A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt being worked on by engineers at the Thunderbolt Maintenance Depot, Normandy, 26 August 1944

During the battle for Normandy that followed the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, the Allies relied on air power to help support their advance.

Aircraft such as P-47s were used as fighter-bombers in a ground attack role. They struck railroads, hangars, boxcars, warehouses and other objectives to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the front, and later attacked German forces trapped in the Falaise Pocket. This enabled the Allies to achieve a decisive victory, opening the way to advance on and then liberate Paris on 25 August 1944.