19. Eisenhower assumed command of all bombing forces in early 1944
In March, 1944, the Combined Chiefs of Staff gave General Eisenhower direct control of all Allied Air Forces in Europe, despite the objections of Winston Churchill. Eisenhower in turn delegated command to the RAF’s Arthur Tedder. The change took effect on April 1, 1944, by which time air-to-air combat casualties suffered by the Luftwaffe were critical. The Allied bombers and fighter escorts had not won complete superiority in the air, but the Germans were steadily losing it, and factory production began to wane. The heavy bombers shifted from strategic bombing of industrial targets to tactical support of the Normandy campaign.
The lull in strategic missions allowed the Germans to resume production levels and disperse some areas of production, including some underground. American and British bombers concentrated on infrastructure in Europe in order to impede the Germans’ ability to reinforce their units in Normandy. Because of the need to keep the site of the invasion secret, few attacks were made on the German defenses on or near the beaches. After the invasion the bombers were used in support of the troops ashore, attacking tactical targets, and providing the massive aerial bombardment which preceded the Allied breakout during Operation Cobra. Not until September would strategic bombing of German targets resume.
