Een Boeing 'B-17 Fortress II' ('Vliegende Forten') bommenwerper. 'U.S. air power and the invasion.

Een Boeing 'B-17 Fortress II' ('Vliegende Forten') bommenwerper. 'U.S. air power and the invasion. 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 strategie support of Allied ground forces. 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. plane contributed to the Allied advance. A U.S. B-17 Flying Fortress roars over the beach area near Boulogne during one of the raids designed to confuse the Germans as to the location of prosprective Allied landings in France. This raid on Boulogne beaches was carried out June 5, 1944, the day before 'D-Day'. A few hours before Allied troops swarmed ashore in Normandy, Eight U.S. Air Force planes further misled the enemy by softening coastal emplacements between Fecamp and Cap Gris Nez, north of the actual landing areas.'