Black Sunday Ploesti - Michael Hill - Schiffer Military History 1993 HB DJ Y9

Description: Available is this 249 page 9 1/2" by 12" heavily illustrated hardcover with dust jacket titled "Black Sunday Ploesti" by Michael Hill and published by Schiffer Military History in 1993 as a first edition. From Wikipedia: Operation Tidal Wave Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) based in Libya on nine oil refineries around Ploiești, Romania on 1 August 1943, during World War II. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of the "oil campaign" to deny petroleum-based fuel to the Axis powers.[4] The mission resulted in "no curtailment of overall product output".[6] This operation was one of the costliest for the USAAF in the European Theater, with 53 aircraft and 500 aircrewmen lost. It was proportionally the most costly major Allied air raid of the war,[7] and its date was later referred to as "Black Sunday". Five Medals of Honor and 56 Distinguished Service Crosses along with numerous other awards went to Operation Tidal Wave crew members.[8] A 1999 research report prepared for the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama concluded that the bombing campaign in Ploiești was "one of the bloodiest and most heroic missions of all time".[9] One of the downed American planes crashed into a female prison in Ploiești, resulting in about half of the civilian casualties from the total of 101 killed and 238 injured.[10] Preparations Romania had been a major power in the oil industry since the 1800s. It was one of the largest producers in Europe and Ploiești was a major part of that production.[11][12] The Ploiești oil refineries provided about 30% of all Axis oil production.[13] In June 1942, 13 B-24 Liberators of the "Halverson project" (HALPRO) attacked Ploiești. Though damage was small, Germany and Romania responded by putting strong anti-aircraft defenses around Ploiești. Luftwaffe General Alfred Gerstenberg built one of the heaviest and best-integrated air defense networks in Europe. The defenses included several hundred large-caliber 88mm flak guns, and many more small-caliber guns. The latter were concealed in haystacks, railroad cars, and mock buildings.[14][15] German and Romanian AA artillery at Ploiești consisted of 36 heavy (88 mm), and 16 medium and light (37 mm and 20 mm) anti-aircraft batteries.[10][16] The heavy batteries were further supplemented by 15 Würzburg radar stations used for fire control.[17] The defenses were divided between two regiments of the German 5th Flak Division (21 heavy, 10 medium and light batteries) and the Romanian 7th AA Regiment (15 heavy, 6 medium and light batteries). Half of the manpower of the German 5th Flak Division was Romanian.[14][10][18] Additionally, smoke generators and 23 barrage balloons were deployed.[16] The Axis had 57 fighters within flight range of Ploiești (Bf 109 fighters and Bf 110 night fighters, plus assorted types of Romanian IAR 80 fighters).[19] For the defense of Ploiești, the Royal Romanian Air Force had aircraft from five Escadrile (Squadrons): 61 (IAR 80A), 62 (IAR 80B), 45 (IAR 80C), 53 (Bf 109G) and 51 (Bf 110C).[7][20] The Germans had another four Staffeln: 1, 2, 3./JG4 (Bf 109G) and 11./NJG6 (Bf 110).[10][21][22] These defenses made Ploiești the third or fourth most heavily defended target in Axis Europe, after Berlin and Vienna or the Ruhr, and thus the most heavily defended Axis target outside the Third Reich.[14] The case for targeting Romania's oil refineries was set forth at the Casablanca Conference by Winston Churchill, who believed that destroying them would deal the "knockout blow" to the German war effort. However, due to a lack of resources for organizing other attacks, the plans were put on hold.[23] Thank you for looking. All items will be packaged carefully for protection from moisture and rough handling.

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