Tidal Wave Footage Photos, 15th AAF and Luftwaffe, 'Black Sunday', 1 August 1943

Dan, anyone who did the painting and artwork of the OLD BALDY along with the crew is a great artist, thanks you so much for this and the newest Ghighiu photos. Dan when u have time please tell me what is the azimuth ( compass direction) from TARGET V to Women Prison where the JOSE CARIOCA has crashed at Radulul street ...and in the future when in Ploesti make a photo of the women jail

many thanks your contributions are greatly appreciated also by TW veterans visiting this forum

Alex

As far as I know Dan Melinte did it.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on January 31, 2005 09:14 am

The picture was taken through back windows car. The reason is one guy escaped from the prison few days ago and not wanted to be arrested for planning escapes.

Dan.




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The green encircled area is where should be the prison position.
I will check better with a today map and maybe some one could find satellite map of Ploesti to post it.

Dan.

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Thanks Dan for the chart I need locate whit V on that map in order to see the aproximate heading of CARIOCA, i cant exactly located white V yet......again my commendment for the outstanding art work you did, you are a great artist too

Thanks again

Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on January 31, 2005 10:55 am

On this map nr .44 is Columbia Aquila and nr.38 is Astra.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on January 31, 2005 11:23 am

Thanks Dan , yeah I saw the targets but from what direction was Baker formation was attacking with Stampolis the target V because the initial planned heading in Bengazi must have been 127 degree ( South East ) for WHITE II but later things have changed for WHITE V so was the attack from the south west or North East ? I gather from South East if they crashed into the Prison

Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on January 31, 2005 11:35 am

Thanks to all (Dan, Alex) for putting together the Old Baldy memorial. It is quite amazing and truly touching.

Best regards to all,

Jim Buchanan

Jim

These are Dan Melinte efforts solely and not mines . He did it for the good of this topic I have started and which has reached a record of interested communities and we all count on your , Joe, Bob, Earl, Steeve, 2 X Pat's any other TW historians continous support and help.

Best Regards
Alex

PS : Dan many thanks again !!!

This post has been edited by alexkdl on January 31, 2005 06:05 pm

Lt. Gen. Keith K. Compton, USAF (Ret)
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri on Dec. 9, 1915
Died Jun. 15, 2004 and resided in San Antonio, TX.

Visitation: Tuesday Jun. 22, 2004
Service: Tuesday Jun. 22, 2004
Funeral Home: Porter Loring Mortuary
Cemetery: Arlington National Cemetery
Click on the link(s) above for Maps & Directions



Lt. Gen. Keith Karl Compton, USAF (Ret), age 88, who was the Air Force Strategic Air Command’s vice chief of staff at Offutt AFB when he retired from military service in 1969, and who lead the famed bomber attack on the German oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, during World War II, died June 15 in San Antonio, Texas.

Among his many aviation feats, Gen. Compton won the famed Bendix Trophy in 1951, setting a new transcontinental speed record by averaging 553.761 miles per hour in a Sabre Jet, flying from Muroe Air Force Base in California, to Detroit, Michigan in three hours, 27 minutes. He won his Army Air Corps wings in 1939, and in 1943, as one of the youngest colonels in the Army Air Corps, took command of the 376th Heavy Bomb Group in Africa, later leading 117 B-24 bombers on the daring “Tidal Wave” attack on the German refineries.

His military decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force and the Army Commendation medals.

An accomplished golfer, as well, Gen. Compton won the U.S. Golf Association’s Senior Amateur Championship in 1978 at Pine Tree Golf Course, Delray Beach, FL. He also was a member of the Society of Seniors, comprised of the best senior amateur golfers in the United States. In addition, he held Westminster College’s (Fulton, MO.) Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award.

He is survived by his son, Keith Karl Compton Jr, of Reston, VA; his three daughters, Tegwin Anne Smith of Alexandria, VA, Mary Margaret Mace of Glen Allen, VA, and Michele Marie Walker of Burnett, Texas; and eight grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

Regarding Tangerine (photo posted a couple of pages previous to p. 85). The plane had two .50 cal machine guns mounted in a fixed position on the chin as depicted in the photos. The pilot fired the guns with a trigger mounted on the control column. There appears not to have been another like it at least in the 98/345th.

