177 B-24 Liberator Bombers take off from their base in North Africa to bomb Hitler's Ploesti Oil Fields in WW2.

Here are several photographs of the disastrous first Ploesti Oil Fields bombing mission.

A disaster for both sides. On August 1, 1943, 177 B-24 Liberators took off from their base at Benghazi, Libya, North Africa. Their target, the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Winston Churchill had described Ploesti as the “taproot of German might. In January 1943, Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt approved a massive aerial attack against the Ploesti Oil Refinery believing that the raid could cut six months off of the total length of the war. The legendary low level raid on Ploesti, Romania was made by the 376th, 93rd, 44th, 389th and 98th Bomb Groups. Col. John Killer Kane, commander of one of the bombardment groups tasked with the raid, deemed the operation idiotic because of the unconventional-and untested-low-level bombing. At Ploesti the B-24's encountered one of the most heavily defended targets in the world and one-third of the bombers and there crews never came back. Yet three refineries escaped any damage and most of the refineries that were hit were quickly repaired.

Aerial Photos,
of the island of Ie Shima.
These photos compare the runways of 1940's Ie Shima to the photos of Ie Shima today. Ie Shima was the home to the 34th Fighter Squadron in World War 2.

Exhibit Added 3 Feb 2004

Flight Manual B-24 Liberator
Softbound Book

A reprint of the official government handbook designed to show the new cadet how to fly the aircraft. Heavily illustrated with dozens of photos, diagrams and charts. 146 pgs., 8½"x 11", sfbd.

Every B24's buff must have one! This book is about the "D" version( glazed nose), widely employed at early stages of II war on every theater and absolute protagonist of the famous operation "Tidal Wave", the strike on Romanian oil fields near Ploesti. The type ranked second in the production run, being outnumbered by the most famous "J" version (Consolidated or Emerson 2 gun nose turret). Here you can find normal and emergency checklists, systems description and above all, true aircraft performances (maps and charts available in original forties' format!). And if you are a WWII simulation buff, this reference should help you to get the real touch with handling and flying characteristics. The lattice glass nose compartment lacked a power turret (being retrofitted later, especially in the Pacific squadrons) but at least this version was the easiest to fly. In fact the "Liberators" never get rid of handling and forward visibility problems, these were exacerbated by adopting a nose turret, weighty and inducing excessive drag. So the "D" models were "user-friendly" only for the bombardier position, lacking defensive armament and small field of fire in frontal sectors. Enjoy the discover! #0001409 Price: $12.95