Institutional priorities shaped which aviation roles received support. The Royal Air Force resisted dive bombing because a specialist close-support role risked subordinating it to the Army or Royal Navy and weakening the case for heavy bombers. In the US Navy, dive bombers were initially treated more as scout bombers providing support than as the carrier's primary striking weapon. Early wartime experience showed how difficult torpedo bombers were to bring through defences and recover safely. Dive bombers often delivered the more dependable attack, although a successful torpedo hit could be devastating.
Notable Point · 5:49-6:43
How institutional incentives shaped dive bombing
A dispute over what pre-war games concealed becomes an explanation of how service politics shaped British and American approaches to dive bombing.