OPERATION OVERLORD

The small town of Carentan occupied a pivotal position between Omaha
and Utah Beaches, and its capture was one of the most important
American priorities in the days immediately after D-Day
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_carentan.html

The campaign in the Cotentin Peninsula (6-30 June 1944) was the first
major Allied advance after the D-Day landings, and ended with the
capture of the port of Cherbourg, seen by the Allies as one of the
most important objectives of Operation Overlord
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_cotentin.html

The capture of the port of Cherbourg was one of the most important
early objectives for the Allies after the D-Day landings
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_cherbourg.html

Operation Epsom (26-30 June 1944) , or the battle of the Odon,was the
first major British offensive to be launched after the D-Day landings,
and was a successful attempt to force the Germans to concentrate their
armoured units against the British and Canadians, at the eastern end
of the Normandy beachhead
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/operation_epsom.html

DOUGLAS A-26 INVADER

The Douglas A-26 Invader was the best medium bomber to see service
with the USAAF during the Second World War, but production delays
meant that it wasn't available in large numbers until late in 1944,
and it was only used in significant numbers by the Ninth Air Force in
Europe.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26_intro.html

The Douglas A-26B the gun-nosed version of the Invader medium bomber,
and was designed to carry out both bombing and low level strafing
attacks, a combination of functions that was seen as the most
effective way to attack the many Japanese island bases scattered
across the Pacific.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26B.html

The Douglas A-26C Invader differed from the A-26B in having a
transparent bombardier's nose in place of that version's solid gun
carrying nose.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26C.html

The Douglas A-26D Invader was an improved version of the solid-nosed
A-26B, with more powerful engines.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26D.html

The Douglas A-26E Invader was to have been a version of the glass
nosed A-26C but with the same more powerful 2,100hp Chevrolet-built
R-2800-83 engines as the A-26D.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26E.html

The Douglas XA-26F was a jet-augmented version of the Invader, powered
by two 2,100hp R-2800-83 radial engines and by a General Electric J31
turbojet.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_XA-26F.html

The Douglas JD Invader was the designation given to 141 Douglas A-26
Invaders that were operated by the US Navy as utility aircraft, target
tugs and target drone launching and controlling aircraft.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_JD_Invader.html

The On Mark B-26K Counter Invader was a major redesign of the Invader,
produced in the mid 1960s for use in Vietnam.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_B-26K_counter_invader.html

Although the Douglas A-26 Invader made its combat debut in the Pacific
it only played a small part in the war against Japan.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26_against_japan.html

The Douglas A-26 Invader saw most combat during the Second World War
against the Germans, serving in significant numbers with the Ninth Air
Force.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_A-26_against_germany.html

The outbreak of the Korean War caught the USAF by surprise, and in the
middle of converted from piston engined aircraft to jets. As a result
a number of Second World War era aircraft had to be rushed back into
front line service, including the Douglas B-26 Invader (designated as
the A-26 until 1947)
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_B-26_Korea.html

The Douglas B-26 Invader was involved in the fighting in Vietnam for
nearly twenty years, from 1951 when they were used by the French,
until 1969 when the last aircraft in American service were withdrawn
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_B-26_Vietnam.html

RAF SQUADRONS

No 36 Squadron (RAF) began the Second World War as a torpedo bomber
squadron based at Singapore, but saw most service as a Wellington
equipped anti-submarine squadron.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/36_wwII.html

No.45 Squadron spent the entire Second World War operating in the
east, at first as a Blenheim bomber squadron operating from Egypt,
from where it took part in the campaigns in the Western Desert,
Italian East Africa and Syria, before moving to Burma early in 1942,
where it eventually operated as a ground attack squadron, first with
the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber and later with fighter-bomber
Mosquitoes.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/45_wwII.html

No.46 Squadron began the Second World War as a Hawker Hurricane
squadron, fighting in Norway, in the battle of Britain and on Malta.
It then became a Beaufighter day and night fighter squadron, operating
around the Mediterranean, before in 1945 returning to Britain to
become a transport squadron.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/46_wwII.html

No.47 Squadron was one of the few squadrons to use the Vickers
Wellesley in combat, using them against Italian forces in East Africa,
before converting to the Beaufort then Beaufighter for anti-submarine
and anti-shipping work in the Mediterranean. By the end of the war the
squadron was operating as a ground attack unit, using the Mosquito to
attack Japanese targets in Burma.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/47_wwII.html

No.53 Squadron started the Second World War as a strategic
reconnaissance unit equipped with the Bristol Blenheim, but spent most
of the war flying anti-submarine patrols, eventually using the very
long range Consolidated Liberator.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/53_wwII.html

No.54 Squadron spent the entire Second World War flying the
Supermarine Spitfire. During 1940 it helped to protect the Dunkirk
evacuations and took part in the Battle of Britain, before in the
summer of 1942 it moved to Australia, arriving after the worst of the
Japanese raids were over.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/54_wwII.html

No.55 Squadron spent almost the entire Second World War serving as a
day bomber squadron, first in North Africa and then on Sicily and for
the entire duration of the campaign in Italy.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/55_wwII.html

No.56 Squadron all but two months of the Second World War operating
Hawker fighters, using Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain before
becoming the first squadron to convert to the troublesome Hawker
Typhoon, and by the end of the war the squadron was using the high-
speed Hawker Tempest on armed reconnaissance missions behind German
lines.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/56_wwII.html

No.57 Squadron served as a Blenheim squadron during the battle of
France in 1940, before in 1941 joining Bomber Command's main force,
flying the Lancaster from 1942 until the end of the war.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/57_wwII.html

No.59 Squadron began the Second World War as a reconnaissance
squadron, but spent most of the war serving as an anti-shipping or
anti-submarine squadron, flying the very long range Liberator from the
summer of 1942.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/59_wwII.html

No.60 Squadron served in the Far East throughout the Second World War,
originally as a Singapore-based Blenheim squadron and later as a
Hurricane equipped ground-attack squadron.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/60_wwII.html

No.62 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World
War. The first was badly mauled in the early days of the war against
Japan, while the second was formed from survivors of the defeat in
Burma.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/62_wwII.html

No.64 Squadron served as a fighter squadron throughout the Second
World War, taking part in the battle of Britain and carrying out
offensive sweeps over France before ending the war escorting Bomber
Command on daylight raids over Germany.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/64_wwII.html

No.65 Squadron had a varied wartime career, which included
participation in the Battle of Britain, a period spent practising deck
landings and spells as a figher-bomber squadron in Normandy and as
daylight bomber escorts.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/65_wwII.html

No.66 Squadron served as a fighter squadron throughout the Second
World War, taking part in the Battle of Britain, escorting day bombers
over France and joining the 2nd Tactical Air Force during the fighting
after D-Day.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/66_wwII.html

No.67 Squadron was one of the few RAF squadrons to spent almost the
entire Second World War fighting over Burma.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/67_wwII.html

No.68 Squadron was formed in January 1941 as a defensive night fighter
squadron, and continued to perform that role until it was disbanded in
April 1945.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/68_wwII.html

No.69 Squadron was formed on Malta as a reconnaissance squadron, and
spent three years operating a wide range of aircraft from the island,
before in 1944 returning to Britain to take part in the invasion of
north western Europe.
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/69_wwII.html