 Complete the following phrase:  The squadron began operations by bombing and strafing targets in France to prepare for Operation Overlord, the Normandy invasion. It provided top cover for landings in Normandy on 6 and 7 June 1944. On 6 July the squadron moved across the English Channel to its advanced landing ground at Chippelle Airfield, France. It provided close air support for ground troops until the end of the war, The 508th assisted the United States First Army in the breakout at Saint-Lô on 28 through 31 July, when despite severe losses from flak, the squadron and the other squadrons of the 404th group provided cover for four armored divisions. It supported the drive through the Netherlands in September 1944, Allied operations during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945, and Operation Lumberjack, and helped defend the 