Quote:
Originally Posted by dragoon500ly
The Strategic Bombing Survey conducted after the war mentioned that the Air Force had some success killing tanks with bombs (but required a direct hit to kill a tank), strafing with .50 caliber, while murder for trucks, simply scratched paint on a tank and the use of aerial rockets was more anti-personnel/anti-vehicle than it was anti-tank. It was generally agreed that the Air Force's greatest impact was in knocking out the logistical tail of the panzers.
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While I agree concerning the infrastructure destruction having the most impact on the front, it's not bombs vs. tanks I was alluding to.
Tactical air (P-47s and Typhoons) using
rockets were devastating to German tanks caught in the open.
I'll grant that using rockets against soft vehicles was much easier, as a near miss was still a kill due to blast and shrapnel. But if pilots could score a direct hit on turret top armor, or especially against the armor over the engine compartment, the tank was effectively out for the rest of the war.