soc.history.war.world-war-ii

"Rich Rostrom" wrote in message
news:rrostrom.21stcentury-1DD643.12414112042008@news.isp.giganews.com...
> "Keith Willshaw" wrote:
>
>>"a425couple" wrote in message
>>> USA or UK...> did not often get threatened by large bomber level
>>> formations trying to hit ships)
>>
>>You are kidding right ?
>>
>>There were rather large bomber formations trying to hit
>>British ships in the Med (think Crete, Malta etc) and in the
>>pacific off Okinawa where they fought alongside the USN
>
> But not _level_ bomber formations.

But YES level bomber formations including He-111's
and SM-79's.

Here's an account of an attack on RN ships off Pantalleria


We were operating around Sardinia and Pantelleria; we were continually
swamped by bombs but leapt afloat. We still led a charmed life. The Italian
flyers were much braver than the popular image of the Italians not being
very good in wartime. Forty Savoia SM79 bombers once attacked us. In three
attacks 100 bombs were dropped around Force H. If the wind was in the wrong
direction we had to turn into the wind and often became detached from our
other ships to fly aircraft on and off and to fire our guns. Also, all
torpedo attacks were invariably on us and we needed room for quick changes
of course. We would heel over at alarming angles sometimes and like all
carriers we were a bit top heavy. My action station job was ammunition,
loading for the port side pom poms, known as 'Chicago pianos' because of the
awful din they make. We shot down as Italian bomber and we couldn't stop to
pick them up


> TIRPITZ was attacked by four-engine
> heavy bombers; Allied ships were
> attacked by single-engine dive bombers
> and torpedo bombers. The Germans also
> employed twin-engine medium bombers
> (Ju-88) but these attacked in dives
> or glides, not as level bombers.
>
> The heavies attacking TIRPITZ had
> a very different target profile.
>

They were flying exactly the same profile as did many
Germany and Italian level bombers. The He-111,
FW-200 and DO-17 were not dive bombers

Keith