32 Close German fighter losses, which had hovered at 30 percent per month during the fall and winter of 1943, spiked in March 1944 to 56. over Germany during a mission in 1943. The Mustang was designed in April. 1, 2007. How do you protect a bomber formation from enemy fighters without your own fighter escort? Put more guns on your bombers. As was common practice throughout World War Two, bomber. The extra range provided by the drop tanks allowed the fighters to escort bomber formations deeper into Germany. These fighters lured the Luftwaffe into dogfights, and by the spring of 1944 they were. The Air Corps became polarized between bomber and pursuit advocates, where the dominant doctrine of employing self–protecting bomber formationsdevalued the role of long–range escort. The USAAF flew nearly 4,000 heavy bomber sorties (one sortie is one airplane flying one mission) and dropped more than 20 million pounds of bombs on industrial and military targets during Big Week. After air engagements to protect the bombers, the P-51s of the 353rd would attack enemy aircraft and ground installations on strafing missions on their way home. But, in the meantime, deep penetration raids into Germany were suspended until February 1944. US Air Force. Supremacy in the air over Western Europe was won only after a long and bitter struggle but by the beginning of 1943 the initiative had, in large measure, passed to the Allied air forces based in Britain. B-2 Technical Details. Throughout 1942 and 1943 German fighter pilots had pretty much steered clear of the Allied fighters, waiting just beyond their effective range and then going after the. In 1942, the US Army Air Force did not have fighters capable of accompanying heavy bombers to the full range of their action. As mentioned, attacking a bomber formation was never a trivial matter, but the Luftwaffe were effective against the unescorted raids of 1943. The tubby three-man bombers had a range of 1,000 miles and could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges in its bomb bay, extra fuel tanks or up to eight rockets under the wing, or a Mark 24. The P-38Hs of the 55th Fighter Group were transferred to the Eighth in England in September 1943, and were joined by the 20th Fighter Group , 364th Fighter Group , and 479th Fighter Group soon after. The subsequent highest priority campaigns were against V-weapon installations (June 1944). The next-generation advance fighter (NGAD) will travel farther and escort the Raiders into Chinese airspace; these new fighters and bombers are the keys to American strategy. An escort fighter needed range long enough to reach the target, loiter over it for the duration of the raid to defend the bombers, and return. S. . Despite the accident, development continued and the first of 13 service test YP-38s flew on Sept. 5:1 maximum ratio for defence advantage. Air Force in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Now able to escort bombers all the way to the Berlin, the Allies launched Operation Argument, known as “Big Week,” in February 1944. Late war with advanced air frames the base light airframe has agility 2. Three fighters were involved in that successful long-range escort, the P-38 Lightning, the P-47 Thunderbolt and the P-51 Mustang. The best of our escort fighters, the P-38 Lightning and the P-47 Thunderbolt, were able to offer protection to American bombers, but their limited range was exploited by the Luftwaffe. The USAAF also discovered that by placing a British Rolls Royce Merlin engine in the North American P-51 Mustang, originally designed as a ground attack fighter-bomber, they could create the optimal long-range escort fighter for air-to-air duels with the Luftwaffe over German territory. Those US designed aircraft were too late to influence 1920s/30s British doctrine regarding the feasibility of long range fighters to escort bombers. These powerplants were mounted to lengthened, streamlined nacelles at each wing, extending some over the leading edges. While reading about bomber losses in the days before long range fighter escort, I began pondering how they could have been protected earlier. The terrible record for. Fighters and Escorts. The long-range P-51 Mustang fighter was. This story tells of the development of the long-range escort fighter culminating in North American Aviation, Inc. 6. However, bomber losses were so high before the introduction of long-range escort fighters, that no B-17s had reached the magic 25 until "Hell's Angels" and then "Memphis Belle" did it. The United States Air Force operates 650 tanker aircraft—the largest aerial refueler fleet on Earth. The United States military said Monday it flew a pair of nuclear-capable B-52 long-distance bombers over the Middle East in a show of force, the latest such. Fighter pilots would often escort the bombers and stay relatively close so as to defend them, but they could also range out and find the Luftwaffe before they had a chance to really engage the bombers. The Bomber Has Other AttributesMore than 900 bombers and over 550 fighter escorts — the largest force ever sent against a single city to date — begin the bombing of Berlin. The escort fights flew until the end of WWII. With a bomber’s range and a fighter’s performance, the. To maximize the amount of escort available to medium- and long-range missions, the Eighth Air Force developed a relay escort system. Boeing 307 Stratoliner. Only when long range fighters (a. By MJY February 22, 2009 in Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg. These 4-propeller destroyers could carry well over 10,000 pounds of bombs, and can travel hundreds of miles without refuelling. The aircraft was very successful in these roles, and the P-51 