Why did Second World War bombers so often miss major targets?
Short answerFree-fall bombs were imprecise, and night operations under fighter and anti-aircraft attack made accurate delivery still harder.
NotesRepeated misses do not prove that bomber crews were simply poor shots. Free-fall bombs were inherently imprecise compared with guided weapons. Night conditions made identification and release calculations harder. Fighters and anti-aircraft fire forced crews to maneuver and work under pressure, compounding the technical limits of the weapon.