During the interwar period, the United States Army Air Corps developed a doctrine emphasizing the use of heavily armed bombers capable of overcoming any defensive force an enemy could deploy. This doctrine led to the creation of heavy bombers like the B-17, which was equipped with an impressive arsenal of 11 machine guns for self-defense. The U.S. also held the belief that the key to victory in a war was “precision bombing,” which aimed to cripple the German military’s ability to fight.

The Eighth Air Force became the first operational United States bomber force in Europe. On August 17, 1942, the Eighth Air Force conducted a bombing raid on the Rouen-Sotteville railroad yards in France. By the end of the year, the force had executed 27 missions in France. The targets in France were within the reach of American fighters, enabling the bombers to strike them while receiving protection from escorts. However, the British expressed impatience and believed that American aircraft could be more effectively utilized in nighttime raids, a stance that the United States opposed. Notably, Churchill even remarked, “I note that the Americans have not yet succeeded in dropping a single bomb on Germany.”

During the Casablanca Conference, General Hap Arnold, commander of the US Army Air Corps, requested that Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, commander of the Eighth Air Force, attend Casablanca before Churchill convinced Roosevelt to abandon daylight bombing. Upon meeting Churchill, Arnold explained that valuable time would be wasted if the Eighth Air Force had to train for night bombing. He asserted that the US and Great Britain would benefit from bombing Germany continuously. Consequently, the Casablanca Conference resulted in the decision to implement around-the-clock bombing of Germany.

Three days after the conclusion of the Casablanca Conference, on January 27th, the US Eighth Air Force executed its inaugural daylight raid on Germany. The target was the U-Boat yards at Wilhelmshaven. The initial raid unexpectedly surprised the German forces, resulting in only three US aircraft being damaged. However, as the attacks persisted, losses increased. The German air force subsequently recognized the vulnerability of the B-17 to frontal attacks. On June 13, 1943, 26 of the 102 bombers that successfully reached their target Bremen were shot down, each carrying a crew of ten.

During this period, German air production continued to rise, leading to concerns about the potential German aircraft production to defend their skies. In response, the United States decided to strike deep into Germany, targeting a crucial ball bearing factory and a Messerschmitt plant located in Bavaria. The plan involved both attacks occurring within minutes of each other, leaving no opportunity for the Germans to defend themselves. The attack took place on August 17, 1943. However, weather delays caused delays for both groups, resulting in a disastrous outcome. Sixty bombers were shot down, and another 87 were damaged.

On October 14, 1943, known as Black Thursday, another raid was scheduled against the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt. 291 bombers were dispatched, and 257 successfully penetrated German air space. Of these, 229 reached their target and released their bombs. Sixty planes were shot down, representing 21% of the attacking force, and an additional 17 crashed landed. The high cost of unescorted bombing missions became evident.

On October 22nd, daylight bombing of Germany was suspended. In February 1944, bombing was resumed with the arrival of a significant number of P-51D bombers. These aircraft had operational ranges of 1,300 miles, could fly at 437 miles per hour, and were equipped with six .50 caliber guns. The Germans were surprised to discover that their attacking planes were suddenly being attacked. The American planes were superior and soon defeated the Luftwaffe over the skies of Germany.

Until the conclusion of the war, the Air Corps held the firm belief that its bombing campaigns were the decisive factor in Germany’s defeat. They consistently maintained that their bombs were precisely targeting German industrial facilities. However, it is important to note that precision bombs were not entirely precise, and only 20% of the bombs dropped actually fell within a 1,000-foot radius of their intended target. Despite this, the sheer volume of bombs dropped undoubtedly resulted in the destruction of a significant portion of German industrial resources. Ironically, it was the fighter aircraft that escorted the bombers who ultimately had the most profound impact. The German forces were compelled to attempt to engage the escorting aircraft, but when they did, the American air superiority was effectively established.