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To what extent did Allied bombing allow for success on June 6th 1944?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by WarFanatic (U2676733) on Monday, 12th December 2005

  State your opinions!
  I believe it had a large success as it hindered German movement to counter the Allied thrust into Normandy. The continual bombardment of bridges and railways, as well as the Germany troops themselves, most certainly allowed the Allies some extra time in which to create a bridgehead into so called 'fortress Europe'. From then on I believe it was the end for Hitler because he was now in his worst dream come true, a war of two fronts.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by DL (U1683040) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  Hi Warfanatic,
  
  If you're talking about the tactical air campaign in Normandy, then it played a massive role in the success of the D-Day landings. The allies had total air supremacy over the battlefield (I think that the Luftwaffe managed to get 4 aircraft off the ground on June 6th-may be incorrect though), where as the allies had literally thousands of Typhoon, Thunderbolt, Mustang and Spitfire aircraft overhead. The effect on the Germans was to say the least decisive.
  
  They simply couldn't move troops up in large numbers without attracting the attention of the Allied Tactical Airforce. Trains, trucks, troop columns, tanks, they were all in constant danger of air attack. The allies introduced the "cab-rank" system, where there was always a group of fighter bombers nearby, awaiting the call to attack a target. As a result, the German forces were reduced to being unable to move on the roads during daylight hours without taking the chance of being destroyed long before they engaged the invading army, and of course, allied air superiority literally wreaked havoc on the Germans at Falaise, where the army was trying to avoid encirclement, and had to retreat through a small corridor which was literally bombed round the clock, with horrific consequences to the Wehrmacht. If you look at German newsreels of the battle for Normandy, every German vehicle is covered in tree branches in an attempt to camouflage it, and almost every vehicle has a "sky-sentry", a trooper watching for the dreaded "Jabos". The effect on morale for the troops must have been awful, and no one, regardless of rank was safe. One of Germany's greatest generals, Rommel, was taken out of the war by an attack by an RAF Spitfire who was literally hunting for German vehicles. The pilot spotted a staff car, and shot it up, wounding Rommel so severely that he was still recovering from his wounds when Hitler forced him to commit suicide. I think this air campaign was key to defeating the Germans in the West.
  
  Cheers
  DL

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• Message 3

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  Posted by Battlegroup (U1908324) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  Hi all,
  I know the Allies had Air Superiority, but why oh why did it not assist Montys army group attacking caen, in operation Goodwood, where 7th armpoured took a battering, as did the PBI.
  any comments
  Bazz
  

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  Posted by jesw1962 (U1726423) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  DL: I agree. Tactical air power can play a huge role in the outcome of a conflict. But, IMO, Strategic Bombng is a waste. In WWII it was a terrible waste of manpower, resources, money, and time.

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  Posted by DL (U1683040) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  Hi battlegroup,
  
  Didn't Monty order a massive preparatory airstrike on Caen, using heavy strategic bombers such as Lancs, rather than tactical air cover? They bombed Caen back to the stone age prior to Goodwood. The result? Lots of convenient ruins to hide in.
  
  If you send in 400+ four-engined big boys to level a town, then your tactical air support is going to be useless. The smoke and dust from the heavy raid will totally blind your fighter bomber crews, they aren't going to be able to see the target let alone hit it. Just guesswork...
  
  I always thought that 7th Armoured took a hammering due to pathetic execution of Goodwood, the whole thing turned into a traffic jam, then they got a bloody nose at Villers Bocage, thought they were up against superior numbers (instead of Wittmann with three Tigers) and pulled back. Goodwood was a flawed plan throughout, typical of Monty's change in attitude from a careful methodical strategic planner, to an almost reckless attitude to offensive operations. He didn't have a good summer that year, what with Goodwood-a total waste of experienced men- and his next cock-up Market-Garden just around the corner.
  
  Cheers
  DL
  
  

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• Message 6

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  Posted by TonyG (U1830405) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  DL: I agree. Tactical air power can play a huge role in the outcome of a conflict. But, IMO, Strategic Bombng is a waste. In WWII it was a terrible waste of manpower, resources, money, and time.Β 
  While I tend to agree, especially as Strategic Bombing, as carried out by the British in particular, is very indiscriminate, the Luftwaffe devoted huge resources to countering the Allied startegic bombing campaign. Adolf Galland, General of Fighters was furious when he carefully built up fighter strength to strike a "Great Blow". His target was the US daylight bombers, but Hitler ordered an attack on allied airfields in northern Europe to try to knock out the tactical air forces. Galland considered this a waste. The Luftwaffe lost too many planes carrying out this attack against well defended airfields. He wanted to strike a crushing blow against the bomber stream.
  
  If the Germans had not been forced by political considerations to defend their own airspace against strategic bombing, the Allied tactical superiority over the D Day landings might not have been so great. Galland wanted to stop the daylight bombing so he could deploy more fighters in a tactical role.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Erik Lindsay (U231970) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  State your opinions!
  I believe it had a large success as it hindered German movement to counter the Allied thrust into Normandy. The continual bombardment of bridges and railways, as well as the Germany troops themselves, most certainly allowed the Allies some extra time in which to create a bridgehead into so called 'fortress Europe'. From then on I believe it was the end for Hitler because he was now in his worst dream come true, a war of two fronts. Β 
  
  The feeling of most military historians is that while the bombing did have some strategic value, it didn't cut the production of military materiel significantly, nor did it discourage the civilian population of either /Germany or Japan. The daylight raids pursued by the USAAF probably were most valuable when the long-range P-51 became available as an escort. I doubt if the fliers who were in the B-17's and B-24's would have appreciated it if they had been aware that they were most effective as 'bait' but that's what they were. When the German fighters rose to tangle with the US bombers and fighters, the stage was set for the biggest aerial battles of all-time, and the result was that the USAAF pretty well wiped out the German fighter arm. That was, I think, the major contribution of the strategic bombing campaign, and that's why the allies had an absolutely fabulous command of the air over the D-Day invasion beaches. It permitted Eisenhower to make, with veracity, the statement to his invading armies (I paraphrase) ''if you see a/c overhead, they will be ours''.

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