soc.history.war.world-war-ii

Bombardier wrote:

>Bombers need range to get to the target. We flew our B-26 Marauders
>at 180mph indicated to get max range. Top speed was not relevant since
>it burned too much fuel to complete the mission. So comparing top
>speeds of bombers to determine which is best has no merit whatever.

No one flew at "top speed" for an entire
mission, but a faster bomber had several
advantages. It was harder to intercept,
and more likely to get away from pursuing
fighters. It was also a more difficult
target for flak, and would be in a given
field for less time.

That's why the Mosquito was highly regarded.
--
| People say "There's a Stradivarius for sale for a |
| million," and you say "Oh, really? What's wrong |
| with it?" - Yitzhak Perlman |