On this 78th anniversary of Operation Tidal Wave, flown on Sunday, August 1, 1943, the mission continues to evoke memories and discussions. Some things to take of note:
This painting by Anthony Saunders was posted in Instagram by aceshighgallery in remembrance of the mission anniversary,
…with the following caption: “On this day in history, 1 August 1943…
INTO THE FIRE – Original Oil Painting by Anthony Saunders
Facing the full effects and heavy smoke of the raging oil fires below, B-24 ‘Fertile Myrtle’ and Liberators of the 98th Bomb Group pass over the Astra Romana refinery at Ploesti, 1 August 1943. Allied planners knew that if these oilfields could be destroyed it would deal a savage blow to Hitler’s armies so it came as no surprise to the brave bombers of the Ninth Air Force that both the German and Romanian defences were on full alert.”
The painting depicts dramatic moments of the 98th Bomb Group’s hellish time over the target, the Astra Romana oil refinery, also known by the code name, White IV.
In this dramatic view, B-24D-15-CO, serial number 41-24023, “Fertile Myrtle” of the 415th Bomb Squadron and the Shingler crew hit the target, and survived to return to their base in Libya. She was the lead ship in her four-plane flight in Section B. Section B was the second wave over White IV and took the fewest losses of the five 98BG waves over the target, losing “only” two out of ten aircraft.
“Fertile Myrtle,” like many other weapons of war, soon fell to the maw of war, and was lost with the entire 10-man Wiesenberg crew in a mission over Italy on August 19, 1943 (Missing Air Crew Report 325).
As depicted, “Fertile Myrtle” shows the mid-war mix of aircraft markings, with the round national insignia (dark blue and white cocarde) atop both wings with the yellow recognition ring for North Africa-based units, whilst her fuselage insignia has been modified with the bars on each side of the star and a red surround given to them. The red surround lasted only a few months, late June to early September, 1943) and was then repainted with the dark blue used in the cocarde.
Also on August 1, 2021, Mr. Steve Snyder posted the following remembrance in Facebook’s B-24 Liberator Bomber Fans group under a picture of the 98th Bomb Group’s “The Sandman” and the Sternfels crew flying low over the White IV:
“August 1, 1943 – Operation Tidal Wave
177 B-24 bombers take off from an Allied base in Libya, bound for the oil-producing city Ploiești, Romania, nicknamed “Hitler’s gas station.” The daring raid, known as Operation Tidal Wave, resulted in five men being awarded the Medal of Honor—three of them posthumously—but failed to strike the fatal blow its planners had intended.
Operation Tidal Wave began ominously, with an overloaded bomber crashing shortly after takeoff and another plunging into the Adriatic Sea. 167 of the original 177 bombers made it to Ploiești, whose oil fields and refineries provided the Germans with over 8.5 million tons of oil per year.
Whereas most Allied bombing in World War II was carried out from a high altitude, the bombers that raided Ploiești flew exceptionally low in order to evade the Germans’ radar. The bombers lost the element of surprise, however, when one group veered off on the wrong direction, forcing the others to break radio silence in order to direct them back on course. This unplanned adjustment also led to the bombers approaching from the south, where the Nazis had concentrated their anti-aircraft batteries.
The ensuing attack was dramatic, chaotic and costly. The Allies suffered heavy casualties, and smoke from the explosions caused by the first wave of bombers made visibility difficult for subsequent waves. Survivors reported debris like branches and barbed wire hitting and even ending up on the inside of their planes.
Lt. Col. Addison Baker and Maj. John Jerstad were awarded the Medal of Honor for their (unsuccessful) attempt to fly higher and allow the crew to bail of our their badly damaged plane. Another pilot, Lt. Lloyd Herbert Hughes, also received a posthumous Medal of Honor for flying his critically-damaged B-24 into its target. Col. John Kane and Col. Leon Johnson, who each led bombing groups that reached their targets, were the only men who were awarded the Medal of Honor and survived the raid.
Although the Allies estimated that the raid had reduced Ploiești’s capacity by 40 percent, the damage was quickly repaired and within months the refineries had outstripped their previous capacity. The region continued to serve as “Hitler’s gas station” until the Soviet Union captured it in August of 1944.
310 airmen died, 108 were captured and another 78 were interned in neighboring Turkey. 88 of the original 177 B-24s returned, most of them seriously damaged.
Despite setting the record for most Medals of Honor awarded to airmen in a single mission, Operation Tidal wave was never repeated—the Allies never again attempted a low-altitude assault against German air defenses.”
