10. The Americans found precision hard to achieve in combat operations
The earliest American bomber raids in the European Theater of Operations were relatively short missions to targets in France. Railway marshaling yards, shipyards, and submarine docks and pens were the most common targets. The Americans learned that the accuracy of the Norden bombsight was dependent on the skill of the bombardier operating the device. Losses were high, as the bombers fell prey to both Luftwaffe fighters and German anti-aircraft fire. The Americans developed box formations to provide maximum protection from the combined guns of the formation. In early missions, aircraft often dropped back to provide cover for damaged planes; commanders banned such actions.
The squadrons were culled for the best bombardiers, who were assigned to man the bombsights of the lead planes of the group. The remaining bombardiers were instructed to watch the lead plane and release their own bombs when they saw the leader drop. This also helped prevent the other Norden’s from drawing the aircraft too closely together when controlling the airplane, as they were wont to do. Gradually, the American performance improved in 1942 and early 1943, but losses remained high, in both aircraft and men. There was also significant debate over whether the damage done to the Germans was worth the cost being paid by the Allied Air Forces.
