Q&A · 1:14:37-1:15:12

Would a better bombsight prolong precision bombing?

A better sight could encourage longer reliance on precision bombing even while the operational practices behind an effective campaign remained underdeveloped.

Question

Would access to a better bombsight make the Eighth Air Force persist with precision bombing for longer?

Short answer

It might, though improved sighting equipment would not supply the bombing practices needed to make the campaign effective.

Notes

The follow-up asks whether access to a better bombsight could reinforce the Eighth Air Force's commitment to precision bombing. Better equipment would still leave the practices needed to sustain an effective bombing campaign to be developed. American forces might nevertheless persist with precision bombing for longer. The counterfactual also raises a separate design consequence: access to the Skyraider's engine could influence the larger bombers they tried to build.