- Thread starter
-
- #21
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
another sobering fact of the USAAF determination to knock out Germany's oil/fuel plants ~ supplies:
USAAF loses that directly involved the ' oil campaign '. 5400 aircraft lost of which 4300 were shot down by German fighters.
Wuzak - I would seriously doubt that 250 pound bombs (unless incindieries) were used. Standard doctrine for 8th and 15th AF was 500 and 1000 pound HE for industrial targets - 2000 pounders for reinforced/hardened targets.
were those bombers escorted?
May 12 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):
Mission 353: 886 bombers and 735
fighters are dispatched to hit oil production facilities in Germany and Czechoslovakia; there is strong Luftwaffe fighter reaction and 46 bombers and 7 fighters are lost:
1. 326 B-17s are dispatched to Mersenburg (224 bomb) and Lutzkendorf (87 bomb); 1 hits Hedrongen and 1 bombs Bullstadt; 2 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 189 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 20 MIA.
2. 295 B-17s are dispatched to Brux, Czechoslovakia (140 bomb) and Zwickau (74 bomb); 11 hit Chemnitz, 14 hit Gera marshalling yard, 15 hit Hof and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 41 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 162 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 377 MIA.
3. 265 B-24s are dispatched to Zeitz (116 bomb) and Bohlen (99 bomb); 14 hit Mersenburg, 1 hits Ostend Airfield, Belgium and 12 hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost, 5 damaged beyond repair and 61 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 33 MIA.
Escort is provided by 153 P-38s, 201 P-47s and 381 P-51s; P-38s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft, P-47s claim 26-0-8 and P-51s claim 33-0-3 in the air and 5-0-2 on the ground; 4 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost and 4 P-47s and 9 P-51s are damaged; 7 pilots are MIA.
[/url]
were those bombers escorted?
wasn't the B-24s attacking Ploiesti Astra Romana refinery unescorted?Always -
wasn't the B-24s attacking Ploiesti Astra Romana refinery unescorted?
Bill, I was replying to Ratsel's question.
you seem extreamely knowledgable in this area. question for you, in your opinion do you think some fighter units (like some staffel in JG11) on the western front ignored orders to shoot down fighters and went straight to attacking the bombers during the ' oil campaigns '?
wuzak - i stand corrected on the light loads... it sounds like they were after storage facilites versus cracking units, etc
The USSBS emphasized the 'normal' Refining/chemical plant bomb loadings were 500 and 1000 pound mix (8th and 9th AF)- with contrasts to RAF greater effectiveness using 2000 and 4000 pound bombs.
yep thats how I remembered it. many thanks! yet the main reason imo for so many Luftwaffe fighter losses for 1944.I believe the case was opposite - they were ordered to ignore the fighters, much to Galland's dismay, and concentrate on teh bombers.