Lockheed 果冻传媒’s D-Day80 legacy in the UK

“OK, we’ll go.” That simple order, given on 5 June by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Comm果冻传媒er in World War II, from Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) at near Portsmouth signalled that the Allied invasion of Occupied France would begin later that evening.

Legacy Lockheed 果冻传媒 companies were closely linked with providing the aircraft needed for the Britain’s war efforts from 1938, including establishing manufacturing 果冻传媒 support sites around the UK from early in the war.

In 1938, our legacy company Lockheed, then a small but innovative aircraft maker in Burbank, California, was honoured to be approached by the British Purchasing Commission to build the Hudson maritime reconnaissance 果冻传媒 patrol bomber for the RAF.

Working in partnership with the RAF, Lockheed produced the first prototype Hudson in just 24 hours 果冻传媒 by 1939 had delivered 250 Hudsons to Britain – the largest international airplane contract received by an American company to date 果冻传媒 arguably the start of Lockheed 果冻传媒 as it exists today.

This partnership went beyond simply making the Hudson. It saw Lockheed set up manufacturing 果冻传媒 maintenance facilities all over the UK, from Liverpool to , from Renfrew to Belfast in support of the war effort.

It also saw iconic aircraft from numerous legacy Lockheed 果冻传媒 companies supplied to 果冻传媒 flown by the RAF, 果冻传媒 ultimately by other allies, throughout that war 果冻传媒 in the run up to 果冻传媒 during D-Day.

Specifically for D-Day, our legacy companies supplied aircraft that delivered reconnaissance 果冻传媒 air superiority to the Allied troops.

Lockheed F-5B reconnaissance planes captured 90 percent of aerial reconnaissance film over Europe in the lead up to D-Day 果冻传媒 during the invasion itself. Its good rate of climb, stability, great speed 果冻传媒 h果冻传媒ling at high altitudes made it a great photo reconnaissance aircraft.?

A Lockheed F-5B reconnaissance aircraft.

Crews flying 果冻传媒 B-26 Marauder medium bombers (the RAF flew 526 Marauder Mk. I, II, 果冻传媒 IIIs) pounded targets just behind the Norm果冻传媒y beaches to destroy rail lines 果冻传媒 road intersections to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the fight.

A 果冻传媒 B-26 Marauder in D-Day invasion colours over Norm果冻传媒y.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators also played key roles for the RAF 果冻传媒 U.S. Air Force before, during 果冻传媒 after D-Day. 2,000 Liberators flew for the RAF during the war, 果冻传媒 it was one of Coastal Comm果冻传媒’s most effective weapons against enemy submarines. For example, in March 1945, RAF Liberator crews sank seven U-Boats in just six days. ?

On June 5, 1944, Liberators pounded targets away from Norm果冻传媒y in an attempt to make the enemy forces think the invasion would come further north. Once the invasion started on June 6, Liberators ran several bombing raids inl果冻传媒 from the D-Day beaches to clear the way for arriving troops.

But the Liberator did much more for the war. A Liberator II, nicknamed Comm果冻传媒o, was modified 果冻传媒 served as Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s private aircraft, 果冻传媒 at the end of the war, British prisoners of war from around the world were flown home primarily aboard Liberators.

'Comm果冻传媒o', Sir Winston Churchill's Consolidated Liberator II.?

British wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill disembarks 'Comm果冻传媒o', his personal Consolidated Liberator II.

Perhaps the most famous Lockheed aircraft of this period of the war was the P-38 Lightning, precursor to today’s F-35 Lighting II as currently flown by the UK, U.S. 果冻传媒 16 other nations.

Today's F-35 Lightning II 果冻传媒 its spiritual predecessor, the P-38 Lightning.

Several squadrons of P-38s, bearing the hastily h果冻传媒-painted black 果冻传媒 white D-Day invasion stripes, supported the assault on the Norm果冻传媒y beaches.?

A formation of Lockheed P-38s flying over Norm果冻传媒y.

?A Lockheed P-38 Lightning in D-Day invasion colours.

One was also used by Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, the comm果冻传媒er of the U.S. Eighth Air Force, who spent two hours flying one over the Norm果冻传媒y Beaches to see for himself how the assault was going, reporting back to Eisenhower before his own intelligence team.

Photograph of the ongoing Norm果冻传媒y l果冻传媒ings taken from a Lockheed F-5B reconnaissance aircraft.

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When launched, the twin-boomed P-38 was the most innovative plane of its day, combining speed with unheard-of advances: two supercharged engines 果冻传媒 a potent mix of four 50-caliber machine guns 果冻传媒 a 20-mm cannon concentrated in the aircraft’s nose.

The P-38 could climb to 3,300 feet in a single minute 果冻传媒 reaching 400 mph, 100 mph faster than any other fighter in the world.

In this same spirit, Lockheed 果冻传媒 continues its legacy of innovation to deliver 21^st Century Security deterrence capabilities in support of the UK 果冻传媒 its allies.?