>>64238012
I think you are underestimating the lutfwaffes ability to resist here. Obviously in the long run they were doomed, but shit like the 2nd Schweinfurt raid was only in October 43, where the americans took unsustainable losses and did little to dent german air craft manufacturing as they has stockpiled ball bearings. Had the allied kept up attacks of that nature with that combination of equipment and strategy they probably would have scrapped strategic bombing, at least on the american side, and left the city bombing to the brits and gone to tactical work, which a lot of voices were pushing for, or they would have folded USAAF into bomber command and burned cities too.

It wasn't until "Big Week" that all the parts came together: attrition, new escorts, fighter sweeps and increased operational tempo allowed them to break the back of the lutwaffe and get on a sustainable trajectory, and even they they got pulled into glorified tactical work for months for D-day, which was actually very effective but pissed off the bomber guys who wanted to hit the oil plants.

And even after all that the raids on the major oil refinery cities during 44 were hugely costly, even with escorts due to the flak which you mentioned.