D-Day Timeline
March overview
Again,
the air attacks on the rocket and flying bomb sites continued, medium,
light and fighter-bombers were out every day attacking them, especially
the V-weapon sites in Northern France. Interdicting the sea lanes and
German coastal shipping became a priority, particularly curtailing the
activities of U-boats. To this end, anti-shipping and anti-U-boat attacks
are made by RAF Coastal Command, which operates more aircraft than ever
before in these roles. To assist in this goal, Bomber Command is active
in sea-mining operations. The transport and communications network across
the whole of France became a priority target under the terms of the Transportation
Plan. Neutralising the French railway network would slow or prevent any
movement of German armoured reinforcements to the beach-head area.
March 1944
1
March - Air Chief Marshal W Sholto Douglas, CINC Coastal
Command, briefed his commanders on the three main tasks of Coastal
Command in the
run up to D-Day. These were, to prevent the enemy U-boat flotilla from
reaching the beachhead, to prevent enemy light surface forces from
interrupting
the operation and to interrupt enemy sea-based logistics where possible.
To read more about Coastal Command's roles, click here.
2 March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas de Calais.
5 March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas de Calais.
6/7
March - Rail System Targets - Trappes. Air Marshal Harris’s
assertions that Bomber Command would be incapable of executing precision
attacks demanded by the Transportation Plan were invalidated when RAF
strategic bombers successfully attacked Trappes in one of a series of
experimental raids ordered by Air Chief Marshal Portal (the Chief of Air
Staff). RAF Bomber Command commenced a series of attacks on French rail
centres (in particular the repair shops), in preparation for the invasion,
with a raid by 261 Handley Page Halifaxes and 6 de Havilland Mosquitoes
(using the 4000lb 'Cookie' bomb for the first time) on the marshalling
yard at Trappes. Railway tracks, rolling stock and buildings were all
heavily damaged and no aircraft were lost. Whilst repairs to the rail
system were effected quite quickly by the Germans, the aim of these early
attacks was to reduce the capacity to repair and maintain the rail system.
The attacks were thus focused upon repair yards, sheds, locomotives and
servicing sheds. The attacks were thus repeated in April and May.
7/8, March – Rail System Targets. Le Mans.
8
and 9 March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas
de Calais.
9-10 March - Bomber Command attacks aircraft factory at Marignane, near to Marseilles.
11 and 12 March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas de Calais.
13/14 March – Rail System Targets. Le Mans.
15/16 March – Rail System Targets. Amiens.
16/17 March – Rail System Targets. Amiens.
19
March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas de
Calais.
20/21 March - Bomber Command attacks explosives factory at Angouleme France.
23/24 March – Rail System Targets. Laon.
25 March - A German U-boat was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by two Mosquitoes of No 248 Squadron, Coastal Command, based at Portreath in Cornwall.
25/26
March – Rail System Targets. Aulnoye.
26 March - Allied aircraft attacked missile sites in the Pas de Calais and the Cherbourg area.
26/27 March – Rail System Targets. Courtrai.
29/30
March - Rail System Targets. Vaires.
Date Last Updated : Tuesday, July 6, 2004 0:25 AM
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