While the USAAC concentrated on mass attacks by very large bombers, the U.S. By the early 1930s, the technique was clearly favored in tactical doctrine, notably against targets that would otherwise be too small to hit with level bombers. Marines nevertheless put the system to use in Haiti and Nicaragua.Īs planes grew in strength and load capability, the technique became more valuable.

During 19 they practiced the technique at the Orford Ness Bombing Range, but the aircraft of the day were generally too frail to be able to withstand the acceleration generated when pulling out of the dive after releasing the bombload. The first recorded use of dive bombing was an ad-hoc solution by RAF pilots during World War I. In addition, a dive bomber was extremely vulnerable to ground fire as it dove towards its target. However, on the minus side, optimizing an airplane for near-vertical dive came at the expense of performance. In addition, dive bombing allowed relatively small airplanes carrying limited bombload to inflict disproportionately heavy damage. This also had the advantage of attacking ships at a weak spot armour was the heaviest near the waterline and thin or nonexistent on the deck. Dive bombers were widely used to attack high value targets such as ships and bridges. Additionally, no complicated precision equipment like the American Norden bombsight is needed. This allows a dive bomber to accurately place bombs on relatively small and/or moving targets with relative ease. A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy and limit the exposure to and effectiveness of anti-aircraft fire.ĭiving (nearly) vertically at the target, in the same direction the bombs will take, the aircraft will release the bombs very close to the target at high speed.

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