Operation TIDALWAVE: Ploesti
The August 1, 1943 Ploesti raid is one of the most discussed and debated bombing missions of World War II. The raid has been covered in particular detail by the book Ploesti by James Dugan & Carroll Stewart, and the more recent release by Mike Hill, titled, Black Sunday: Ploesti. It was a daring gamble aimed at destroying Nazi Germany's vital oil supplies, and refining capabilities in Romania. The raid was a daring plan to use the four-engine B-24D's of the Ninth Air Force on a surprise treetop level attack. The raiders spent two weeks preparing for the mission, and each aircraft was assigned a specific refinery building to target. The actual raid did not come off as planned, and the losses were extremely heavy. However, two refineries were knocked out, and the psychological impact on Germany and Romania made a lasting impact. What cannot be denied is the incredible bravery, sacrifice, and honor that took place that day.
COMBAT MISSION #7 Campina, Romania
The 389th BG B-24D’s rolled down the runway at 07:29 a.m. (Eastern Europe Standard Time). As the groups made their way across the Mediterranean Sea an aircraft of the 376th BG was seen to fall out of formation, and crash into the sea. The wreckage left a pool of oil and fuel on the water and a pyre of smoke hundreds of feet into the air. This event was witnessed by the Spurrier crew as they reported an unidentified aircraft crashing into the sea and exploding near the Greek coast at 9:21 a.m. Some reports have suggested that this aircraft, WONGO WONGO! carried the lead mission navigator, and that his loss played a large role in the later confusion and infamous "wrong turn". Recent research has suggested that this was not the case, and that while a tragedy, it should not have affected the outcome of the raid. Whichever is the case, it was an ominous start to the mission.
At about 2:45 p.m., the leading group, the 376th, reached Targoviste. At this point they were still several miles from Floresti, which was to be the point at which the groups would turn southeast and attack Ploesti from the northwest. Due to the difficulty of low-level navigation, and a few rainsqualls that the groups flew through, the leading ship commanded by Gen. Ent incorrectly turned southeast at Targoviste. At once, radio silence was broken as several crews tried to warn Gen. Ent of his mistake. The 376th plowed on through the haze anyway. The second group, the 93rd BG, decided to follow the 376th BG even though they realized that a mistake was being made. The two groups were now heading southeast, on course for Bucharest.
At 2:50 p.m., the 93rd BG commander, Col. Addison Baker spotted the smokestacks of Ploesti off to his left. He at once made a fateful decision to abandon the formation and attack Ploesti from the southwest. He swung his lead ship ninety degrees to the left and the rest of the "Travelling Circus" followed him. The 93rd was not attacking from the direction that they had been briefed for, and the surprise they had hoped for was already lost as well.
As the 93rd BG approached Ploesti, Col. Baker's aircraft, HELL'S WENCH, caught fire, and he salvoed his bombs to keep the ship in the air. He did not break from formation and continued to lead the 93rd towards Ploesti. Just as they reached the target, HELL'S WENCH crashed in a ball of flame. All ten of the crew were killed. Baker, and his co-pilot, Maj. John Jerstad both received the Medal of Honor for their bravery, determination, and sacrificial leadership. The rest of the "Travelling Circus" went over the target next. Thirty-two of the "Travelling Circus" reached Ploesti, and eight went down before they could get through the guns around Ploesti. Most of the 93rd BG ships bombed White IV & V, which were actually assigned to the 98th & 44th BG's respectively. Their gunfire, bombs, and flaming aircraft created a bedlam of smoke and flame.
While the 93rd BG was making their ad hoc attack on Ploesti the 376th BG reached the outskirts of Bucharest and finally realized their error. They swung around to the north, heading for a position northeast of Ploesti. Once in this position, General Ent seeing the havoc caused by the 93rd BG attack, and realizing that surprise was lost, called on his group to strike "targets of opportunity". With that order, the 376th diverted from Ploesti and bombed anything that looked of value, from oil wells to bridges. Only a single flight of four aircraft, led by Lt. Norm Appold continued on to bomb targets in Ploesti proper. His flight bombed White II, which had originally been assigned to the 93rd BG.
All this time the 98th & 44th BG's were making their approach, following about twenty minutes behind. At about 12:12 p.m., the 98th BG made the correct turn at Floresti, and began their run to Ploesti from the direction they had been briefed, from the northwest. After a three-to-four-minute flight, the 98th BG reached Ploesti, and saw the chaos created by the leading groups. "Killer" Kane led the 98th into the smoke and flames, despite the now fully aware anti-aircraft gunners. Kane's Pyramiders reached the target with thirty-nine ships and came away from it with twenty-five. Fourteen sand-colored B-24's went down within minutes, most in flames, and few survived.
