A Douglas A-20 making a bomb run on D-Day, 6 June 1944

Assigned to the Ninth Air Force the 416th Bombardment Group, they were equipped with Douglas A-20 Havoc aircraft, seen here wearing the invasion stripes - alternating black and white bands on the wings and fuselage - an attempt to increase recognition and thereby reducing friendly fire incidents.

D-Day invasion stripes were removed from the upper surfaces of aircraft a month later, and by the end of 1944 they were completely removed.

US Infantry, German POW's and a ruined Half track

France 1944, US infantry and German POW's march past the remains of a US M3A1 torn apart.

The M3A1 was a M3 with the improved M49 machine gun ring mount over the right hand front seat. All M3 halftracks were continually upgraded to M3A1 versions throughout the course of the war.

Another King Tiger

As with yesterday's post, here is another two King Tigers, this time a year later and on the Eastern Front.

After it had received forty-five new Tiger IIs in December 1944, the detachment was attached to IV SS Panzer Corps, which was preparing an attempt to relieve the encircled garrison of Budapest. Launched on 18 January 1945, the operation was ultimately a failure. During the operation, the 509th had lost forty of its forty-five Tiger IIs, with ten being total losses.  The road signs indicate that they're  45 kilometers from Budapest, and this is tank #300.

Two Tiger II tanks on a Paris street 1944

The heaviest tank on the battlefield, the Tiger II or Königstiger was a formidable foe, but it had its fair share of shortcomings.  From over-complicated engineering, not enough power for the weight of the beast and the lack of quality raw materials led to this monster not being able to perform to its fullest.
However that being said, wherever this tank was deployed, it devastated its opponents.

In this photo two King Tigers of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion are passing through a Paris street on the way to the Normandy front in August 1944, ultimately however nothing the German's threw at the invading Allies was enough to halt their advance, and once Operation Bagration was launched it was really only a matter of time before the war for Germany was over.

German POW's - July 1944

These six "Landser" from 353. Infanterie-Division, are observed by two GIs of the 4th Armored Division during the Operation Cobra, and lined up in front of a ruined house in Coutances, 29 Km West of Saint-Lô, Normandy. 29 July 1944.

American mortar crew in action

From the WWII firepower documentary "How good is a gun?" this gif shows an American five man crew loading and firing their mortar.

M3A1 Half-track from the "Ghost Army" 1944

M3A1 half-track with 500 pound speaker, capable of projecting sounds as far as 15 miles. Used by the US 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, aka the Ghost Army, for sonic deception, 1944

Read more about the Ghost Army