During WWII was there any attempt by either side the type of "precision bombing" that we would see later in the 20th century? i.e a fighter-bomber dive bombing a single factory or other strategic target.

by Nordic_ned
YuaIsLife

Mostly on the British side, I consider Operation Catechism (RAF operations to sink the German battleship Tirpitz ) and Operation Chastise (popularly known as the Dambusters' Raid) to be precision bombing mission aimed to destroy very specific, and somewhat hard-to-hit target/s.

In Operation Catechism, the challenge was to have bombs that could penetrate the rather thick turtleback deck armor that the Tirpitz had. So, the RAF had to basically invent penetrator bombs which had thick bombshell skins designed to penetrate deep, which were then dropped with unprecedented precision. This is completely opposite to then regular RAF bomb design which was essentially an oversized can of beer stuffed with explosives. Though these raids were essentially carried out by heavy bombers, they were the only aircraft then capable of carrying out these precise attacks.

If you consider more the "fighter-bomber" requirement of the precision bombing, F4U Corsairs of the US Navy essentially were the more mobile equivalent of artillery support in the Pacific theater, with them being used to destroy bunker emplacements, anti-air nests and other specific targets from Palau, to Iwo Jima, and even up to the battles in Okinawa, plus providing cover support for landings in the Philippine campaign.