Among these fourteen, was JERSEY JACKASS / BASHFUL flown by 389th BG pilot Lt. John McGraw. His aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, caught fire, and crashed beyond the target. Eight of his crew were killed, and two captured.
The 44th BG, led by Col. Leon Johnson followed the 98th into the smoke and flames. The 44th was assigned two targets, White V & Blue. White V was already burning from previous attacks, making it a tough target. Blue target was on the south side of Ploesti, and the assigned aircraft led by Maj. Posey had to cross Ploesti to get to it. Johnson's formation reached Ploesti with sixteen aircraft and came away with eleven. Posey crossed Ploesti and reached Blue target with twenty aircraft. Blue target was hit hard, and Posey only lost two ships at the target.
Meanwhile, the 389th BG veered off as planned to make its independent attack on the Steaua Romana refinery at Campina. Several miles short of the correct IP, the group incorrectly made a turn to the right. Disaster appeared imminent as the Sky Scorpions were set to miss Campina, and head towards Ploesti. The day was saved when Col. Wood quickly recognized his mistake and led the group in a 180-degree turn and then resumed their course until the correct IP was reached.
The 389th reached their IP at about 3:05 p.m. and changed course to 165 degrees as planned. The group approached the target at 200 feet, and 205 mph speed. Trees and buildings were whipping by, as the outline of Campina now appeared through the occasional clouds, and rain squalls. The trailing elements of the group fanned out to the right and left to prepare for the converging attack. Anti-aircraft fire began to rise up at the group neared the town. At this point, Lt. Lloyd Hughes' OLE KICKAPOO , immediately in front of the Spurrier crew, was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Lt. Hughes' wing-mate could see fuel rushing from the wing and bomb bay area. At least one crew came on the radio, warning Hughes to abort the bombs run. Hughes continued, approaching the target.
COMBAT MISSION #7 Campina, Romania
The 389th BG B-24D’s rolled down the runway at 07:29 a.m. (Eastern Europe Standard Time). As the groups made their way across the Mediterranean Sea an aircraft of the 376th BG was seen to fall out of formation, and crash into the sea. The wreckage left a pool of oil and fuel on the water and a pyre of smoke hundreds of feet into the air. This event was witnessed by the Spurrier crew as they reported an unidentified aircraft crashing into the sea and exploding near the Greek coast at 9:21 a.m. Some reports have suggested that this aircraft, WONGO WONGO! carried the lead mission navigator, and that his loss played a large role in the later confusion and infamous "wrong turn". Recent research has suggested that this was not the case, and that while a tragedy, it should not have affected the outcome of the raid. Whichever is the case, it was an ominous start to the mission.
At about 2:45 p.m., the leading group, the 376th, reached Targoviste. At this point they were still several miles from Floresti, which was to be the point at which the groups would turn southeast and attack Ploesti from the northwest. Due to the difficulty of low-level navigation, and a few rainsqualls that the groups flew through, the leading ship commanded by Gen. Ent incorrectly turned southeast at Targoviste. At once, radio silence was broken as several crews tried to warn Gen. Ent of his mistake. The 376th plowed on through the haze anyway. The second group, the 93rd BG, decided to follow the 376th BG even though they realized that a mistake was being made. The two groups were now heading southeast, on course for Bucharest.
At 2:50 p.m., the 93rd BG commander, Col. Addison Baker spotted the smokestacks of Ploesti off to his left. He at once made a fateful decision to abandon the formation and attack Ploesti from the southwest. He swung his lead ship ninety degrees to the left and the rest of the "Travelling Circus" followed him. The 93rd was not attacking from the direction that they had been briefed for, and the surprise they had hoped for was already lost as well.
As the 93rd BG approached Ploesti, Col. Baker's aircraft, HELL'S WENCH, caught fire, and he salvoed his bombs to keep the ship in the air. He did not break from formation and continued to lead the 93rd towards Ploesti. Just as they reached the target, HELL'S WENCH crashed in a ball of flame. All ten of the crew were killed. Baker, and his co-pilot, Maj. John Jerstad both received the Medal of Honor for their bravery, determination, and sacrificial leadership. The rest of the "Travelling Circus" went over the target next. Thirty-two of the "Travelling Circus" reached Ploesti, and eight went down before they could get through the guns around Ploesti. Most of the 93rd BG ships bombed White IV & V, which were actually assigned to the 98th & 44th BG's respectively. Their gunfire, bombs, and flaming aircraft created a bedlam of smoke and flame.