On Wongo Wongo picture i saw the same guns ( but probably 3 x .50 cal machine guns ). I heard that this sistem was used prior to TW for submarines attacks in Pacific. Anyone knows more about it ?


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Joe and Alex, thanks for posting this rare picture with Ivan Canfield and Charles Young. Evan if it's not a best quality we have a third confirmation of 409th emblem used on this B-24 squadron. We can see also 22 missions painted over the emblem. Definetly in the picture is Jose Carioca . So we have pictures from Lucky , Honky Tonk Gall and Jose Carioca all from 409th squadron and all with 409th Teddy Bear emblem on the left side.

Thanks again,
Dan.

Dan, Pat, Joe, Steve,Jim , Bob ,Earl, Pat x 2 and all



Yea you are right Dan , also Kane had a similar system but not used during TW on HAIL COLUMBIA , I wonder which B-24's had armour plates installed near cockpit and front chin ...some had some had not. Also what bothers me is that some foimrer crew members had OSS personnel on board not registered anywhere( on aircraft manifest) and were suplemental with the crew , their duty was to film and shot photos for OSS..some of the were listed as gunners somes not at all , the reason that there are only 5-10 minutes footages on PLoesti , is that the cam operators have perished when the downed bombers

Alex

Hi Alex, delighted to hear back from you so quickly...

Roger Freeman did reference the source of the photographs used in his Through The Lens book. Check it out on page 2 under PHOTOGRAPHS.

Concerning the Women's Prison crash, the controversy over whether it was Stampolis who crashed the prison arose from a statement made by Ben Kuroki, flying top turret in Tupelo Lass, that claimed the Stampolis ship was on fire and then took a hit, probably in the bomb bay tank, and "exploded into a million pieces." If true it follows that there may not have been anything left massive enough (except maybe the engines) to penetrate the prison. Other accounts have Stampolis crashing into a refinery building instead of the prison. If bodies were recovered at the prison site and identified to the Stampolis crew then that pretty much clinches that it was indeed the Stampolis ship that crashed the prison. Do you actually have that evidence? I would still like to know exactly where in the city the prison was located; can you verbally point out on the Ploesti map on page 9 of Freeman's book where the prison was located? Also do you know the location of the tall radio station antenna which Walt Stewart dodged after his bomb run?

I did not present any photos at the 2003 reunion, only two rather large maps and five 1/72 scale B-24D models representing one aircraft from each of the five participating bomb groups, i.e. BREWERY WAGON from the 376th, UTAH MAN from the 93rd, HAIL COLUMBIA/LITTLE-CHIEF BIG-DOG from the 98th, TROUBLE from the 44th, and CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO, THE FLYING BOXCAR from the 389th. Most photographs were presented by Blaine Duxbury who is a member of the Tidal Wave Group so these photos are probably already known to the TW Group.

Since you mentioned Mike Hill's book BLACK SUNDAY: PLOESTI I would add that I was talking to Mike as he was writing that book and Mike knew that Flavelle was not leading the mission but couldn't come out and say so until the 376th who were writing their own history at the same time had actually published their own book, which became THE LIBERANDOS edited by Walker but Norm Appold wrote the chapter on Ploesti. By that time everyone believed Dugan and Stewart's earlier account in their book PLOESTI that Flavelle was leading the mission and had the only navigator capable of finding Ploesti... and many still do to this day, including those who flew the mission. That is why we who have a passionate interest in the low level mission need to continue chipping away at the myths which still surround the mission. I spoke at the 2003 reunion about this and Bob Sternfels did also but I don't know how much good we did -- such is the power of the written word. I would also note that in comparing the Hill and Freeman books, the Freeman book is much the more accurate book when it comes to the aircraft name & serial and the crew listings.

I admired the art work of Old Baldy you sent, the artist is really good, or was it computer generated?

Feel free to ask any questions you have and keep in touch.

Best wishes, Bill Whitney