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

Alex and all ( B-24 fans) what type of tail turret gun had Boiler Maker II. It looks like an early type with only one gun in the middle. ( picture courtesy Razvan Bujor)
Dan.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on February 03, 2005 08:52 am

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Alex,

Thanks for the continuing information about Jose Carioca's crash into the women's prison. I have a couple of further questions:
(1) On Jan 31 you sent me a photograph of buildings in Ploesti... is the prison one of these buildings?
and in which direction are we looking?
(2) Do you have evidence (like a Police Report) of which bodies from the Stampolis crew were identified
and where they, and those unidentified, were buried?

If it is of interest to you I have some 'headings' for the 93rd BG on their bomb runs - I doubt if they are very precise but you may find some use for them. The 93rd approached their unknown targets (White V and IV) from south to north with a final partial right turn to bring them into the target. Baker was leading a force on the left which probably hit White V and Potts led another force on the right which probably hit White IV but they may have overlapped somewhat. I don't think they also hit White III as some have suggested. The formation as designed to hit White II (Baker) and White III (Potts) should have looked something like this (see below) but after the wrong turn and when the shooting started who knows what the attack formation looked like. Stampolis should have been on the far left of his formation. I'll enter the bomb run heading in bold digits beside the pilot's name.
_______________________________________________________________________
Baker
Porter Stewart * 40 (degree heading)

swung out G. Brown
to right > Hurd Demont
of main formation
> Tate 50
Martin Avendano

> Ford
Turner Black

Roper
Longnecker 340 Olliffe

L. Brown 46
Stampolis League 10 **

Dessert 30
Wilkinson Kendall **

McFarland **from west
Womble Geron 100

* Stewart moved to left side of Baker to signal when the bomb run started
** claim to have crossed city and bombed White II -- maybe were forced to right of White V and left of
White IV and continued across city to White II, the originally assigned target.
_________________________________________________________________
Potts
Teltser Emmons

Roche
Hickman 360 Long

McBride
Harms*** Merrill 40

Harvey
Freese (spare) Meehan*** Collins

*** downed before reaching target
italics turned back early - didn't reach target area
____________________________________________________________________

I'm trying to fine tune the attack route now that I know where the prison was. The radio tower location would help too. Page 61 of BLACK SUNDAY describes the radio tower being right in front of Stewart as he came off the bomb run. Dugan & Stewart's PLOESTI also describes the radio tower on page 118, "Stewart saw a 200-foot radio tower directly ahead of Utah Man. Its pinnacle was whipping back and forth in gusts of antiaircraft fire. "To go over it would have meant running into that flak," said the pilot. "I said to Larry [co-pilot Loren Koon, "Watch out when the tower goes by." We rolled the left wing into the street below and stood the right wing to miss the tower. Flak chewed off the high wing tip before we leveled off." Utah Man roared across the housetops of Ploesti, spraying gasoline from shrapnel holes." Another 'unknown' navigator (possibly in Utah Man, or another plane passed the same tower) wrote, "Thus headed North with 93rd on left 376th on right all still in wave formation. Then right turn to target crossing at approximately 90 degrees. Passed over radio tower, tall slender steel girder on North side of town in residence district after leaving the refinery they bombed. After bombing crossed the edge of town and turned left. Looked at compass after this left turn and it said West."

I had my reunion model film negatives printed again today (I gave away the first set of prints) so I'll try to scan them tomorrow and send them on to you. They are not very good pictures having been taken with a small point and shoot camera. All the nose art decals were made by me (art work) and my late sister (computer work) except for that on Hail Columbia. I'm also sending a picture of the prize B-24 model in my collection -- DOPEY -- which was not a Ploesti ship but the Dopey figure was hand painted on my model in 1997 by the same man who painted the original airplane back in 1943. His name is Amos Nicholson and he painted all of the Snow White nose art on the planes of the 343rd BS (the Snow White Squadron) in the 98th BG. He was the crew chief of Dopey and his airplane was shot up bad and landed at Malta in June '43, never to fly again.

Best wishes, Bill

Dan , outstanding photos , I am alerting all my US friends ( TW) , non TW ( Confederate AF) and all oters to look at your photos and identify. also read the new post of Bill above ....evidently he has new resources we can work into after I get his material

I agree now about BOIL MAKER II and HONKEY THONK GAL.....its seems ARR operated two US instead 1 US B-24 . On the last book about Ploesti is told that ARR and Luftwaffe elected to set the captutred B-24 on fire prior the Russian arrival in Roumania......so I must gather that both are totaly gonne

Thanks
Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on February 03, 2005 09:21 am

The picture with the prison was taken from the south side of the prison ( the building sourounded by big walls with national flags at the gate).
The prison position is on the right side of Rudului street when coming from south.
Below the new map with Rudului Street ( yellow). I am still working for the exact position of prison on this map ( anyone from Ploesti to help ?)

Dan.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on February 03, 2005 09:29 am

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Many thanks Dan, I am looking forward to your travel to Ploesti whenever this may occur , that will bring us forward on Jose Carioca.....

Best Regards
Alex

Alex and Cantacuziono...congrats !!!

Many thanks for posting and working so hard on the TW resources. I will post soon some photos taken at 93rd bmb grp enroute and over Ploesti . I was there and I am getting to old to have the energy to do what you do guys, nevertheless we need people like you and we TW veterans who are still alive are totally grateful you do what you do.

Brian

Dan , since you mentioned KICK KAPOO here are some photos about it. The first depicts an aerial photo of the crash site

Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on February 03, 2005 12:30 pm

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This photo depicts what is left of the KICK KAPOO

Al

This post has been edited by alexkdl on February 03, 2005 12:10 pm

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Out of the Kick KAPOO only two have miraculously survived
Al

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JERKS NATURAL on enroute flight to PLOESTI from Ploesti through the lens...JERKS NATURAL would divert to sicily after Ploesti

Al

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A rare photo I havent seen yet is the one bellow , depicting a dummy installation to confuse air raids built some 10 km south west of Ploesti ...on eventual flight path which may take place through Yougoslavia. I couldnt scan the photo because is too wide ( from Ploesti through the lens)

Al

This post has been edited by alexkdl on February 03, 2005 12:32 pm

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A close up picture with Honky Tonk Gal. It looks in good shape compare to others TW crashed planes.( courtesy Razvan Bujor)

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on February 03, 2005 12:27 pm

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Yeah good shape and I think IAR did a good job to repair them and bring them in airworthy condition but also test fly them given the fact that B-24 had very complicate systems on board and the start up and run up before flight is not simple unless you red the aircraft manuals and got some training .

Al

One of brilliant ideea of IAR engineers was to use air inflated baloons for lifting the heavy B-24 (Boiler Maker II) nose from the cornfield at Trestieni village.( courtesy Razvan Bujor)

Dan.



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