Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

SUMMARY, TRENDS, AND CONCLUSIONS
In contrast, defense technology made great strides during
the war. Flak grew from an ineffective nuisance weapon into a
potent force by 1944. Although AAA could not stop determined
Airmen, it could inflict heavy losses on the flyers, disrupt accuracy,
and, in general, make air operations much more expensive.
The notable antiaircraft successes, such as Allied guns
in the V-1 campaign, German flak defense of the oil targets,
and American defense of the Remagen Bridge, all strongly
support this point. Relative to defensive aircraft, flak proved
inexpensive and very cost effective.
The two major technical advances responsible for the improvement
and success of ground-based air defenses during
World War II were radar and proximity fuzes. Radar stripped
the cloak of surprise and invisibility from aircraft. It provided
detection and warning of attacking aircraft, allowed control of
defensive fighters, and permitted more accurate all-weather,
day/night firing of AAA. Other devices increased the lethality
of flak, none more so than proximity fuzes. Fortunately for the
Allies, only they fielded this device.
As a result, Airmen learned that AAA constituted a dangerous
and powerful force. The World War II experience also proved
that low-level operations in the face of flak were costly because
guns were increasingly effective at lower altitudes. The increasing
lethality of the guns exposed an enduring problem, the
gunner’s difficulty in correctly identifying friend or foe—not
engaging the former and always engaging the latter. Experience
showed numerous instances, however, of friends downed
by friendly fire and gunners letting foes slip by.
To counter ground fire, Airmen adopted tactics that would be
used repeatedly in subsequent air wars. Besides avoiding flak
areas, the flyers took advantage of surprise, the sun, the terrain,
and one-pass attacks. They also employed electronic countermeasures,
specifically, chaff and jammers. Finally, however
Airmen attacked their tormentors, although direct action seldom
proved effective, it usually was expensive. The trade-off of
cheap guns for valuable aircraft made direct attack a high-risk
proposition with low return.
Therefore, during the course of World War II, the balance between
air offense and air defense tilted toward the defense. Yet,
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