Into the Fire · Ploesti, the Most Fateful Mission of World War II

Planned by Winston Churchill, authorized by Dwight D. Eisenhower, and executed by five specially trained American bomber units, the attack on the oil refineries of Ploesti, Romania, was among the most daring and dangerous missions of World War II. If the raid succeeded, the Nazi war machine would suffer a devastating blow. On August 1, 1943, nearly two hundred B-24 bombers flew from North Africa, with directions to descend on Ploesti at treetop level and bomb the refineries. Despite warnings that the secrecy of their mission had been compromised, the planes were sent out. The ensuing air-ground battle claimed dozens of the bombers, and many of those that survived the ordeal were unable to return to base.