Little friends Over the Beach – The fighters get down and dirty

Eighty years ago, this Thunderbolt would have flown low over the beaches of Normandy in a ground support role. This Duxford UK Fighter Collection’s rare “Razorback” P-47G “Snafu” is one of only two Curtis-built examples left in the world. (Photo by John Dibbs/Facebook.com/theplanepicture)

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They must have been a sight for sore eyes to the soldiers on the beach as wave after wave of fighters, bombers, and paratrooper-stuffed transports, some towing gliders, passed overhead, all of them adorned with black and white painted stripes. The invasion was on, and many of the fighter pilots expecting a Luftwaffe slugfest were disappointed by the dismal numbers that showed up. But there were still plenty of targets both on the ground and...

PARDON THE INTERRUPTION

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