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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Ploesti Raid - (Aug. 1, 1943) - May 15th, 2004
see educational sources

Posted on 05/15/2004 12:00:14 AM PDT by snippy_about_it



Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.



...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
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click on the books below.

The FReeper Foxhole Revisits


Into the Mouth of Hell


Losses on the first large-scale Ploesti raid were staggering, heroism unsurpassed.

Tradition rests on a foundation of great deeds done together in the past. A keystone of Air Force tradition is the Aug. 1, 1943, bombing attack on oil refineries at Ploesti, about 30 miles north of Bucharest, Romania. That mission stands as a monument not only to the skill and courage of Air Force crews but also to the ability of our combat leaders to pull together strands of a broken plan and salvage limited success from the apparent certainty of disaster.

The Ploesti raid was unique in several respects. It was the first large-scale, low-level strike by heavy bombers against a well-defended target and the longest--1,350 miles from base to bombs-away--of World War II up to that time. For extraordinary heroism that day, five men were awarded the Medal of Honor, a record that may hold for all time.



Why did Ploesti merit that unprecedented effort? In mid-1943, seven refineries in and near the city were producing an estimated 35 percent of Germany's oil and an equal proportion of her aviation gasoline. Some Allied planners thought that destruction of the refineries might even force the Nazis out of the war.

The task force put together for Ploesti was composed of two Ninth Air Force B-24 groups--the 376th and 98th--based in North Africa and three B-24 groups from Eighth Air Force--the 93d, 44th, and the recently arrived 389th--that were moved from their UK bases to fields in North Africa near Benghazi, Libya. The attack was set for Sunday, Aug. 1, in order to minimize casualties among impressed workers at the refineries. It was meticulously planned and thoroughly rehearsed, including two full-scale practice missions against a simulation of the Ploesti targets, laid out in a remote area of the desert.

Surprise and Precision


In concept, if not in execution, the plan of attack was simple, its essence: surprise and precision. The bomber stream would be led by the 376th Group under Col. Keith K. Compton, followed by the 93d, 98th, 44th, and 389th in that order. Specific buildings within the five refineries in Ploesti; the refinery at Campina, 18 miles northwest of the city; and one at Brazi, five miles to the south, were assigned to elements of the five groups.



The task force, totaling 177 B-24s with Brig. Gen. Uzal Ent as mission commander flying in Compton's aircraft, would take off between 4 and 5 a.m., fly north in a tight column of groups to Corfu (off the coast of Greece), then climb over the mountains of Albania and Yugoslavia to the Danubian plain, where they would descend below enemy radar coverage. At Pitesti, the first Initial Point (IP), the 389th would break off to the left and proceed to the refinery at Campina.

The four leading groups would drop to 500 feet and continue to the final IP at Floresti, where they would begin a 13-mile bomb run on five refineries in the city and the one at Brazi, descending to treetop level for bomb release. All six refineries would be hit almost simultaneously by a single wave of bombers, flying line-abreast, that would saturate the defenses. That was the plan. Winston Churchill is credited with observing that "in war, nothing ever goes according to plan except occasionally, and then by accident." Ploesti was no exception.



In the long flight over the Mediterranean, the column lost some of its cohesion, with the 376th and 93d Groups slightly ahead of the other three. Then, near Corfu, the lead aircraft with the route navigator went out of control and crashed. (Ent and Compton were not in the lead bomber, but in a position to assume the lead when a final turn to the bomb run was made.) A second 376th aircraft bearing the deputy route navigator followed down to look for survivors. Unable to climb back in time to rejoin the group, it returned to Benghazi.

Now ahead of the formation towering cumulus clouds rose above the mountains. The two lead groups threaded their way through or under the clouds, while the 98th, 44th, and 389th penetrated the cloud line at varying altitudes. By the time those three had reformed a column and resumed a heading for Pitesti, the first two groups were 29 minutes ahead of them.

