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With a safe field below and their B-24 burning, Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker and Major John Jerstad pressed on toward Ploesti—and their decision became a defining moment of Operation Tidal Wave. This World War II military history story follows the 93rd Bomb Group’s low-level attack on the Romanian oil refineries on August 1, 1943, after the lead formation turned toward the wrong target.
Hit by flak at 400 feet, the crew of Hell’s Wench faced an impossible choice while seventeen B-24 Liberators followed behind. Explore the leadership, sacrifice, and split-second judgment behind one of the costliest American air operations of the war. A narrated WWII aviation history account for listeners interested in B-24 Liberators, the Ploesti raid, and stories of wartime courage—ideal for historical listening and background learning.
Hit by flak at 400 feet, the crew of Hell’s Wench faced an impossible choice while seventeen B-24 Liberators followed behind. Explore the leadership, sacrifice, and split-second judgment behind one of the costliest American air operations of the war. A narrated WWII aviation history account for listeners interested in B-24 Liberators, the Ploesti raid, and stories of wartime courage—ideal for historical listening and background learning.
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00:00at 6 47 a.m on august 1st 1943 lieutenant colonel addison baker and major john gerstad
00:08climbed into b-24 liberator hell's winch at benghazi airfield in libya as 178 heavy bombers
00:16prepared for the longest and lowest bombing raid in history baker was 36 years old commanding officer
00:23of the 93rd bomb group with 11 months combat experience gerstad was 25 had already completed
00:30his required 25 missions three weeks earlier and had volunteered to fly this mission as baker's
00:36co-pilot the target was ploweste oil refineries in romania facilities that supplied 30 percent of
00:42nazi germany's fuel and intelligence predicted 50 casualties before the day ended operation tidal
00:49wave required a 2400 mile round trip at altitudes between 50 and 500 feet treetop level the luftwaffe
00:58and german anti-aircraft crews had transformed ploweschi into the most heavily defended target in
01:03europe previous high altitude raids had failed the only way to destroy the refineries was to fly
01:10directly through the defenses at chimney height drop delayed fuse bombs hope the explosions didn't catch
01:16your own aircraft the eighth air force had lost 47 b-24s during training exercises for this mission
01:24pilots misjudged altitude over water flew into hillsides during low-level practice runs collided in
01:31tight formations command estimated they would lose 90 aircraft over the target that meant 900 men baker knew
01:40these numbers jerstad knew them too he'd finished his tour could have returned home to oregon instead
01:46he'd asked to fly one more mission baker needed experienced pilots jerstad was operations officer
01:54understood the mission plan better than anyone except baker himself will they survive what's coming
02:00please hit that like button it helps more people discover these stories and subscribe back to baker and
02:06jerstad hell's wench carried 10 crew members that morning navigator harold sweetman bombardier john mccormick
02:14engineer james merritt radio operator cecil fight four gunners every man understood the statistics one in two aircraft
02:24wouldn't return but plowesty produced 12 million barrels of refined petroleum annually every day those
02:31refineries operated german tanks rolled deeper into russia u-boats hunted allied convoys messerschmitt
02:38intercepted bomber formations over germany destroying plowesty could shorten the war by months save thousands
02:45of allied lives the mission was worth the cost baker had briefed his group three times emphasize timing the
02:53entire attack depended on five bomb groups reaching their targets simultaneously at exactly 9 30 a.m romania
03:01time spread defensive fire overwhelm anti-aircraft crews any delay meant concentrated defenses any deviation
03:09from the flight plan meant disaster each group had specific refineries to hit the 93rd would attack the
03:16astro romana and uniria refineries baker's aircraft would lead the formation set the example show his men
03:24the way through at seven o'clock engines thundered across benghazi airfield 178 b-24s lifted into the
03:33morning sky formed up over the mediterranean turned north toward romania the formation stretched for miles
03:4119 000 feet altitude initially they would drop to wave top height over the aegean sea stay low across
03:48greece and yugoslavia reached ployeste below german radar baker settled into his seat gerstad took the
03:55co-pilot position hell's wench flew in the lead spot 17 aircraft from the 93rd followed directly behind
