It is hard to control a group of ground forces when the enemy is using a site as a defensive position. Krupp Steel was very heavily involved in the V2 rockets that were used against England in the Battle of Britain. As far as the JDam comment being a bunch of garbage, I would advise you that every building in Schweinfurt housing their ball bearing factories were leveled, not by pin-point accuracy, but by massive bombing.
A five mile radius as you mentioned is a little off the mark, the bombardiers were capable of coming within a half mile at 10,000 ft. altitude in spite of wind, drift, and density. Our artillery was capable of pin-point accuracy up to eight miles after several rounds spent getting on target. The ballistics and quality of our bores would hold the rounds within a five foot circle at eight miles. The variables such as changing wind speed and direction, incoming moisture and cold fronts would cause a parameter to widen but could be overcome in a round or two after adjustments.
Exactly. And it would have happened no matter what the suits in Detroit said--because while the suit in Detroit is thousands of miles away, the Nazi waving a StG44 is hanging around right outside the factory gate.
As far as the air raids on Ford, GM, and Krupp Steel, they were not raided,
Actually, they were. I would suggest reading Jablonsky's "Air War" for more detail; he comments extensively on the ironies of trying to bomb Opel plants and the like.
Whatever wasn't hit, it wasn't for a lack of trying, only a lack of accuracy. Like I said, the CEP for an air raid back in those days was five miles. That might as well be the next time zone unless you're using PGMs or nukes.
but did suffer damage from ground attack forces and artillery. I would imagine the compensation covered this damage.
And air raid damage.
I would advise you that every building in Schweinfurt housing their ball bearing factories were leveled, not by pin-point accuracy, but by massive bombing.
Actually, they weren't.
One of the most-heavily classified documents of the post-WW2 era was the United States Strategic Bombing Survey, or USSBS. The Army Air Force (and the US Air Force) fought like demons to keep it classified. Why? Because the USSBS found that strategic bombing did not work. Take away strategic bombing, and you've taken away the raison d'etre for an independent air force.
A five mile radius as you mentioned is a little off the mark, the bombardiers were capable of coming within a half mile at 10,000 ft. altitude in spite of wind, drift, and density.
As long as the locals weren't shooting at them. That widened the CEP by a factor of ten.