One raid in WWII does not make a bombing campaign or target destroyed status with available weapons of that period....(until Nagasaki 1945)........:the P-38's were based in Italy and normally met up with the bombers enroute, but also carried out separate sorties on that target....from Italy the P-38's flew 1244 miles round robin, as an example:
"On the morning of June 10, 1944 96 P-38J's of the 1st and 82nd fighter groups took off from Italy for Ploiesti, the third most heavily defended target in Europe after Berlin and Vienna.
Instead of bombing from high altitude as had been tried by the Fifteenth Air Force, USAAF planning had determined that a dive bombing surprise attack beginning at about 7,000 ft. with bomb release at or below 3,000 ft. would yield better results. 46 P-38's of the 82nd fighter group carried 1,000 lb bombs and the results on the oil fields were good. All of the 1st Fighter Group aircraft and a few aircraft from the 82nd Fighter Group flew top cover for the bombers."
"Some 85-86 P-38's arrived in Romania to find enemy airfields alerted, the target was coverd by a heavy smoke screen and anti-aircraft fire was heavy."
"The P-38's shot down seven enemy aircraft upon arrival over the target. One flight of 16, the 71st squadron, was challanged by a large formation of Romanian single seat IAR.81C fighters. The Americans claimed 23 aerial victories on this attack."
"Eleven enemy locomotives were destroyed, along with flak implacements, fuel trucks and other implacements, all the result of strafing targets of opportunity."
"The 82nd Fighter Group was awarded the Presidential Citation for their part on this attack."
"P-38 Pathfinders generally lead the attack for the bombers"...... (Have you ever heard of pathfinder navigation, look it up.......)
There are another eight or nine pages of other attacks, other days on Ploiesti by the P-38's out of the Italian bases should you like to read them........
Read my previous post carefully and you may understand that I said on the "Round Robin" or return for you....you know, like desert, like mediterranean sea, like on the way back for the Libyan based B-24's. Many of the B-24 aircraft lost on this target were returning bombers that "got lost" and ran out of fuel....
**The bombing of Ploiesti on 1 August 1943, "Operation Tidal Wave" heavily damaged four refineries and more lightly affected three refineries. It damaged the Ploiesti rail station but did not have much impact on the city itself. Campina was more severly damaged. 660 American aircrew were killed or captured WHILE PETROLEUM EXPORTS EXCEEDED PRE-TIDAL WAVE LEVELS BY OCTOBER...........
