WWIII 1946 BOB II Poll suggestion

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/89/a7147389.shtml
By now, the blokes in my detachment were very competent and I was proud of them, but we had to learn new tricks with the "Stiffkey Stick”. This cheap, clever little device costing about 0.1% of the cost of the predictor, got good results, and was fitted to all guns to be used in a mobile role.
On the sight bar, bolted to the top of the gun casing, a vertical steel tube was clamped. At the top, a bar, about 30” long was pivoted in a vertical plane and fitted with hand grips and hand operated levers, like bicycle handlebars. The No 1 stood opposite the loader/firer, on the gun platform and held the ends of the rod with both hands, he lined up the “stick” with the flight of the target and “clicked” the hand lever, once, for every estimated 50 mph.
The tilting of the device and the number of clicks caused the foresights of the layers to move by means of a simple linkage of Bowden cables. All they were required to do was to keep the plane in the centre of their foresight. If the tracer curved in between the target and the gun, the leading hand of No 1 put on further clicks until the tracers were obscured by the target, meaning that the shells were passing in front of the aircraft. Then, by doing nothing, one of the next shells will hit. With this “Woolworth’s” device we became as adept at hitting the drogue as we had been with the predictor.

Apparently this sight unit was considered perfectly usable until jets came along and speeds went above 500mph.

If you're looking for reasons for the RAF to do badly against the VVS but ultimately win, I'd suggest instead of banging on about how many aircraft the VVS had (when most people seem to agree that they couldn't use them) have the RAF handicap itself. It certainly had prior form with this, even during the original Battle of Britain. AVM Leigh-Mallory was tasked with providing air cover to some of the more northern 11 group airfields, and had a habit of taking extra time to assemble a "big wing" so his aircraft outnumbered the Germans. Unfortunately, by the time he did this they'd already bombed the airfield and were on the way home - to the extent that he frequently failed to catch up with them. Rather than being court martialled for incompetence, he was promoted to run 11 group after the battle, while AVM Park (who really won the battle) was packed off to Malta.
Something similar would probably work quite well for your purposes:
- have "Bomber" Harris or his clone obsessed with attacking unsuitable targets, or ones where the RAF takes heavy losses due to the defences.
- have fighter command get obsessed with offensive fighter sweeps over France. Essentially mimic what they did in 1941/42 - this will weaken the RAF and cause next to no damage to the Soviets, just like it did with the Luftwaffe.
- That way when the battle starts, the RAF has been weakened substantially. When they then go on to get a somewhat higher exchange ratio against the Soviets than they did against the Luftwaffe (which is to be expected - their aircraft are relatively better than they were in 1940 and the command & control is immeasurably better), it won't feel contrived.

The problem is that right now it's shaping up to be a complete curbstomp for the RAF - and given how the Soviets seem to be winning everything that just won't flow.
 
If you're looking for reasons for the RAF to do badly against the VVS but ultimately win, I'd suggest instead of banging on about how many aircraft the VVS had (when most people seem to agree that they couldn't use them) have the RAF handicap itself. It certainly had prior form with this, even during the original Battle of Britain. AVM Leigh-Mallory was tasked with providing air cover to some of the more northern 11 group airfields, and had a habit of taking extra time to assemble a "big wing" so his aircraft outnumbered the Germans. Unfortunately, by the time he did this they'd already bombed the airfield and were on the way home - to the extent that he frequently failed to catch up with them. Rather than being court martialled for incompetence, he was promoted to run 11 group after the battle, while AVM Park (who really won the battle) was packed off to Malta.
Something similar would probably work quite well for your purposes:
- have "Bomber" Harris or his clone obsessed with attacking unsuitable targets, or ones where the RAF takes heavy losses due to the defences.
- have fighter command get obsessed with offensive fighter sweeps over France. Essentially mimic what they did in 1941/42 - this will weaken the RAF and cause next to no damage to the Soviets, just like it did with the Luftwaffe.
- That way when the battle starts, the RAF has been weakened substantially. When they then go on to get a somewhat higher exchange ratio against the Soviets than they did against the Luftwaffe (which is to be expected - their aircraft are relatively better than they were in 1940 and the command & control is immeasurably better), it won't feel contrived.

The problem is that right now it's shaping up to be a complete curbstomp for the RAF - and given how the Soviets seem to be winning everything that just won't flow.

Very good suggestions! I like them. I always wanted Leigh-Malory to get his but he died in a plane crash on the way to his next command in 1945. I think we'll go with his henchman Douglas Bader and he will advocate the Big Wing and we will have him concentrating the RAF in a few large areas to facilitate the forming of the BW.

Bomber Harris already had his shot. Tallthinkev wanted to post a kind of fighter sweep. I'll ask him to modify it.

Good positive suggestions pdf27. Thanks.
 
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