Air Campaign- Ploesti 1943 The Great Raid on Hitler's Romanian Oil Refineries

One of the Achilles heels of Hitler's war machine was the scarcity of resources for a long war, especially oil. The main source of oil for Germany (30% of total production) was in the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. As its destruction would be a major setback for the Wehrmacht, this responsibility fell to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF), using B-24 bombers, the problem was that Ploesti was very far from the main Western Allied bases and deep inside the Reich. S. Zaloga methodically guides the reader through the preparation and execution of the raid (Operation Tidal Wave). The book shows that the mission was planned with several wrong assumptions. The operation itself is one of the most risky, complex and interesting in this series of books. From the departure of the bombers from a base in Libya, N. Africa, then all the action upon reaching the target, showing the sheer determination of both the USAAF bomber crews, as well as the German and Romanian defenses, either in fighters fighting in the air or in anti-aircraft batteries on the ground. Showing all the heroism until the last surviving bomber returned to Africa. With spectacular illustrations, a large number of tables with very precise data, as well as very adequate maps and photos. This book is highly recommended about one of the most bloodiest missions in USAAF history.