last saturday, following a Tv special about Britisch bombardment flights to Berlin, we were having a discussion at our museum http://www.crash40-45.nl on what were the most dangerous missions. Were they flown by the RAF,under the shield of the dar, which made flying more difficult, without fighter protection, facing German nightfighters and FLAk or by the USAAF in daylight, with both fighter protection and the protection of the other bombers, against the same German fighters and FLAK.
By: kev35 - 29th April 2002 at 19:52
RE: RAF or USAAF
That would be a really difficult question to answer. One way might be to compare losses against sorties flown. This would give a basic idea but I don’t know how you could factor in the strength of the opposition encountered at each target.
From an emotional point of view, RAF or American crews were trained largely for the role of night or day bombing depending on your Air Force. I would imagine the crews all experienced similar levels of an anxiety for each operation. I would imagine it would also be a case of ‘each to their own’. The RAF’s predominant training for night bombing, in large numbers was something the crews became accustomed to and I know several aircrew who were filled with dread at the prospect of carrying out operations in daylight. As for the USAAF, they probably wouldn’t have relished the idea of sending 800 aircraft to Berlin in the dark. I think it was probably a case of ‘better the devil you know.’
Lastly, the random 88mm shell burst did the same amount of damage day or night, especially when radar predicted. I just consider myself fortunate that there were enough brave souls willing to rise to the challenge, thereby ensuring I have the freedom to live in the society I do today.
Regards,
kev35
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April 29, 2002 at 6:06 pm