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

I absolutley sure there are MANY crash sites in that area. But they are not reported as an exact location. Even in Herastrau lake are 2 crash sites one of them a Bf-109 crashed after 23 august.
I heard about a flak shelter in baneasa forest that is less known, if anybody has a car and time maby we can go saturday on a trip to check it out.

Let's try to locate some objectives on the maps and photos.

In rest, I think I'll be free saturday morning and hope the wheather will be fine to make a short trip near Bucharest.

Perhaps Cantacuzino is interested too.

Looking forward to meet you.

Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 12, 2005 03:42 pm

That would be great, Cantacuzino is also a verry active arheolog

CIP, hopefully you will make some nice digital photos at the locations you planning to visit

Best Regards
Alex

Ther's going to be bad weather this weekend....

- When did americans first strike Romanian targets?

I need the date and if posible, the name of the operation.

- About the chances to find anything:

I think finding complete aircrafts and things belonging to the crews are very slim, because the bombers action was in a very populated area without remote spaces like Finland, for example, were I heard they discovered in the last a few years at least three aircrafts (Ju88 IIRC) in relatively good shape.

But I am optimistic that together with all of you, we could find something.

I think there could be some success in finding MIA's in Romanian cemeteries and some parts like Cip already did.

C-2, me too ( rimes) I heard about the weather.

Alexkdl, the photos you posted here, some of them are from 450th BG. There are more on their site. Do we need some clearence or can we use them by quoting the source?

Thanks,
Barbosu

June 12, 1942, Operation HALPRO.

The mission was the first US raid of the European war, top secret at the time.

The 23 factory-fresh B-24s, lead by Colonel Harry A. Halverson (HALverson's PROject) took off from their base in Egypt between 10:30 and 11:00 pm on June 11th, arriving over the target at dawn the following day.

Reportedly, ten bombers hit the Astra refinery at Ploesti, one B-24 attacked the port area of Constanta, the remaining two B-24s struck unidentified targets. Three aircraft ended up interned in Turkey, the rest manage to reach friendly bases in Iraq.

Damage to targets turned out to be minimal, but the mission was nevertheless considered by the USAAF a success.

Gen. Dénes

See here: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=543

yes some of them are the same inserted at 450Bmb Grp, basically all you need is to aks them if they approve , as into mines I got most of the stuff from my friends at 376th , 389th ,44 th, 98th and 15th AF memorial directly from the US and by Email and less from the heir homepages because their sources are the same as mine .

Best Regards
Al

Denes, Barbosu had a good point...are there any known books about HALPRO Detachment for this early mission nowadays? do you have any relevant photos at all on that subject which I think it may not necesarily within the range of your interest ? I know that on the 60's there was a small book published about Halpro Halverston but I have lost it . bad luck ! I also known that HALPRO detchament were also based in Palestine in addition to Egypt and Iraq for the '42 mission and there was a major B-24 take off crash on that airstreep which I try to locate through my Israeli aviation historian friends . The RAF in Palestine were initially in charge with servicing the B-24 until the full detachment arrival.


Secondly little or nothing at all is being mentioned about the Brits RAF and Russians involvement on Ploesti and Bucharest facailities bombings between 1941-1944 which as far as I know didnt have a great impact . I remember that my uncle brought me photos when i was a child in the 60's of a PE-2 which crashed during a bombing raid in Bucaharest...his AA near Boucharest brought him down....and it was exhibitted on a street somewhere in Bucharest , also a CB-2 was shot down but again little or not at all is available about the Russian bombing and recon flights over Roumania

I know that after TIDALWAVE the RAF was involved on night bombing alone over Roumania...though I have scanty details.....do you have any at all ?

Let me know

Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on January 13, 2005 01:41 pm

I found some data about recce missions of RAF units over Romania:


1. 683-rd Photographic Reconnaissance Sq

2. 575-th Squadron

It was formed for transport duties from a nucleus of No 512 Squadron at Hendon on 1 January 1944 and was equipped with Dakotas. Following training and leaflet dropping operations over France it took part in the Overlord landings on 5/6 June 1944, during which it carried out both paratroop dropping and glider towing missions.

It later operated at Arnhem and took part in the Rhine crossing in March 1945. With the end of the war, the squadron moved to Italy and operated services between there and Austria, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria until disbanding at Bari on 15 Aug 1946.

Barbosu

Yes absolutely true about the transport squadrons of RFA though pretty sure that sometimes somewhere in time RAF has bombed Ploesti and Bucuresti......and not in conjunction with 15th AF from Foggia ( RAF had also B-24's stantioned in Foggia)

Alex

Barbosu thank you very much for your imput, some really good quality research you have done :]

Where can I get access to satelite pics ?

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.

I have marked in red the drop-zone (with the explosions) which clearly does not extend over the hippodrome.

Attached Image

Thanks, but I only paid attention to the details when I felt that something was not right when comparing the big pictures.