PLOESTI /OTOPENI/BOUCHAREST BOMBING PHOTOS, Missing Aircraft & Unidentified Crews

Carol I thought that arrow showed the way to the town


Great satelite photo !! how can I get such photos ? I need such satelite pics of certain locations.

Indeed, the concrete airfield seems to be Otopeni A/F if we compare it with the present day satelite pic of the area:






I will not have the time this year to go check out the "fort" location, I will be in UK for 1 month, so maybe when I get back if nobody checked it out already, I will go have a look.

I don't think they were targeting the hippodrome. In fact most of the explosions were north of the hippodrome. Furthermore, the header of the photo states the objective of the mission: "Mogoşoaia Oil Stores".

The part of the hipodrom close to the Herastrau lake is clearly bombed,and we can see many hits there.There were no targets in that area.

Great topic, i am kind of rezerved in what that building could be, is too big to be something deserted... probably is the militar-police academy at north of Baneasa

This post has been edited by cipiamon on December 15, 2004 09:15 pm

I thought the academy was on the other side of the road :/ (same side as Metro).

I have some news !
I had a pacient who is a helicopter pilot and he told me about the "building"
It's a deserted fort ,on "soseau de centura".
Sometimes used by antitero squads for training.

hmm, intresting

The Sparta/Wilkins Crew
515th Squadron

MIA July 3, 1944. Mission Giurgiu, Romania. KIA flying B-24, Serial #42-28960.


Here is the report from the survivor who returned from POW detention in Roumania about ARR :

Personal Account of the Mission by Bill Giambrone - Radio Operator


"We were near the target, when it happened. All of a sudden 5 or 6 fighters came at us from about 12:00 out ot the sun. It all happened so fast, we really didn't have any time to react. I had just left the Radio Compartment for the waist. They shot us up real quick and #4 was smoking badly. All of a sudden the plane was in a dive. I don't have any idea what happened up front. I grabbed my chute and crawled up the floor pulling myself to the hatch. Morgan had just opened it so he could take pictures at the target and hadn't even had time to mount the camera in place. I got to the hatch and started to pull myself out when all of a sudden I was sucked out and it was real quiet. I finished hooking my parachute and pulled the ripcord. I didn't know if anyone else was out until I hit the ground. I was captured immediately. George Morrison was there and he had broken his ankle. Morgan was OK. They took me over to the crash site awhile later. The plane didn't burn when it hit. The others were all laid out in a row and I really culdn't look. I didn't have any shoes on so I did take someone's though I'm not sure who, as I could't recognize them. I figured he wouldn't mind, as I needed them. It was tough to figure these were my buddies only a little while before. Anyway, they took us away to PW camp from there. They were a great bunch of guys and we all got along pretty well together.



Attached Image

I heard about this atacking from the sun tehnic, verry effective.

If anyone is still interested about this topic:

I think I found all debated objectives with past and present locations.

Interesting is that the 2 similar buildings appearing both near Otopeni and the presumed Baneasa Airport (Chitila area) I think they could be 2 of the 18 forts build by Carol I for Bucharest defense.

Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 12, 2005 03:45 pm

I'll try again. Here is the jpg. with notes, based on an image from www.spaceimaging.com

Mytzu was mistaken because of the similar shape of the two forts. I must say that I say "forts" based on a previous post, I think C-2's, where he was quoting a helicopter pilot of our days. As I am sure that those structures are in the same place as in 1944, I did not go there and see if they are realy some forts.

NOTE: I made a typo (error) "the filed is still there" = "the field is still there", on the atached photo, near the false airport.

I will ad in a few minutes another picture with notes, from those you posted here (I think Alex)

Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 12, 2005 03:49 pm

Attached Image

This is one of the highest altitude photo posted here from 1944. To compare it with the satelite, here are the notes used:



On the 1944 photo/On the satelite photo:

F 1 / Fort 1
FX / Forest X
Hypo / Hypodrome
AP / Mytzu's false "Baneasa airport" (Chitila area)


Barbosu

Attached Image

The 1944 Otopeni and fort image, rotated to match the North.

As you see, I think there was a road and a railroad (I think) coresponding to the present Bucharest Ring. As the photos show I think the presumed fort can be found by taking a right after descending Otopeni bridge, before the MacDonald's, and then, take left on the Ring.

Barbosu

Attached Image

(FOR THE IMAGE OF 1944 OTOPENI)
Also the main road from Otopeni was in the same place as today.

And the satelite photo posted by "Carol I" was the first to prove all the above. I repost it with a few notes.

Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 12, 2005 01:46 pm

Attached Image

Alex.
This is over Bucharest/Chitila, not Ploiesti: observe the lakes in base of the photo, which are somewhere between the Hypodrome and "false baneasa airport". The shot was taken from a plane flying north, but somehowpassing Bucharest by west side.

Barbosu

1. ANYONE CAN point any crash site in this area or in Bucharest outskirts? (of any aircraft?

2. The forts, were they in use in WWII?

3. Mytzu's false baneasa airport could it be an airport from Chitila?

Thanks,

Barbosu

P.S. Good eagle eye you have, Carol I!