When you say that this is entirely realistic which sources are you quoting? I am honestly trying to understand wether it is realistic or not and I am afraid that the topic is grossly oversimplified even on this forum of Experten.
The parameters we should talk about is relative speed, angles off, type of attack and number of attackers/defenders. History says that unescorted bombers went down a lot. Sometimes even the escorted ones.
I have not seen any reliable source saying that all bombers needed to get through unascathed was rear gunners, not I have seen lots of reports that successful attacks could be done from the front arc or from slashing, bringing down a significant number of bombers. The attacker can survive going through a formation that way and these techniques were used against large formations of B-17s, etc. later in the war, but that is all I am aware of.
I have not seen anywhere that the standard doctrine of fighters against bombers was to do frontal attacks or slashing attacks. Again, these attacks were done, but to bring down a medium or heavy bomber one needs a good long burst, if you did not have heavier weapons. Somewhere between these facts and assertions seen on the many forums there is an inconsistency.
What I have read consistently is that bombers in formation present a much more difficult target, that speed of the attack matters, of course, that heavier weapons are necessary (cannons vs. MGs). The standard approach used by the Germans who faced thousands of bombers was to try to break the formation and pick off individual bombers. Otherwise they went in for one quick pass and then go hide in a cloud to avoid the (10:1 superior) escort fighters. When bombers did not have escort fighters losses were very heavy; even the US was getting desperate until longer range fighter escorts (P-51) became available.
So, somewhere in the middle between 1) sit back on the bomber's six and relax while firing and 2) slash through and fire for 1 second there must be a reasonable compromise that reflectsreality. Both situations happened in their appropriate context.
~Uranor
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