ANY DISCUSSION about the August 1, 1943, low-level bombing raid against Ploesti eventually necks down to one obvious question: was it worth it? The
question will never be answered to the satisfaction of everyone. Within a few
weeks of ...
Author: Jay A. Stout
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 9781612000411
Category: History
Page: 320
View: 138
A comprehensive account of the World War II Allied bombing campaign to destroy pivotal Romanian oil refineries—by the retired Marine Corps fighter pilot. 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 twenty-plus missions that all but knocked Ploesti out of the war and denied the German war machine the fuel and lubricants it so desperately needed. Stout’s account is also a launching point for the author’s inquiries into many aspects of the American strategic bombing effort in World War II. It delivers across the board. Stout, who served as a Marine F/A-18 pilot in the First Gulf War, asks questions about aviation combat history and technique that any modern combat pilot would be dying to ask. He carries the ball far beyond the goal post set by all other Ploesti historians. He has gone out of his way to describe the defenses throughout the campaign, and he brings in the voices of Ploesti’s defenders to complement the tales of Allied airmen who brought Ploesti to ruin. He describes the role of the bombers, as well as that of the fighters, the antiaircraft defenses, even the technique of obscuring the Ploesti complex with smoke. Stout’s lucid presentation of complex issues at the tactical and strategic levels makes his narrative “a must for those with a special interest in the attacks on Ploesti” (World War II History Magazine).
The Ploesti raid : When heroes filled the sky ( Wings of Valor , Part II , World War
2 ) . www . homeofheroes . com / wings / part2 / 09 _ ploesti . html Stout , Jay A . (
2003 ) . Fortress Ploesti : The Campaign to Destroy Hitler ' s Oil . Havertown , PA
...
Author: Duane P. Schultz
Publisher: Westholme Pub Llc
ISBN: STANFORD:36105124068102
Category: History
Page: 294
View: 268
Offers a popular history of the World War II aerial attack on Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.
... Fortress groups in 15th Air Force would eventually be augmented by 15 B - 24
Liberator groups operating out of Italy . ... The lure of the Ploesti oil fields was too
great to ignore in 1944 as American bomber strength grew and as bases were ...
Author: Frederick A. Johnsen
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing
ISBN: UOM:39015050044489
Category: History
Page: 159
View: 887
Rare vignettes and little-known facts punctuate this fond look back at the symbol of American victory in World War II Europe. Features 150 black and white photos, including some that have never been seen before--until now. Gorgeous 8-page color photo insert complements eye-opening details about the people, the missions, the production, and the development of the B-17.
... (fortress) Ploesti was smoothly accomplished because of an "understanding"
with Rumanian dictator General Ion Antone- scu, a devout Nazi. Mussolini,
envious of Hitler's run of victories, longed for one of his own. With Italian-
dominated ...
THE P-51 PROVED TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE OF THE ESCORT FIGHTERS
, AND FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE P-47 UNITS BEGAN SWITCHING TO THE P-51
JUST AS THE COMMAND RENEWED ATTACKS AGAINST PLOESTI.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category:
Page:
View: 103
PREFACE The chronology is concerned primarily with operations of the US Army Air Forces and its combat units between December 7, 1941 and September 15, 1945. It is designed as a companion reference to the seven-volume history of The Army Air Forces in World War 11, edited by Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate. The research was a cooperative endeavor carried out in the United States Air Force historical archives by the Research Branch of the Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center. Such an effort has demanded certain changes in established historical methodology, as well as some arbitrary rules for presentation of the results. After International and US events, entries are arranged geographically. They begin with events at Army Air Forces Headquarters in Washington then proceed eastward around the world, using the location of the headquarters of the numbered air forces as the basis for placement. For this reason, entries concerning the Ninth Air Force while operating in the Middle East follow Twelfth Air Force. When that headquarters moves to England in October 1943, the entries are shifted to follow Eighth Air Force. The entries end with those numbered air forces