 while the numbers favored them, and so the hand-picked assault troops went forward in great and deadly haste. Above the attackers, 326 fighter aircraft soared into the morning, with their opposition just 261 British planes. Following barrages, small teams of stormtroopers appeared out of a deep fog, and, ignoring the British strong points, cut swaths through the trenches with light machine guns, automatic weapons, and flamethrowers.