While the 93rd BG was making their ad hoc attack on Ploesti the 376th BG reached the outskirts of Bucharest and finally realized their error. They swung around to the north, heading for a position northeast of Ploesti. Once in this position, General Ent seeing the havoc caused by the 93rd BG attack, and realizing that surprise was lost, called on his group to strike "targets of opportunity". With that order, the 376th diverted from Ploesti and bombed anything that looked of value, from oil wells to bridges. Only a single flight of four aircraft, led by Lt. Norm Appold continued on to bomb targets in Ploesti proper. His flight bombed White II, which had originally been assigned to the 93rd BG.
All this time the 98th & 44th BG's were making their approach, following about twenty minutes behind. At about 12:12 p.m., the 98th BG made the correct turn at Floresti, and began their run to Ploesti from the direction they had been briefed, from the northwest. After a three-to-four-minute flight, the 98th BG reached Ploesti, and saw the chaos created by the leading groups. "Killer" Kane led the 98th into the smoke and flames, despite the now fully aware anti-aircraft gunners. Kane's Pyramiders reached the target with thirty-nine ships and came away from it with twenty-five. Fourteen sand-colored B-24's went down within minutes, most in flames, and few survived.
Among these fourteen, was JERSEY JACKASS / BASHFUL flown by 389th BG pilot Lt. John McGraw. His aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, caught fire, and crashed beyond the target. Eight of his crew were killed, and two captured.
The 44th BG, led by Col. Leon Johnson followed the 98th into the smoke and flames. The 44th was assigned two targets, White V & Blue. White V was already burning from previous attacks, making it a tough target. Blue target was on the south side of Ploesti, and the assigned aircraft led by Maj. Posey had to cross Ploesti to get to it. Johnson's formation reached Ploesti with sixteen aircraft and came away with eleven. Posey crossed Ploesti and reached Blue target with twenty aircraft. Blue target was hit hard, and Posey only lost two ships at the target.
Meanwhile, the 389th BG veered off as planned to make its independent attack on the Steaua Romana refinery at Campina. Several miles short of the correct IP, the group incorrectly made a turn to the right. Disaster appeared imminent as the Sky Scorpions were set to miss Campina, and head towards Ploesti. The day was saved when Col. Wood quickly recognized his mistake and led the group in a 180-degree turn and then resumed their course until the correct IP was reached.
The 389th reached their IP at about 3:05 p.m. and changed course to 165 degrees as planned. The group approached the target at 200 feet, and 205 mph speed. Trees and buildings were whipping by, as the outline of Campina now appeared through the occasional clouds, and rain squalls. The trailing elements of the group fanned out to the right and left to prepare for the converging attack. Anti-aircraft fire began to rise up at the group neared the town. At this point, Lt. Lloyd Hughes' OLE KICKAPOO , immediately in front of the Spurrier crew, was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Lt. Hughes' wing-mate could see fuel rushing from the wing and bomb bay area. At least one crew came on the radio, warning Hughes to abort the bombs run. Hughes continued, approaching the target.
At 3:10 p.m., Colonel Wood's lead ship, THE SCORPION , dropped its bombs, and the rest of the Sky Scorpions quickly followed. Even though the bombs were set for delayed demolition, many of the fuel storage tanks were bursting into flame from .50 MG fire and the impact of 1,000-pound bombs.
As Lt. Hughes and his burning ship went over the Dubbs cracking plant, the leaking fuel ignited, and the fire quickly spread. His bombardier put the bombs on target and then Hughes began to look for a place to land. He found a riverbed and attempted to make a wheels-up landing, but at the last second, he had to pull up to avoid an unseen bridge. The aircraft rolled over, hit the ground, and broke up. Hughes and seven others were killed. Two men escaped, burned, and were taken prisoner. Lt. Hughes was awarded the Medal of Honor for his determination to bomb the target despite his damaged aircraft, and the other nine crew members received the Distinguished Service Cross.
