Quote:
Originally Posted by Avimimus
What is your source for this?
My memory is pretty hazy but I seem to recall fighter pilots getting separated, losing morale, or failing to keep track of the enemy.
Maybe different skill levels? The accounts you were reading involved aces (or pilots who burned through all their ammo without keeping reserves)?
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I’m sure all that happened as a consequence of the fog of war, but no, I was referring to what I had read of fighter pilot accounts. Fuel stores figured more into their choices than ammo stores. Though everyone always wants more ammo.
Allied Intercept points were generally fixed to where the invading force had the least fuel in reserve compared to the defenders arriving, giving the advantage to the defender. Case in point, Battle of Britain. Engagements were short and intense as German fighters were low on fuel, very short time over target, and the RAF had but one goal and that was to destroy as many German aircraft as possible taking full benefit of that fuel advantage to keep the German fighters engaged. In three months and three weeks Britain lost 1542 aircrew and 1744 aircraft.
Another is the Siege of Malta. Here Germany had Air superiority until Summer of 42 and the arrival of the Spitfire. That summer Canadian ace George Beurling shot down 27 enemy aircraft in 14 days under pressing German attacks. But here is the kicker. Med convoy duty out of Malta was so dependent on fuel stores that pilots who stayed too long as escort had no choice but to bail out and hope to be picked up and returned safely to Malta. And Malta was completely dependent on supply by sea for everything including replacement aircraft.
