MovieChat Forums > A Bridge Too Far (1977) Discussion > What planes were they that bombed the Ge...

What planes were they that bombed the Germans in the woods?


When Vandeleur's tanks started out on the single-tracked road, they get into an ambush- but I thought the RAF used Hawker Typhoon's (bombs AND missiles) for these rescue missions (hovering above the armies until called in)?

From wiki- "From September 1943, Typhoons were also armed with four "60 lb" RP-3 rockets under each wing. In October 1943, No. 181 Squadron made the first Typhoon rocket attacks.
By the Normandy landings in June 1944, 2 TAF had eighteen operational squadrons of Typhoon IBs, while RAF Fighter Command had a further nine.
The aircraft proved itself to be the most effective RAF tactical strike aircraft, on interdiction raids against communications and transport targets deep in North Western Europe prior to the invasion and in direct support of the Allied ground forces after D-Day.

A system of close liaison with the ground troops was set up by the RAF and army: RAF radio operators in vehicles equipped with VHF R/T travelled with the troops close to the front line and called up Typhoons operating in a "Cab Rank", which attacked the targets, marked for them by smoke shells fired by mortar or artillery, until they were destroyed"


Instead we got some flimsy, slow things with only two wobbly-aimed bombs?

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Yeah I wondered that? Must have all been dilapidated by then?

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