American Bombers were Slaughtered in 1943

In 1943, the U.S. Army Air Force began flying bomber missions deep into Germany. Bomber Generals thought they didn’t need fighter escorts because their bombers could defend themselves. The Army Air Force had substantial numbers of long-range P-38 fighters but sent them to the Pacific and Africa so they could prove fighter escorts were unneeded. This was a disaster as bombers were slaughtered. The US Army Air Force lost 5,548 heavy bombers during the war and over 50,000 airmen over Europe. The United States 8th Air Force in England lost more men than the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater.
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“The Bomber Mafia”; Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomber_...

“'Black Week': The Darkest Days for the US Army Air Forces”; John Curatola; The National WWII Museum; October 5, 2023; https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war...

“Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission”; Wikipedia;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwein...

“Command Decision”; 1948; https://ok.ru/video/278508866211 ; great movie, but the plot was spun into a lie that bloody bomber missions were needed to prevent the production of far superior German jet fighters. These raids were failed attempts to cripple regular fighter production.

“AIR FORCE STORY, THE -- SCHWEINFURT AND REGENSBURG, AUGUST 1943”; US Army Air Force;    • AIR FORCE STORY, THE -- SCHWEINFURT AND RE...  

“The P 38 Lighting and the Bomber Mafia's Failure In World War Two”; Greg’s Airplanes; YouTube; March 11, 2025;    • The P 38 Lighting and the Bomber Mafia's F...  

Related Tale: “American Military Massacres in Germany”;
   • American Aerial Massacres in Germany  

Related Tale: “American Bombings of Allied Cities in World War II“;
   • American Bombings of Allied Cities in Worl...  

TAGS:
Bomber Mafia
P-38
P-47
P-51
B-17
8th Air Force
Air Force bombing Germany
World War II strategy
Precision bombing
Schweinfurt–Regensburg
Command Decision