Transport Plan

This article is about a historical wartime bombing campaign. For a peacetime political process for local transport, see Local transport plan.

Transportation Plan
Part of Strategic bombing campaigns in Europe
Date6 March 1944[1] - Late August 1944
Location
European Theatre of World War II
Result Allied victory[2][3]
Belligerents
 United States
 United Kingdom		  Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders

USAAF: Carl Spaatz

RAF Bomber Command: Arthur Harris
Main article: Combined Bomber Offensive

The Transportation Plan was a plan for strategic bombing during World War II against bridges, rail centres, including marshalling yards and repair shops in France with the goal of limiting the German military response to the invasion of France in June 1944.

The plan was based on those of Air Marshal Tedder and the "Overlord air plan" of Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory,[4] The plan was devised by Professor Solly Zuckerman, an advisor to the Air Ministry, to destroy transportation in Occupied France during the "preparatory period" for Operation Overlord so Germany would be unable to respond effectively to the invasion.[5][6]

The air campaign, carried out by the bombers of the RAF and USAAF crippled the German rail networks in France and played a crucial role in disrupting German logistics and reinforcements to the invasion area.[7]

  1. ^ Darlow 2004, p. 56.
  2. ^ Hall 1998, p. 224.
  3. ^ Buckley 1998, p. 150.
  4. ^ Mets 1997, pp. 200-201.
  5. ^ Darlow 2004, p. 52.
  6. ^ Gooderson 2005, pp. 126-127.
  7. ^ Buckley 1998, p. 150.