D-Day and air power
June 6, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day—the Allied invasion of Normandy. The successful invasion marked the turning point in the Second World War.
From the outset of planning for Operation “Overlord” (the codeword for the Invasion of Normandy), it was recognized that the Allied air forces would have a vital role.
Previous amphibious landings in the Mediterranean Theatre had underlined the fact that “when critical land operations are in progress, army cooperation is not simply a specialized activity of part of an air force. It is the function of the entire force, with all its available strength”. The top allied planners took this to heart when putting together the mountain of details necessary for a successful landing in Occupied France.