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Ploesti 75 years on
Topic Started: Mar 14 2018, 06:50 PM (314 Views)
Chuck1945
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SteveN's comment about building a B-24D for the 75th Anniversary of the 1 August 1943 raid on Ploesti in the Eduard B-24 thread reminded me of the attack.

No idea if anyone else is interested, but having a Ploesti raider in the collection is one of my goals. I don't know if watching either an Air Power or Twentieth Century show about Ploesti back in the 50s, talking with my Dad about his experience when he had to fly in a B-24, watching the restored B-24D Strawberry B***h fly into WPAFB to become part of the USAFM collection or all of these combined contributed, but I am more interested in the B-24 than any of the other US bombers of WWII. Regardless, I want to add a Ploesti raider to the collection.

The problem is deciding which one. By July 1943, one of the squadrons in Kane's 98th BG had named their aircraft after Snow White characters. Kane piloted the one named Grumpy but changed the name to Hail Columbia. A post raid photo of the aircraft on Cyprus has a truck parked blocking a clear view of the right front, but there is nose art of some sort present, Other photos show Hail Columbia of the port nose. Was Grumpy retained on the starboard? Other candidates for which decals exist include Brewery Wagon, the first B-24 to be lost at Ploesti, K.K. compton's Teggie Ann, Leon Johnson's Suzy Q and a few others.

Lt Col James Posey (he was a student of my Dad's when he had a short teaching career in the early 30s) led a detachment of the 44BG against Blue Target (Creditul Minier refinery) which had not not yet been bombed by the earlier two groups that had bombed targets of opportunity once their attack plan went awry with the early course change. Posey's attack went according to the plan. Only two planes and crews were lost and the target, the only high grade av-gas plant in Romania, was out of action for the rest of the war. I am not aware of decals for his Victory Ship.
Chuck
Eastern WA, USA
Finished 2018:
Eduard Spitfire IXc, VIII, Monogram/Starfighter BFC-2
On the active bench:
Eduard Bf 110C, Hasegawa B-24D, SH P-40E
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dixieflyer
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Chuck, I've long dreamed of adding a Ploesti Liberator to my shelf. I bought a bunch of decals for that squadron in the hopes on day of building more than one. I'll try to look at them and see what documentation they have for Grumpy/Hail Columbia.

Warren
"History is the lie we all agree upon."
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Chuck1945
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dixieflyer
Mar 14 2018, 10:48 PM
Chuck, I've long dreamed of adding a Ploesti Liberator to my shelf. I bought a bunch of decals for that squadron in the hopes on day of building more than one. I'll try to look at them and see what documentation they have for Grumpy/Hail Columbia.

Warren
Warren, I am currently separated from my decal stash but was looking through them a couple of weeks ago. One did Grumpy/Hail Columbia, another had it as just Hail Columbia.

There are many Ploesti offerings starting with a Microscale sheet from the late 60s that at least had The Witch on it. The old Revell B-24D kit from around '66 or so had markings for Blue Streak that that was part of the Halpro Detachment that conducted the very first 1942 raid and became the basis for the 9AF heavy bomber force in the desert. Aeromaster did a sheet, Kits World did at least one and I am sure there are others I am forgetting.
Chuck
Eastern WA, USA
Finished 2018:
Eduard Spitfire IXc, VIII, Monogram/Starfighter BFC-2
On the active bench:
Eduard Bf 110C, Hasegawa B-24D, SH P-40E
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dixieflyer
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Yep, I've got a gob of the Kits World sheets. I'll look through my Ploesti book too this weekend.

Warren
"History is the lie we all agree upon."
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peebeep
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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I have Aeromaster 72-025 (copyright 1993!) 'Ploesti Raiders'. I bought the sheet after reading about Suzy Q's exploits in Freeman's The Mighty Eighth. The sheet still looks usable and I have an Academy kit to go, so you never know I might still build Suzy Q one day.

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Steve N
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I've always been a bit torn. I like "The Witch," because the 343rd BS's Snow White themed nose arts are some of the most associated with the raid. However I also like "Boilermaker II" of the 415th, partly because of her story (she was repaired and flown by the Romanian AF) and her rather unique insignias..the star-and-circle with yellow surround, and white bars with red surround. Same insignias as seen in the iconic photo of "Lil Jughead" skimming along at treetop level.

I've also got a decal sheet from the (sadly defunct) Possum Werks, which has "Brewery Wagon," "Hell's Wench," and "The Squaw" with her original, rather crudely rendered girl on one side, and "Sleepy" the dwarf on the other. This sheet shows her with the yellow/red surround insignias mentioned above, but all photos I can find of 343rd aircraft just show the yellow surround with no bars. Operation Tidal Wave took place during a transitional period for the national insignia, with groups from North Africa and Europe, so the variations are all over the map.

Although I'm sure most everyone here is aware, it bears repeating: the USAF Museum's B-24D "Strawberry B****" did NOT fly in Operation Tidal Wave. She didn't enter service until the following month. I only mention it because I see claims all over the internet that she was a Ploesti Raider. Frankly, I've always been baffled why one of the Tidal Wave aircraft wasn't set aside for the museum.."The Squaw" and I believe "Chug-a-Lug" returned to the States for Bond tours. I've heard it speculated that the USAAF didn't really want to go out of their way to commemorate the raid, since it wasn't as successful as planned.

