The Allied Balkan bombing campaign chronology of World War II PART II
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Artwork Fire Over Ploesti by Roy Grinnell Air Force Art |
May 31, 1944 - Ploieşti - 32 B-24s of the 450 BG attacked the "Româno-Americană Oil Refinery", but failed due to the smoke screens.153 The 450 BG also bombed the Româno-Americană refinery on June 6, 24, & July 15; and the Concordia Vega refinery on July 9, 22
June 5, 1944 - A May 5 decoded message stated anti-aircraft
artillery was being moved to Pölitz and Blechhammer, and one on June 5
indicated the Luftwaffe was short of fuel. British intelligence concluded that
the bombing of oil targets would be "crippling" in 3-6 months.
Romanian production had been reduced from 200,000 tons in February to 40,000 in
June.
June 6, 1944 - Ploieşti - In the 1st large-scale American
attempt to use a dispersed bomber force to spread out fighter defenses in
Romania, Ploieşti was bombed: 118 (the 485 BG bombed the Dacia Română oil
refinery). Additional B-17s, including some Soviet-based for Operation Frantic,
attacked the Galaţi Airdrome: "most oil from Ploesti must be shipped west
over [the] Danube for refining." (annex of intelligence report)
June 11, 1944 - Constanţa - B-24s bombed an oil installation
at Constanţa.
June 11, 1944 - The 461 BG bombed the Giurgiu oil storage.
80 miles southeast of Ploiesti, Giurgiu was "the most important
transshipment point in Europe".
June 11, 1944 - The 485 BG bombed the "Smedervo"
oil refinery.
June 14, 1944 - B-24s bomb oil targets Komárom (Hungary),
and Osijek (Ipoil).
June 14, 1944 - 39 B-24s of the 450 BG targeted the oil
refinery in Osijek.
June 18 & 23, 1944 - The 485 BG bombed the oil
installations at Giurgiu.
June 23, 1944 - B-24s bombed Giurgiu oil storage.
June 23, 1944 - The 32 BS bombed a Ploieşti oil refinery.
June 24, 1944 - B-24s bombed a Ploiesti oil refinery
June 28, 1944 - In Bucharest, where much of Ploieşti's
refined product was stored and distributed, 190 the 464 BG bombed the
"Prohava Petrolul" refinery, and the 485 BG bombed the "Titan
Oil Refinery".
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Columbia Aquila refinery after the bombing, with bomb craters, largely intact |
July 3, 1944 - The 464 BG bombed the Shell oil depot at
Belgrade.
July 6, 1944 - The 461st BG bombed Ploieşti oil targets.
July 9, 1944 - B-24s bombed a Ploiesti oil refinery.
July 15, 1944 - 600+ B-17s and B-24s bombed 4 oil refineries
in the Ploieşti area and the "Teleajenul pumping station". Archived
2009-03-13 at the Wayback Machine The 485 BG bombed the Sperantza Oil Refinery.
July 22 & 28, 1944 - The 464 BG bombed the
Româno-Americană refinery.
July 23, 1944 - Berat - 14 B-24s of the 450 BG targeted the
"Kucove Oil Refinery" and the previous bombing obscured the aiming
point (there were "near misses" on the "old refinery").
July 28, 1944 - The 464 BG bombed the Româno-Americană
refinery and the 485 BG bombed the "Standard Oil Refinery" (was
abandoned after flying into the fireball).
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Zagreb after Allied bombing |
July 31, 1944 - Two oil refineries at Bucharest, one at
Doiceşti, and oil storage at Targoviste were bombed. Archived at the Wayback
Machine The Red Army entered Bucharest on August 30.
July 1944 - The 461st BG received a 2nd Distinguished Unit
Citation for a July 1944 Ploieşti bombing.
July 31, 1944 - The 461 BG bombed the Ploieşti Xenia oil
refinery.
August 9, 1944 - The No. 205 Group RAF bombed the
Romano-American refinery. The 205 Group also bombed Ploieşti on August 17.
August 9, 1944 - B-17s bomb an oil refinery at Brod,
Yugoslavia.
August 10, 1944 - 450+ B-17s and B-24s bombed 6 oil
refineries. The 464 BG bombed the Astra Română refinery,
and the 461 BG bombed the Xenia oil refinery.
August 17, 1944 - Three oil refineries and targets of
opportunity were bombed in the Ploieşti area: Româno-Americană (by the 461 BG
on their last Ploieşti mission), "Astra Română Refinery" (450 BG)
August 18, 1944 - 370 fighter-escorted B-17s and B-24s
bombed 5 oil refineries around Ploiesti. The 464 and 485 BGs bombed the
"Americano" refinery.
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Romanian army - antiaircraft gun crew |
August 19, 1944 - 65 B-17s with 125 P-51s escorts bombed 2
Ploieşti area oil refineries. Ploieşti was captured on August 30. 204 after a
total of 350 bombers had been lost attacking the area. 172 The Fifteenth Air
Force had dropped 12,804 tons of explosives on Ploiesti targets, On October 17,
a Fifteenth Air Force B-17 carried a photo crew to Ploiesti.
August 20, 1944 - The oil refinery at Dubová was bombed.
August 24, 1944 - Soviet Red Army forces occupied the
Ploiești oilfields in Romania.
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