which remained in the Zone of the Interior, as well as units originally activated in the ZI, then designated for later movement overseas, such as Ninth and Tenth Air Forces. The ZI entries do not include Eighth and Twentieth Air Forces, which were established in the ZI with the original intent of placing them in those geographical locations with which they became historically identified. For these two units, original actions are shown either under AAF or in their intended geographic area of location. All times and dates used are those of the area under discussion. The entry "1/2 Jun" indicates that an event occurred during the night between the two given dates, while "1-2 Jun" indicates an action over a period of time. In dealing with people, again arbitrary decisions were implemented. For military men below the general officer or equivalent level, full grade and name were used. For general officers and those of equal grade in other US and foreign services, the complete rank (both that at the time first mentioned and the highest rank held prior to the end of the war) and name will be found in the index. Only an abbreviated rank (e.g., Gen or Adm) and last name are used in the text. The exception is where two general officers had the same last name; in such cases, the first name is also included. Similarly for civilian leaders, only the last name is used; full name and title are given in the index. Location of all towns, islands, etc., is also made in the index. In all cases, attempts were made to cite place names in use by the native population at the time of or immediately before the war. No names imposed by a conqueror are used. For example Pylos Bay, not Navarino Bay, is used. Further, as appropriate, native geographic terms are used: Shima for island in. Japanese island groups, See for lake in Germany. However, two exceptions were made. In cases in which the place became infamous because of the actions of the conquering power, that name is preferred-for example Auschwitz would be used rather than the Polish name of Oswiecim. Also, in larger international cities, such as Roma, Koln and Wien, the anglicized name is used. Where a village or hamlet was difficult to locate or where there were several such places with the same name in a general area, the coordinates are given in the index. In some cases, with no extant navigational aids of the attacking force, the best possible guess was made based upon all available evidence. In other instances, such as the bridge at Hay-ti-attacked so often by Tenth Air Force-- a logical guess could not be made. In these cases, a question mark is placed in brackets after the index entry. Accent marks, such as umlauts, were omitted.
The Fortress flew for a short distance and then crashed to earth . ... The August
1944 . success of this shuttle brought about It was on one of the Ploesti missions
much optimism , but this was before that a B - 17 crew member from the the ...
Author: William N. Hess
Publisher:
ISBN: STANFORD:36105029000630
Category: B-17 bomber
Page: 159
View: 247
Although the Fifteenth Air Force was dismissed as minor leaguers by the Eighth Air Force, strategic bombers from this outfit had done a major league job on axis targets in southern Europe following its formation in Italy in 1943. And the heavy bombers employed by the Fifteenth were ofcourse the venerable B-17 and B-24. At its peak strength, the Fifteenth's B-17 force comprised six groups of four squadrons each, all controlled by the 5th Bomb Wing. Having been a part of the Fifteenth Air Force in 1944, author Bill Hess provides an account of his air force.
Stout , Jay A . Fortress Ploesti : The Campaign to Destroy Hitler ' s Oil . Casemate
, 2003 . CHAPTER 11 Brown , Anthony Cave . Bodyguard of Lies . Bantam Books
, 1975 . Duffy , James , and Vincent Ricci . Target Hitler . Praeger Publishers ...
Author: Ed Strosser
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: IND:30000122923133
Category: History
Page: 320
View: 164
A lighthearted collection of military blunders includes synopses of such campaigns as the United States' invasion of Russia, the ill-fated Falklands War, and Hitler's beer-hall putsch, and pays tribute to the poor judgment that contributed to the failures.
Amazingly coincidental is the fact that another Kerr man also piloted a fortress
over Ploesti . He was Lieutenant Kittredge Hamlin . “ Kit ” reports an even more
exciting time over Messina in the Sicily campaign . He has had a total of more
than ...
... 1941–1945, Arms & Armour (London, 1994) Bradle, William, The Daring World
War II Raid on Ploesti, Pelican (Gretna, ... Jay, Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to
Destroy Hitler's Oil, Casemate (Haverton, PA, 2003) Way, Frank, and Sternfels, ...
