![]() At this altitude, they are often too high to see or hear, and much too high to hit, but bombing is inaccurate and it may take several attempts to hit a target in a vital spot. This Time, It’s Impersonalĭrone bombing in Ukraine is usually carried out by multicopters hovering several hundred feet above a target. ![]() using rockets, which were less accurate than dive bombing, but did not expose the pilot to the same risks. Air forces switched to less risky tactics, with both the U.S. The idea for these sirens is sometimes credited to Hitler himself.ĭive bombing worked well at the start of WWII, but became more hazardous with increasing numbers of anti-aircraft weapons. This vulnerability was the reason for the distinctive scream of a diving Stuka: it was a defensive measure, produced by sirens known as Jericho Trumpets, to terrify defenders into running or taking cover instead of firing back. But dive bombing fell out of favor and the Stukas lost their sting due to one significant drawback: the technique is extremely dangerous to the pilot, as it exposes them to enemy fire at close range during the dive. The Douglas SBD dive bomber sank more Japanese ships than any other carrier-based aircraft. Getty Imagesīritish and American dive bombers were mainly used in naval war. ![]() It was particularly effective in the German offensives in Poland and France and in the initial campaigns on the Russian front. The aircraft used for this work was the Junkers Ju-87 Sturzkampfflugzeug, or Stuka. Advancing Panzer divisions had the close cooperation of dive bombers to blast away at enemy defenses. The German BZA BombenZielAnlage, or Bomb Target System, assessed the angle of dive, speed, and altitude to help hit an exact spot on the ground.Ī new conception of aerial warfare was demonstrated by the German Luftwaffe in 1939. Nicknamed “flying artillery,” they swept ahead of an armored advance to engage anything on the ground that might slow them down.ĭive bombing precision was assisted by a range of tools from markings on the cockpit canopy showing dive angle to sophisticated analog computers. Dive bombers were an integral part of the German Blitzkrieg. Stukas scored numerous kills on tanks and other vehicles, even hitting moving targets. Skilled Junkers Ju-87 “Stuka” pilots could put their bombs in a 90-foot circle. It’s also far more accurate than level bombing. The pilot lines up the aircraft’s nose with the target during a steep dive, then releases the bomb so it continues to the target while the aircraft peels away. An officer at the Army Air Forces Tactical Center lifts the cover from the highly secret Norden bombsight, America’s unparalleled aerial weapon during WWII.
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