The oil campaign chronology of World War II lists bombing missions and related events regarding the petroleum/oil/lubrication (POL) facilities that supplied Nazi Germany or those Germany tried to capture in Operation Edelweiss.
— events regarding Nazi Germany petroleum, lubrication, and/or oil supplies - events regarding notable Luftwaffe defensive efforts against Allied attack of petroleum, lubrication, and/or oil supply targets and/or — events regarding Allied planning — RAF, Eighth Air Force, and other roundels indicate units (most listings are from the RAF chronology[1] and the USAAF chronology)[2]
"100 BG" — listings that include the unit abbreviation (BG is Bombardment Group) are from the corresponding mission history for the unit.[3]
In response to the bombing of Rotterdam, Western Air Plan 5[4]: 4 was activated. This was the first large-scale strategic bombing during World War II[5]: 53 and the first attack on the German interior - it inflicted little damage.[6]: 9, 171 Just 24 of 96 bombers dispatched to Ruhr Area power stations and refineries found the target area,[7] setting several oil plants on fire.[8]
35 Hampdens were recalled due to bad weather, but one failed to receive the recall and bombed the Leuna oil refinery, 30 miles west of Leipzig.[11]
May 27/28, 1940
Bremen
Hampdens bombed oil refineries near Bremen. In the course of the raid, a tail gunner on a No. 10 Squadron RAF Whitley shot down the first German fighter by the RAF in World War II.
May 27/28, 1940
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Hampdens attacked oil refineries near Hamburg.
May 30/31, 1940
Bremen
The Bremen oil refinery was bombed.
May 30/31, 1940
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Hamburg oil refineries were bombed.
June 2/3, 1940
oil targets
24 Whitleys and 6 Hampdens bombed "oil and communication targets in Germany".[9]
The Kuhlman Fischer-Tropsch plant at Harnes was shut down briefly due to bomb damage.[6][16]
April 1942
After A-2 and the War Plans Division reported it as a target, Colonel Bonner Fellers identified Romanian oil was "by far the most decisive objective [and] the strategic target of the war".[7]: 4
The "Bombers' Baedeker" identified oil, communications, and ball bearings were "bottleneck" German industries.[18]
June 12, 1942
Ploiești (Astra Română)
The Halverson project raid from Egypt was the first US mission against a European target — 10 aircraft bombed the Astra Română oil refinery.
June 25/26, 1942
Bremen
1,067 aircraft attacking Bremen targets used Gee with limited success, damaging the oil refinery, Focke-Wulf buildings, the Atlas Werke, the Bremer Vulkan shipyard, the Norddeutsche Hütte AG steel mill, and 2 large dockside warehouses.
The Soviet Union's VVS bombed the oil installations.
October 1942
The US "Enemy Oil Committee" was established as a counterpart to the British "Technical Sub-Committee on Axis Oil" (Hartley Committee).[8]
November 1942
Hartley Committee
The Axis Oil Position in Europe, November 1942 estimated that Romanian oil fields contribute 33% of Axis supplies.[21]: 41
December 3, 1942
Joint Intelligence Subcommittee
The German Strategy in 1943 predicted Nazi Germany will have increased domestic oil supplies in mid-1943.[21]: 42
December 21, 1942
A German armoured column within 30 miles of the Soviet Sixth Army near Stalingrad had to retreat due to having fuel for only 15 miles. At his HQ company Christmas party, Erwin Rommel received a miniature oil drum as a gift (containing captured British coffee).[13]: 388
After Hap Arnold created the United States Army Air Forces Committee for Operations Analysis (COA) on December 9, 1942,[10] to develop a plan for strategic bombing, the COA's initial Western Axis Oil Industry report listed the following order of strategic importance: hydrogenation facilities (15 plants), refineries (29 plants), lubrication plants, coker units, Fischer-Tropsch facilities, tetraethyllead facilities, and oilfields/pipelines.[4]: 6
January 19, 1943
