Danny
Ref your post 88, in which you explain your doubts about the viability of low-level bombing with the Vengeance. I'm not a pilot, let alone ex-Vengeance pilot, so I have to be careful not to be too opinionated. Suffice it to say, that while the size of the Vengeance's nose would undoubtedly obstruct the view of the target if the aircraft was flying straight and level, that wouldn't be the case if it dived directly at it, with a straight run. The yellow sighting line could have been used, much as it was during a vertical dive. The tricky bit, presumably, would be the timing of the pull-out and the timing of bomb release. If the bombs were released too early or too late, they obviously would have fallen short or long. So perhaps that critical timing was what 84 Squadron perfected. Looking at Arthur's log book, he mentions trying out the 'new tactic' low-level dive on 29 June '44... citing direct hits on a bridge. There are then a further ten bombing missions, nine of which are low-level, only one is vertical. The results are described as 'accurate', 'very accurate' or 'excellent'. So it seems they were doing something right. Presumably all conventional low-level dive bombers had the problem of aligning the aircraft with the target and releasing the bombs at the right moment. Admittedly these aircraft didn't have the low angle of incidence that caused the Vengeance to 'hang off it's propeller', so maybe they had more time in which align their sights. But perhaps Arthur picked up some useful ideas from these flyers... if he wasn't already on top of the subject.
Re strafing the target, you suggest that 20mm cannon would have been more effective than .303 ball. That's the old debate, isn't it? Cannon with longer-range and punch, .303 with lots more nasty little bits of metal in the air. I daresay that strafing by Vengeances was pretty satisfying for the pilot and gunner, and there was the hope that some of the rounds would find a worthwhile target. As quoted earlier, Arthur did note in his log book that on one occasion AA fire stopped after he strafed during his bombing dive. I think you mentioned that you also strafed with the intention of suppressing AA fire (but got told-off for it!). Anyway... just some guess-work, on my part... can't resist a good debate!
Savimosh
Must have been interesting to chat to these noble players. Would have been interesting to know if my father knew Eric Baldwin or if they shared common memories. Too late to quiz him now, alas. Baldwin served with 110, presumably.