Posted on 11/23/2022 8:48:33 AM PST by fidelis
Searchers have located the wrecks of five B-24 bombers that crashed into the Adriatic Sea during World War II, three of which are associated with 23 still-missing crew members.
The search mission – conducted over a two-week period in August off the coast of Croatia – was a partnership between Project Recover and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
It was the culmination of a lengthy process of researching military records and obtaining needed permits from Croatia, Mark Moline, the mission leader and a cofounder of Project Recover, said in a phone interview Thursday.
Along with the B-17, the B-24 Liberator was a mainstay for U.S. strategic bombing in the European theater, with almost 19,000 of the heavy bombers built during World War II. It was utilized by all the American service branches in Europe and the Pacific.
The wrecks of an estimated 30 U.S. warplanes are believed to lie submerged in what was a frequent “ditching area” for crippled warplanes in the vicinity of the search area in the Adriatic Sea, which lies between Italy and the Balkans.
“Most of those aircraft took off from Italy and would bomb Europe,” Moline said. “Then, if they were attacked and limping and couldn't make it back to Italy, they didn't go directly back across the Adriatic.”
Instead, the pilots flew down the coast of what was then Yugoslavia – now Croatia – and ditched the aircraft in waters not controlled by the Nazis, Moline said. Some crews made it to safety; others did not...
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
It is amazing to see how far diving technology has gone. I've been told (some few years ago) that re-breathers were then capable of about 500 feet, using helium as a diluent gas.
I did a search and found this:
Crazy stuff. A long time ago, we were in the UP by Whitefish point for some wreck diving. We ran into these divers that were doing some technical diving, down to 220’ on open circuit scuba. They said they had about 20 minutes bottom time, and 2 hours decompressing on the way up. A tank would be hanging down from the boat at about 30’, apparently they didn't take all their air with them. Their suits had some weird air valve looking thing by the knees, I asked what that was for. For the catheter relief...
I knew some men who flew these planes.
Every one of them credited being alive because the B 17 could take tremendous punishment and still keep flying.
One veteran I worked many years ago was a ball turret gunner. Ernie was his name. He swore by that plane. "Bought me home very time'' he said.
The Achilles Heel of a B 24 was the wing loading. One good hit in the wing and that thing was done for.
One good flak hit in the wing of a B 24 and it was done for.
Up to that point that raid cost the loss of over 600 crew (killed\wounded or captured) members in a single raid, later raids directly into the heart of Germany had higher costs in planes and crews. Operation Tidal Wave made many in upper command question the use of Daylight Bombing due to casualties. It took 6 months of reduced bombing sorties to recover from the loss of equipment and trained crew replacement.
Another detailed account of the Ploesti Raid can be found here:
The raid reduced the oil production for a short period as the Germans were very good at recovering from bombing attacks so the question was “Was it worth the loss of men and material” on a short lived gain? Many asked that then but much higher costs were coming when raids deep into Germany begin. Also should be noted the Germans beefed up defenses around Ploesti due to the Russians staging very weak attacks that did little if any damage but spurred the Germans to ring the target with 100’s of AA guns, day and night fighter squadrons. One report stated you could walk between planes with so much lead being thrown up.
Same thing happened with the early war raid on Makin Island which caused the Japanese to fortify many Pacific islands, a blip for moral but cost many 1000’s down the road later on in the War. As a side bar during that raid by accident a number of Marines were cut off and left behind as they landed by Submarines...Didn’t end well for those guys.
Possibly, but not for sure. All of the planes that were involved in that operation flew out of Libya, and the ones that survived the mission appear to have returned there. I don't recall any accounts specifically of them ditching off Croatia though it can't be ruled out.
Good Lord those poor guys were done for .
Can you imagine being in their shoes at that moment?
God rest their eternal souls.
Navigation was hit or miss in WW2, ever hear of the B-24 Lady Be Good? Returning late from its 1st or 2nd mission, can’t remember it overflew its base and headed out into the Sahara Desert...plane flew another 100 miles and ran out of fuel, crew bailed, one crewman’s chute didn’t open so the other crew started walking, most have been beyond horrible, little water or food, 125 during the day, freezing at night. From a diary found by British oil exploration crews on a crewman’s remains in the 60’s said some of the crew was very hostile to Navigator. They found the last man had walked 80 miles from the B-24 crash site without any\little water or food..I cannot in my worst nightmare imagine that walk..
A friend was telling me at a party last Saturday about a current bridge project in Portland, OR. While sinking the piers, they hit a steel pile from the existing adjacent bridge. They had to send divers down about 150 feet to torch out the existing pile. Pitch black, working by feel, cold, bulky and stiff heated diving suits, very limited work time, cramped work space. It is amazing what people do for a living. It is so good America still has such can-do people. Talk about unsung heroes! Think of those guys every time you cross a bridge.
Very true, especially in the early years of the war. I'm only commentating, however, on the known facts surrounding Operation Tidal Wave.
One of my roommates at NAB Coronado was an underwater welder. Kind of interesting conversations between him and I (Cryptologic Technician, Technical) about our respective duties.
I’ll bet. You probably couldn’t find two more polar-opposite professions! Did you both understand each other?
Please keep me apprised of updates, the article said something to the effect that some specific lost servicemen were associated with one of the planes, that would mean the date of their crashes will be known.
I’m from Texas and he was from Pennsylvania, to boot! We got along well though - our third roommate was the odd one, listen to speed/death/thrash metal, drank bottles of vodka and then peed in the empty bottles to keep in his locker, and was a fan-boy of serial killers (Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, etc.).
Lenny and I kept each other ‘safe’, if you know what I mean, and got along well.
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