my guess would be that they maintained such a low flight speed that fighter escort was made impossible by the lower supported stall speed of the small craft. t

my guess would be that they maintained such a low flight speed that fighter escort was made impossible by the lower supported stall speed of the small craft. there were similar such shenanigans in the US during the 70s, it can be very difficult to intercept a slow bi-plane, for example. You can demonstrate a show of force by buzzing the aircraft, but an escort is nearly impossible.