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.

Allied Air Raids in Europe, WWII. Astra Romana Refinery. This photograph gives a vivid idea of how the Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” flew in bombing the Ploesti Field, August 1, 1943. Office of War Information Collect


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".

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).

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.

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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