15th Army Air Forces; WWII
15th Army Air Forces; WWII

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Mission 593 to Zilistea, Rumania

HEADQUARTERS 31st FIGHTER GROUP

APO 520                       US ARMY

27 July 1944.

Mission No. 593, 307th, 308th and 309th Squadrons.  ZILISTEA, RUMANIA.  22 July 1944.

  1. MISSION AND TARGET:  To provide top cover for P-38’s strafing airdromes at BUZAU AND ZILISTEA, RUMANIA, at 1005 B hours, proceeding to shuttle bases.
  2. AIRCRAFT AND CHRONOLOGY:  59 P-51’s took off from SAN SEVERO A/D at 0730 hours.  12 returned early (5 spares and 7 mechanical) (One additional A/C of the 59, returned to base for mechanical reasons, took off again, and rejoined).  47 P-51’s over target from 1008 to 1045 B hours.  47 P-51’s down at shuttle bases, at 1245 B hours.
  3. ROUTE:  SAN SEVERO A/D, ROSSA POINT (41O42’N, 16O04’E), LAKE SNAZOU (44O42’N, 26O08’E) BUZAU-ZILESTEA, TIGRINA (46O49’N, 29O28’E), KREMENCHUG, to shuttle bases.
  4. RENDEZVOUS, FORMATION AND ASSAULT:  Fighter Rendezvous with P-38’s was made at 0805 hours, 6,000 feet at ROSSA POINT.  309th Squadron proceeded to BUZAU, arriving there at 1008 hours, patrolled, then picked up the P-38’s and 308th Squadron at 1020 hours 44O55’N, 26O35’E.  The P-38’s were at minimum altitude, and the P-51’s at 8,000 to 13,000 feet.
  5. RESULTS OF BOMBERS:  None.
  6. STRAFING:  No strafing was done by our A/C.  Nine E/A were seen left in flames on ZILISTRA A/D after the attack by the P-38’s, and six burning A/C on BUZAU A/D.
  7. ENEMY AIRCRAFT AND RESISTANCE:  A JU-52 was seen flying west at minimum altitude, 0955 hours, 15 miles west of PLOESTI.  At the same time, a single ME-210 was seen in the same vicinity, heading north.  Because of briefed instructions, no attack was made by the P-51’s.  At 1015 hours four Macchi-215’s were seen at 5,000 feet just south of ZILISTEA A/D, and a JU-88 and an ME-210, at low altitude.  These were not engaged for reasons cited above.  South of the A/D at BUZAU, one ME-109, one ME-210 and two FW-190’s were sighted at 8,000 feet, 1025 hours, trying to climb above our A/C.  Combat was accepted, and one flight of P-51’s attacked, one ME-109 and two FW-190’s being destroyed.  Three more FW-190’s were encountered on the deck at 1030 hours of which one was destroyed.  No E/A were seen or encountered by 308th Squadron.

Total E/A encountered:  6 (5 FW-190’s, 1 ME-109)

Total E/A seen   :          15 (4 MC-215’s, 1 JU-88, 3 ME-210’s, 1 JU-52)

  1. FLAK:  IAH and IAL southeast of PLOESTI.  SIH at TIGRINA.  MIH at ZILISTEA A/D.
  2. SIGNIFICANT OBSERVATIONS:

ENEMY

  1. NAVAL AND SHIPPING:  Seven boats, or barges, seen at LOM, from 2,000 feet at 0935 hours.
  2. ENEMY GROUND ACTIVITY:  Very heavy enemy traffic seen on roads into BUCHAREST.  The dummy oil installations south of PLOESTI was easily recognized.
  3. FLAK:  As in paragraph 8.
  4. OTHER:  As effective smoke screen observed, covering the oil refineries at PLOESTI, but not the city itself.
  5. ENEMY A/D’s and A/C ON GROUND:  No observations until after attack at ZILISTEA A/D, as top cover patrolled to south of the A/D, out of flak.
  1. WEATHER:  Enroute – 10/10 cumulus at 6 – 17,000 feet YUGOSLAV COAST to DANUBE RIVER.  8/10 cloud at 8,000 feet from DANUBE RIVER to target area.  5/10 – 6/10 cumulus cloud at 8 – 17,000 feet at ZILISTEA, and 5/10 cloud with base at 4,000 – 6,000 feet on to shuttle bases.
  2. AIR-SEA RESCUE:  None.
  3. RADIO SECURITY:  Security good, R/T procedure unsatisfactory.
  4. FRIENDLY A/C LOST OR IN DIFFICULTY:  None observed.
  5. ENEMY A/C SEEN DESTROYED BY OTHER GROUPS:  None seen destroyed in aerial combat.

CONCLUSIONS:

  1. VICTORIES AND LOSSES:

PROBABLY

            VICTORIES:                                          DESTROYED    DESTROYED    DAMAGED

            Major Warford, 309th Squadron             one (1) ME-109

Major Warford, 309th Squadron             one (1) FW-190

            Lt. Grose, 309th Squadron                     one (1) FW-190

            Lt. Thompson, 309th Squadron              one (1) FW-190

            TOTALS                        One (1) ME-109, three (3) FW-190’s destroyed.

            LOSSES:          None.

  1. SORTIES:         47.
  2. FORMATION LEADER AND FLIGHT LEADERS:  307th Squadron, Lt. Col. Tarrant (Group Leader), with Major Brown, Lts. Schanning and Brooks; 308th Squadron, Major Dorris, with Lt. Col. Daniel, Lt. Col. Stoffel, Captain Molland; 309th Squadron, Major Warford, with Captain Loving and Lts. Grose, Cloutier and Dorsch.
  3. COMMENTS:  This report is PROVISIONAL only and will be superseded by the intelligence report taken at the other end of the shuttle run, when received.  Because of briefed instructions, airdromes at which our A/C were based after take-off, have not been given here.
  4. CORRECTIONS:  Paragraph 2 and paragraph 16, corrected, from telephonic report given at takeoff.

ALBERT D. LEVY,

Major, Air Corps,

Group Intelligence Officer.

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