Because of radio silence, Ent and Compton could not contact the trailing groups. Not knowing whether or not those groups had turned back, they decided to follow the operations order even though they might have to go it alone. Thus, the five groups actually proceeded toward Pitesti as two widely separated forces. A surprise attack on the refineries in Ploesti by a single wave of some 140 bombers, that dominant key to success at an acceptable cost, was beyond redemption.

The Wrong Turn




The chain of circumstance was not yet complete. The 376th and 93d Groups made their turn at Pitesti and headed for the final IP at Floresti. Halfway between the two IPs lay the town of Targoviste, which closely resembled Floresti. Flying at very low altitude, the 376th mistook Targoviste for the IP and turned southeast on the briefed bomb-run heading, which took the two groups to the west of Ploesti--an error that wasn't discovered until they were on the outskirts of Bucharest. At that point, Ent broke radio silence, ordering the two groups to turn north and attack targets of opportunity in the complex of refineries.

The 93d Group, led by Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker, a National Guard officer who had been called to active duty in 1940, caught a glimpse of refineries off to the left. He and his pilot, Maj. John Jerstad, who had completed his combat tour but volunteered for the mission, bored in on an unidentified refinery, which turned out to be Columbia Aquila, a 44th Group target. Enemy defenses, much heavier than anticipated, were thoroughly aroused. More than 230 antiaircraft guns, supported by many barrage balloons and smoke pots, surrounded the refineries, with perhaps 400 fighters in the area.



Into a maelstrom of ground fire, Baker led the group. Short of the refinery, his B-24 was hit and burst into flames. Baker and Jerstad could have bellied in on open fields or pulled up to bailout altitude and probably saved themselves and their crew. But this was a mission on which some thought the outcome of the war might hinge. Without wavering, they led the bombers straight on to the refinery before crashing into the ground. Both Baker and Jerstad were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Off to the right of their funeral pyre, a second element of the 93d bombed two refineries assigned to the 98th Group. Meanwhile, five B-24s of the 376th Group led by Maj. Norman C. Appold hit the Concordia Vega refinery, originally assigned to the 93d, and "emerged covered with soot" as other 376th bombers unloaded on various segments of the Ploesti complex.



While the 376th and 93d were making the best of a bad situation, the other three, led by veteran pilot Col. John R. "Killer" Kane, commander of the 98th, turned at Pitesti as planned. The tail-end 389th under Col. Jack Wood broke off to the northeast, bombing the refinery at Campina to complete destruction. Four aircraft were lost to flak, one of them piloted by 21-year-old 2d Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes, who was on his fifth combat mission. His B-24, hit by ground fire, leaked streams of gasoline from wing and bomb-bay tanks.

Below lay wheat fields, where Hughes could have landed, but instead he drove on through the smoke and flame created by the bombers ahead of him, struck his target, and came out with his left wing sheathed in flame. His desperate attempt to save the crew by crash-landing on a lake bed failed when one wing of the blazing B-24 hit a river bank and the plane exploded. The mission's third posthumous Medal of Honor was awarded to Hughes.






FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links




TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: 8thairforce; 9thairforce; freeperfoxhole; history; ploesti; samsdayoff; usaaf; veterans; wwii
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To: The Mayor

Mornin' Mayor.


41 posted on 05/15/2004 11:39:43 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Iris7

Thanks Iris7. I learn more and more everyday from your posts.


42 posted on 05/15/2004 11:41:15 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Tax-chick

Good morning Tax-chick. Cool pictures huh Billy?


43 posted on 05/15/2004 11:41:54 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Valin

We're back and we REALLY, REALLY want a lot of the stuff we saw today! Keep up the OT and you'll be able to afford one.


44 posted on 05/15/2004 11:44:35 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: bentfeather

Beautiful poetry and presentation you've created and left at the Foxhole today for Armed Forces Day. Thank you so much feather for sharing your talent with us.


45 posted on 05/15/2004 11:45:38 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Light Speed

Thanks Light Speed for the comparison information and the picture is fabulous!