SN
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kingofmen
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Least
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When I did "Hail Columbia" way back when, the main reason I did it was because I wanted a B-24 with those sand colored uppers. I used that Aeromaster sheet as well.
Kevin Callahan
Auburn WA USA
Visit the re-energized 72 Land blog at http://72land.blogspot.com/
All hail 1:72!
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Chuck1945
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Steve N
Mar 16 2018, 02:01 AM
,,,
I've also got a decal sheet from the (sadly defunct) Possum Werks, which has "Brewery Wagon," "Hell's Wench," and "The Squaw" with her original, rather crudely rendered girl on one side, and "Sleepy" the dwarf on the other. This sheet shows her with the yellow/red surround insignias mentioned above, but all photos I can find of 343rd aircraft just show the yellow surround with no bars. Operation Tidal Wave took place during a transitional period for the national insignia, with groups from North Africa and Europe, so the variations are all over the map.
...
SN
I have a small sheet (perhaps done as a special for an IPMS show?) that has Hell's Wench too, offered both as straight line reading and also in a semi circle form. As I recall there were no photos of Hell's Wench that show the form the lettering took. I may have that Possum Werks sheet too, but dont remember it. Normally I have picked up any sheet I ever ran across that featured Tidal Wave aircraft.
Chuck
Eastern WA, USA
Finished 2018:
Eduard Spitfire IXc, VIII, Monogram/Starfighter BFC-2
On the active bench:
Eduard Bf 110C, Hasegawa B-24D, SH P-40E
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Steve N
Hero
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I think the Hell's Wench sheet you mentioned is from War Eagle. Printed for an IPMS Regional back in the 90s I think. I've got a copy rattling around somewhere. They must have printed a lot of them, as I see them all the time on the secondary market.

Possum Werks was off to a good start, with a beautiful Ploesti Raiders sheet and a couple of B-17 sheets. They had a booth at the IPMS National Convention a few years ago, and had some interesting stuff in the pipeline. Unfortunately the owner unexpectedly passed away, and the company just faded away.

SN
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dknights
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The court of LAST RESORT!
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Gentlemen, you have touched on one of my special areas of interest. I've made it a point to collect all of the decal sheets with Ploesti raiders on them.

If you don't have the book Black Sunday:Ploesti I highly recommend it.

A local attorney here in Louisville, Phil Ardery was a pilot on the mission. He wrote a book Bomber Pilot.

My goal is to build a number of the B-24s from Ploesti.

Dave Klaus, formerly of Cutting Edge has claimed to be working on a Ploesti book/DVD/documentary and decal sheets.
David M. Knights
Fortes fortuna adiuvat

14 Finished: Special Armor V-2, Airfix P-51
15 Finished: SBS Gladiator engine
16 Finished: Brengun C2 Wasserfall, Merit SS-N-2 Styx, World's smallest diorama, Airfix Hurricane.
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dixieflyer
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David,
I bought that book a couple of years ago and put it back for "one day". I've had a special place in my heart for the men of this mission every since I first read about it when I was ten in the American Heritage book Air War Against Hitler's Europe. One time, while waiting for my truck to be repaired at a dealership I ran into a Ploesti vet in the parking lot. One of us got called away by the service manager, and I lost him. :weep: Only thing he told me was that he was a top turret gunner/engineer, and "Hell no! I wasn't no Eight-Baller, those guys were crazy!"

I bought up a bunch of the Kit's World decals when I bought the book.

One day I'm really going to have to try to get up there, we've got to talk.

Warren
"History is the lie we all agree upon."
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Steve N
Hero
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dknights
Mar 18 2018, 01:36 AM

If you don't have the book Black Sunday:Ploesti I highly recommend it.

Dave Klaus, formerly of Cutting Edge has claimed to be working on a Ploesti book/DVD/documentary and decal sheets.
"Black Sunday" is THE book on Operation Tidal Wave. Probably has more photos than any other source..it's my go-to reference. Klaus has some interesting research into the Ploesti Raider markings on his website..definitely worth a look.

A few years ago I found a Romanian discussion forum with a ton of great photos, particularly of the aircraft that were shot down. Unfortunately I didn't bookmark it so I'm not sure where it is.


SN
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Chuck1945
Hero
[ * ]
Steve N
Mar 18 2018, 05:09 PM
dknights
Mar 18 2018, 01:36 AM

If you don't have the book Black Sunday:Ploesti I highly recommend it.

Dave Klaus, formerly of Cutting Edge has claimed to be working on a Ploesti book/DVD/documentary and decal sheets.
"Black Sunday" is THE book on Operation Tidal Wave. Probably has more photos than any other source..it's my go-to reference. Klaus has some interesting research into the Ploesti Raider markings on his website..definitely worth a look.

A few years ago I found a Romanian discussion forum with a ton of great photos, particularly of the aircraft that were shot down. Unfortunately I didn't bookmark it so I'm not sure where it is.


SN
When I first began thinking about this topic, I pulled out my copy of Hill's book. Definitely a 'must have' for any serious interest in Tidal Wave. Other than doing a pretty convincing job of refuting the idea that Flavelle's crash of Wongo Wongo was responsible for a navigation error causing the premature course change he doesn't offer alternative theories beyond a mistake on Ent/Compton's part with a comment that BG Ent was opposed to the low-level attack plan because he feared excessive losses, which, ironically, the early turn probably significantly contributed towards.

You are right about Klaus' research, definitely some tantalizing hints...
Chuck
Eastern WA, USA
Finished 2018:
Eduard Spitfire IXc, VIII, Monogram/Starfighter BFC-2
On the active bench:
Eduard Bf 110C, Hasegawa B-24D, SH P-40E
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