Just a reminder that US Naval Avation was involved with D-Day.
VOS-7 was former from the various observation detachments on the US Battleships and cruisers attached to the invasion force.
After the disastrous results of Operation Husky, invasion of Sicily, where the US Navy Curtiss SOC Seagull and Curtiss OS2U Kingfishers were shot down by Luftwaffe fighters over the beaches.
The US Navy realized they needed faster aircraft that could support naval gunfire spot
But could also mix it up with the Bf-109s and Fw-109s that the Luftwaffe would thrown against the invasion. These observation squadron personnel would be trained to fly Spitfire Mk Vs. Which would give these Naval Aviators a plane that could handle the threat and do the mission.
The plane would fly and support the mission from 01JUN to 26JUN when Cherbourg was captured. The squadron would be disbanded and the crews sent back to their respective ships.
The need and threat was understood so that also lead to the USN to designated 2 CVEs to Operation Dragoon. USS Tulagi, CVE-72, with VOF-1 equipped with F6F-5s to do tje same mission during the invasion of Southern France. With her was USS Kasaan Bay, CVE-69, with her F6F and TBMs
They would provide ASW, CAS, and Naval gunfire spotting for this invasion force. Until the AEF force got far enough ashore to use USAAF forces.
So US Naval Aviators and Naval Aviation were involved with the invasion of France in 1944.
@air_pir_southern via X