The Axis Oil Position (C.C.S. 158) at the Allied Casablanca Conference identified it would be "remote" for Nazi Germany to retain the Maikop oil fields. However, "even if the whole of the Romanian production were knocked out early in the year, [Germany] would still have enough for operations in 1944 [but the destruction of] two tetraethyllead factories… would hamstring the production of German aviation fuel" (Brehon Somervell).[21]: 41, 256 Nazi Germany destroyed the Maikop facilities prior to withdrawing.[22]
C.C.S. 166/1/D identified oil facilities as the 4th bombing priority.[21]
March 8, 1943
C/AS Management Control
The COA's comprehensive plan identified the strategic bombing objective was to "bring about a high degree of destruction in a few really essential industries than to dissipate bombing efforts over a large number of targets [in] many industries." 19 vital industries were identified: Petroleum was 3rd (39 targets), "Synthetic rubber and rubber tires" were 6th (12 targets) and "Coking plants" were 10th (89 targets). In particular, destruction of 13 hydrogenation plants and 12 Ploesti refineries would reduce "German petroleum resources" by 90%.[11]: 6
April 10, 1943
"We must, therefore, apply [bombardment] to those specially selected and vital targets which will give the greatest return." (Arnold to Carl Spaatz)[23][12]: vii
Battle of the Ruhr bombings of the Bochum coal-producing center northwest of Essen damaged its "extensive coke, gas, benzol, and iron, and steel plants."[14]: 4, 74–5, 81 In 1943, the 466th bombed Bochum targets on March 29, May 13, October 9, and November 4.[25] After a 92 BG mission to Bochum on August 12, 1943, 342 RAF aircraft also accurately bombed Bochum on September 29/30, 1943 when the German radar controller mistakenly directed fighters to Bremen, 150 miles away.[26]
May 16, 1943
Ploiești
The Advisory Council submitted the Air Attack on Ploesti ("SOAPSUDS") bombardment plan, which the Trident Conference subsequently considered. On June 6 the plan was deemed "an important and desirable operation", and the "Planning committee" first met on June 25 (Uzal Girard Ent predicted losses of 75 aircraft). Training began on July 20/22 and ended July 29.<[15]: 24, 26, 31, 36, 67–8
June 22, 1943
Hüls
In the first large-scale daylight raid on the Ruhr, 170 of 235 B-17s bombed the Hüls oil refinery and synthetic rubber plant.[16] A Hüls target was also bombed on December 28/29, 1941.
In the 2nd raid of Operation Bellicose, 52 bombers damaged an "oil depot" and an "armaments store". By March 1, 1944, the La Spezia crude oil refinery was "Unused".[27]
Operation Tidal Wave bombed the Astra Română, Columbia Aquila, and Unirea Orion refineries at Ploiești (four Medals of Honor were awarded for the US Bomber pilots and four Order of Bravery to the Bulgarian fighter pilots to shoot them down)
August 1, 1943
Ploiești
Operation Tidal Wave bombed the Astra Română and Concordia Vega refineries at Ploiești (one Medal of Honor was awarded). The Enemy Oil Committee subsequently appraised that Operation Tidal Wave bomb damage at Ploiești caused "no curtailment of overall product output".[18]
August 12, 1943
Bochum
Diverting from the Gelsenkirchen target, B-17 "Ain't It Gruesome" bombed Bochum. An unexploded 20 mm shell struck the boot of Captain Clark Gable, a gunnery observer on his third operational flight[31] Gable's footage is in the FMPU's propaganda film Combat America.
August 12, 1943
Recklinghausen
183 B-17's are dispatched to synthetic oil installations at Bochum, Gelsenkirchen and Recklinghausen
August 12, 1943
Gelsenkirchen
The 384 BG bombed the Gelsenkirchen "oil refinery".
November 5, 1943
Gelsenkirchen
Mission 121: 229 of 323 B-17s bombed 495 tons[19]: 164 on the marshalling yard and oil plants.
November 1943
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
96 of 328 B-17s bombed 238 tons on the "Hydrier Werke Scholven A.G." (damaged) and the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerke (missed). Gelsenkirchener Bergwerke plants were also at Duisburg-Hamborn (BRUCKHAUSEN Benzol Plant) and Dortmund.[20] A Gelsenkirchen target was also attacked on November 19,[21]: 163 and Gelsenkirchen Mission 134 on November 19 was rerouted to bomb the German-Dutch border due to malfunctioning blind-bombing PFF equipment in bad weather.
