U.S. Air power and the invastion. Bombers and fighters of the Eight U.S.

U.S. Air power and the invastion. Bombers and fighters of the Eight U.S. Air Force, based in England, flew countless sorties before, during and after "D-Day", June 6, 1944, in tactical and strategic suport of Allied ground froces. By blasting Nazi war plants communication centers, rail cars and defense walls, American planes weakened the Nazis' power to make war. Then, when Allied troops stormed ashore in Normandy, Eight Air Force planes cooperated with the ground forces, coordinating their attacks with the land offensive and paving the way for the armored sweep on Germany. This series of pictures shows how bombs and bullets from the U.S. planes contributed to the Allied advance. Bombs from Eight U.S. Air Force heavy planes burst along the length of a bridge spanning the Loire River at Blois near Orleans, France, June 11, 1944. The American bombers also blasted a military camp near the bridge, which was made impassable to the Nazis attempting to rush reinforcements to the Normandy beachhead area.