The last sentence is a little inaccurate, in that less than a year later, the USAAF attempted another low-level strike on Ploesti, using P-38 Lightning fighters instead of heavy bombers. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well either: https://festungploesti.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/10-june-1944-objective-romana-americana-refinery/
The US Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) continues to work as a special emphasis the identification of Tidal Wave Airmen remains recovered from the Ploesti battlefield years ago. These were aircrew recovered from the various crash sites of August 1st , too badly burned to be identified. Buried with honors in Romania during the war, they were recovered afterwards and reinterred in a US military cemetery in Belgium. With the advent of new technology in forensic analysis work, it’s now possible to identify some remains, and several Tidal Wave MIA’s have now been identified.
The remains of one of the Airmen identified, T/Sgt Alfred F. Turgeon of the B-24D “The Vulgar Virgin” will soon be buried with full military honors in Shoreline, Washington, near Seattle, as described in this Seattle TV station KING-5 video, link courtesy of T/Sgt Turgeon’s nephew Mr. David Bass: https://www.king5.com/article/features/world-war-two-ii-veteran-to-be-returned-to-his-family-washington-shoreline/281-1d78bcf8-b273-4213-b85e-71b5d6f3a6e1?fbclid=IwAR0pqbQMm6pjNxQXWAtLPOudwieByJbLBWbVReDI0Bva1-S6kNMUZ1Hbp9Q
For more background on T/Sgt Turgeon, see this earlier post: https://festungploesti.wordpress.com/2021/03/20/return-of-alfred-f-turgeon-of-the-vulgar-virgin/
Others have yet to be identified. In the Facebook post by Mr. Steve Snyder mentioned above, Mr. George Kaylor remembered his uncle, George H. Kaylor, a gunner aboard B-24D “Margie” serial number 42-41007 of the 98th BG/343rd BS, and hoped he would soon be identified and returned home (see Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 170). “Margie” was the lead ship of her three-plane flight on the left side of Section C, the third wave over the target – all three were shot down. In fact, the entire left side of the 98th BG formation was savaged at White IV – 10 of 12 B-24s on the left side of the formation in the first four waves (Sections A-D) were lost.
Meanwhile, at the Muzeul Național de Istorie a României (MNIR, the National Museum of Romanian History) in Bucharest, an exhibition began in July, 2021 interpreting Romania’s experience in World War II, 1941-1945.
Part of the exhibition includes displays of the American air campaign against Romania, 1942-1944 and a portion of one display shows some artifacts recovered from the crash-landing site of “Brewery Wagon,” the first B-24D shot down on Black Sunday. These fragments of “Brewery Wagon” were found by Romanian historian and aviation archaeologist dl. Dan Melinte, who worked with another Romanian gentleman who crafted an impressive 1/32 scale model of “Brewery Wagon” to include in the display.
The writer of this web log was honored to be able to contribute information on the Palm crew of the “Brewery Wagon,” one of the few 376th Bomb Group Liberators to make an attack on a target during the chaotic raid, as part of the contribution of the Asociația AeRoHistoria group. Gathered with the help of family and friend, this information included background of each crew member, the description of the mission and aftermath in captivity, as well as what could be found about the postwar lives of the survivors. It’s helpful to us in order to retain some semblance of our humanity to know and understand that our adversaries are human beings as well, even if fighting for different causes.
For some more information about the final ride of “Brewery Wagon,” see this post: https://festungploesti.wordpress.com/2020/08/02/the-brewery-wagons-final-ride/
So, on this 78th anniversary of Operation Tidal Wave, we salute the warriors who served that fateful day. We laud the efforts by those who can help bring the missing home, who remember and reflect on the experience, lest we forget.
References
Aces High Gallery, Operation Tidal Wave paintings at: https://www.aces-high.com/news/view/operation–tidal-wave
B-24D Liberator s/n 41-24023 “Fertile Myrtle” at: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/19349
B-24D Liberator s/n 42-41007 “Margie” at: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/19115
George H. Kaylor, remembered at: https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=329219
Tidal Wave B-24D markings, at: https://www.low-level-ploesti.org/americas-secret-plan-to-confuse-the-ploesti-defenses-2/
Festung Ploesti: The American Air Campaign over Romania, 1942-1944 
Thank You for your efforts and posting this. I pray DPAA will identify my uncle’s remains and bring him home.
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You’re welcome, Sir! Hopefully DPAA has contacted you and other family members to seek your support, and will keep you updated.
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