Dramatic Photos

August 18, 1944 - Airpower

Bx3

"Our P-47s of 56th Group, on an early morning armed reconnaissance, reported 1000 to 1500 enemy vehicles headed north “bumper to bumper” in the Argentan – Trun area and later saw a 1000 enemy vehicles of all types encircled by yellow smoke in the Falaise area. To their disappointment our pilots were told not to attack because they were outside of their area. Most of the good targets were in the area of British responsibility, and RAF’s 2nd Tactical Air Force rolled up one of the biggest scores of the war against a concentration of some 7000 vehicles jamming the roads beyond the old Falaise gap, now only two miles wide. Attacking with rockets, bombs, cannon and machine guns, 2nd TAF’s Spitfires, Typhoons and Mustangs claimed 1159 MT destroyed and 1724 damaged; 124 tanks destroyed and 96 damaged. 15 hundred sorties were flown and 25 aircraft were lost. One of Gen Montgomery’s staff officers announced that the power of resistance of the German 7. Armee in Normandy had been smashed in a day of concentrated air attack." -Unknown US Pilot (European Center of Military History)