[Chainmail]

Damn Air Force hates Close Air Support, always has. The USAF heavies have always stressed "deep operational strikes" as the ultimate battlefield strategy, winning all the wars by bombing the crap out of the rear areas.

However, we "point-of-the-spear-in-face-to-face combat with the enemy" types value the close-in and devastating use of dedicated air for frontline support. We Marines have always insisted on it and our flying Marines have always delivered it. The army would be wise to build their own direct support fixed wing units - but the Air Force would fight them tooth and nail.

Imaging how much better things would have gone if the landing forces on Omaha Beach had well-trained and gutsy Dauntless/Helldiver squadrons, delivering 500 pounders on those cliffs overlooking the landing beaches. Would have saved a lot of infantry lives.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Air Bombardment Table - OMAHA BEACH - Air Bombardment

Unit	Target	Target - Coodinates	Target - Type	Times over Target	Force
8th Air Force 3rd Bombardment Division	10/J/66	089806	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 10	5 Squadrons
	10/J/49	015850	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	7 Squadrons
	10/J/56	049832	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	4 Squadrons
	10/J/120
	10/J/59	067818	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	7 Squadrons
	10/J/152
	10/J/122	106801	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	7 Squadrons
	10/J/187	993818	88mm Bat.	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	2 Squadrons
	10/J/79	138790	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero	5 Squadrons
	10/J/80	152793	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero	5 Squadrons
	10/J/62	076782	Coastal	zero minus 10 to zero plus 10	2 Squadrons
	10/J/69	103780	Coastal	zero minus 10 to zero plus 10	2 Squadrons
	10/J/47	972809	Coastal	zero minus 10 to zero plus 10	2 Squadrons
	10/E/4	058740	Regtl. Hq.	zero to zero plus 3	1 Squadron
	10/E/48	016700	Div. Hq.	zero to zero plus 3	1 Squadron
	10/J/60	073774	Bn. Hq.	zero to zero plus 3	1 Squadron
	10/Q/3	003822	Bn. Hq.	zero to zero plus 3	1 Squadron
	10/J/48	994855	Strongpoint		5 Squadrons
	10/J/186	047772	Coastal		2 Squadrons
	10/Q/7			zero plus 5 to zero plus 37	16 Squadrons
Unit	Target	Target - Coodinates	Target - Type	Times over Target	Force
8th Air Force 2nd Bombardment Division	10/J/5	637928		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/6	646919		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/7	649916		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J8	655912		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/9	665906		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	12 Squadrons
	10/J/12	677900		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/13	678896		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/14			zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/15	693893		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/16	699890		zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/18	748880	Strongpoint	zero minus 20 to zero minus 5	4 Squadrons
	10/J/19
	10/J/21	756878	Strongpoint	zero minus 20 to zero minus 5	5 Squadrons
Unit	Target	Target - Coodinates	Target - Type	Times over Target	Force
8th Air Force 1st Bombardment Division	10/J/125	797870	Coastal	zero minus 40 to zero plus 10	6 Squadrons
	10/J/39	886867	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 15	4 Squadrons
	10/J/40	907869	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 15	4 Squadrons
	10/J/42	926868	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 10	5 Squadrons
	10/J/38	877866	Coastal	zero minus 30 to zero minus 10	6 Squadrons
	10/J/36	860863	Coastal	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	5 Squadrons
	10/J/41		Coastal	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5
	10/J/45	965858	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	5 Squadrons
	10/J/118
	10/J/46	972856	Strongpoint	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	5 Squadrons
	10/J/159	848853	Coastal	zero minus 30 to zero minus 5	5 Squadrons
		925865	Strongpoint	zero minus 20 to zero minus 10	3 Squadrons
	10/J/35	853864	Strongpoint	zero minus 20 to zero minus 5	6 Squadrons
	10/J/178			zero minus 20 to zero
	10/K/11	924862	Strongpoint	zero minus 10 to zero minus 5	1 Squadron
	10/J/184	883833	Rocket Gun	zero to zero plus 10	3 Squadrons
	10/Q/7			zero plus 41 to zero plus 65	11 Squadrons

[AFreeBird]

The ”Jug”, or original Thunderbolt, would have been just as effective as Helldivers.