right town.
By: Bombgone - 5th October 2014 at 09:47
The problem was if we bombed the airfields they either repaired the damage or moved to another location close by within a couple of days and operational again within a very short time. Most airfields were grass with no concrete runways. As quoted in the Battle of Britain film. Turning on London could be the Germans biggest blunder. Leaving our Airfields alone.
Even with bombing the munitions factories they where back in production in no time. Look at the Dambusters, the dams were repaired in a few months. It is said that bombing of factory’s wasn’t having the effect. So Harris targeted the civilian factory workers by bombing the cities were they lived, there by reducing the work force numbers.
By: D1566 - 5th October 2014 at 08:36
I think that they felt using intruders to hunt the German nightfighters was an effective policy.
By: Moggy C - 5th October 2014 at 08:33
For much of the war it is doubtful if the RAF could have reliably hit a target as small as an airfield.
Moggy
By: AlanR - 5th October 2014 at 07:58
Maybe from the lessons learnt during the Battle of Britain, that it is very difficult to put an airfield out of action ?
He probably thought it a pointless exercise, and a waste of resources ?
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October 5, 2014 at 1:11 am