P-38 Ploesti Bombing in Aftermath of Tidalwave

As I already said, get back on topic people. Valachus, if you want to say something to Iamandi, not related to P-38s attacking Ploiesti, do it via PM.

Many thanks C-2 , I have put the issue behind me and we all look into the future as Victor said , we are all now back to the topic . I will continue being in touch with you, Victor, Cantacuzino , Denes , CYP and others as I feel this form will soon become the best resource about WWII Aviation in general.....I will soon post footages from Ploesti never seen before by anyone taken from various aircarfts such as TEGGIE ANN where Gen.Ent flew as observer , etc.

Again thank you for your comments and I feel its a privilege talking to you as well to rest of the mentioned friends on here who are distinctively making a change to ARR and AAF histories of WWII

Alex

This post has been edited by alexkdl on December 17, 2004 08:23 am

The attached photo is courtesy of Bruce and Daisy Johnson. This is the crew and plane, The Rover Boys. The pilot was 2nd Lt. Arthur David Morgan, Jr., O-697669. The aircraft was shot down over Ploesti oil refineries on 28 July 1944 and crash-landed in western Rumania. No injuries to crew from either flak or the landing. Crew were POWs until Rumania capitulated in September 1944. Lt. Morgan was back in the US in September 1944. Does anyone knows the crash site location ?

Al

Attached Image

This photo was taken circa June 5, 1944, of the flight crew of the "Con Job" at Castelluccia/italy . The Con Job was assigned to the Mediteranean Combat Theater under the command of the 15th AF, 49th , 451 BG, 727 BS. This was the crew's 25th mission completion photo....later on got lost over Roumania...any details known ? 44th bmb grp

Al

This post has been edited by alexkdl on December 19, 2004 01:44 pm

Attached Image

Actually , on 10 june 1944 were only 18 P 38 identified on the field.

Were the wrecks of these 18 P-38s discovered ALL OVER Rumania, or only around Popesti-Leordeni?

AFAIK, at the end, a total of 18 airplanes were officially confirmed as destroyed by Rumanian and German fighters on June 10, 1944, along with seven others by flak, other three being shared by flak gunners and fighter pilots.
Initially, the ARR and Luftwaffe (incl. Flak) claimed a total of 51 P-38s shot down, while the official American records mention the loss of 24 P-28s in total (the highest percentage of airplane loss in any P-38 mission).

Gen. Dénes

I have a very good article that I can post some tidbits from that you'd all love, about this mission. It was the highest percentage of P-38s ever shot down at one time.

I'll post it soon.

This post has been edited by PanzerKing on August 21, 2005 11:47 pm

From: "The P-38's Blackest Day" by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Flight Journal. Dec. 20003

"June 10, 1944, would go down in history as the blackest in the combat history of the P-38 Lightning; the 30-percent loss rate represented the worst losses suffered during a single mission by American fighters in WW II. The Romanian claim of 51 U.S. fighters shot down was more than twice the actual loss, but 23 P-38s failed to return to their bases around Foggia. U.S. claims of 33 were also more than double the actual Romanian loss of 14- only 10 of which were fighters. The inflated claims of both sides indicate the intensity of the battle over Ploesti that day. Most important, despite all the sacrifice, the Romano-Americano refinery hadn't been seriously damaged."

another snipet:

"All the advantages the P-38 had over the light IAR 80 were canceled out in dogfights waged at altitudes of between 100 and 300 feet. This battle was fought in a shallow valley filled with more than 40 aircraft. Airplanes fought an erratic combat--attacking while trying to avoid one another and the ground. Many were not succesful. That two P-38s went down when they snagged the ground with their wingtips indicates how hot the battle was, while two IAR 80s collided over the field and several others were hit by their own defensive ground fire."

The article also mentions that Capitan Aviator Dan Vizante added two P-38s to his score that day, solidifying him as one of the top aces of the ARR.

An online version of the article can be found at: The P-38's Blackest Day - 6.10.44. Unfortunately it is not the full version.