B-17 B-24 Bombing Raids on polesti

B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortress' operated by the 15th Air Force flew raids against the Ploesti oil fields. A second wave of bombing of the Ploesti oil fields occurred April through August 1944. During this series of attacks the Ploesti oil refinery capabilities were destroyed and Germany never recovered from this loss of available petrolium products. Thus these missions, though very costly in human lives and aircraft lost, dramatically shortened the war, and saved uncounted lives.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• polesti
• raids
• world
• war
• II
• b-24
• b-17
• bomber
• oil
• fields
• boeing
• consolidated
• airstrike
• bombs
• fire
• air
• combat

[txfirehawk]

Thanks for sharing this old video, it was fun to watch.

[TJDOZIER1]

I am working on an interview project for the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress with a B-17 crew member on this mission. And trying to set up interviews with another one who was a B-24 pilot on this mission. Small world for me to know 2 people living today that were on the mission in this film. They truly are the Greatest Generation.

[Foreverclever87]

@TJDOZIER1 I don't know if this helps you but my grandfather was a B-24 machine gunner and radioman, he flew 34 missions, I think. I asked him about the raids on ployesti many times and I am familiar with his answers, but he died in 2006. If you want some of his stories I could relay some of them to you.

[TJDOZIER1]

Thanks of the offer. It's to bad he is gone now, so it's to late to record his story.

I am a Producer and Editor for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project through the partnership of the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, Ca..

This project records the stories of veterans such as your grandfather for history.

[old66impala]

@TJDOZIER1 My grandfather flew those missions untill July 22 1944 when his B24 was lost in a mid air collition. A few days earlier his copilot reported that my grandfather had bleeding from his ears. The higher ups grounded my grandfather. that moring his Green Latrene went up with copilot at the helm and a replacement copilot. They never made it back. Only one man servived Jimmy Shumaker was his name. He spent the rest of the war in a pow camp. Grandpa passed in 1995

[RamirezGates]

Amazing to see this footage. My dad flew on a mission to bomb the Ploesti oil fields in Romania on Aug 10, 1944. He was with the US, in the15th Air Force, 301st Bomb Group, 32nd Bomb Squad. It was his 8th mission. He went on to fly a total of 51 bombing missions. He was a waist gunner on a B-17 bomber, but occasionally flew other positions. He is 88 years old now.

[Foreverclever87]

@TJDOZIER1 I'm going to be making a documentary this summer about air crews, and the effect that having to accept their probable deaths over and over had on them after the war. I will keep in touch. you sound interesting.

[nutzw1]

fun!?

Jump in a fire and blame me!!