04:03three hours into the mission a b-24 from the lead navigation group lost power over the mediterranean
04:09the aircraft carrying the mission's lead navigator it descended toward the water attempted an emergency
04:15landing the bomber hit waves at 140 miles per hour disintegrated all crew lost the entire operation
04:24had just lost its pathfinder no backup navigator knew the complete route baker watched the formation
04:30continue north something was already wrong the formation crossed the greek coast at 9 000 feet
04:37descended to 500 feet over yugoslavia b-24s flew so low that pilots could see individual trees
04:46sheep scattered as bombers roared overhead the plan called for terrain masking german radar stations
04:52couldn't track aircraft flying below hilltops but low altitude meant fuel consumption increased navigational
04:59errors became critical a wrong turn at this altitude could send the entire formation into mountainside
05:05baker checked his instruments fuel consumption normal engines running steady behind him 17 b-24s from the
05:1493rd maintained tight formation to his left and right other bomb groups spread across the sky
05:20the 44th the 98th the 76th the 376th five groups 177 aircraft still flying one target 30 minutes away
05:33at 9.05 a.m romania time the formation reached the initial point near petesti the ip the spot where
05:41bombers would turn east toward plowesti this was the critical navigation moment every group needed to
05:47identify landmarks turn at precisely the right moment follow the correct valleys toward their assigned
05:53refineries without the lead navigator the mission commander's aircraft took over navigation duties baker
06:00watched the lead group begin their turn they turned toward bucharest wrong city wrong direction baker recognized
06:07the error immediately the lead group had mistaken one valley for another a simple navigational mistake
06:13at 500 feet altitude but bucharest lay 30 miles southeast of plowesti the lead group was taking three bomb
06:20groups over 100 aircraft away from the target away from the mission the attack plan was collapsing
06:30baker grabbed the radio transmitter tried to contact the mission commander radio discipline had been strict
06:36throughout the flight minimal transmissions german listening posts were tracking them but this was an
06:42emergency the mission was about to fail baker called repeatedly no response either the lead aircraft
06:49wasn't monitoring the frequency or they couldn't hear through radio interference german jamming had started
06:55the moment the formation crossed into romania static filled the airwaves jorstad looked at baker the decision
07:02was simple follow the lead group to the wrong target and waste the entire mission or break formation
07:10turn the 93rd toward plowesti alone lead his 17 aircraft into the most heavily defended target in europe
07:17without the planned support from other groups no simultaneous attack no split defenses every german gun
07:25would focus on the 93rd command had predicted 50 percent losses with the full formation attacking together
07:32what would losses be with one group attacking alone baker made his decision in five seconds he banked hell's
07:38winch hard left away from the lead group toward plowesti behind him every aircraft in the 93rd followed 17
07:47b-24s broke from the main formation the original attack plan called for 94 bombers hitting plowesti together
07:55now baker was leading 18 bombers toward targets designed to be attacked by five times that number
08:00german radar operators watched the formation split flak battery commanders received urgent updates american
08:07bombers approaching from the south small group 18 aircraft altitude 500 feet speed 210 miles per hour
08:16every available gun crew in plowesti received the same order concentrate all fire on this group stop them
08:23before they reached the refineries baker flew toward the smokestacks of astro romana 11 miles ahead 10 minutes flying
08:33time jerstad scanned the horizon through the co-pilot window black smoke already rising over the city
08:40something else too small dark shapes lifting from the ground around the refineries dozens of them then hundreds
08:48barrage balloons barrage balloons steel cables dangling beneath them designed specifically to destroy low
08:55flying bombers the cables would shred wings tear through fuselage rip engines from mountings plowesti
09:03defenders had raised every balloon in the city hell's wench was flying directly into a forest of steel
09:09at 9 17 a.m hell's wench entered the plowesti defense zone at 470 feet altitude the city sprawled ahead
09:18seven major refineries miles of pipelines cracking towers storage tanks smokestacks belching black smoke
09:26and above everything barrage balloons 300 of them steel cables stretched from ground to balloon each cable
