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The movie treats bomber escort is an absurd manner

posted 7 years ago by Ohio9
4 replies | jump to latest

I love how the movie makes it seem like fighter pilots would routinely abandon bombers they were assigned to guard. Then they treat actually staying with the bombers you are assigned to escort as some sort of revolutionary new tactic that leads to a huge reduction in casualties.

There is nothing exceptional about staying with the bombers you are assigned to guard. That's a basic aspect of air combat that has been around as long as air combat has. Any pilot who deliberately abandons their assigned escort targets would face a court martial once they got back to base.

Far from being a champion of racial equality, the movie ended up making white fighter pilots look like idiots.

[–] chrissso 7 years ago

How about the Red Tails leaving their assignment to cover the landings at Anzio ... to follow a single plane back to an unknown base? Especially when they were under specifics orders to play it by the book. What utter nonsense!

[–] nickm2 7 years ago

Not quite abandoning the mission but...When Gen. Doolittle took over the 8th AF he allowed the fighter groups who were escorting the bombers to change their tactics: instead of sticking with the bombers to & from the target, they would patrol given area waiting to rendezvous with bombers. Their job was to hunt German fighters who came up to attack the bombers--protecting the bombers was a 'secondary consideration'. Naturally bomber crews were incensed, because they felt they were being used 'as bait'.
However that was an 8th AF bomber concern. The 15th often just didnt' have enough long range fighter groups to protect all the bomber stream.

Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?

[–] Ohio9 7 years ago

I had never hear of that. From what I know, the invention of the drop tank enabled P47s and P51s to stay with the bombers all the way to the target. Sure "fighter sweeps" were often sent out in front of bomber formations, but as a general rule, bombers would never be left unguarded by 1944.

[–] nickm2 7 years ago

Well not left alone--but the primary purpose of the fighters was to go forth & kill German fighters-taking off, landing, forming up, on the ground and in the air. The goal was to ground down the Luftwaffe so it could not contest the upcoming landings in France.

Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?