November 26, 1943
Hartley Committee
"losses of oil stocks … caused by Allied attacks during the first eight months of 1943 [were] 400,000 tons. … Approximately 75 per cent of Roumanian crude is a waxy, viscous oil which becomes solid at temperatures below 69" degrees (J.I.C (43) 480).[22]
The 351 BG bombed the explosives factory at Oppau.[32] Prior to May 1944, explosives production was 99,000 metric tons/month, but in December 1944, the amount had dropped to 20,500; and after October 1944, German explosives were 20% rock salt. The Mannheim-Ludwigshafen area was bombed in late 1943 to prevent recovery from previous bomb damage.[23]: 169 The Mannheim aircraft plant was bombed on October 19, 1944,[24] and Mannheim had a Daimler Benz truck plant.
January 7, 1944
Ludwigshafen
1,000 tons of bombs dropped on Ludwigshafen,[33]: 337 and the 447 BG bombed the Ludwigshafen oil refinery. In addition to the nearby Oppau plants, Ludwigshafen targets included a small synthetic oil plant and an oil refinery that used the dehydrogenation process to improve "gasoline quality". Dr. Wurster of the Ludwigshafen Military Government was the "managing director of Oppau and Ludwigshafen."[25] Ludwigshafen targets were subsequently bombed by the 8AF on March 2, March 31, and May 27.
The 317 BS bombed the oil refinery.[34] Circa January 1944, the Enemy Oil Committee identified that Italian refining had ceased in August 1943.[26] Italian refineries were at Fiume (Ramsa plant), La Spezia, Leghorn, Trieste (Aquila & SIAF plants), and Venice.[14]
February 3, 1944
Budapest, Sofia, Bucharest, and Vienna were identified as second priority objectives for 15AF "area attack".[27]
March 5, 1944
"To reduce output … to virtually zero in the six months following 1 March requires the destruction of 23 synthetic plants (about 3.3 million tons) and 31 refineries (about 3.7 million tons) [which] currently account for over 90 per cent of total Axis refinery and synthetic oil output" (Plan for Completion of Combined Bomber Offensive). The "German oil situation is extremely vulnerable to the scale of attack contemplated, and that the results of any appreciable damage to production would be disastrous." (US Petroleum Attache, March 6).[27]
Although Spaatz's claimed "We believe attacks on transportation will not force the German fighters into action. We believe they will defend oil to their last fighter plane'',[35][28]Dwight D. Eisenhower decided that "apart from the attack on the GAF,[German air force] the transportation plan was the only one which offered a reasonable chance of the air forces making an important contribution to the land battle during the first vital weeks of OVERLORD".^27.60 Control of all air operations was transferred to Eisenhower on April 14 at noon.[29]: 5
April 5, 1944
Ploiești
230 bombers bombed Ploiești for the 1st time in 8 months,[36]: 118 beginning the "1944 Ploesti Campaign" (April 5-August 19: 5,674 sorties, 13,559 bomb tons, 254 aircraft lost).[37]: 239 The 5th BW and 47th BW bombed the Ploeşti marshalling yards and adjacent oil facilities, and the 451 BG bombed the Ploiești oil refineries and marshalling yard [30]Archived 2009-03-16 at the Wayback Machine (marshalling yards were next to an oil plant.)[specify] The Ploeşti marshalling yards were bombed on April 15 by the 15th AF and on April 24, by the 32nd BS, when the first use of the "Mickey" (H2X radar) was against Ploeşti.[5]: 118
April 19, 1944
Bad winter weather had reduced Wehrmacht fuel consumption, and Luftwaffe fuel supplies were 574,000 tonnes.[6]: 144 "Whereas in 1939 our hydrogenation plants were producing 2 million metric tons equivalent of petroleum (including automobile fuel), the construction of new facilities up to 1943 provided an increase to 5.7 million metric tons, and the facilities scheduled for this year will raise the yearly output to 7.1 million metric tons." (Albert Speer to Adolf Hitler).[38]: 655