46 posted on 05/15/2004 11:46:42 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: snippy_about_it

Bill's playing "Lego-bots" at Lego.com :-). It's amazing how involved the kids (and their dad) get in these games!

He can read the thread today after supper, while Anoreth is washing up. Then I'm getting the piano out, and we're all going to learn "Men of Harlech." (The kids watched "Zulu" again yesterday!)


47 posted on 05/15/2004 11:47:40 AM PDT by Tax-chick (It's possible that I look exactly like Catherine Zeta-Jones.)
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To: Tax-chick
Zulu is an awesome movie..wish they could have digitally remasterd the DVD version...Zulu in THX!

What the hell do you you mean, cowardly blacks? They died on your side didn't they? And who do you think is coming to wipe out your little command? The grenadier guards!? (Adendorff)

Mr. Chard Sir! Patrol has come back, Zulus have gone, all of 'em. It's a miracle! (Bourne to Chard)

If it's a miracle Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry, point 4-5 caliber miracle. (Chard)

And a bayonet Sir! With some guts behind it! (CS Bourne)


The Zulu...Horns of the Buffalo....Jolly deadly old boy!

48 posted on 05/15/2004 12:04:46 PM PDT by Light Speed
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To: Light Speed

We have a non-stereo TV, so the sound doesn't mean to much to us. I like the DVD's because I can have the subtitles on, and read the dialogue while all the kids are chattering!

"Very strong bass section, sir, but they've got no top-tenors!"


49 posted on 05/15/2004 12:08:09 PM PDT by Tax-chick (It's possible that I look exactly like Catherine Zeta-Jones.)
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To: snopercod
IFR=I Follow Railroads

LOL!

50 posted on 05/15/2004 12:15:49 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: bentfeather

Thank you Feather, beautiful poem and presentation.


51 posted on 05/15/2004 12:16:26 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: snippy_about_it

My pleasure snippy.


52 posted on 05/15/2004 12:17:45 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (~The Dragon Flies' Lair~ Poetry and Prose~)
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To: SAMWolf

:-)


53 posted on 05/15/2004 12:18:44 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (~The Dragon Flies' Lair~ Poetry and Prose~)
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To: Light Speed

Thanks Light Speed. I still have a soft spot for the B-17.

"The B-24 was the crate they shipped B-17s in."

— A saying some B-24 crews have concerning B-17s


54 posted on 05/15/2004 12:19:13 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: Valin

It was nice to be able to get a real close hands on look at all this working equipment. I'm happy.


55 posted on 05/15/2004 12:20:07 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: snippy_about_it

I really, really, really want the MG-42 we saw. :-)


56 posted on 05/15/2004 12:21:04 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: Tax-chick

"Zulu" is one of those pics I can watch over and over again.


57 posted on 05/15/2004 12:22:00 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: Tax-chick
"I do believe we got about 60!"
"Great, that leaves 3940 left."

"He's got a voice like a corporal,sort of like a female hippopottamus in labor."

"You mean your only plan is stand behind a few feet of mealy bags?"

58 posted on 05/15/2004 12:26:12 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Vengence is mine says the Lord, but I'm busy, so I sent the US Marines.)
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To: Darksheare; SAMWolf
So how come you haven't offered me a beer yet, Darksheare?

:)

±

"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

59 posted on 05/15/2004 1:43:35 PM PDT by Neil E. Wright (An oath is FOREVER)
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To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; bentfeather; Darksheare; Johnny Gage; Light Speed; Samwise; ...
Good afternoon y'all!

To all our military men and women, past and present, and to our allies who stand with us,
THANK YOU!

Got a couple of minutes to sit while hubby grabs a quick shower. We'll be heading out shortly to visit his aunt, who's in the hospital for tests. We're praying they don't find any signs of a stroke. At least she's in good spirits and is taking this all quite well, actually.
I hope everyone here is doing well and having a great weekend! *HUGZ* for everyone.


60 posted on 05/15/2004 2:01:57 PM PDT by radu (May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
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