became one of the most famous fighter aircraft of the Second. The strategic fighter is a fast, heavily armed and long-range type, able to act as an escort fighter protecting bombers, to carry out offensive sorties of its own as a penetration fighter and maintain standing patrols at significant distance from its home base. The Bear intercept is among the most enduring images of the Cold War. The British didnt have any need for a long range escort, the Americans only realised they had a need in 1943. The primary portion of the CBO was directed against Luftwaffe targets which was the highest priority from June 1943 to 1 April 1944. In the daylight raids by the United States Army Air Force squads, had no protection of the fighter escorts like the Royal Air Force squads did. None were even on the drawing board,let alone flying,then. The. The top hat markings represent bomber escort missions. 4 Modern era. Aircraft survival rates greatly improved for the bomber aircraft on missions with. P-47, fighter and fighter-bomber used by the Allied air forces during World War II. As a heavy fighter, the aircraft was outfitted with 2 x 20mm MG 151 cannons along with 2 x 7. Fortunately, US fighter range steadily grew, and with the introduction of drop tanks, American P-38 and P-47 fighters began escorting B-17s and B-24 to targets deeper within the Third Reich. [better source needed]Only about 25 carrier-launched aircraft models were used extensively for combat operations. The B-21 will eventually replace the B-2. So, in the summer of 1943 long range fighter escorts _were not_ a top priority for the USAAF Bomber Mafia. I use multi-role fighters for this task. The Voodoo was destined never to serve in this particular role--it eventually emerged as. The energy maneuverability analysis is used to explain how the fighter gained an air combat advantage over the principal Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. The Bf 110 was conceived as a Zerstörer, a long range escort. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) was an Allied offensive of strategic bombing during World War II in Europe. A PB4Y Privateer carrying a Bat guided bomb. Mosquito-equipped squadrons performed medium bomber, reconnaissance, tactical strike, anti-submarine warfare and shipping attack and night fighter duties, both defensive and offensive. Did anyone else notice that the new Escort fighters have a max range 200 less than a same generation Tac Bomber? And half the range of a Strat? They are, however, longer range than a MR Ftr. The primary NGAD aircraft may not look like a traditional fighter if the Air Force decides that long range and weapons capacity take precedence over maneuverability in future air combat, particularly for the. Mike Tsukamoto/staff; Greg Davis/USAF However, the USAF long-range, high-altitude bombers were still shown to be at the mercy of enemy fighters, resulting in unacceptable B-29 losses as the conflict progressed. The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo twin-engined fighter was originally designed as a long range escort fighter to accompany the bombers of the Strategic Air Command if they were ever called upon to carry out their mission of nuclear strike against the Soviet Union. 7mm or 7. The mastery of these long-range escort missions is Initially intended as a very long-range (VLR) escort fighter, the F-82 was designed to escort Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on missions exceeding 2,000 mi (3,200 km) from the Solomon Islands or Philippines to Tokyo, missions beyond the range of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and conventional P-51 Mustangs. 11, 1939, Lt. Trying to get back to the original premises of this thread, in 1938-39 the British may have figured that any short range daylight bombing that needed escorts could be escorted by the standard RAF fighters. 7 mm) machine guns and one 0. Their heavy losses convinced the Americans that they needed long range escort fighters to protect the bombers, resulting in the Luftwaffe being lured into dogfights. / The War / 'Black Week': The Darkest Days for the… Article 'Black Week': The Darkest Days for the US Army Air Forces In the span of only a few days in October 1943, the US. 1943. With the expanding production of British factories and the advent of more. For what I read the Japanese never had many planes to oppose the US bombers so it may have been an interesting duel. The B-2 has all-altitude capability to penetrate the most sophisticated air defenses in nuclear and conventional missions. / 30°N 178°W / 30; -178. 16, 1940. The wreckage was flying all around us. 3 In US Army Air Force service. Gruppe. long-range bombers built for the high-altitude bombing of Japan. S. It can replace the F-22 and F-18E workhorses of the USAF and the navy. Long-range escort fighters were beginning to arrive in the United Kingdom as two P-38 groups, the 20th and 55th, joined VIII Fighter Command. "It won't need to be based in-theater, it won't need logistical support to hold any target at risk," the secretary said. The XF-85 was intended to protect gigantic B-35 fly-wing and B-36 Peacemaker strategic bombers designed to fly thousands of miles carrying nuclear weapons in their capacious bomb bays. g. 1 Citations. 2 Bibliography. Origins of the Gekko were in a 1938 IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) requirement for a twin-engine heavy fighter suitable for long endurance sorties as escorts for bomber aircraft. The P-51 Mustang was used by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) in a variety of roles, including as a long-range escort fighter and as a bomber destroyer. It was not until the introduction of a long-range fighter that could escort bombers deep into Germany and back, that a daylight strategy became possible. The system was under development in the closing years of World War 2 but was not made ready for service until 1947. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. The mission inflicted heavy damage on the Regensburg target but lost 60 bombers, or 16% of the force, with another 58–95 heavily damaged and a loss of 564. The answer was very difficult. Without long-range fighter escort, the daylight precision-bombing effort could not be maintained. Prior to the introduction of the P-51, Allied fighters could only escort bombers so far because of limited range. For the remaining 200 miles the bombers flew without any fighter protection. The mastery of these long-range escort missions is A long-range escort fighter was needed not only to bring the bombers in and out of Germany, but also to wrestle control of the sky from the German fighters who preyed on the bombers. The P-47 Thunderbolt could not reach inside Germany to escort and protect the B-17 sky arks, and the P-38 Lightning had crippling engine problems. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. result, the P-47 could only escort bombers to the German border. H. The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. By this time, USAAF fighters had the range to escort the bombers all the way to their targets, causing havoc with the Luftwaffe defenders. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber in the ground-attack role. (= 309 US gals internal tankage), add two drop tanks of 110-150 US gals and there is a 400-450 mile. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). As in that mission, the attacking Me-109's and Fw-190's concentrated on the bombers to the practical exclusion of the combined British and U. It was not until the introduction of a long-range fighter that could escort bombers deep into Germany and back, that a daylight strategy became possible. Higher acceptance for risk during developement and use. Developed for export to Britain, models modified by the British to use Rolls-Royce. From mid 1941 until the end of 1942 and early 1943 the Luftwaffe day fighters in the west could pick when to engage, since the amount of damage the raiders could inflict on anything important was minimal, as the 8th Air Force built up it was realised that had to change but the priority for the first half of 1943 was the defence. The 1st daylight bombing mission by a US unit was on 4th July, 1942. the B-21 — originally called the long range strike bomber — to Northrop Grumman in 2015, and the first. In the short term, the Air Force would develop effective long-range piston engine P-47 and P-51 fighters with drop-tanks to accompany the bombers all the way to target. Early escort included the RAF Spitfire and the USAAF P-47 Thunderbolt. An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. When radar equipped, the Mosquito proved to be excellent at night in the interceptor, long range bomber escort and interdiction roles. The two fighter-bombers C-4/B and C-7 were both powered by improved. Those US designed aircraft were too late to influence 1920s/30s British doctrine regarding the feasibility of long range fighters to escort bombers. Its range is over 6,000 miles and can be supplemented by aerial refueling. Design and development. 32 Close German fighter losses, which had hovered at 30 percent per month during the fall and winter of 1943, spiked in March 1944 to 56. Feb. In early 1943 Bomber Command began experimenting with H2S, a British-developed method using radar for terrain mapping that allowed the operators to identify targets by their topographical features. All of these bombers could make around 280 miles per hour, with the British bombers carrying heavier loads (in excess of 12,000) and the American bombers sacrificing bomb load for defensive. These fighters lured the Luftwaffe into dogfights, and by the spring of 1944 they were. Air Force in early March 2019 deployed five B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to the United Kingdom. The stealth bomber costs nearly $700 million per plane, according to the ASPI report cited by Hellyer and Nicholls, which examines various options that could increase the. They would have had to have been flying by 1935/6 at the latest. A strategic fighter is a fast, well-armed and long-range fighter aircraft, capable of fulfilling roles such as that of an escort fighter protecting bombers, a penetration fighter carrying out offensive sorties of its own far into enemy territory, and of maintaining standing combat air patrols at significant distance. A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. External drop tanks turned the Thunderbolt from a short-range interceptor aircraft into a long-range escort and air superiority fighter, enabling it to accompany bombers from the British Isles into Germany and made it possible for heavy bomber formations to undertake daylight raids under escort by North American P-51 Mustangs. The system was designed and flown in a matter of months and made such an impact that it could clearly be considered the war-winning design for the Allies. 10 The Solomons, 1942–44: With the amphibious landing at Guadalcanal in August 1942, Marine aviation was thrust into its most sustained and most important contribution to the Pacific war. The RAF later used radar-equipped versions of the de Havilland Mosquito to protect its bombers during the battle for the night skies over Germany in 1943–45. Lets say for the sake of this scenario, the USAAF decides to give USN fighters a try for long range bomber escort missions over Western Europe. It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional weapons with worldwide precision navigation. Escort fighters changed the prosecution of the war by reducing the large numbers of bomber losses in the daylight strategic bombing campaign into Germany. The AS-16 was a new short range, nuclear armed, air to surface missile. because no long-range fighter aircraft were available to protect the bombers. Meanwhile, bomber losses mounted. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 were the United States' two standard heavy bombers until the arrival of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1944. The de Havilland Mosquito was a British light bomber that served in many roles during and after the Second World War. Skip to content. ” Fighters were the key to turning the air war around. Their longer range made the P-38s the only fighters capable of staying with the bombers on the deep-penetration raids into Germany, and P-38s were the first Allied fighters over Berlin. TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: Six . 5 percent. . The black line represented the course of the bombers, and the red line was the path of the escort fighters. the B-17 Flying Fortress were equipped with lots of machine guns for self-defense against single-seat fighter aircraft. During the summer of 1944, they began flying P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs, including long-range escort missions of bombers deep into Berlin. The 1st daylight bombing mission by a US unit was on 4th July, 1942. The few long-range escort fighters employed were paying high dividends In breaking the attacks of the enemy fighters. Though command of the air. 50in) were on some UK and US aircraft. Incredibly, Liberators are recorded as having dropped over 630,000 tons of bombs, while several thousand enemy aircraft fell to their guns. Oddly enough, if the air combat wiki is accurate at all, the optimal heavy fighter for long range escort is a really strange beast. Now able to escort bombers all the way to the Berlin, the Allies launched Operation Argument, known as “Big Week,” in February 1944. Sub-versions included the C-2 with improved radio equipment. The XF-88 was envisioned as a dedicated interceptor and heavy escort fighter for protection of the USAF's long-range bombers. While the force of US long-range fighters was growing rapidly in 1944, the number of bombers destroyed by enemy aircraft rapidly declined; in fact, much more rapidly than the decline in the number of enemy aircraft attacking. As the bombing campaign climaxed in 1944 and 1945, the USAAF introduced long-range escorts for its bombers. The Eighth simply could not take the high rate of attrition. Back in the United States, American air forces expanded with annual goals for pilot training—jumping from 300 in 1939 to 30,000 by late 1940. The term penetration fighter has been used to describe a long-range fighter aircraft designed to penetrate enemy air defences and attack defensive interceptors. Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, the P-47 quickly gained a reputation for ruggedness. The strength was provided by the long-range escort of P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft outfitted with extra fuel drop tanks. Bombers are vulnerable due to their low speed, large size and poor maneuvrability. 50-cal. Bigger WWII bombers like e. The P-38Hs of the 55th Fighter Group were transferred to the Eighth in England in September 1943, and were joined by the 20th, 364th and 479th Fighter Groups soon after. Besides the two new “loyal wingman” programs of record—one to escort fighters and one for bombers—the Air Force will likely get formally underway on the new Advanced Tactical Trainer, a replacement for the T-38 in the lead-in-fighter/companion trainer role. HONG KONG (Reuters) – On July 21, two U. de Seversky called for long-range fighter escort for attacking bombers. The B-52 is slated. If US bombers were going to bomb by daylight – as American air planners had hoped – they had to do so in formation, depending on one another for much of. The Air Corps' air doctrine envisioned large formations of fast, high-flying B-17 bombers, defending themselves against enemy fighters with their own massed machine-gun fire. The XF-85 was intended to protect gigantic B-35 fly-wing and B-36 Peacemaker strategic bombers designed to fly thousands of miles carrying nuclear weapons in their capacious bomb bays. These Marine fighters and bombers operated under the local naval commander to protect the base from attacks and to detect Japanese naval activity. Standoff munition attacks were followed up by fixed-wing, stealth fighter, and B-2 stealth bombers strikes against C2 targets as. Therefore, this was a bomber similar to the ones used by the US to penetrate deep inside German lines. An hour after dusk on Dec. Escort fighters changed the prosecution of the war by reducing the large numbers of bomber losses in the daylight strategic bombing campaign into Germany. Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4. 62mm (. ) British bomber development, at least to my eyes (I don't have the benefit of air ministry memo's) seems to have been a sort of order everything on the menu. Long range fighter would be able to provide defense for the Malta convoys, and put further pressure on Italian and LW assets once the invasion of Sicily and Italy is planed and beyond. A number of twin-engined heavy fighters with high fuel capacity were designed for escort duties prior to the outbreak of World War II. It was also highly successful as a ground. "Both the P-47 and P-51 were veritable workhorses during the war," Harris said. Engine: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 of 2,430 hp Maximum speed: 433 mph Cruising speed: 350 mph Range:.