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darbycmcd -> RE: What would be the result IRL? (2/9/2011 1:16:40 PM)
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But according to
http://www.usaaf.net/digest/t162.htm
Far East AF only lost 37 heavy bombers to enemy ac in all of 42 (from 1797 sorties). So it is difficult to believe that there was some sort of carnage in the sky. As FatR points out, it is possible for high loss rates to occur, but the reality is it just didn't happen that often. FEAF heavy bombers flew 54k combat effective sorties in the war and lost 231 to enemy ac. Of course many (most?) of these are not bombing missions against heavy opposition, but it is still difficult to reconcile reality with the expectations people have of an AVERAGE result being a high kill rate... it just didn't happen in the war.
As PaxMondo points out, there was a mistique about the ruggedness of the B17 that grew that was somewhat overblown, but the Japanese still only shot down a tiny handful of them. You point out the summer of '42 as an example of high losses sustained by the bomber force, but there were only 14 total heavy bomber losses from May to Aug (from ac) from 500 sorties. so a 2% shoot-down rate, which probably was not sustainable for the Americans at this point, it isn't an aerial Verdun either.
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