This Thread seems to have gone more 'general' than specific. So, the German Flak defences were very effective. Not so much for the number of aircraft shot down, but what effect they had. For instance, the curtains of fire across Western Germany, which were suicidal to pass through, forced the Americans to go round them, thus carry more fuel and reduce bomb loads to 3,000lbs, if going to Berlin. A British Mosquito, bomber version, could carry 3.000lbs. This came up in WWII, and an American female reporter in Britain observed 'better not let the American public know this'. The 88's were not accurate enough, it was only a matter of feet, so presume the need for 128's and 150's but they were in much smaller numbers.
In the Blitz, the British had plenty of 3.7's but never heard they shot anything down.
Nevertheless, both the British and Americans lost half their bombers and crews of shot down bombers had 50% fatal casualties. WR Chorley in his Bomber Command Losses of WWII records the fate of every single man.
If the Luftwaffe had only to deal with the RAF OR the USAAF they would probably have won.
Roger
305th FlaK Battalion
Moderator: Tom Houlihan
In matter of fact British 3.7s shot down German planes. There is an history of the British AA arm, a thick book, cannot now remember the author (at work now) but one of the topics of Wakefield's Luftwaffe Encore is the attack on the Bristols aircraft factory at Filton on around 25th Sept. 40 (not during the Blitz, I admit) and during it one 3.7 inch battery shot down a He 111 H of the KG 55. The couple other LW losses to British AA which I can give straight off top of my head are AAA kills.
Juha
Juha