Post by kyle on May 4, 2015 14:34:03 GMT -6
Old Pop and I had derailed the Red Baron thread (we're good at that) so I figured I'd continue the conversation here. I'm starting by copying his last post in that thread below:
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I've always asked the question; why didn't the German Luftwaffe build a massive strategic bombing force? As I've already indicated, and correctly, Germany was a continental power centrally located in Europe. Due to that position, it was the army that had the lions share of any rearmament program, and that makes sense. But there were also two other factors; lack of foreign exchange and raw materials; specifically oil. Four engine bombers use a lot of fuel, and Germany did not actually have much, that's why the investment in synthetic fuels. Germany also lacked iron ore imports for steel, rubber, etc. Japan had the same issues.
The lack of a strategic bombing force was never due to doctrine, because most Luftwaffe leaders prior to the war believed, as did the Allied countries in the concept of strategic bombing as the chief mission of an air force. Ask yourself the question; why did the Luftwaffe change its strategy from air supremacy to a direct bombing of London? Most historians believe it was because of the bombing of Berlin. Rubbish; it was because they believed that the best way to bring the English to their knees was with strategic bombing. Sound familiar? What did the Allies do? Same thing, bomb Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg and other major cities. The English bombed areas, not specific targets to destroy German morale. Bombing specific targets requires detailed intelligence but more importantly, finding and hitting those specific targets and hence, the German knickbein blind bombing system and others. Both sides understood the basic problem of find the target and hitting it. It wasn't until recently, with laser guided bombs that the problem was essentially solved.
It was these factors that pushed the German Luftwaffe to become a tactical air force at the beginning of the war. Economic reality placed severe restrictions on the nature and force structure of the Luftwaffe in the prewar period. The Germans always faced the prospect of large land battles, something the Allies really never faced. The German's could never ignore that reality and hence, the Army demands were prime.
I believe that when we consider these issues, they explain why the Luftwaffe appeared to be a tactical air force. Economics and geographical realities forced it to be such a force.
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I've always asked the question; why didn't the German Luftwaffe build a massive strategic bombing force? As I've already indicated, and correctly, Germany was a continental power centrally located in Europe. Due to that position, it was the army that had the lions share of any rearmament program, and that makes sense. But there were also two other factors; lack of foreign exchange and raw materials; specifically oil. Four engine bombers use a lot of fuel, and Germany did not actually have much, that's why the investment in synthetic fuels. Germany also lacked iron ore imports for steel, rubber, etc. Japan had the same issues.
The lack of a strategic bombing force was never due to doctrine, because most Luftwaffe leaders prior to the war believed, as did the Allied countries in the concept of strategic bombing as the chief mission of an air force. Ask yourself the question; why did the Luftwaffe change its strategy from air supremacy to a direct bombing of London? Most historians believe it was because of the bombing of Berlin. Rubbish; it was because they believed that the best way to bring the English to their knees was with strategic bombing. Sound familiar? What did the Allies do? Same thing, bomb Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg and other major cities. The English bombed areas, not specific targets to destroy German morale. Bombing specific targets requires detailed intelligence but more importantly, finding and hitting those specific targets and hence, the German knickbein blind bombing system and others. Both sides understood the basic problem of find the target and hitting it. It wasn't until recently, with laser guided bombs that the problem was essentially solved.
It was these factors that pushed the German Luftwaffe to become a tactical air force at the beginning of the war. Economic reality placed severe restrictions on the nature and force structure of the Luftwaffe in the prewar period. The Germans always faced the prospect of large land battles, something the Allies really never faced. The German's could never ignore that reality and hence, the Army demands were prime.
I believe that when we consider these issues, they explain why the Luftwaffe appeared to be a tactical air force. Economics and geographical realities forced it to be such a force.