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Originally Posted by Splitter
I very much agree with the first part of that. If Goering would have made the elimination of the RAF and RADAR the only priorities, things would have at least been much more difficult for the Brits.
Clearly, the Nazis would have had to pay a dear price for air supremacy but it would have been worth it from a strategic point of view, invasion or not.
I do not agree that the Nazi planes were clearly better or that German pilots were clearly better. The front line fighters on both sides were doing their jobs rather well, the Germans were just at a huge disadvantage in that they were near the limit of their range. Plus, the Brits were fighting at home...when they lost a plane they stood a decent chance of getting the pilot back. When the Germans lost a plane, they usually lost a pilot too. But the Germans did have the numbers advantage.
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Splitter, the Me109 was an overall superior machine to the Spitfire, let alone the Hurricane, and this is a fact under a mere mechanical point of view. The DB601 was an advanced engine developed with an aeronautical mindset, and its versatility made it as legendary as the Merlin. The armament choice and displacement was superior as well: don't forget that in 1940 the RAF still used the "Dowding spread", while the Germans achieved valuable experience from the Spanish Civil War in terms of weapons and tactics; same goes for the fighting formations, which demonstrated the learning curve that the Germans had achieved during the pre-ww2 years. The Germans NEVER complained about shortage of planes and/or pilots in 1940, and the veterans were a formidable source of experience and teaching for the new guys.
The real disadvantage was the poor range of the fighters, but that was being dealt with thanks to the installation of external fuel tanks.
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Another disadvantage the Nazis put themselves into was the inferiority of their bombers. Stukas were severely outclassed by the BoB and British planes made mincemeat out of them and other bombers. They never really developed a strategic bomber. If the Nazis had developed better bombers prior to the BoB, again the Brits would have had a much more difficult time of things.
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this is misconception of propaganda. The Ju87 was indeed slow and cumbersome (at least in its early variants), but it provided the ideal weapon for pinpoint accuracy in bombing. The He111 could take hundreds of .303 rounds and fly back, and the Ju88 was a formidable machine. The mistake was strategic again: there was no reason to bomb cities, they should have concentrated on factories, RADARs and RAF bases, and soon they would have achieved an air superiority to protect an invasion spearhead.
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I think arrogance played a huge role in the Nazi "defeat" in the BoB. I think it again came into play with the decision to invade Russia (never a good idea for dictators lol).
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I agree about Goering's arrogance, but the pilots were another game. Many of the "old dogs" hated Goering for his delirious view of the Luftwaffe.
Arrogance had nothing to do with the invasion of Russia, but this is another story..
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BTW, in that post it may seem that I used the terms "Nazi" and "German" almost interchangeably. I try to keep a clear distinction in my head between the Nazi leadership and the German soldiers and civilians. I understand they were not the same and hope everyone else does too. I try to use the proper term when needed, but sometimes the differences are probably not clear. Hope that makes sense.
Splitter
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No worries, we know (or at least I know) you don't mean to offend anyone
SJ