The next ship to go over the Dubbs cracking plant was that of the Spurrier crew in 807 "U-". According to the crew's sortie report they dropped their bombs at 3:20 p.m. The crew reported seeing their bombs hit the target. Fires were seen to be engulfing both the immediate target and neighboring buildings. The Spurrier crew had reached the target, put their bombs on it, and now they just had to make it home.
Shortly after Lt. Hughes crashed into the riverbed, Lt. Robert Horton's SAND WITCH was looking for a place to land as well. His aircraft was badly shot up and could go no further. He attempted to land in the same riverbed as Hughes had crashed, and also went in hard. Horton and eight others were killed; one man survived. All ten received the Distinguished Service Cross.
After hitting the target, the 389th BG attempted to form up and head south-southwest to meet up with the other four groups. Several of the ships were in trouble though. The first was Captain Robert Mooney's HITLER'S HEARSE . Sometime after coming off the target, there was a loud bang in the cockpit. Co-Pilot Lt. Henry Gerrits looked over to see that Mooney was dead. He had been hit in the head with a single shell and killed instantly. They were down one engine, and low on fuel. At first Lt. Gerrits looked for a place to crash land the aircraft. However, others in the crew helped clear Mooney's body from the cockpit, and they decided to try for neutral Turkey.
Lt. James' 744 "S", which had had many fuel leak problems in the past, was leaking fuel again. In fact, 744 "S" had only made one mission prior to Ploesti due to recurrent fuel leaks. James decided to join up on HITLER'S HEARSE's wing, and the two aircraft made for Turkey together. The two cripples also picked up a welcome escort in the form of two otherwise healthy 389th aircraft. These were Lt. Bill Nading's BLONDS AWAY , and Lt. Podolak's SWEET ADELINE II . These two escorted James & Gerrits to Turkey, and then continued on to Allied held Cyprus.
Meanwhile, still just south of Campina, Lt. Robert O'Reilly's borrowed ship, CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO was hurt badly. O'Reilly was supposed to fly his regular ship PISTOL PACKIN MAMA , but when it developed a mechanical problem at the last minute, he took Lt. Lewis Ellis' aircraft. He was down two engines, and they would never make it back over the mountains. He selected a field and ordered the crew to prepare for a crash landing. It was a decent landing, given the circumstances. One man was killed when the top turret collapsed on top of him, and one was trapped in the nose. O'Reilly's crew was in luck though. They had landed on Princess Carajda's estate. The Princess was fond of Americans, and helped bully the Germans into allowing her to care for the wounded man and then had the prisoners turned over to the Romanians, rather than the Germans.
One more ship wouldn't make it out of Romania. This was Lt. Melvin Neef's BOOMERANG . It is unclear where the 389th BG obtained this aircraft from, but it appeared as a replacement after Neef's regular ship, FIGHTIN SAM was damaged on July 12th. Leaving the target area, BOOMERANG was in rough shape, and Lt. Neef successfully crash-landed 80 miles southwest of Campina. All eleven of the crew, including Neef, and the 566th squadron commander, Maj. William Yeager were captured.
In addition to the ships that were lost or headed for Turkey, several others had to seek alternative Allied bases when it became apparent that they would never reach Bengasi. Two aircraft diverted to Malta, and one more found its way to Cyprus to join the Nading and Podolak crews there.
As the 389th ships were evacuating the target area, Capt. Emery Ward’s ship radioed that they were low on fuel and would be returning to Bengasi via a direct route, rather than the planned return path back to the Adriatic and then south. Maj. John Brooks III was aboard Ward’s 619 “N-” as deputy group leader. He ordered the remainder of flights three, four, and five to return with the rest of the group, while they returned alone across Bulgaria. Ward’s two wing-mates, Spurrier and Sisson refused to leave Ward’s side and escorted him back across Bulgaria and Greece.
The plan, according to Dale Sisson, was to have 807 “U-“ drop an extra life raft if Ward ran out of fuel over the Mediterranean while Sisson would circle with 743 “O-“ until an Air Rescue plane could arrive on the scene. Sisson had the most fuel remaining and could afford to wait longer than Spurrier could if Ward went down. This plan proved to be fortunate for Ward’s crew as six enemy Me-109’s appeared on the return trip. Spurrier and Sisson closed in tight in a stepped-up formation of three. The Me-109’s decided to look elsewhere, seeing the potential firepower of three healthy B-24D’s grouped close together.
