tornadoken thanks, as usual for an in depth explanation of the Shorts situation.
That the RAF were baffled for so long by the losses subsequently attributed to Schräge Musik is very odd. During the First World War RFC pilots had used the technique of firing upwards with success against Zepplins. One might have expected a few senior officers to recall that.
The concept of removing all turrets from the 4 engine bomber force was proposed by some junior members of the RAF Operational Research group. (see Freeman Dyson, Disturbing the Universe for more on this). Flying a stripped down Lancaster with a crew of two was viable and the performance advantages might well have kept them clear of most radar equipped nightfighters.
I've read that some Lancasters were initially fitted with a ventral turret but this space was subsequently occupied by the H2S installation. However, German nightfighters were frequently equipped with an H2S detector called Naxos. And there was a tail mounted version to give warning of Mosquitoes equipped with AI Mk4 which operated on the same band.
Bolting kit on, rather than removing it, seems to have been Bomber Command's preferred remedy. Perhaps persuaded, I wonder, by an industry that would sooner add more bits than build a lighter, cheaper plane in the first place.
That after the war the policy of flying high and fast with the unarmed V-Bombers and the Canberra seems to show the wisdom of those Operational Researchers who were ignored in war time.