Us Official Photographs

French fliers in Douglas A-20 Havocs over France

French fliers of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force are masters of the kind of quick-breaking attack pictured here. Flying American Douglas A-20 Havocs, they make hit-and-run forays into France, Holland and Belgium, operating from English bases. Favorite targets are airfields and scattered industrial installations too small to be worth a high-level visit from heavy bombers. This photograph is from an AAF combat film taken during a minimum-altitude mission. It lends some substance to the myth that the low-flying French pilot finds his way over France by recognizing his own chickens. At French Coast, fliers climb slightly to get over the cliffs. Landfall strips are useful.