Liebchen Wrote:Oh, and as for air strikes, in WWII there was almost no communication between the ground-based spotters and the aircraft. So, if anything, is would be the air strikes that would have to be randomized. (Of course, as with the artillery, this would not be the same as a full payload having an effect across the full square kilometer.)
Actually, this is not true. Colored smoke was used to identify enemy positions so the aircraft would hit the intended target and not the friendly troops engaged on the ground when a ground support air strike was called in.
Some times the smoke would be mis-placed or the enemy would use smoke to confuse the situation. Sometimes the smoke would almost gone when the planes arrived. Many things could go wrong. My understanding from talking to a limited number of WW2 pilots is it was up to the pilot to abort or press on when uncertain the target was identified. I was told that most pilots would abort, rather than shoot friendlies by mistake. All the same, mistakes could and did happen.
The effect may appear random, but it was not.
Dog Soldier
Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.
- Wyatt Earp
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