Dive bombing formed one part of a combined attack problem. Torpedoes offered the underwater damage needed to defeat heavily protected battleships, but a torpedo bomber had to hold a predictable, level approach while lining up and releasing its weapon. That exposure made it vulnerable to fighters and anti-aircraft fire. US officers therefore considered dive bombers a way to distract or suppress defenses so the torpedo aircraft could get through. This combined-arms thinking appeared in 1923-24, before USS Langley and its aircraft could fully deliver the performance imagined in games.
Notable Point · 21:02-24:29
Dive bombers help torpedo aircraft reach battleships
Early US carrier doctrine pairs dive bombing with torpedo attack because slow, straight-running torpedo aircraft need enemy defenses disrupted before they can strike armored ships.