April 24, 1944
Ploiești
34 B-24s of the 450 BG targeted the marshalling yards and bombed the "Vega Oil Refinery".
Mission 353 was the 1st trial raid on oil targets[40] to test the claim that the Luftwaffe would defend oil targets in Germany more than they had defended transportation targets.[41] RLV fighters put up their largest force ever, but five synthetic oil plants were successfully attacked[10]: 198 with 1,718 tons of bombs. A diversionary raid made on the Zwickau aircraft depot faced 200 Luftwaffe fighters[42]
Mission 353: 87 planes hit oil facilities at Lützkendorf near Leipzig, which had a small Wintershall[43] crude oil refinery (100,000 tons/yr), a hydrogenation unit for blending gasolines, and a Fischer-Tropsch plant to process heavier gasoline cuts from synthesized oil.[32] Plants were at "Lützkendorf" and "Lützkendorf-Mücheln" [sic].[27]
Mission 353 bombed Brüx. On December 15, 1942, Sudetenländische Treibstoffwerke AG (STW) had begun output of synthesized fuel from brown coal (German: braunkohle) at the Maltheuren plant at Brüx.[44]
First combat test flights of the Messerschmitt Me 163B rocket-powered interceptor fighter by Erprobungskommando 16, intended for defense of petroleum/oil/lubricants industry targets.[45]
Daily output of aircraft fuel had dropped from 5,850 to 4,820 metric tonnes; but the reserve of 574,000 tonnes was expected to last 19 months. On "'May 12 ... the technological war was decided. ...with the attack ... upon several fuel plants ... a new era in the air war began. It meant the end of German armaments production" (Speer). "In my view the fuel, Buna rubber, and nitrogen plants represent a particularly sensitive point for the conduct of the war, since vital materials for armaments are being manufactured in a small number of plants… The enemy has struck us at one of our weakest points. If they persist at it this time, we will soon no longer have any fuel production worth mentioning" (Hitler).[38]: 413 By May 28, fuel production had returned to the level prior to the May 12 raids.[38]: 415 The "economic air raids [using] wise planning [by] the enemy began ... in the last half or three-quarters of a year" before December 1944. "Before that he was, at least from his standpoint, committing absurdities" (Speer, December 1, 1944)[38]: 419
Mission 376 dispatched a record force of 1,282 bombers against plants and refineries, losing 50[46] including 400 in the 2nd trial attack of oil targets.[40] 63 B-24s bombed Merseburg/Leuna, and Leuna resumed partial production on June 3 and reached 75% of capacity in early July.[40]
Mission 376: 105 B-17s bombed an oil dump at Königsburg/Magdeburg. A Königsberg target was also bombed on June 20 (Mission 425), and Magdeburg also had a Junkers Jumo 211 engine plant (the 487 BG bombed the Magdeburg airplane factory on August 5, 1944.)
May 28, 1944
Magdeburg/Rothensee
Mission 376: 55 B-17s bombed oil industry at Magdeburg/Rothensee. Bohlen-Rotha, Magdeburg-Rothensee, Ruhland-Scwarzheide (a 1937 Fischer-Tropsch plant), & Zeitz-Troglitz were the 4 plants (3 were for Bergius hydrogenation) of Braunkohlen Benzin AG (Brabag), which was formed on October 26, 1934.[47] The Brabag subsidiary of Gesellschaft für Mineralölbau GmbH (established November 1936) designed the plants based on licensed information from other oil companies.[47]
Mission 376: 38 B-17s bombed an oil target at Ruhland/Schwarz-Heide.
May 28, 1944
Zeitz
Mission 376: 187 B-24s bombed "Zeitz-Tröglitz". KZ Tröglitz was a subcamp of Buchenwald
May 29, 1944
Pölitz
Mission 379: 224 B-24s bombed an oil terminal at Pölitz. "Poelitz/Stettin" was a synthetic plant,[27] and on May 13, clouds had forced 272 B-17s (Mission 355) dispatched to oil targets in W Poland to bomb Stettin (Polish: Szczecin) and Stralsund.
The 485 BG bombed the Redeventa [sic] Refinery. "Lumina Petromina" was an additional Romanian refinery not in Ploiești or Bucharest.