09:34designed to catch aircraft wings snap them off send bombers tumbling into the ground baker had no choice
09:41about altitude the mission required bombing from chimney height delayed fuses needed time to arm if they
09:47dropped from normal bombing altitude the bombs would explode before penetrating deep into refinery structures
09:53the entire mission depended on flying low flying through those cables the 93rd crews had trained for this
10:00practice low-level bombing runs over desert targets in libya but training targets didn't shoot back
10:07training balloons didn't have steel cables behind hell's wench 17 b-24s followed in tight formation
10:14nose gunners tracked the balloons ahead top turret gunners searched for fighters the luftwaffe had stationed 200
10:20fighters at airfields around plowesti messerschmitt 109s fockelwolf 190as romanian iar-81s intelligence
10:29had predicted waves of fighter attacks during the bomb run so far no fighters appeared german commanders
10:36were holding them back waiting the flak batteries would handle the bombers first the first 88 millimeter
10:42shell exploded 200 feet ahead of hell's wench black smoke orange flash shrapnel sprayed outward baker flew
10:51through the blast the aircraft shuttered more explosions erupted across the sky german gun crews had the range
10:58the plowesti defenses included 230 flat guns 88s triple a batteries machine gun nests on rooftops every gun
11:09opened fire simultaneously the sky filled with tracers red lines streaking toward the formation black puffs
11:17of exploding shells the barrage was so dense that pilots couldn't see through it a balloon cable appeared
11:24directly ahead baker yanked the controls left hell's wench banked hard the cable passed 20 feet from the
11:31right wing another cable to the left baker rolled right flying through the forest dodging cables that
11:39appeared without warning through the smoke drsted called out positions cable high left cable low right
11:46baker flew by instinct the refineries were three miles ahead three more minutes
11:51the formation had to stay together had to reach the target an 88 shell detonated beneath hell's wench
11:58the explosion lifted the aircraft 30 feet shrapnel tore through the belly punctured fuel tanks ripped
12:05through hydraulic lines red warning lights flashed across the instrument panel fuel pressure dropping in
12:11number three engine oil temperature rising in number one the aircraft was bleeding but the engine
12:17still ran the controls still responded baker kept flying two miles from target another barrage balloon
12:24ahead baker aimed between two cables calculated the gap 40 feet clearance on each side enough room he
12:32committed to the path then the aircraft jolted hard impact on the right wing the b-24 had clipped a
12:39cable
12:40baker hadn't seen the steel wire scraped along the wing leading edge tore through aluminum the wire caught on the
12:47outboard engine nacelle held the balloon was now attached to hell's wench 300 pounds of rubber and canvas
12:54dragging on the right wing creating massive asymmetric drag the aircraft pulled right baker fought the
13:01controls struggled to maintain heading another shell exploded this one struck directly an 88 millimeter round
13:10hit the right wing root punched through the fuel tank aviation gas sprayed into the engine compartment
13:16hot metal sparking electrical systems leaking fuel the mixture ignited instantly orange flames erupted from
13:25the wing spread toward the fuselage hell's wench was on fire one mile from target 60 seconds to the release
13:34point baker looked down saw an open field below flat clear perfect for emergency landing they could set down
13:43safely the entire crew could survive or they could continue the bomb run baker kept the nose pointed at
13:52astro romana refinery the fire spread across the entire right wing flames reached back toward the fuselage
13:58the metal skin glowed red temperature inside the cockpit climbed smoke filled the interior the crew could bail out
14:06open field below meant everyone could parachute safely or baker could set the aircraft down execute
14:14emergency landing walk away mission failed but 17 b-24s were following directly behind hell's wench
14:22if baker landed now those aircraft would follow the entire 93rd would abort the mission would fail completely
14:30juristad knew the calculation he'd flown 25 missions survived the odds earned his ticket home now he sat in a
14:38burning bomber with a choice survival or mission he didn't reach for the bailout lever didn't suggest
14:45landing he checked the bomb release panel verified the delayed fuses were armed prepared for the drop
14:52baker understood they were continuing the flames grew worse fire consumed the right wing from engine
14:59nacelle to wing tip the aluminum structure began failing rivets popped from heat stress metal panels curled
