The mission seemed straightforward: disrupt the Nazi war machine by targeting its lifeblood: oil. The City of Ploiești in România, supplying over one-third of Germany’s petroleum reserves, was pivotal. On August 1, 1943, a fleet of 178 B-24 Liberators descended upon Ploiești, intent on obliterating ‘Hitler’s gas station’ from the face of the earth.
A smaller raid the previous year had led to expectations of minimal resistance. However, the Allied pilots were flying toward a grim reality. Approaching their target, they were engulfed in a relentless storm of FLAK fire, lighting up the sky with explosive fury. Ploiești bristled with defenses: heavy 88 millimeter, medium 37 millimeter, and light 20 millimeter anti-aircraft batteries blanketed the city. Tethered to steel cables, German barrage balloons filled the skies, making low-altitude maneuvers nearly impossible.
Complicating the mission further, the Germans had significantly upgraded their radar and early warning systems. As the B-24 Liberators neared Ploiești, Luftwaffe fighters ascended to intercept them. Confronted by overwhelming defenses, the Allied airmen faced a nightmarish scenario when they could not locate their targets; Germans had camouflaged their oil refineries and also created decoy sites.
The decisive bombing raid quickly devolved into a struggle for survival. As B-24s plummeted in a devastating cascade of twisted metal and flames, the Allied pilots, against all odds, pushed forward. Their heroic efforts that day would not only earn them five Medals of Honor, the most awarded for a single air mission, but also secure their place in modern military history…
