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

After more than 60 years we still find evidence of the heavy AA defence of Campina.
Here in the picture a village fountain using rusty parts of AA guns.


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The weight balance of the fountain with cut off part of AA gun.


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And in the picture below Cip is checking the aprox distance( 500m) west of the bridge were the Sand-Witch crashed.


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Another picture taken from the new bridge of National road.


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And a panoramic view with the confleunce of the two rivers Doftana (on the left)
and Prahova ( far away) where Eager-Eagle crashed. The hills were never changed (studing the old photo taken with Eager-Eagle by americans in the last moments before crash).


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And finally we managed to find the Cimitirul Eroilor ( Heroes Cemetery) in village Campina.


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On 4 august '43, the bodies of the 2 B-24 KIA crews, Sand-Witch and Eager-Eagle were burried in this cemetery( nine of them unindentifed by rom authority).

On one cross stone in the Cemetery is written " Unknown Soldier".
Could be or we could say it is a way of comemoration of the americans lost on 1 august '43 ( with "Medal of Honour" pilot Loyd Hughes) burried in the ground of this nice placed on the hill cemetery.


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I have also the picture ( but not a pleasant sight of the war reminder).
Yes, I confirm that is from Tidal-Wave. The pilot is a gunner from "Sand-witch".
The two romanian soldier are indeed from the guard of the bridge Campina wich was 500m close to the crash of Sand -Witch and they were first on the place because it was their job to defend the bridge checking the area. In my previous pictures you can see the house of this guards used in WWII.
I repost the picture only with the leader of this patrol ( caporal de schimb ).
You can see the river bed of Doftana, the trees behind, wich Sand-witch hit it before crash and in the left of the picture we can see a piece wreck of the B-24 Sand- Witch.




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Dan and CIP , stunning job and outstanding reports and photos , you guys deserve a lot of honour and a bounch of medals appart from the congrats. Here I am posting again full photos of the Eagger Eagle crash site this time the one bellow not published yet. It shows the exact crash locations of the Hughes B-24 its been taken from the tail gunner position of an other B-24 ...the other comming two will be full photo scans , perhaps you can see it a little better . They are all from BLACK SUNDAY Aug 1, 1943. Again great job and congrats !

Alex

And below the pictures of a (fold-out) Knife used as standard equipment by US. This one is from a friend of Ploesti who's father ( young military scout in '43) help with the recovering bodies of the airmans after the Tidal Wave mission.


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Hello Dan

Very stunning photos that after somany years there are still a lot of traces and things to be found. Regrading the cross over the grave , based on which evidences do you believe that the crews of the Eagger Eagle and Sand-Witch are burried in there ? Are there any records kept pointing out who's burried where ? If indeed the remains of the mentioned crews under under that modest cross that would a totally a mistery to me on why US Government wouldn't do a thing about it !! I am also that US Government didnt ask for DNA and remains transfer to the US like they did on other WWII theaters , Korea and Vietnam..........Secondly I am puzzled that I can not find even one photo about the SAND-WITCH and its crew anywhere and zero details except a crew roaster without any photos on the BLACK SUNDAY which is actually the most comprehensive log and most reliable piece of evidence about the TIDALWAVE

Al

Alex as I stated in my previous posts, in the romanian archiv was mentioned only the data and the places were the indentified (and the unindentified) bodies of airmans were burried next days after Tidal Wave raid. But unfortunetly doesn't say when and wich bodies were recovered by US authority after the Romania switched side. Only i know many of them were transfered to the european cemetery. I don't know why the U.S. didn't made an oficial american cemetery in Romania ( like the english one in Tancabesti village).
Probably the indentified american bodies from Campina Cemetery were taken off by US but i can not be sure that the others unindentified ( among them Hughes Lloyd) were taken out from probably common grave. But Alex ,from you I heard that the Hughes family know that the hero is still unknown place burried in Romania.
Anyway nobody stop US governement to dig more or to erect a comemorative stone in the cemetery or near the national road on the bridge over Doftana.
I think the oficial people from Campina were glad to help with this issue (via US ambassy ).
What is for sure ( from my reserch) Lt.Hughes Lloyd and the rest of the two B-24 crews ( Sand-Witch and Eager-Eagle) were burried first in Heroes Cemetery of Campina.

P.S.: The guy from Banesti village told me about 2 US airman KIA in '44 and fall down (with parachutes) in the village, they were burried in the local cemetery and after aprox 3 month were taken out by US authority and transfered to other European Cemetery.

OK Dab I understand the situation and thanks for clarifying this...do you by chance have any photos of the EAGGER EAGLE and SAND-WITCH aircraft and crews ? as I dont have anything

Thanks
Alex

No Alex I don't have ( or seen ) pictures with the 2 B-24. The only pictures I have is the footage of Ovidiu Gologan cinematographer with the wrecks of this 2 planes after the raid.
Below i repost the Hughes plane rudder with serial number.


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Dan , thanks. I need to ask you an other question...Modelism has two PAL /SECAM video casettes on the TIDALLWAVE , have you ever seen them what they include ? they want EUR 15 for each ...let me know

Thanks
Al