JDK wrote:
drgondog thanks for that, and I'm most interested in your Dolittle reference.
My Eastern Front reference was simply that was a very important part in the history overall in the destruction of Germany in W.W.II - one we in the west often overlook or underestimate - because it's 'there' not here, and the nature and propaganda of Stalinist Russia. If we simplistically regard the war in the West as a high-technology one, with strategic elements in aviation, the one in the East was relentlessly basic, with no strategic aviation element by either side yet, at an unbelievably higher human cost, that was where Germany was 'broken'.
Despite all the erudite discussion above, we mustn't forget that aviation was not the primary decisive factor in the defeat of Germany, although attrition and air superiority played important parts. It needed allied boots on the ground, in Berlin, to end the war.
In 1939 - and 1941 if you like, there was a pervasive air doctrine that bombing would shatter morale and win a war on its own, that bombers - not fighters - would 'always get through' and that countries with strong bomber forces would prevail - and swiftly. Germany showed that tactical bombing could be a decisive factor in the
Blizkrieg in 1939 and 1940, but had no strategic aspirations there. Despite the claims of British and American bomber chiefs and pundits, bombing was not decisive in Europe on its own. With the use of the atomic bombs in 1945, it was the weapon, un-envisaged by the pre-war bomber-doctrine pundits, which is today credited with 'ending' the war as much as one might debate that, I suggest. One can make a case for the B-29 low-level firebombing raids as being more decisive and breaking Japanese morale, but overshadowed by the two big bombs.
Pre-war they talked of bombers. Postwar, we talk of fighters.
Are we off topic yet?
I agree your points.
On Doolittle - he was razor sharp at ~90 years old then.
One of the 'other topics' was me asking him his rationale for downgrading the Medal of Honor to Distinguished Service Cross for Royce Priest when he landed behind enemy lines under German fire to rescue my father on August 18, 1944 for the first Piggy Back rescue in a P-51.
He said that it was a very tough decision and the reason was simply that he did not want every fighter pilot under his command emulating the rescue - and looked up and later explained and apologised to Priest after the war. Priest told him he was delighted as my father had given him a direct order to take the squadron home and NOT to attempt a landing. Priest told Doolittle he thought he was going to jail (or be shot) for disobeying a direct order in combat!
Ironically 6 weeks later the 355th top ace Henry Brown was downed by flak and Lenfest, another ace flying my fathers 51 got stuck in the mud near Nordlingen trying to rescue him. Al White also lande close by, and was going to give up his Mustang to save the other two but they had run into nearby forest and he took off empty handed.
Doolittle was 'irritated' and made it clear that severe consequences would follow for the 'next attempt'
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