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

Barbosu, the information is false. No RAF bomber was claimed by Luftwafe night fighters on 14 April. The first claim I found is on 7/8 May by Oblt. Günther Franz of 10./NJG 6 who shot down a Wellington. Most bombers were brought down by the AAA.

As for episode in Cyprus, I can't find anything written right now, but I geard the story several times from different people. The last one was I believe cdor. av. Ioan Morariu, who flew for TAROM after retiring from the RoAF. IIRC, it seems the engines stopped over the sea and the pilot managed to glide to the island and make a crash landing on a beach. The story made the news all around the world.

Alex, this forum is meant also to be a place to solve the confussions, I think. So, let's see: all the information I posted, if you read the initial post on this issue is from a book: Un secol de aeronautica romaneasca (A century of Romanian Aeronautics).

Even it could be innacurate, lets prove that.

The british raids over Romania are a fact. As far as I know there could be only raids of 205 bombardment group, based in Italy.

The RAF bombers had the following missions (as I found out untill know):

- only night time
- mine the Danube
- destroy Turnu Severin port and facilities
- destroy oil storage system at Giurgiu
- destroy marshaling yards and other targets over Bucharest


You can find here a map with the targets of 150 squadron (of 205 group).

http://www.perth.igs.net/~long/maxrange.htm


As the image states, among the targets (at least of 150 squadron) were also Craiova (?), Ploiesti and Campina, Timisoara (??).

I try to find out on internet resources information to prove or infirm the RAF losses over Romania, by fighters or AAA.

Cheers,

Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on February 18, 2005 01:09 am

Here is a quote from the 150 squadron website:

"The nature of the targets meant that 150 became night precision bombers. Going after bridges, oil tanks and other pin- point targets meant a high degree of skill in night navigation, bomb aiming and target identification and illumination. The objectives of the squadron included marshaling yards, airfields, aircraft plants, bridges and mining of the Danube. In April 1944 a major effort was begun against oil targets, mainly in Romania, but also against targets in Hungary, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The damage done to these oil targets and the oil transportation and storage system that had the most effect on the outcome of the war as they decreased Hitler's ability to move troops and tanks into Normandy at the critical time in June when the D-Day landings had such a tenuous hold. Lack of aviation fuel also grounded many aircraft that could have severely damaged the invasion fleet as it lay off the beaches. Both Albert Speer and Adolph Galland credit the mining campaign of 205 Group as a crippling blow to the Nazi war effort, especially in the critical summer of 1944.
The important contribution of 205 Group and the 15th USAAF to victory in Europe is easy to document. However, at the time, many of the crews felt that they were in a "forgotten war" and events such as Lady Astor's famous "D-Day Dodgers" speech and the refusal of the R.A.F. to give aircrew the Aircrew Europe Star caused much bitterness amongst the crews. The living conditions did not help to bolster spirits yet most sources show that morale on squadron was very good and esprit de corps high.

In July 1944, the squadron was moved to Regina Italy - a very rough field from whence the squadron continued to operate against these same targets, even going as far afield as Munich and occupied France. The squadron also continued to provide close night bombing support for the army as well as a continuation of the night mining campaign. In October 1944 the squadron was disbanded and the remaining crews posted to 70 and 104 squadrons. The squadron was reformed in England as a Lancaster unit. "


the website of 150 squadron is:

http://www.perth.igs.net/~long/indexold.htm

On an austrian website I found this:

The 205 Group Royal Air Force in July 1944

231 Wing ("Wellington X"), Italy
37 Squadron, Tortorella, Italy 70 Squadron, Foggia, Italy

236 Wing ("Wellington X"), Italy
40 Squadron, Foggia, Italy 104 Squadron, Foggia, Italy

240 Wing, Italy
178 Squadron ("Liberator VI"), Amendola, Italy 614 Squadron ("Halifax BII"), Amendola, Italy

330 Wing ("Wellington X"), Italy
142 Squadron, Regina, Italy 150 Squadron, Regina, Italy

2 (SAAF) Wing ("Liberator VI"), Italy
31 (SAAF) Squadron, Celone, Italy 34 (SAAF) Squadron, Celone, Italy

Source:
http://www.airpower.at

This post has been edited by Barbosu on February 18, 2005 01:32 am

A very interesting page on the 150 squadron website is dedicated to the so called "nickels" which were in fact the propaganda leaflets (manifeste) thrown over the targets.

