Dumb bombs ala WWII are extremely wasteful in many ways. For example, all the WWII tonnage dropped on Germany actually had very little effect on overall war production. (Especially those dropped by the Brits at night, or the blitz the NAZIs inflicted on Britain) You are correct in describing the terror they inspired then, and the psychological effect of the B52 in VietNam.
I’ve read that too, especially about the Schweinfurt raids. It turned out that the ball-bearing machinery was very sturdy and hard to kill without a direct hit. I’ve also heard that a single Strike Eagle with PGMs could do far more damage than a whole squadron of B-17s, since each bomb would be a direct or near-direct hit, instead of dozens or even hundreds of yards away. Direct hits from carpet bombing were more of an accident than a fact.
domination and consequent subjugation is the objective. The military is a sledge hammer, not a scalpel. I understand the need for scalpels but some folks just don't seem to understand the need for sledgehammers. You claim our dumb bombs were wasteful during WW2 yet we walked away triumphant. Look at our track record since we started relying on PGMs. It's appalling. Our "victories" are victories in name only.