ABSTRACT
Thus, the experience of the first few months of war had shown that the claims made for the bomber force had not been matched by actual performance; and so it is pertinent to ask at this juncture whether, in the light of subsequent events in the Second World War, the Air Staff should not have been able to form a clearer picture both of the nature of strategic bombing and of the aircraft and equipment needed to carry it out. The answer to this may be found by asking two specific questions. First, should it have been possible for them to create a more modern and more efficient bomber force in the time allowed and with the resources which were available? And second, in view of the fact that Bomber Command was designed primarily as a day bomber force, could they reasonably have been expected to anticipate the difficulties inherent in daylight operations?
