I've just watched 'Saving Private Ryan'

[Booldawg]

Why didnt they organise RAF air strikes on the beach shortly before the boats arrived for the D-Day landings?

[Toureman]

http://www.raf.mod.uk/dday/

[kempie]

As you watch a Hollywood film containing supposedly historical facts, repeat the following mantra...

This is not a true reflection of events...
It did not happen this way...

[boro1986]

They did have air strikes the allies had total air superiority on D Day. Thare was also a naval bombardment while the poor soldiers were ferried in the landing crafts to the beach.

[charlatan53]

As was already mentioned there was significant air support. However the Germans were well entrenched in their defenses and attacks preceding the invasion would well have tipped off the German army as to the plan.

It's curious that just 60 odd years ago that a a war was fought that cast millions to slaughter without a concern of what was "politically correct". But that's a different subject.

[phaloides]

Any American war film which give even minimal credit to any other country ( except Israel ) would be deemed to be unpatriotic i.e. the capture of an Inigma machine with code books from a sinking German U boat by the crew of HMS Bulldog.

[Big Al1st]

Hi Booldawg, It is right when they say that the Germans were well entrenched. I have been to Normandy and been in the German Bunkers. I think it was nothing short of a miracle that the invasion suceeded.
Saving Private Ryan is a good film but I think the best is The Longest Day Rgds Al

[johnlambert]

When you drop bombs from the air you actually provide the defenders with more places to fire back at you as the allies found out atr Monte Casino

[vehelpfulguy]

In the period leading up to d-day they also bombed inland to destroy railway lines and bridges to limit the ability for the German army to respond to the invasion.

BUT they could not do this only in Normandy as it would have told the Germans where the invasion was planned to be.

So they bombed inland all the way from Calais and Normandy, and killed 12,000 french and belgium people in the process.

[vehelpfulguy]

Two things to note:

First, the mass slaughter shown in films like Saving Private Ryan was on one beach, Omaha. This was US soldiers.

The other beaches (UK and Canadian and the other US beach) were nowhere near as bad as Omaha and on some beaches the soldiers walked ashore meeting liittle resistance.

Secondly, there were plans to bomb Omaha beach the morning of the invasion, but remember the soldiers in boats had to leave the English shores at midnight for the early morning attack.

When the planes arrived at Omaha beach it was misty, and to be certain they did not undershoot their target and bomb their own men in boats they overshot the target and bombed about half a mile inland.

There was also plans for boats offshore to fire on the beach but they could not get their guns low enough to hit the shore and most shells sailed over the top.

The soldiers had been promised a beach full of shell holes for them to hide in but found none, hence the Germans could just pick them off at will.

Omaha must have been hell.

[vehelpfulguy]

Try the book Overlord by Max Hastings

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overlord-D-Day-Battle- Normandy-Strategy/dp/0330390120/sr=8-1/qid=116 2989038/ref=pd_ka_1/202-8727020-9687018?ie=UTF 8&s=books