Inevitable: Why the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid Had to Happen

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The Schweinfurt (and Regensburg) raid was a debacle in many ways but it was also inevitable. Since the 1920s, the USAAC/AAF launched itself upon a trajectory that made a mission like this one a given. Let's talk about doctrine, assumptions, and path-dependency.

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Ju 87 Stuka - http://stukabook.com
STG-44 Assault Platoon - http://sturmzug.com
German Panzer Company 1941 - http://www.hdv470-7.com/
Achtung Panzer? Zur Panzerwaffe der Wehrmacht - http://panzerkonferenz.de/

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Sources -
Biddle, Tami Davis; Rhetoric and Reality in Air Warfare: The Evolution of British and American Ideas about Strategic Bombing 1914-1945, Princeton University Press, Princeton: 2002.

Morris, Craig; The Origins of American Strategic Bombing Theory, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis: 2017.

O’Mara, Raymond; Rise of the War Machines: The Birth of Precision Bombing in World War II, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis: 2022.

USAAF, The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces, Bonanza Books, New York, 1988 (Reprint).

Vlaun, Brian; Selling Schweinfurt: Targeting, Assessment, and Marketing in the Air Campaign against Germany, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis: 2020.

Vlaun, Brian; Selling Schweinfurt: Targeting, Assessment, and Marketing in the Air Campaign against Germany, Maxwell AFB: 2017.

Wildenberg, Thomas; Billy Mitchell’s War with the Navy – The Interwar Rivalry Over Air Power, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis: 2013.

Timecodes -
00:00 - Disclaimer
00:10 - Why Schweinfurt? Again.
01:13 - The Rise of Strategic Bombing
05:59 - Schweinfurt: The Natural Conclusion
09:06 - Recommendations
11:08 - Reactions to Schweinfurt
15:45 - Get 25% OFF

Audio -
Music and Sfx from Epidemic Sound