![]() ![]() The run was, ideally, carried out into wind as crosswind could have significant effects on the accuracy of bombing once the bombs were dropped. However, an optimum height was sought after as too high would result in poorer visibility of smaller targets, and too low would lead to the target being spotted too late or an increased risk of receiving accurate defensive fire. Cloud base and visibility made the initial height more variable in practice. The standard attack as laid down for Luftwaffe dive bomber pilots flying the Junkers Ju87 was to commence the run in to the target from some 12,000 to 15,000 feet and at a speed of 160 mph. This meant that small, hard targets such as tanks were far more difficult to destroy than softer targets such as trucks, which would be eliminated by a near miss. The faith placed in the accuracy of dive bombing was of note: Luftwaffe dive bomber pilots were expected to drop half of their bombs within 25 metres of the aim point. Also, as heavier aircraft with large bomb loads were not suited to this role, the accuracy which came with dive bombing also brought the penalty of a smaller bomb load – hence, dive bombing was very much a precision attack against selected targets rather than a strategic attack. Furthermore, the stresses on the aircraft on pulling out of the dive were considerable enough to require strengthening of the airframe, resulting in the need for specialized design and manufacture to guarantee a good combination of safety and accuracy. However, the control response needed to actually pull out of the dive meant that particularly heavy aircraft were not able to attempt this maneuver. In theory, if an aircraft were to dive vertically down on top of a target, most of these variables would be eliminated, leading to far greater accuracy. This in turn led to problems with accuracy and the requirement for specialist bombsights to try to calculate a large number of variables involved. The concept was simple – the forward movement of any bombing platform would have a pronounced effect on any bombs dropped, resulting in a forward movement of the bomb rather than a simple vertical drop. Dive bombing had been experimented with on offensive operations as early as the First World War. ![]()
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