15:07the wing was disintegrating but it still produced lift the aircraft still flew 45 seconds to target the bomb bay
15:16doors were already open bombardier john mccormick lay prone in the nose watch the refinery approach
15:22through the northern bomb site cracking towers storage tanks pipeline networks the primary structures were
15:29dead ahead behind hell's wench the 93rd formation held together every pilot saw the flames every crew knew
15:37their lead aircraft was dying but baker hadn't turned away hadn't landed the formation followed 17 b-24s flew
15:46through the flak barrage through the balloon cables through smoke so thick that visibility dropped to
15:52100 feet they followed hell's wench because baker and gerstad were still flying german gunners
15:59concentrated their fire on the burning bomber every tracer every shell if they stopped the lead aircraft
16:06the formation would break apart 88 rounds exploded continuously around hell's wench one shell detonated so
16:13close that shrapnel shredded the left horizontal stabilizer the aircraft yawed violently baker fought the
16:20controls used rudder and aileron together kept the nose steady the bomb site required stable flight any
16:27deviation meant missed target wasted mission wasted lives 30 seconds the refineries filled the windscreen
16:34cracking towers rose 300 feet high hell's wench flew between them at 400 feet altitude wings level speed
16:43steady the fire had now reached the fuselage flames licked along the cockpit windows paint blistered glass
16:51cracked from heat oxygen masks provided breathable air but the temperature was unbearable baker's hands were
16:58blistering on the control yoke he held course mccormick centered the crosshairs the delayed fuse bombs would
17:04penetrate buildings before exploding cause maximum structural damage destroy the refining equipment he waited for the
17:11precise release point calculated drop trajectory accounted for wind altitude speed the numbers
17:18aligned he pressed the release four thousand pounds of high explosive dropped from the bomb bay fell toward
17:25the astro romana facility hell's wench lurched upward as the weight released behind baker the formation
17:31released simultaneously eighteen aircraft seventy two thousand pounds of bombs the delayed fuses meant the
17:39explosions would occur in waves first bombs penetrating deep into structures then detonating then the next
17:46wave then the next the entire refinery was about to be destroyed but hell's wench was still in the blast
17:53radius
17:55baker pulled back on the yoke tried to gain altitude get above the coming explosions the right wing barely
18:02responded fire had destroyed the control surfaces the aircraft climbed slowly 100 feet per minute not
18:10enough the bombs would detonate in 18 seconds the blast radius extended 1 000 feet hell's wench was 400
18:18feet above ground 500 feet past the target still climbing still burning the wing structure was failing
18:26the fire had reached the center fuel tanks and below 18 seconds had just expired
18:32the first explosion erupted beneath hell's wench a delayed fuse bomb detonated inside the main cracking
18:38tower the structure disintegrated steel beams shot outward the blast wave hit the burning b-24 like a
18:45physical wall the aircraft tumbled rolled 30 degrees right baker fought the controls leveled the wings
18:53more explosions followed sequential detonations as bombs penetrated deep into refinery buildings before
18:59exploding the entire astro romana facility was collapsing fireballs rose 300 feet black smoke mushroomed upward
19:07the 93rd had hit the target perfectly behind hell's wench the formation scattered each b-24 peeled away from
19:16the target area sought escape routes through the flak through the smoke through the balloon cables some aircraft
19:23made clean breaks climbed rapidly turned south toward libya others weren't as fortunate a b-24 from the 93rd hit
19:32a balloon cable at full speed the wire caught the left wing sheared it off completely the bomber rolled inverted
19:39crashed into a storage tank exploded 10 men dead instantly another b-24 took a direct hit from an 88
19:47shell
19:48the round penetrated the bomb bay detonated the remaining bombs still on their racks the aircraft
19:54vanished in an orange fireball fragments scattered across 200 yards no parachutes no survivors a third
20:03bomber flew directly through a flak barrage 20 millimeter rounds stitched across the fuselage killed the pilot
20:09wounded the co-pilot the aircraft nose down struck the ground at 200 miles per hour cartwheeled through a
20:16residential area 14 civilians died alongside the crew the 93rd was paying the predicted price command had
20:23estimated 50 casualties with full formation support baker's group was attacking alone with one-fifth the
20:31planned aircraft against the full defensive capability of plowesti the mathematics were brutal 18 bombers entered