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 9781472831965
Category: History
Page: 96
View: 267
Operation Tidal Wave was one of the boldest and most controversial air raids by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). At the time, the Romanian Ploesti oil fields produced about a third of all Axis oil, and was Germany's single most important fuel source. In the summer of 1943, the USAAF decided to stage a major raid on Ploesti from air bases in Libya. The resulting Operation Tidal Wave raid on 1 August 1943 was one of the costliest to date, losing 53 aircraft, about a third of the starting force. Of the more than 150 bombers that took part in the raid, only 88 B-24s returned to Libya, 55 of which were damaged. On the other hand, of the 17 Medals of Honor awarded to US soldiers and airmen from Pearl Harbor in 1941 to D-Day in 1944, 5 were awarded to pilots of the Tidal Wave mission in recognition of their extraordinary performance. Although undoubtedly bold and heroic, the mission had questionable results. Initial assessments argued that the mission caused 40% of the refinery capacity at Ploesti to be lost but subsequent studies concluded that the damage was quickly repaired and that output had exceeded August levels within a month. This new study examines the raid in detail, exploring the reasons why its dubious success came at such a high price. Supported by maps, diagrams, and full-colour artwork including battlescenes and bird's-eye views, this is the full story of the audacious Ploesti raid of 1943.
Sailor Malan : Biography Willmont , H. B - 17 Flying Fortress Wolff , L. Low Level
Mission : Ploesti Woolnough , J. The 8th A.F. Album ? . For God and Country :
Don Gentile All other Military Aviation books & magazines wanted , especially
W.W. ...
Left : Destruction could come Below : A Fortress was large quickly in the cold thin
air enough to cause a great deal at 25 ... oil fields around plunging into the sea
the Ploesti were defended by stricken bomber ploughed the largest concentration
...
... Ion Antonescu - Hitler losing not only an ally but , a more grievous loss at this
critical time , the great Ploesti oilfields . ... In the East , in the West , in the South
the monstrous myth of Fortress Europe was disintegrating in the ashes and
rubble ...
A second , sadder and more serious pre - war incident concerned a substantial
oil company controlled by General Mining in Romania , Phoenix Oil and
Transport Company , formed in 1920 with a refinery in Constanza , installations at Ploesti ...
... however , being wise after the event . In the final outcome it would have been
destroyed whatever its course of action . On 30 August Soviet troops took Ploesti
and the next day seized Bucharest , capturing most of the Germans in the capital .
Fortress men were doing the most heroic Almost everywhere I went among the
part of America ' s job . great bases we had ... But , until the Ploesti raid , the The
hope of men to survive their death , valor of the Liberator crews – which had by ...
The previous year , on 12 June 1942 , B - 24s belonging to an outfit called Halpro
had become the first American heavy bombers to attack Fortress Europe ' with a
mission against the oil refineries at Ploesti . With a much larger Liberator force ...
Author: Robert F. Dorr
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 1855329018
Category: History
Page: 100
View: 274
Osprey's examination of the B-24 Liberator Units' participation in World War II (1939-1945). The B-24 Liberator was built in greater numbers than any other US warplane, yet its combat crews live, even today, in the shadow of the less plentiful, but better-known, B-17. Accounts of the 'Mighty Eighth' in Europe, and indeed many of the books and films that emerged from the greatest air campaign in history, often overlook the B-24, even though it was in action for as long as the Flying Fortress, and participated in just as many perilous daylight bombing missions.
A technical assistthe comfortable old Bucaresti filled its ance group arrived from
Germany and heavily draped rooms with a lively cli set about building a fortress
that would entele , most of them writers and theatre protect Ploesti from the air
and ...
... in South Pacific 129 Captain Eddie Rickenbacker 131 Flying Fortress on
mission in Solomons 138 " G.I. Joe , ” heroic pigeon , carries message 143 B - 24
Liberators on mission 147 B - 24 bombs Ploesti oil field 148 Battered Flying Fortress ...
Bucharest , not Ploesti . They circled back , looking , they were nevertheless
reliable A year had passed since the first one had and Ploesti was on full alert .
One group and adaptable ... B - 24 ons in Europe . It was a fortress , its flow and
flame ...