Check out this leaflet in romanian:

http://www.perth.igs.net/~long/nckels.htm

This post has been edited by Barbosu on February 18, 2005 02:18 am

The RAF's 205 Bomber Group lost two Liberators on the night of April 14, 1944 (both of the 178th B.S.): EV825, 'D' crashed on take off and EV920 'R' crashed during landing. Altogether, 10 crew were killed.
No aircrat was lost due to enemy action.

Gen. Dénes

The photo shown above was taken above the oil port of Giurgiu in Romania on the River Danube. This was an important precision target because much of the oil from the Ploesti complex of refineries was being shipped by barge from this port up the Danube to Germany. The target was the group of oil tanks at the far left of the picture. Bombing height was 9,000 feet. One must remember that the attack took place at night - in this case at 1:55 in the morning. When the bomb load was released in a stick (i.e.: one at a time) rather than a "salvo" when the whole lot went down together the bombs would "walk across the target" rather than all arriving in one load on one spot. The load this night was 6 x 500 lb. MC bombs and 2 x 250 lb. GP. The bomb load was less than normal because the distance from Amendola to Giurgiu necessitated the installation of an overload" tank in one of the three bomb bay cells. Thus, the number of bombs and the total weight of attack suffered from long distances. Giurgiu was just about at the limit of the range of a Wellington X.

If you draw a line horizontally halfway up the photo you will see the target as it came into the bombaimer's drift wires ( the aircraft was moving from right to left in this case). When the bombaimer released the bomb load by pressing the bomb release button which was connected by a cable to the bombing control panel, a very powerful magnesium flare ( about one million candlepower) would be released at the same time. It would be slowed by a parachute and would go off about 15 seconds after the bomb load had left the aircraft. During this time it was important for the pilot to hold the aircraft straight and level - a rather dangerous thing to do when flak and fighters were coming up at you. When the flash went off the open lens of the camera in the aircraft would capture the target and the information shown under the photo. Debriefing experts could, by looking at the photo, get a pretty good idea about the success of the bombaimer. In this case the bombaimer was "spot on" and got an excellent photo to show it

from


Attached Image

Alex

So you found the website of 150 squadron. As I said it is an interesting site. Beside the photo and the text you quoted from the website there is one more night picture from Giurgiu. I edited it a little because it appeared too dark on the forum.

This post has been edited by Barbosu on February 18, 2005 12:11 pm

Attached Image

I tryed to help tunning a little bit these great contribuitions.
Here goes Alex's photo.


Attached Image

Yes the photo is from the RAF website which I've had previously and not through your link which you posted today and since RAF activities ( Wellingtons) were not in the magnitude of those of 15th AF and were considered less relevant ....I didnt find necessary to post their stuff in here as yet but since you started with it I posted it this night bombing photo.

Secondly Barbosu , I would appreciate if you post correct stataments about the RAF ops over Rumania and not wrong Sqd numbers , wrong shoting down scenarios of the Luftwaffe and wrong pilot names at the Luftwaffe side.....as it confuses for those who starting working on it.......if you are not sure better double check it again prior making wrong stataments

Take Care

CIP many thanks for retuning it !

Alex

Below wreck pieces from a british Wellington shot down by germans night fighters and crashed in the lake Comana south of Bucharest.
Courtesy Dan Melinte.


Attached Image

Attached Image

Attached Image

Attached Image