In 1943, an agreement was reached to have fighters escort the bombers in the ETO. In 1942, fighters did not escort the bombers and the bombers would have right around a 24% loss rate each flight through loss of flyers: killed, injured, captured, etc. Jan 1943, it was agreed that the 8th would be escorted by fighters that flew with the bombers. That idea failed. The P-47 and the P-38 had to spool up and would be at an extreme disadvantage until they got their speed up to at least 300 mph. Bombers flew right around 170mph.
Right around June 1943, the fighters were set up in relays and would no longer be flying in formation with the bombers. Each flight of fighters would be above and ahead of the bombers for only a short time. The P-47 would begin the journey until it was somewhere above France and then the P-38 would take over on into eastern France and into Germany.
Before this, neither had large drop tanks. But the P-38 received the big 310 gallon tanks and would carry 2 of them. The P-47 would add a large tank centerline.
When the two long ranged fighters reach a certain time escorting the Bombers, they would be relieved and strafe on their way home as both were extremely capable of ground attack. Many times, they would divert to an enemy military air base and destroy as much as they could until they went bingo on fuel. The beginning of the end of the Luftwaffe had begun.
People don't understand that the Merlin Powered Mustang IIs went into production in October and November for the AAF. The ones produced before that (August and September) were sent all to Britain. Britain refused to allow them to escort the 8th AAF bombers during the daytime. It wasn't until right around Dec 1943 that the AAF started receiving the P-51B and C. The P-51B/C was finally up to speed right around Jan 1944. To give you an idea how things were going for the Germans by then, P-38J-25LOs were already escorting bombers all the way to Berlin and then the P-38 would Raise havoc on it's way out since the bombers didn't need a fighter escort going home. The Luftwaffe was already hurt bad by the time the P-51B/C came onto the scene in great numbers. Starting in the middle of 1943, the P-47 and the P-38 had already started to wipe the Luftwaffe off the face of the Earth. The P-51B/C/D just came long to finish the job and allow the P-47 and the P-38 to go to ground attack.
What's sad is, the P-38 and to some extent, the P-47 didn't get the credit. Both of them were fighting when it was an 11-1 against them for fighters. By the time the P-51 arrived, it was closer to a 1 to 1. And both were used for escort bomber duty starting in early 1943. The P-47 and the P-38s were ugly ducklings while the P-51D was the bell of the ball.
There was another problem that affected the P-38 and, to some degree, the p-47. The fuel that Britain had was for the Merlins and other brit engines. They provided an 87 octane fuel. Both the P-38 and the P-47 needed the 100 US Octane fuels. The P-47 knocked a little but operated okay with the lower octane. Meanwhile, the P-38 had to have the higher octane so the Brits came up with an octane booster. The problem with the Booster, at a high altitude and low temperature, it would separate and sometimes make it into the turbosupercharger of the Lightning and the turbosupercharger would detonate. the AAF fought this problem until late 1943 when the US started offering the 100 octane in the ETO. And yes, even the Mustang like that fuel as well as the Spitfires and other Brit Planes. Performance was enhanced all across the board. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe was still running the 87 octane as 100 octane was harder to make. This is why the P-38 was so successful in other arenas and had a bad time in the European Theater (ETO). I am not faulting Britain for the low octane. They had the same problem Germany had and it took much longer and more materials to produce the higher octane and until the US started providing it's fuels to the Brits in the ETO the Brits could not take the time to produce less fuel of better quality.
Pointblank directive
The Pointblank directive authorised the initiation of Operation Pointblank, the code name for the part[2] of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive intended to cripple or destroy the German aircraft fighter strength, thus drawing it away from frontline operations and ensuring it would not be an obstacle to the invasion of Northwest Europe. The Pointblank directive of 14 June 1943 ordered RAF Bomber Command and the U.S. Eighth Air Force to bomb specific targets such as aircraft factories, and the order was confirmed when Allied leaders met at the Quebec Conference in August 1943.
Right around June 1943, the fighters were set up in relays and would no longer be flying in formation with the bombers. Each flight of fighters would be above and ahead of the bombers for only a short time. The P-47 would begin the journey until it was somewhere above France and then the P-38 would take over on into eastern France and into Germany.
Before this, neither had large drop tanks. But the P-38 received the big 310 gallon tanks and would carry 2 of them. The P-47 would add a large tank centerline.
When the two long ranged fighters reach a certain time escorting the Bombers, they would be relieved and strafe on their way home as both were extremely capable of ground attack. Many times, they would divert to an enemy military air base and destroy as much as they could until they went bingo on fuel. The beginning of the end of the Luftwaffe had begun.
People don't understand that the Merlin Powered Mustang IIs went into production in October and November for the AAF. The ones produced before that (August and September) were sent all to Britain. Britain refused to allow them to escort the 8th AAF bombers during the daytime. It wasn't until right around Dec 1943 that the AAF started receiving the P-51B and C. The P-51B/C was finally up to speed right around Jan 1944. To give you an idea how things were going for the Germans by then, P-38J-25LOs were already escorting bombers all the way to Berlin and then the P-38 would Raise havoc on it's way out since the bombers didn't need a fighter escort going home. The Luftwaffe was already hurt bad by the time the P-51B/C came onto the scene in great numbers. Starting in the middle of 1943, the P-47 and the P-38 had already started to wipe the Luftwaffe off the face of the Earth. The P-51B/C/D just came long to finish the job and allow the P-47 and the P-38 to go to ground attack.
What's sad is, the P-38 and to some extent, the P-47 didn't get the credit. Both of them were fighting when it was an 11-1 against them for fighters. By the time the P-51 arrived, it was closer to a 1 to 1. And both were used for escort bomber duty starting in early 1943. The P-47 and the P-38s were ugly ducklings while the P-51D was the bell of the ball.
There was another problem that affected the P-38 and, to some degree, the p-47. The fuel that Britain had was for the Merlins and other brit engines. They provided an 87 octane fuel. Both the P-38 and the P-47 needed the 100 US Octane fuels. The P-47 knocked a little but operated okay with the lower octane. Meanwhile, the P-38 had to have the higher octane so the Brits came up with an octane booster. The problem with the Booster, at a high altitude and low temperature, it would separate and sometimes make it into the turbosupercharger of the Lightning and the turbosupercharger would detonate. the AAF fought this problem until late 1943 when the US started offering the 100 octane in the ETO. And yes, even the Mustang like that fuel as well as the Spitfires and other Brit Planes. Performance was enhanced all across the board. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe was still running the 87 octane as 100 octane was harder to make. This is why the P-38 was so successful in other arenas and had a bad time in the European Theater (ETO). I am not faulting Britain for the low octane. They had the same problem Germany had and it took much longer and more materials to produce the higher octane and until the US started providing it's fuels to the Brits in the ETO the Brits could not take the time to produce less fuel of better quality.
Pointblank directive
The Pointblank directive authorised the initiation of Operation Pointblank, the code name for the part[2] of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive intended to cripple or destroy the German aircraft fighter strength, thus drawing it away from frontline operations and ensuring it would not be an obstacle to the invasion of Northwest Europe. The Pointblank directive of 14 June 1943 ordered RAF Bomber Command and the U.S. Eighth Air Force to bomb specific targets such as aircraft factories, and the order was confirmed when Allied leaders met at the Quebec Conference in August 1943.
