Opinions please (impact Allied fighter bombers on D-day)

[drgondog]

I'll take a position on this subject... the combination of RAF, 8th AF and 9 AF fighter bombers in the Normandy campaign were crucial in several categories.
1. They denied rail and road traffic mobility to both resupply forward positions and/or enable orderly retreat as the German army was pushed back..
2. They put heavy pressure on entrenched forward positions, destroying troops, tanks and armored vehicles. Many Panzer IV's were destroyed for example.
3. They denied any hope of Luftwaffe tactical air from becoming even a presence, much less effective. For example the Luftwaffe sent 15 Ju 87's to the beach on June 6 and the 355th FG wiped out the group completely
4. They were a bitter psychological reminder to the troops on the ground that they would not enjoy such air support and that they were left strictly to the inventory (ammo/food/armor) that they started with on June 6.
5. They put so much pressure on France based Luftwaffe airfields that they became ineffective against the strategic air campaign directed toward German targets.

I'm sure other will have a better opinion, but hopefully is a start.

Regards,
Bill Marshall