D-Day

The first Allied amphibious troops hit the beaches of Normandy at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944. Constant air cover was flown over the vast sea armada and the assault beaches, and only three Luftwaffe airplanes were sighted the first day. For the next several weeks while the Allies strengthened and consolidated their positions on the ground, the U.S. Army Air Forces and the Royal Air Force flew close support for the beachheads, carried in supplies, and bombed and strafed German supply routes to the Normandy area. Even the heavy bombers were used for tactical, rather than their normal strategic, operations to carpet-bomb German frontline areas. The full impact of Allied air power was summed up by the German commander in Normandy in a personal letter to Hitler:

"... there is no way in which we could battle with the all-powerful enemy air forces ... without being forced to surrender territory."

Click on the following links to learn more about D-Day.

Gliders and Paratroops
D-Day Paratrooper Uniform

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Other Resources

D-Day 1944: Air Power Over the Normandy Beaches and Beyond (Provided by AFHSO)

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