Heavy bombers dropped enormous tonnage, while caution about friendly troops pushed much of it beyond the Atlantic Wall. Tactical aircraft still attacked transport and inland targets, but the results varied sharply by mission and conditions. P-47 pilots who imagined individual dogfights instead received grid patrols for submarines and enemy aircraft. An air campaign depended on unglamorous reconnaissance and protection tasks as well as the striking missions most likely to dominate memory.
Chapter · 52:49-56:45
D-Day airpower, missed beaches, and unwanted patrol duty
Ambrose's D-Day narrative contrasts ineffective heavy-bomber attacks on the beaches with fighter pilots disappointed by necessary patrol and reconnaissance missions.