Because of their direct route, Spurrier, Ward, and Sisson were the first to return to Bengasi. They landed at 8:40 p.m.; it was a flight of 13 hours and 10 minutes. Emery Ward’s aircraft ran completely out of gas as soon as it cleared the runway, giving further evidence that he had correctly decided to take the direct route home to Bengasi. Spurrier’s aircraft had burned a total of 2,975 gallons of fuel, or 223 gallons per hour. Sisson’s aircraft burned a remarkably low amount of fuel for the mission, 2,650 gallons, or 197 gallons per hour.
The last of the 389th Liberators, OLE IRISH, touched down at 9:18 p.m., 13 hours and 50 minutes since it took off. The night of August 1st must have had a somber tone. Of the twenty-nine aircraft to leave Bengasi that morning, only eighteen returned to base. Word was trickling in that some crews had made it into other Allied bases at Cyprus and Malta. However, news was also coming in that some of the 389th BG crews flying with other groups did not return.
In addition to these full crews on detached service there were at least ten others who flew with other groups’ crews. In many cases it is not known which ones, because of the last-minute crew changes. There were cases of crew members joining a crew as the aircraft was about to taxi, the man flying the mission, and then never meeting or talking to that crew again.
All tolled, the base at Berca 4 was short about 150 men of its normal compliment that night. A large dinner had been prepared for the returning flyers, but the mess tent would have been only half full. About 68 of those would return in short order from Malta, Cyprus, and Sicily. Another 19 would eventually return from being interned in Turkey, but 62 men were either killed, taken prisoner, or running for their lives from Axis soldiers after their planes went down in and around Ploesti. It was a day of terrible loss for the group, one of the worst the men of the 389th BG would ever see in almost two years of aerial combat over Axis controlled Europe.
The 389th BG, despite its heavy losses, had delivered the precision strike that Operation TIDALWAVE planners had envisioned. The group reached its target at Campina and destroyed the oil refinery facilities of Steua Romana without causing significant collateral damage to the surrounding town.
As Lt. Hughes and his burning ship went over the Dubbs cracking plant, the leaking fuel ignited, and the fire quickly spread. His bombardier put the bombs on target and then Hughes began to look for a place to land. He found a riverbed and attempted to make a wheels-up landing, but at the last second, he had to pull up to avoid an unseen bridge. The aircraft rolled over, hit the ground, and broke up. Hughes and seven others were killed. Two men escaped, burned, and were taken prisoner. Lt. Hughes was awarded the Medal of Honor for his determination to bomb the target despite his damaged aircraft, and the other nine crew members received the Distinguished Service Cross.
The next ship to go over the Dubbs cracking plant was that of the Spurrier crew in 807 "U-". According to the crew's sortie report they dropped their bombs at 3:20 p.m. The crew reported seeing their bombs hit the target. Fires were seen to be engulfing both the immediate target and neighboring buildings. The Spurrier crew had reached the target, put their bombs on it, and now they just had to make it home.
Shortly after Lt. Hughes crashed into the riverbed, Lt. Robert Horton's SAND WITCH was looking for a place to land as well. His aircraft was badly shot up and could go no further. He attempted to land in the same riverbed as Hughes had crashed, and also went in hard. Horton and eight others were killed; one man survived. All ten received the Distinguished Service Cross.
After hitting the target, the 389th BG attempted to form up and head south-southwest to meet up with the other four groups. Several of the ships were in trouble though. The first was Captain Robert Mooney's HITLER'S HEARSE . Sometime after coming off the target, there was a loud bang in the cockpit. Co-Pilot Lt. Henry Gerrits looked over to see that Mooney was dead. He had been hit in the head with a single shell and killed instantly. They were down one engine, and low on fuel. At first Lt. Gerrits looked for a place to crash land the aircraft. However, others in the crew helped clear Mooney's body from the cockpit, and they decided to try for neutral Turkey.
Lt. James' 744 "S", which had had many fuel leak problems in the past, was leaking fuel again. In fact, 744 "S" had only made one mission prior to Ploesti due to recurrent fuel leaks. James decided to join up on HITLER'S HEARSE's wing, and the two aircraft made for Turkey together. The two cripples also picked up a welcome escort in the form of two otherwise healthy 389th aircraft. These were Lt. Bill Nading's BLONDS AWAY , and Lt. Podolak's SWEET ADELINE II . These two escorted James & Gerrits to Turkey, and then continued on to Allied held Cyprus.
