Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

ANTIAIRCRAFT DEFENSE THROUGH WORLD WAR II
Figure 19. B-24 at Ploesti. The AAF lost 54 B-24s at the 1 August 1943
raid on the oil refineries at Ploesti. This battle was but one World War II
example of high aircraft losses on low-level missions. (Adapted from
USAF.)
The Allies continued to attack Ploesti, conducting 19 highlevel
raids on Ploesti between 5 April and 19 August 1944 (fig.
20). On 5,479 effective sorties, American bombers dropped
13,469 tons of bombs and lost 223 bombers. Flak downed 131
bombers and 56 fighters. 56
Besides the 21 heavy bomber raids by the AAF, there were
four other bombing attacks on Ploesti. The RAF flew three
night missions, dropped 313 tons of bombs on 186 effective
sorties, and lost 15 bombers to unknown causes. In contrast,
on 10 June 1944, the Americans dispatched 46 P-38s, each
carrying a 1,000-pound bomb and a 300-gallon fuel tank, escorted
by 48 Lightnings, against the oil target. The Airmen
credited 38 P-38s with effective bombing sorties and with get-
31