20:39the target zone four were already gone 40 men dead the survivors were still fighting their way out hell's wench
20:49climbed through the smoke at 800 feet still burning the right wing was completely engulfed flames had spread
20:56to the fuselage the cockpit filled with black smoke visibility zero baker flew by instruments alone airspeed altitude
21:05heading the gauges showed critical damage number three engine seized number four losing oil pressure
21:12number one running hot only number two operated normally the aircraft was flying on one functioning engine
21:19and three dying ones gerstad scanned the instruments checked fuel levels both right wing tanks were empty
21:26ruptured by flak leaking fuel had fed the fire the left wing tanks showed half capacity
21:33maybe 30 minutes flying time remained the mediterranean coast was 90 minutes south they wouldn't make it
21:40the aircraft was dying but they'd climb to 800 feet high enough for parachutes to deploy the crew could bail
21:48out all 10 men could survive land in romanian territory become prisoners of war but alive baker assessed their
21:56situation the mission was complete the 93rd had destroyed their assigned targets bombs had devastated
22:03the astro romana refinery the other bombers were escaping some would make it back to libya some
22:09wouldn't but the attack had succeeded germany's fuel supply was crippled the cost had been enormous at
22:16least four aircraft lost probably more hell's wench was finished no possibility of reaching friendly
22:23territory the smart decision was immediate bailout save the crew but baker knew the statistics bailing out over
22:31romania meant capture interrogation prison camp years of captivity some crew members wouldn't survive
22:38that the harsh conditions disease malnutrition and if germany lost the war which seemed increasingly likely
22:45some prisoners might never make it home executions happened massacres the ss had killed prisoners before
22:52could happen again baker made another calculation hell's wench still flew damaged burning dying but flying
23:04if he could gain more altitude the crew could bail out over yugoslavia partisan territory friendly forces
23:11operated there rescued downed airmen smuggled them back to allied lines higher altitude meant longer glide
23:18distance after the engines failed better chance of reaching partisan zones but gaining altitude meant
23:24staying in the burning aircraft longer the fire was spreading time was running out baker pulled back on the
23:31yoke hell's wench climbed slowly 900 feet 1 000 feet 1200 feet every 100 feet of altitude bought the crew
23:40better survival odds but the climb cost time time the burning aircraft didn't have the fire had now consumed
23:49half the fuselage flames burned through electrical systems radio went dead intercom failed baker could no
23:57longer communicate with the crew couldn't order bailout couldn't coordinate evacuation each man would have to
24:03make his own decision the engineer james merritt stood in the cockpit doorway watched baker and gerstad fight
24:10the controls saw the flames spreading toward the cockpit felt the heat radiating through the metal walls
24:16he understood what baker was attempting gain altitude give everyone better chance merit returned to his
24:23station didn't bail out stayed at his post monitored the dying engines adjusted fuel mixture transferred fuel
24:31from damaged tanks to functioning ones bought them precious minutes behind merit the four gunners remained
24:37at their positions top turret gunner tracked the sky for enemy fighters waste gunners watch for pursuing
24:44messerschmitts tail gunner scanned their six o'clock position no fighters appeared the luftwaffe had pulled back
24:51german commanders knew hell's wench was finished no need to waste ammunition the burning bomber would crash on
24:58its own the gunners could see the ground through gaps in the smoke romanian countryside fields villages enemy
25:06territory they stayed at their stations 1500 feet the aircraft shuttered violently number four engine seized
25:16completely the propeller windmilled created massive drag baker compensated with rudder the aircraft yawed
25:24right he fought at level three engines remained number one running on failing oil pressure number two still
25:31good number three restarted after cooling briefly but the restart wouldn't last the engine was damaged
25:38running rough producing minimal power the right wing was structurally failing the fire had burned through
25:45primary spars load-bearing members the wing bent upward under aerodynamic stress metal groaned rivets
25:52popped like gunshots the wing was folding when it failed completely the aircraft would roll inverted
25:59spin into the ground no time for bailout everyone would die in the crash baker needed altitude before
26:06that happened needed to get high enough that when the wing failed the crew could escape the tumbling
