The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the most important fighter and fighter-bomber types of the United States Army Air Forces in Western Europe in 1944. Following the landing in Normandy, the Allies quickly established advanced landing grounds in the hinterland behind the coast, from which the P-47 was deployed for tactical air support of ground combat. The characteristic invasion stripes on the fuselage and wings served for friend-foe identification and were applied to all Allied frontline aircraft from June 1944 onward. Jack Lieb captured this scene of ongoing aircraft operations at the invasion front in color—an unusual recording situation for the time.