Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

The fighters called for help and the bombers came through
For the 12th Tactical ,\ir Conun.i ud it lIas a criticul hour,
From the day the 7th Ann)" h.ul ,;tonned the beaches of
southern 1- ranee, the ground troops had been driving
forward, never Im,llIg momentum, never being curtailed by
their own insufficiencies. And with hom b and gun pOlIn
that had torn the Ccrumn ~trong points to rubble ami dust,
the 12th had provided the air support and led the \\ay.
No\\' thcv had the l\a/,is on the IlIII. 'I'hcv had to keep
operating. But they needcd supplies of rahon~, .unmunit ion
and gasoline, needed them budlv.
The ground forces couldn't 1;e called upon for aid. Thev
were h.ivins; their own hc.rdachcs keeping their 011"11 units
supplied. From the lx.ach hc.ul it was a 3 1 2-d:I\' turn-around
by truck. j\nd the roads h:/(l :1))Ollt rC:lChed t'heir c'Ixlcih".
So for once, instead of helping thc hom bel'S, the figh tc;'s
and light at t.uk pl.uus c:l1ll'C! upon the bouibcrs to help
them, And help univcd IIi th on t clclav.
From the l :;th Air Forcc first (';1;11e a fleet of :8-24s.
Shifted from ,stLltegic bOinbing Inissions. thcI' were assigncd
to fly the g:lso]i11e .md supplic» from their Italian h:lses to
the t.utic.r] counu.md m cn in southern .md ccutr.il l'rancc.
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