icrymyselftosleep said:
OldArmyCT said:
April 25, 1945 was the day the 8th Air Force flew their last mission, my dad was a B-24 bombardier in A/C 684, Bedar crew, almost got shot down but managed to make it back to England. It was his 29th mission.
https://b24.net/MM042545.htm
Interesting how they were still based in England. I guess French airports were too close to the front/weren't operational?
Recall that the Allied Offensive in Europe stalled in/around the Fall of 1944 because it lacked the logistical resources to overcoming a rapidly growing and organized German resistance. Everything was coming over the beaches at Normandy. A large part of this was because Montgomery failed to take Antwerp and when he finally did, he did not secure the Northern half of the Scheldt Estuary. So Antwerp did not become usable until very late in 1944.
Heavy bomber bases take a great deal of logistical support in POL, weapons and personnel sustainment. While fighter base do as well, not nearly as much as heavy bombers. Heavy bombers also require much longer and heavier load bearing capacity runways.
Heavy bombers had the range to operate from established heavy bomber bases in the UK where logistical support was already available. Fighters ranges, w/o being loaded down with drop tanks instead of munitions, increased sortie rates and the increasing use of tactical air power to support ground troops as well as their smaller logistical footprint, made moving them to the Continent not only a good choice, but a necessary one.
Light and medium bombers (B-25, B-26, etc) regularly operated on the Continent.
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