26:11aircraft 1700 feet they were 15 miles south of ploesti now still over romania still enemy territory
26:20but closer to yugoslavia the partisan zones were 40 miles ahead if they could maintain altitude for another 10
26:27minutes they'd reach friendly territory the crew could bail out safely get rescued return to fight another
26:34day baker pushed the aircraft harder demanded performance it couldn't give the remaining engine
26:40screamed overheated began failing number one engine caught fire different fire from the wing blaze this
26:48one burned inside the nacelle engine oil ignited flames shot from the cowling the fire spread to number
26:55two engine the only engine still producing full power baker watched his last good engine start to burn he had
27:02maybe 90 seconds before complete power loss 90 seconds to gain every possible foot of altitude he kept climbing
27:12bombardier mccormick lay in the nose watched the ground pass beneath calculated their trajectory airspeed
27:19dropping altitude increasing slowly rate of climb decreasing the mathematics were clear they wouldn't make
27:27yugoslavia the engines would fail before they crossed the border the aircraft would crash in romania but mccormick
27:34didn't move toward the escape hatch didn't prepare to bail out he stayed at his station trusted baker's judgment
27:421900 feet number two engine died just stopped no explosion no dramatic failure the engine simply quit
27:51starved of oil seized from heat gone now hell's wench flew on two damaged engines number three running rough
28:00number one burning the aircraft couldn't maintain altitude anymore started descending 100 feet per minute then 200
28:09the descent accelerated baker had run out of options the crew had maybe 60 seconds to bail out before the
28:16aircraft
28:16became uncontrollable he needed to give the order but the intercom was dead he couldn't tell them to jump
28:23and the right wing chose that moment to fail the right wing separated at the root the entire structure tore
28:31away
28:31from the fuselage 28 feet of wing two engines fuel tanks all gone in one catastrophic failure the sudden loss
28:40of lift on one side rolled hell's wench violently the aircraft snap rolled left inverted in two seconds the
28:47centrifugal force pinned everyone against the walls made movement impossible escape hatches were now above the
28:53crew gravity worked against them no one could reach the exits baker fought the controls uselessly with one
29:01wing gone aerodynamic forces overwhelmed any control input the rudder had no effect ailerons
29:08couldn't counter the roll the aircraft was tumbling spinning toward the ground in an
29:13uncontrollable descent through the windscreen baker saw earth and sky alternating rapidly the horizon spun the
29:21altimeter unwound eighteen hundred feet sixteen hundred fourteen hundred descending at three
29:27thousand feet per minute the crew knew what was happening felt the violent roll understood the wing
29:33had failed merritt grabbed for handholds couldn't reach them the centrifugal force threw him against the
29:40bulkhead the gunners tumbled through the fuselage slammed into equipment into each other into the burning
29:46walls mccormick in the nose watched the ground rush upward calculated impact in 28 seconds he didn't
29:54scream didn't panic just watched gerstad remained strapped in the co-pilot seat the harness held him secure
30:01despite the violent rotation he looked at baker both men knew this was the end no bailout possible no emergency
30:10landing no survival the aircraft was a spinning coffin they'd completed the mission led the 93rd to the
30:17target destroyed the refinery kept flying when they could have landed safely made the choice this was the
30:24consequence one thousand feet the spin accelerated aerodynamic forces increased as airspeed built the
30:33aircraft rotated faster four revolutions per second the remaining left wing began failing under the stress
30:41metal screamed the fire spread throughout the fuselage consumed everything the ammunition for the 50
30:48caliber guns began cooking off rounds exploded randomly sent bullets ricocheting through the interior
30:55added chaos to the catastrophe the ground details became visible trees a road farm buildings
31:03romanian farmers working fields they looked up saw the burning bomber spinning downward black smoke
31:10trailing behind it in a corkscrew pattern the sound was immense screaming engines rushing wind exploding
31:18ammunition the farmers ran scattered away from the impact point knew what was coming 600 feet hell's wench
31:26completed its final rotation the nose pointed almost straight down the remaining engine still ran
31:32still pushed the aircraft faster toward the ground baker saw the impact point a field bare earth the
31:39aircraft would hit at over 300 miles per hour the impact would be instantaneous no pain no drawn out
