Fighters couldn't escort the bombers for the entire trip in '43. They were debating ending daylight bombing missions at that point.
Yeah. It was pretty crazy...they hadn’t come to the conclusion that heavily armed formations of bombers could not stand up to a swarm of determined fighters. (Naval personnel quickly learned early on that determined anti-aircraft weapons were no match for a determined air attack...and they altered their tactics rapidly.)
After those horrible raids on Schweinfurt...they began the big push to get escorts, but men still had to die until they became available.
THAT is war, unfortunately.