The first difficulty is finding enough Allied strength for an Ardennes reserve while meeting the German advance through the Netherlands and Belgium. Air attack against German columns compressed onto a few roads is proposed as an alternative way to disrupt the breakthrough. Allied air losses had already reduced the force available for that mission. Bomber Command is criticized for preserving aircraft for strategic targets despite the immediate crisis on land and practical limits on reaching or hitting those targets. In this interpretation, the allocation of air power needs to follow the urgent operational problem even when that conflicts with a command's preferred mission.
Notable Point · 4:41:34-4:45:00
The missed chance to strike German columns in the Ardennes
German columns crowded onto Ardennes roads offered an interdiction target, but Allied losses and competing air priorities constrained the response.