The Journey of Flight.pdf - Valkyrie Cadet

Chapter Chapter 4 4 - - - Air Air Air P PPower
P ower Goes Goes Goes to to WW
War W ar
An American B -17
braving anti-aircraft
fire on its way to
Germany.
issued to stop the air raids into Germany. There was no way the Americans could continue to lose
aircraft and personnel at this rate. They simple did not have enough resources to continue at such a
horrific loss rate.
The Americans reconsidered their strategy of unescorted, high-altitude, daylight, precision bombing. It
seemed that Chennault was right. The bomber would not “always get through.” Escorts were needed and the
P-51 Mustang was on the way.
The Americans also decided they needed to change their tactics. They gave strict instructions to
the short-range escorts to stay with the bombers as far as they could. Instead, new instructions allowed
the fighter pilots the freedom to chase enemy fighters and shoot them down.
When the Combined Bomber Offensive
resumed, the fighter escorts were modified
with extra fuel tanks that could drop off. The
drop tanks gave them a longer range, and
allowed the fighters to drop them whenever
the enemy appeared. This way the tanks did
not slow them down in combat.
By the spring of 1944, the drop tanks
were working and the P-51 Mustang had
arrived. The long-range fighter escorts now
allowed bombing activities to resume deep
into Germany.
97
Damaged B-17
returns to base and
unloads injured
crew.
It was the fastest fighter-bomber of WWII. It had two
names, Mosquito and the Wooden Wonder. (EAA)