patrick.net

What about all the German soldiers who died in the battle or executed when they tried to surrender?

What about all the other French casualties from all the previous air raids that took place not associated with D-Day? For years we bombed France well before we bombed Germany, since it was simply much easier to bomb the French and they had all their factories working for the Germans during the occupation. It's also one of the reasons why the French don't like us as much as they otherwise would.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II#Bombing_in_France

German-occupied France contained a number of important targets that attracted the attention of the British, and later American bombing. In 1940, RAF Bomber Command launched attacks against German preparations for Operation Sealion, the proposed invasion of England, attacking Channel Ports in France and Belgium and sinking large numbers of barges that had been collected by the Germans for use in the invasion.[154] France's Atlantic ports were important bases for both German surface ships and submarines, while French industry was an important contributor to the German war effort.[155]

French civilian casualties due to Allied strategic bombing are estimated at about half of the 67,000 French civilian dead during Allied operations in 1942–1945; the other part being mostly killed during tactical bombing in the Normandy campaign. 22% of the bombs dropped in Europe by British and American air forces between 1940 and 1945 were in France.[156] The port city of Le Havre had been destroyed by 132 bombings during the war (5,000 dead) until September 1944. It has been rebuilt by architect Auguste Perret and is now a World Heritage Site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II
67,078 French civilians killed by US-UK bombing

ohomen171 says

Their bombing was far from precision.

It always is - and the Air Force always promises this time it will be precise (see WW2, Vietnam, Iraq Wars, Yugoslavia)

Yeah, shame on them for not having developed vacuum-tube based targeting systems and laser guidance 25 years before the laser was considered a solution looking for a problem. :\

The US and Britain killed hundreds of American soldiers on an island off the British coast in a live ammo dress rehearsal of D-Day, not telling the soldiers that the ammo was live. They then engaged in a major cover up afterward.

Some things never change. The almighty leaders don't call us cannon fodder for nothing.

Automan Empire says

Yeah, shame on them for not having developed vacuum-tube based targeting systems and laser guidance 25 years before the laser was considered a solution looking for a problem. :\

Or ripped off German precision weapons of the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_guided_weapons_of_World_War_II

Especially this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_293

ohomen171 says

What is not known by many is that some 70,000 French civilians died in bombings during the invasion. The British Royal Air Force carried out these raids. Their bombing was far from precision.

Funny that the Americans blame the British, because I know French people who were there and say the British often took the risk of diving toward their targets, while massive American bombers just opened the bomb doors from 10,000 feet, and were sometime miles off their targets.

Heraclitusstudent says

ohomen171 says

What is not known by many is that some 70,000 French civilians died in bombings during the invasion. The British Royal Air Force carried out these raids. Their bombing was far from precision.

Funny that the Americans blame the British, because I know French people who were there and say the British often took the risk of diving toward their targets, while massive American bombers just opened the bomb doors from 10,000 feet, and were sometime miles off their targets.

Anecdotes aside it was Brits who developed and implemented "area bombing" doctrine. Read up on Sir Arthur Harris a.k.a. Bomber Harris and his ideas.

Also US bombers had the most advanced bombsights at the time( Norden tachometric bombsight) so the fact that they opened their bomb doors miles off their targets doesn't mean they didn't hit them. Brits didn't have anything close to Norden until the very end of the war (and in small numbers).