Salute!
@astur... The Allies did not improve or even develop decent close air support in the Euro theater like the Pacific USMC and even Army units for all their beach heads prior to Normandy.. As much as I appreciate the naval gunfire, and being a serious, experienced, combat CAS puke, there is no substitute for seeing the enama tracers or even troops climbing the fence. I saw the New Jersey in 'nam with naval support fire and besides minutes to coordinate a firing, and then 100 meter accuracy at best, the grunts liked a good tacair plane nearby and a strike could be made within less than a minute.
My wingie and I were awarded a decoration one day by the army unit we helped because we dropped on the point of attack while artillery was still raining down at the Y-Bridge battle (1968). No big deal, and we hit the bad guys while the smoke trails from their RPG's were still visible, and we were in perfect position to roll in, which we did. No naval support would have been as timely or accurate, nor the artillery just 4 miles away.
On D-Day, we had plenty of P-47's and Hurricanes that could have provided rapid and accurate delivery provided we had the tactical network we developed within the next few months. The air superiority speaks for itself, as the "leader" had dictated air defense of the homeland uber all else.
The CAS doctrine developed quickly in WW2 and then over in Korea 6 years later. I really feel the USMC did the most development of actual tactics. logistics and the communication infrastructure required for effective close air support due to the Pacific Theater landings.
In any case, many brave souls were lost on the beaches. The outcome would have been very bad had we not had so many of those that gave their all.
Gums sends...