Meanwhile, still just south of Campina, Lt. Robert O'Reilly's borrowed ship, CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO was hurt badly. O'Reilly was supposed to fly his regular ship PISTOL PACKIN MAMA , but when it developed a mechanical problem at the last minute, he took Lt. Lewis Ellis' aircraft. He was down two engines, and they would never make it back over the mountains. He selected a field and ordered the crew to prepare for a crash landing. It was a decent landing, given the circumstances. One man was killed when the top turret collapsed on top of him, and one was trapped in the nose. O'Reilly's crew was in luck though. They had landed on Princess Carajda's estate. The Princess was fond of Americans, and helped bully the Germans into allowing her to care for the wounded man and then had the prisoners turned over to the Romanians, rather than the Germans.
One more ship wouldn't make it out of Romania. This was Lt. Melvin Neef's BOOMERANG . It is unclear where the 389th BG obtained this aircraft from, but it appeared as a replacement after Neef's regular ship, FIGHTIN SAM was damaged on July 12th. Leaving the target area, BOOMERANG was in rough shape, and Lt. Neef successfully crash-landed 80 miles southwest of Campina. All eleven of the crew, including Neef, and the 566th squadron commander, Maj. William Yeager were captured.
In addition to the ships that were lost or headed for Turkey, several others had to seek alternative Allied bases when it became apparent that they would never reach Bengasi. Two aircraft diverted to Malta, and one more found its way to Cyprus to join the Nading and Podolak crews there.
As the 389th ships were evacuating the target area, Capt. Emery Ward’s ship radioed that they were low on fuel and would be returning to Bengasi via a direct route, rather than the planned return path back to the Adriatic and then south. Maj. John Brooks III was aboard Ward’s 619 “N-” as deputy group leader. He ordered the remainder of flights three, four, and five to return with the rest of the group, while they returned alone across Bulgaria. Ward’s two wing-mates, Spurrier and Sisson refused to leave Ward’s side and escorted him back across Bulgaria and Greece.
The plan, according to Dale Sisson, was to have 807 “U-“ drop an extra life raft if Ward ran out of fuel over the Mediterranean while Sisson would circle with 743 “O-“ until an Air Rescue plane could arrive on the scene. Sisson had the most fuel remaining and could afford to wait longer than Spurrier could if Ward went down. This plan proved to be fortunate for Ward’s crew as six enemy Me-109’s appeared on the return trip. Spurrier and Sisson closed in tight in a stepped-up formation of three. The Me-109’s decided to look elsewhere, seeing the potential firepower of three healthy B-24D’s grouped close together.
Because of their direct route, Spurrier, Ward, and Sisson were the first to return to Bengasi. They landed at 8:40 p.m.; it was a flight of 13 hours and 10 minutes. Emery Ward’s aircraft ran completely out of gas as soon as it cleared the runway, giving further evidence that he had correctly decided to take the direct route home to Bengasi. Spurrier’s aircraft had burned a total of 2,975 gallons of fuel, or 223 gallons per hour. Sisson’s aircraft burned a remarkably low amount of fuel for the mission, 2,650 gallons, or 197 gallons per hour.
The last of the 389th Liberators, OLE IRISH, touched down at 9:18 p.m., 13 hours and 50 minutes since it took off. The night of August 1st must have had a somber tone. Of the twenty-nine aircraft to leave Bengasi that morning, only eighteen returned to base. Word was trickling in that some crews had made it into other Allied bases at Cyprus and Malta. However, news was also coming in that some of the 389th BG crews flying with other groups did not return.
In addition to these full crews on detached service there were at least ten others who flew with other groups’ crews. In many cases it is not known which ones, because of the last-minute crew changes. There were cases of crew members joining a crew as the aircraft was about to taxi, the man flying the mission, and then never meeting or talking to that crew again.
All tolled, the base at Berca 4 was short about 150 men of its normal compliment that night. A large dinner had been prepared for the returning flyers, but the mess tent would have been only half full. About 68 of those would return in short order from Malta, Cyprus, and Sicily. Another 19 would eventually return from being interned in Turkey, but 62 men were either killed, taken prisoner, or running for their lives from Axis soldiers after their planes went down in and around Ploesti. It was a day of terrible loss for the group, one of the worst the men of the 389th BG would ever see in almost two years of aerial combat over Axis controlled Europe.
The 389th BG, despite its heavy losses, had delivered the precision strike that Operation TIDALWAVE planners had envisioned. The group reached its target at Campina and destroyed the oil refinery facilities of Steua Romana without causing significant collateral damage to the surrounding town.
