FROM:    STEPHEN AMES   (FMVB73A)
SUBJECT: SWOTL GROUP

B17 BOMBER TUTORIAL Part Three: Targets       Segment 1 of 2

There are four distinct phases of a bomber mission:
the Approach to the Initial Point; the Bomb Run; the Escape;
and the Flight Home. But the mission centers around this:
The sole purpose of a bomber is to drop it's bombs on the
target. Planning then, begins with the Bomb Run.
Your job is to destroy as many buildings at the target as
possible. How will you align your flight group? How many
bombers? From what angle will you approach?

To begin, consider the layout of the target, number of
available bombers, and expected opposition. This table on
the next two pages lists the target types, number and size
of buildings, and the orientation that lines up the most
buildings under the flight path of (only) one bomber.

I draw here from CGW 5/92.
    TARGET          LGE   MED   SM   OTHER      ORIENTATION

Ball Bearing Fact.   2     2                     N-S (2L 1M)
Research Site        3     1     1               W-E (3L)
Aircraft Factory     2     1     5               W-E (3S 2L)
Oil Refinary         1     1          8 tanks    W-E (3T 1L)
A/C Engine Fact.     3     3                     N-S (3M)
Munitions Factory    2     1     2               NwSe (2L)
Rail Center          4     4     1               NwSe (2L1M)
Airfield (dogleg                 1    2 hangars  W-E  (2H)
          runway)                     & 4 towers
    TARGET          LGE   MED   SM    OTHER     ORIENTATION
Airfield (L runway)              3   2 hangars   W-E (2H)
                                     4 towers    N-S (3S)
V-1 Site             3     3     1    1 ramp     NwSe (1M2S)
V-2 Site             1     2     3    1 pad      NwSe (1M2S)

One B17 can destroy two large bldgs of a munitions factory,
IF the bombs are properly spaced. Four B17's can destroy
several refinery bldgs by flying line abreast - IF all four
survive to drop their bombs.  V1 & V2 sites, and the line of
hangars at airfields are relatively easy targets to line up.
Here, the combat box formation offers good coverage to the
sides of the flight leader's bombs. But at a refinery, more
builings and tanks will be damaged from the wider "spread"
of bombs from line abreast formation. Swotl unfortunately,
does not allow us to drop from a combat box to line abreast
and back. But line abreast is a defensable formation. It
provides greater protection than the box from less than
perfect rocket attacks. And the major guns (top, belly,
nose, tail) all have clear fields of fire. And the angle
from which the B17's are aligned, the side, is a severe
deflection shot for any attacking aircraft.
Regardless of formation, however, cpu pilots are not very
good at closing up the ranks of lost aircraft.

Segment 2 of Part Three follows this note.
