Jacob edward smart, who had followed the details of an initial attack on the target by a small group of b24 liberators of the halverson project halpro. See more ideas about ww2 planes, ww2 aircraft and aviation. To our commander from his flak artillery in commemoration of the successful defense against the major attack by american bombers on ploesti, 1 august 1943 destruction of 31 liberators. That becomes an important fact when reading mission number 52, the opening chapter of stephen w. B24 liberator units of the fifteenth air force osprey. Smoke rises from the astra romana refinery in ploesti romania following low level bombing attack by b24 liberators, aug 1 1943. The two nose art sets together cover 28 liberators that attacked the oil refineries at ploesti, campina, and brazi, romania, on 1 august 1943. The struggle for vietnams pleiku province campaign book 345. Although the operation resulted in the award of five medals of honor americas highest decoration for bravery the cost was high. Newby, bombardier on a b24 liberator hangar queen of the 460th bomb group h, fifteenth air force describes in detail his experiences with the u. Superlatives come easy when discussing freemans book. Featuring b24d liberators of the 93rd bomb group, this print showcases joisey bounce, a liberator that flew with the 330th bomb squadron and survived the lowlevel raids on ploesti, romania. On august 1, 1943, an enormous armada of america b24 liberator bombers roar. In the summer of 1943, the usaaf decided to stage a major raid on ploesti from air bases in libya.
Unlike previous books on ploesti, jay stout goes well beyond the famous big and bloody raid of august 1943 and depicts the entire 1944 strategic campaign of twentyplus missions that all but knocked ploesti out of the war and denied the german war. There were other air wars fought during world war ii by britons against germans, by germans against russians, by americans against japanese, among others but. My dad flew b24s and was on the lowlevel mission of august 1, 1943. Onethird of the b24s were lost on this missionand the 98th bomb group lost onehalf of its crews and planes. Barrett tillman in addition to the 10 refineries at ploesti, which produced perhaps onethird of germanys oil, there was a wide network of targets like giurgiu. War chapter of the ebook great photographs from the library of. Shot down by fw 190 fighters near orleans, france on. Apr 30, 2004 the ploesti raid through the lense is a brief but comprehensive volume which takes the reader from the origins and importance of romanian oil production to a final recapitulation of the destruction of those facilities with the emphasis being, quite naturally, on the august 1, 1943 low level raid, code named tidal wave.
B24 liberators over their targets in ploesti, 1 august 1943. The author, who was involved in the world war ii ploesti mission in rumania, vividly portrays the ploesti oil fields through the actions of the crew of a b24 liberator bomber. The mission resulted in no curtailment of overall product output. Aug 07, 2015 ploesti was captured by soviet forces shortly thereafter. The b24 liberator was the workhorse heavy bomber of the 15th air force. The actual flights were mapped to avoid unnecessary interaction with german strongpoints. B24 liberator history, specs, and photos of ww2 bomber. Sears book on air war against hitlers germany for the american heritage junior library. This composite photograph was part of the material used by the 98th bomb group in planning the lowlevel attack carried out on 1 august 1943. Though damage was small, germany and romania responded by putting strong antiaircraft defenses around ploie. This is a color edition, hardcover edition, hand signed by the author.
Photo, print, drawing waves of consolidated b24 liberators of the 15th aaf fly. Its story contains records that will probably never be matched, and it tells of brave men who persevered in the face of horrendously daunting circumstances. Operation tidal wave was an air attack by bombers of the united states army air forces. B24 liberators low level bomb run ploesti mission 1943 site statistics. Osprey air campaign book 12 ploesti 1943 the great raid on. Into the fire is the first book ive read about the attack on ploesti, but after reading it, i will definitely read others. The remarkable air strike on ploesti, its excessive cost, and the aftermath for both sides make up the account laid out in ploesti. Includes footage of the lowlevel b24 raid on the ploesti oil refineries in romania where about 55 of. B24 liberators low level bomb run ploesti mission 1943.
