Ploesti Raid - somewhat OT

Pilots Reunite 60 Years Later

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Aug 03, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX)

-- A memorial service in Utah honored the 1,726 men who 60 years ago flew what has been called the most daring air mission of World War II.

Some 178 Army Air Corps B-24 bombers in five groups flew for 18 hours from bases in Libya to bomb German oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, on Aug. 1, 1943.

Nearly one-third of the air crews, 532 men, were killed and 110 of them were taken prisoner. The air raid was a success. Allied analysts estimated that one-third of the fuel used by the Third Reich was produced in that region.

At a reunion and memorial service at Hill Air Force Base on Friday, Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan said: "I salute you on behalf of a nation that owes you more than it can ever repay." Sullivan is commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center.

Some 300 veterans and their families attended the service and weekend reunion, the Deseret Morning News reported.

Those attending included air and ground crews from the 389th, 376th, 44th, 93rd and 98th bomb groups.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International

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John Alger
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