31:46death just sudden ending 300 feet jerstad reached across the cockpit gripped baker's shoulder a final gesture
31:54acknowledgement acknowledgement they'd flown together made the hard choice together would die together baker
32:01nodded once kept his hands on the controls died doing his job pilot to the end hell's wench struck
32:10the earth at 9 47 a.m romania time 3 000 pounds of remaining fuel detonated on impact the explosion
32:18created a crater 15 feet deep and 40 feet across debris scattered across 200 yards the aircraft
32:25disintegrated completely all 10 crew members died instantly lieutenant colonel addison baker major john
32:33jerstad navigator harold sweetman bombardier john mccormick engineer james merit radio operator cecil fight
32:42four gunners whose bodies were identified by dog tags recovered from the wreckage the volunteer who didn't
32:48have to fly the commander who led from the front and eight men who followed them into hell
32:53gone romanian authorities arrived within the hour recovered what remained 10 americans who'd flown 1500
33:00miles to destroy oil refineries who'd succeeded who'd paid the ultimate price the bodies were buried in a
33:07local cemetery the graves marked with wooden crosses the war continued without them but their mission had
33:14changed everything operation tidal wave concluded at 10 32 a.m on august 1st 1943 178
33:22b-24 liberators had departed benghazi that morning 125 returned 53 aircraft lost 310 airmen killed 54
33:34captured 108 wounded the single costliest air mission in american military history to that point
33:42the losses exceeded even the worst predictions command had estimated 50 casualties the actual figure reached
33:5030 percent for aircraft but among the crews that pressed their attacks to the target losses approached 60
33:56the 93rd bomb group paid the heaviest price addison baker led 18 bombers toward plowesti after breaking
34:03formation only 11 returned to libya seven aircraft lost 70 men dead or missing but those 18 bombers had
34:12destroyed their assigned targets completely the astro ramana refinery was knocked offline for three months
34:18the uniria facility remained closed for six months delayed fuse bombs had penetrated deep into critical
34:25equipment cracking towers collapsed pipeline networks ruptured storage tanks burned for days german
34:32engineers surveyed the damage and reported complete reconstruction would take years across plowesti the other
34:40bomb groups achieved similar results the refineries that supplied one-third of nazi germany's fuel were
34:46crippled daily production dropped from 12 million barrels annually to less than 4 million the shortfall
34:52created immediate problems for german operations luftwaffe sortie rates decreased panzer divisions received
34:59reduced fuel allocations u-boats spent less time on patrol the strategic impact rippled throughout the
35:06wehrmacht some historians estimate operation tidal wave shortened the war in europe by three months but the cost
35:12haunted military planners 53 aircraft 310 men the mathematics were brutal command evaluated whether
35:21the results justified the losses whether destroying oil refineries was worth the price in american lives
35:27the debate continued throughout the war no clear answer emerged the oil was crucial the losses were
35:34catastrophic both facts remain true the medal of honor citations arrived six months later five men received
35:42america's highest military decoration for actions during operation tidal wave more medals of honor than
35:48any other single air operation in history lieutenant colonel addison baker received his posthumously the
35:55citation read that he flew his burning aircraft to the target despite having opportunity to land safely
36:02led his group through the heaviest defenses in europe completed the mission at cost of his life
36:07and the lives of his crew major john gerstad received the medal of honor posthumously as well
36:13the citation noted he volunteered for the mission after completing his required tour served as baker's
36:19co-pilot remained at his post in the burning aircraft made the choice to continue when survival was possible
36:26died completing the mission he was 25 years old had finished his war could have gone home to oregon instead
36:34flew one more mission never returned the other eight crew members of hell's wench received no individual
36:42medals their names appeared in casualty lists harold sweetman john mccormick james merritt cecil fight
36:53four gunners whose families received telegrams explaining their sons had died in action over romania
36:58standard wartime notifications nothing that captured what they'd done nothing that explained they'd flown
37:05a burning bomber through the worst defenses in europe because their commanders asked them to if this
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