The Ploesti Raid 72nd anniversary: alternate options

In memory of Operation Tidal Wave the raid on Ploesti what are some PODs and what ifs we can discuss?

Here are my entries:

1. Could the 9th Air Force have waited till Sicily was secured to launch the raid? Was there enough room and big enough airfields to stage several B-24 groups?

2. Could Syria have been an option for a launch site?
 
In memory of Operation Tidal Wave the raid on Ploesti what are some PODs and what ifs we can discuss?

Here are my entries:

1. Could the 9th Air Force have waited till Sicily was secured to launch the raid? Was there enough room and big enough airfields to stage several B-24 groups?

2. Could Syria have been an option for a launch site?

I think simply breaking radio silence and the separate air-groups regrouping before the attacks rather than attacking piece meal.

Not making navigation errors might have helped as well but that's not something that can be podded away - mistakes like this happened

However the decision to attack at very low level for such a large formation is a questionable one for me - I don't really understand the reasoning that led to this course of action.

Some of the aircraft bombed at such low altitude that their aircraft were damaged by the explosion!!!

So

1) Regrouping after flying over the Pindus mountains (again not an issue if at altitude - max hight of Pindus mts = 2637m) - breaking Radio silence were ever necessary

2) Attack from a higher altitude
 
Give to the RAF, and use about 300 Mosquitoes

replace losses, and continue for about a month (probably 20 raids in all including maintenance stand downs)

if you are going in low level for maximum accuracy, then the Mosquito is the best tool for the job in 1943

But the bravery of the men who conducted that mission is pretty awe inspiring ... 5 Medals of Honor, every man got a Distinguished Flying Cross, and they did inflict some pretty serious damage. The problem is that the Germans had more refinery capacity at Ploesti than oil available to use, so Tidal Wave merely wiped out excess capacity. It wasn't until several heavy raids were launched in 1944 that a significant dent was made

It is notable that the actual mission commanders made a wrong turn, while Kane who led the other 3 groups correctly got his Medal of Honor and never made it past Colonel, while his rival (who made a wrong turn) made 4 star general

Sometimes there is no justice
 
Give to the RAF, and use about 300 Mosquitoes

replace losses, and continue for about a month (probably 20 raids in all including maintenance stand downs)

if you are going in low level for maximum accuracy, then the Mosquito is the best tool for the job in 1943

But the bravery of the men who conducted that mission is pretty awe inspiring ... 5 Medals of Honor, every man got a Distinguished Flying Cross, and they did inflict some pretty serious damage. The problem is that the Germans had more refinery capacity at Ploesti than oil available to use, so Tidal Wave merely wiped out excess capacity. It wasn't until several heavy raids were launched in 1944 that a significant dent was made

It is notable that the actual mission commanders made a wrong turn, while Kane who led the other 3 groups correctly got his Medal of Honor and never made it past Colonel, while his rival (who made a wrong turn) made 4 star general

Sometimes there is no justice

There was a command problem also. Killer Kane disagreed with Col. Compton and General Ent. If General Ent had been able to get his group commanders to agree and they had come in at a higher altitude then the mission would not have been a clusterf**k.

what would be the departure point for the Mosquitoes? Cyprus perhaps?
 
There was a command problem also. Killer Kane disagreed with Col. Compton and General Ent. If General Ent had been able to get his group commanders to agree and they had come in at a higher altitude then the mission would not have been a clusterf**k.

what would be the departure point for the Mosquitoes? Cyprus perhaps?

seems reasonable (although this means simply ignoring Turkish neutrality)

although waiting until Sicily is available or better yet Foggia is a better option
 
Ironically, the US attack would have likely suffered fewer losses if they would have attacked at their normal high altitude. There is the question of accuracy in that case, but they didn't managed to decisively knock the Ploiesti refineries anyway.

In the August 1, 1943 attack the US lost what, 51 B-24 to all causes (at least 36 to the defenders if i remember the figures correctly)? Similar daylight attack but at high-alt with no fighter escort on April 4th, 1944 cost them 11 planes i think (not sure if operational losses included).
 
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