May 31, 1944
The intelligence annex to the field order for the May 31 Ploiești mission stated "Successful attacks on [the aircraft factories at the]Wiener-Neustadter complex have raised oil to high priority. …destruction of remaining active capacity of Ploesti will create [a] critical situation for [the] entire Axis war effort and make possible further important inroads through attacks in Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Italy. [The] Eighth Air Force has now damaged all but 2 of the major synthetic plants in its area making it possible for Fifteenth [Air Force] to destroy sufficient refinery and synthetic capacity to [reduce total] production close to 75 percent. Destruction of vital installations in targets selected will immobilize Ploesti capacity for several months."[48][49]
May 31, 1944
Ploiești
32 B-24s of the 450 BG attacked the "Româno-Americană Oil Refinery", but failed due to the smoke screens.[6]: 153 The 450 BG also bombed the Româno-Americană refinery on June 6, 24, & July 15; and the Concordia Vega refinery on July 9, 22
June 5, 1944
A May 5 decoded message stated anti-aircraft artillery was being moved to Pölitz and Blechhammer, and one on June 5 indicated the Luftwaffe was short of fuel. British intelligence concluded that the bombing of oil targets would be "crippling" in 3–6 months.[42] Romanian production had been reduced from 200,000 tons in February to 40,000 in June.[50]: 1477
In the 1st large-scale American attempt to use a dispersed bomber force to spread out fighter defenses in Romania, Ploiești was bombed[36]: 118 (the 485 BG bombed the Dacia Română oil refinery). Additional B-17s, including some Soviet-based for Operation Frantic, attacked the Galați Airdrome: "most oil from Ploesti must be shipped west over [the] Danube for refining." (annex of intelligence report)[37]: 145
The 485 BG bombed the "Smedervo" [sic] oil refinery.
June 12/13, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Nordstern)
The 1st RAF oil target bombing following the June 3 British Air Staff request for RAF Bomber Command to attack Ruhr oil plants[6]: 146 halted Nordstern production (1,000 tons/day of aviation fuel) for several weeks. THe main attack of the night was directed against lines of communication targets in France.[51]
June 13, 1944
Porto Marghera
The 461 BG targeted the Porto Marghera oil storage and hit the aluminum plant.
Mission 414: 172 B-17s hit the Hanover/Misburg oil refinery, to which the Hanover-Misburg subcamp[52] of Neuengamme provided forced labor. The Misburg refinery (1,060 workers) was 5 miles East of Hanover, and a decoy plant was about 2 miles from the refinery.[36] Hanover also had three tire plants: Vahrenwalderstrasse, Nordhafen, and Marienwerder (a rubber factory in Hanover was bombed on July 26, 1943, during Blitz Week).[53]: 241
B-17s bombed the Floridsdorf [sic] oil refinery.[54] On this date the 464 BG bombed an oil blending plant at Vienna. Vienna was first bombed on March 17, 1944.[50]: 1477
B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Schwechat in Vienna. Schwechat also had an aircraft factory that was bombed on June 26, 1944; and became a separate city in 1954.
With most of the effort on railways, four Mosquitoes targeted the Scholven/Buer oil plant
June 18, 1944
Bremen
The Bremen-Oslebshausen refinery was 1 of 11 locations bombed on this date.[6]: 149 Bremen Oslebshausen refining capacity was 100,000 tons/yr.
June 18, 1944
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Mission 421: B-17s bombed Hamburg-Ebano (18), Hamburg-Eurotank (54), Hamburg-Ossag (38), and Hamburg-Schindler (36). The Ostermoor refinery was also at Hamburg.
June 18, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
Mission 421: 88 B-17s bombed the Hanover-Misburg oil refinery.
June 18 & 23, 1944
Giurgiu
The 485 BG bombed the oil installations at Giurgiu.
The 485 BG bombed the oil refinery. The Frontignan refinery was at Sète, and other small French refineries were at Gonfreville, Port Jerome, Martiques, Petit-Couronne, Etang de Berre, Dunkirk, L'Avere, Bec d'Ambès, Courchalettes, Gravenchon, 2 plants at Donges, and a shale oil refinery was at Autun.
