Originally posted by bowser
"...Is parity more important than historical accuracy?...".
Yes. We know who won WWII. Nobody wants to be at a disadvantage. For further information check out the WWII arena in Warbirds.
bowser
Parity is grossly over-rated. Personally, I generally don’t mind being at a disadvantage, which is why you will frequently find me flying an A-20, IL-2 or Ju 88 as a fighter. In the MA, I’ve managed over the course of several tours, to maintain a 4/1 K/D flying the SBD as a fighter. Moreover, if I can do that, just about anyone who cares to learn how to fly the SBD can do it too.
Parity. I believe, is in the eye of the beholder.
Nonetheless, being at a tactical, strategic or performance disadvantage is no big deal, if you maximize what you have available. Parity is secondary to ability and skill. Take a look at the K/D of the Bf 109F-4 vs all four Soviet fighters. 560/427 is the total, or 1.31/1 K/D, with a positive ratio against all four individual types. Yet, the Bf 109F entered service in 1941, essentially an early war fighter. So, although this 109 is at a considerable performance disadvantage, it still dominates the mid and late war Soviet fighters. Apparently, parity is myth. On paper, the Luftwaffe has nothing that can compete on even terms below 10k with the late war Soviet fighters. Yet, flying generally outnumbered, overall the Luftwaffe is beating the Soviets at their own game. Of course, there are individual pilots on both sides who excel.
It’s true that a single Bf 110G-2 can kill a town. But, so can an A-20G. With eight 500 pound bombs and 2,000+ rounds of .50caliber MG ammo, taking down an entire town is easy. Using just bombs alone, you can drop everything but the farm and control tower, which require just one gunnery pass each.
So, with regard to the B-26, the Soviets didn’t have any and really don’t need them other than to go on “ackstar” missions trying to draw fighters into attacking them from the rear. Essentially, anything that can be accomplished by a formation of Marauders, can be accomplished by a single A-20G piloted by someone with the skill to place his bombs exactly where he wants them.
My regards,
Widewing