The ploesti raid through the lens after the battle. The ww2 consolidated b24 liberator first saw combat in june of 1942, making a daring raid into nazioccupied romania to bomb the oil fields at ploesti. Operation tidal wave takes aim at ploesti warfare history. The great raid on hitlers romanian oil refineries air campaign book 12. May 01, 2004 the ploesti raid through the lense is a brief but comprehensive volume which takes the reader from the origins and importance of romanian oil production to a final recapitulation of the destruction of those facilities with the emphasis being, quite naturally, on the august 1, 1943 low level raid, code named tidal wave. In june 1942, b24 liberators of the halverson project halpro attacked. A force of over 200 b24 liberator bombers in five groups lifted off from. B24d liberators attack the oil refineries at ploesti, romania. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. Mission ploesti, flown that single day in august 1943, is etched permanently in united states air force annals. Stone senior historian of the museum, lists his favorite books on dday. Accompanying her are thundermug and boomerang, both of the 328th. Ww2 b24 books, b24 liberator bomber aircraft books. B24 liberators on ploesti raid 1943 5 world war photos.
Captain maguire, antisemitic, comes to admire cohen, who is really a former mafia informant. Out of the 177 b24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. I can only hope that subsequent books are as good as this one. This compact osprey series book details the organizational development of the 15th af, and presents an excellent discussion of bombing missions and targets. Waves of consolidated b24 liberators of the 15th aaf fly over the.
View from a bombsight and into the guns of ploesti. This photo shows ploesti as it appeared in july 1943. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of the oil campaign to deny petroleumbased fuel to the axis. The usaaf took delivery of its first b24as in june 1941, although the b24d was the first production model delivered in quantity in july 1942. Nevertheless, on august 1, 1943, an armada of 177 b24 liberators took off from benghazi, libya, for ploesti, where they encountered one of the most heavily defended targets in the world. The great groundair battle of 1 august 1943, revised. Ploesti was captured by soviet forces shortly thereafter. Ploestithe rest of the story b24h liberators of the fifteenth air force bomb the oil cracking plant at the concordia vega refinery, one of many targets around ploesti, on may 31, 1944. The blueprint for the whole raid was drawn up by col. In june 1942, b24 liberators of the halverson project attacked ploie. B24 liberator units of the united states army air forces.
The new air force was activated with a strength of ninety b24 liberators and 210 b17 flying fortresses, inherited from the twelfth air force and ninth air force. The white haze on the ground is the famous smoke screen created by the troops defending the refineries. With the liberators coming in so low and having the element of surprise, smart. Black sunday the disastrous ploesti raid in photos and video. Osprey air campaign book 12 ploesti 1943 the great raid. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of the oil campaign to deny petroleum based fuel to the axis. Operation tidal wave was an air attack by bombers of the united states army air forces usaaf based in libya and southern italy on nine oil refineries around ploie. Flightsd of three or four, or single planes, were flying in different directions, streaking smoke and flames, striking the ground. B24h liberators of the fifteenth air force bomb the oil cracking plant at the concordia vega refinery, one of many targets around ploesti, on may 31, 1944.
The last part of this book is a complete listing of almost one thousand raids of the 8th air force in ww2. Its safe to say no combat mission has been ever been documented as thoroughly as the 1 august 1943 strike covered in ploesti through the lens. Its story contains records that will probably never be matched, and it tells of brave men who persevered in. The ploesti raid through the lens freeman, roger a. Abe cohen, flight engineer, is not really jewish but pretends to be. Dragged through the mouth of hell at ploesti tidal wave 1. B24 liberator of the 43rd bomb group during a bombing run over the major japanese base at salamaua, australian new guinea, aug, 1943. The resulting total distance was about 2,100 miles round trip, with 1,400 miles over the mediterranean and the rest over germancontrolled territory.
This is the story of american army air force bomber crews who attempted to cut six months off wwii with a lowlevel attack on the oil refineries of ploesti, romania. In june 1942, b24 liberators of the halverson project halpro attacked ploie. On august 1, 1943, specially trained elements of the 8th and 9th air forces flying b24 liberators based in benghazi libya launched a daring low level attack on ploesti, over 1,200 miles away. Heavy bomber training organizations primarily under ii bomber command in the united states and noncombat units are not included the usaaf took delivery of its first b24as in june 1941, although the b24d was the first production model. Eighth air force was a raid on the fockewulf aircraft factory at bremen in northwestern germany. While fortress ploesti is the narrative history of the entire air unlike previous books on ploesti, jay stout goes well beyond the famous big and bloody raid of august 1943 and depicts the entire 1944 strategic campaign of twentyplus missions that all but knocked ploesti out of the war and denied the german war machine the fuel and lubricants. Largely based on personal interviews, diaries, and letters, this revised editionwhich includes a new foreword and more photographsimproves upon its predecessor.
