Zuckerman Archive: Bombing in Support of Ground Forces

This material is held atUniversity of East Anglia Archives

  • Reference
    • GB 1187 SZ/BSGF
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1944-1945
  • Language of Material
    • English.
  • Physical Description
    • 4 boxes; 12 files; 3 linear feet

Scope and Content

This series deals with operational analyses of the principal operations in North-west France following the D-Day landings in which heavy bomber forces were deployed in a tactical role in close support of ground forces. Solly Zuckerman had supported the view of Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, Commander in Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), that heavy bombers had the capacity to provide tactical support to ground forces in their post D-Day advance.

The investigations were conducted during late July and August 1944 for the most part, spanning the phase between the planning and execution of Operation Overlord (covered by Series SZ/AEAF) and the establishment of the RAF Bombing Analysis Unit in the early autumn of 1944 (this unit is the subject of Series SZ/BAU).

The studies were based on attack data such as operational orders, signals, maps, air reconnaissance photographs and their associated interpretation reports, ground investigations of the target areas, and interviews with eye-witnesses including German prisoners-of-war - all of which are preserved in the files.

Arrangement

  • SZ/BSGF/1 Observations on RAF Bomber Command's attack on Caen - July 7th, 1944, by Air Commodore Kingston-McCloughry and Professor S. Zuckerman, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/2 Operation Goodwood, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/3 Operation Cobra, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/4 Operation Bluecoat, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/5 Operation Totalize, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/6 Operation Tractable, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/7 Operations Cobra, Bluecoat and Goodwood, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/8 Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/9 Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/10 Bombs for close support of ground forces, 1944
  • SZ/BSGF/11 Ground study of results achieved by use of heavy bombers in close support of Army operations - BAU Report 21, 1944-45
  • SZ/BSGF/12 Comments by SZ [Solly Zuckerman] on paper on density of attack in relation to air support for Operation Overlord, 1944

Access Information

Please refer to the fonds-level description for GB 1187 SZ.

Note

BG; DNS

Conditions Governing Use

Please refer to the fonds-level description for GB 1187 SZ.