The VIIC thread

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by oscar19681

Isnt that were they used the destroyers for ?

Um.... nope!?
cant say I ever heard of Destroyers escorting U-boats much, certainly not across hot zones like the Bay of Biscay anyhow..

Back before the S.A.M was invented. surface to air defence (in any form) was only ever going to offer a 'soft counter' to aircraft.
Allied air superioity would have made areas like Biscay a 'no go' for Destoyers even.
In other words you need a bunch of fighters.

Look what the Luftwaffe did to the Royal Navy in the first few weeks of the Battle of Britain... stuka'd the crap out of them - so badly, they had to retreat most of their vessles to the North.(Especially capitals)
After that, the Germans quickly realised that the RAF were the bigger problem and targeted them instead..

Anyway i belive the U-flak was a 'band aid' invention, only really intended as a deterrant, and a rather over-optimistic one at that.