Sep 01, 2003 while fortress ploesti is the narrative history of the entire air unlike previous books on ploesti, jay stout goes well beyond the famous big and bloody raid of august 1943 and depicts the entire 1944 strategic campaign of twentyplus missions that all but knocked ploesti out of the war and denied the german war machine the fuel and lubricants. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. B24 liberators of the 2nd air division, usaaf by mike bailey the mediterranean 15th air force ploesti. Nearly 18,500 liberators were built during the war years, making it by far the mostproduced american combat aircraft. Smart, the planner of the lowaltitude mission of august 1, 1943, who was shot down over the target in a b17 and taken prisoner. Air force in world war ii with the publication of his books target ploesti. The buildup in romania was matched by the swelling power of the mediterranean allied air force. They would then ultimately commence the aerial strike from the north, hitting the nine ploesti refineries simultaneously at low altitudes. We expected to take losses but i will never forget those big liberators going down like flies. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Of the ten liberators 2 saaf wing launched, only five were able to attack the primary target, dropping fifteen tons of 500 pound bombs from 7000 up to 18,000 feet. However, by the time the mistake was realised, the defences were on the alert and over 20 liberators were brought down in and around ploesti. No history of the b24 would be complete without the story of ploesti, black sunday, august 1, 1943.
Nearly every mission against ploesti resulted in casualties, including colonel jacob w. The 5th bomb wing flew the b17, but all other wings flew the liberator. Operation tidal wave american air museum in britain. This book covers all the viewpoints from the crews on the ground trying to stop the bombers to the heroes in the aircraft knocking out the nazi held refineries, so that the invasion of russia would fail. The ploesti raid through the lense is a brief but comprehensive volume which takes the reader from the origins and importance of romanian oil production to a final recapitulation of the destruction of those facilities with the emphasis being, quite naturally, on the august 1, 1943 low level raid, code named tidal wave.
Nevertheless, on august 1, 1943, an armada of 177 b24 liberators took off from benghazi, libya, for ploesti, where they encountered one of. At the time, the romanian ploesti oil fields produced about a third of all axis oil, and was germanys single most important fuel source. This is a list of united states army air forces b24 liberator combat units during world war ii including variants and other historical information. It is about heroism, sacrifice, tragedy and bravery beyond words. It was one of the largest producers in europe and ploiesti was a major part of that production.
Aug 02, 2012 on august 1, 1943, specially trained elements of the 8th and 9th air forces flying b24 liberators based in benghazi libya launched a daring low level attack on ploesti, over 1,200 miles away. Buy a cheap copy of air war against hitlers germany book by stephen w. The direct flight path from benghazi to ploesti was 980 miles. One hundred seventyeight of the twintailed b24 liberators took off from a rustic desert airstrip near benghazi, libya, early on the morning of aug. Dragged through the mouth of hell at ploesti tidal wave. Waves of consolidated b24 liberators of the 15th aaf fly.
Weber, believed to be a german flak gunner at ploesti. This is the best book ever written on the ploesti lowlevel mission. Newby, leroy, into the guns of ploesti, motorbooks international publishers and. The astra romana and orion refineries are in the immediate foreground with the city of ploesti beyond. Packed full of firstperson accounts of men who flew the mission, this book is a mustread for fans of world war ii aviation. Mar 15, 2011 1943 operation tidalwave, the lowlevel bombing of the ploesti oil refineries, 1 august 1943. The horizontal bomb represents the low level attack on ploesti, aug 1 1943. Synopsis this book describes the period when the american daylight offensive faltered and nearly failed and recalls the terrible losses suffered by liberators on the lowlevel attack on the ploesti oilfields in rumania and by the b17s on the notorious schweinfurt and regensburg raids which entered 8th air force folklore as black thursday. Us army air force bombing raids on the ploesti oil fields.
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