22. The Tardiness of Protective Fighters Cost American Bombers Dearly
Seven groups of B-17 heavy bombers with a total of 146 aircraft, led by then-Colonel Curtis E. Lemay, took off for Regensburg on August 17th, 1943. Within just a few minutes after they had crossed the North Sea coast into Europe, they were intercepted by German fighters, which attacked them with ever greater ferocity all the way to Regensburg. Two Allied fighter groups were scheduled to escort them part of the way to their target, but only one of them showed up on time to protect the lead bombers.
The other fighter group showed up fifteen minutes late, and in that interval, Luftwaffe fighters had a clear run to attack the unprotected bombers with abandon. Fifteen B-17s were shot down before the German fighters, low on fuel and out of ammunition, returned to their airfields. The Regensburg force dropped its bombs against light antiaircraft fire and turned south for North Africa. The Germans had not expected that and did little to challenge their escape. So that part of the plan, at least, had worked.