The Mighty Eighth in WWII (Aviation History) by Smith Graham

Author:Smith, Graham [Smith, Graham]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: World War II, second world war, USSAF, Mighty Eighth, airfields, plane, military, aviation, world war 2, HBWQRAF
ISBN: 9781846748080
Publisher: Countryside Books
Published: 2001-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Flight of P-47s of 353rd Fighter Group over Metfield. First Group operation 9th August 1943.

On the 11th, General Spaatz made it quite clear to Doolittle that once the heavy bombers had crossed the enemy coast, he should not recall them on account of weather, only the Air Commander had that authority. Also some rather disturbing news for the Eighth’s airmen arrived from Washington. General Arnold had informed Doolittle that if the Eighth was to win air superiority, its crews would have to complete more missions, twenty-five were considered insufficient to achieve this objective. Arnold also stated that he was in favour of not imposing a minimum number but rather to leave it to the needs of the Eighth to determine when a combat tour was completed. Early in March Doolittle increased the number of missions to thirty, and in the case of fighter pilots two hundred hours of combat flying would no longer automatically constitute a completed tour.

During the following nine days just four bombing operations were mounted, mainly to V1 sites for the loss of only ten bombers. It was almost as if the Eighth was biding its time and bracing itself for Operation Argument, the combined Allied bombing offensive against the German aircraft industry, the plans for which had been finalised back in early November. Since then the weather had not been favourable for such an offensive. Argument had been first mooted in April 1943 by the Combined Operational Planning Committee headed by Brigadier General O.A. Anderson, but its broad objectives had been scaled and narrowed down to fighter airframes and components production along with ball bearings – in reality the German aircraft industry had taken centre stage.

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