The minimum number of flak guns were ordered to be placed at Pölitz (200), Auschwitz (200), Hamburg (200), Brüx (170, Gelsenkirchen (140), Scholven (140), Wesseling (150), Heydebreck (130), Leuna (120), Blechhammer (100), Moosbierbaum (100), and Böhlen (70).[56] The Ruhland Fischer-Tropsch plant and other synthetic oil plants were fortified to be "hydrogenation fortresses" (e.g., the plants in the Leipzig area were protected by over 1,000 guns.) In addition to increased active defenses, the facilities (German: hydrierfestungen) incorporated blast walls and concrete "dog houses" around vital machinery. 7,000 engineers were released from the German Army to provide technical support for oil facilities.[6]: 149 Aviation fuel production (thousands of tons) was reduced the most in June 1944 (Wolfgang Birkenfeld, 1964):[50]: 1479
June 21, 1944
Ruhland-Schwarzheide
Mission 428: 123 B-17s bombed the Ruhland synthetic-oil plant south of Berlin en route to Ukraine. That night, Luftwaffe bombers diverted to the Ukrainian base from a route to a nearby railroad target[57]: 287 and dropped 110 tons of bombs, destroying or damaging 69 of 114 B-17s at Poltava,[5]: 323 along with 200,000 gallons of aviation fuel plus 253 gallons of aviation oil.[58]
128 Lancasters, 6 Mosquitoes, and 5 Lancasters attacked the Wesseling synthetic-oil plant in 10/10ths low cloud using H2S radar (production loss was 40%). Chemische Fabrik Wesseling AG operated a Wesseling facility, and to replace Wesseling, in April 1944 a "large underground plant for synthetic oil manufactured from brown coal was started outside Bergheim".[39] Wesseling also had a Deutsche Norton grinding wheel plant.
June 21/22, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
123 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes attacked the synthetic-oil plant through cloud using Oboe skymarking and caused a loss of 20% production.
In July, Hitler promised to have "hydrogenation plants protected by fighter planes",<!-Speer p482 of hardcopy--> and in August, a limited program was assigned the "highest priority". "By sending the production of fighter aircraft soaring we can meet the greatest danger we face: the crushing of our armaments manufacture on the home front" (Speer, August 13).<!-Speer p485 of hardcopy-->
Mission 442: After being delayed one day due to weather, 72 B-17s left Poltava and Mirgorod, USSR, joined with 55 P-51s from Pyriatyn to bomb the marshalling yard and oil refinery at Drohobycz . Fifteenth Air Force P-51s met the formation 1 hour after the attack and escorted the B-17s to Foggia Italy; the B-17s were planned to transfer to UK bases on June 27 but bad weather delayed the move until July 5.
June 26, 1944
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
The Floridsdorf oil refinery and marshalling yard were bombed.
In Bucharest,[27] where much of Ploiești's refined product was stored and distributed,[37]: 190 the 464 BG bombed the "Prohava [sic] Petrolul" refinery and the 485 BG bombed the "Titan Oil Refinery".
June 28/29, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
33 Mosquitoes bombed Saarbrücken (which had an airfield and marshalling yards)[59] and 10 bombed the Scholven/Buer oil plant.
June 29, 1944
Leipzig/Böhlen
Mission 447: 81 B-17s bombed the Böhlen synthetic oil plant.
June 30, 1944
Blechhammer North & South
The 461 BG & 464 BG bombed the South plant, and the 32 BS bombed the North plant.
"Our aviation gasoline production was badly hit in May and June. The enemy has succeeded in increasing our losses of aviation gasoline up to 90 percent by June 22. Only through speedy recovery of damaged plants has it been possible to regain partly … however, aviation gasoline production is completely insufficient [60] … If we cannot manage to protect our hydrogenation factories and our refineries by all possible means, it will be impossible to get them back into working order from the state they are in now. If that happens, then by September we shall no longer be capable of covering the Wehrmacht's most urgent needs. In other words, from then on there will be a gap which will be impossible to fill and which will bring in its train inevitable tragic consequences." (Speer to Hitler)[50]: 1479
The 456 BG bombed the "previously-untouched" Shell Oil refinery at Budapest and earned its 2nd Distinguished Unit Citation. 31 aircraft bombed at mid-morning and were attacked three minutes after bomb release by 50 Bf 109s and 10 FW-190s of Jagdgeschwader 300 and the Hungarian 101 Puma Group. The 744 BS lost 6 of 9 bombers in the target area and a seventh damaged beyond repair (36 KIA/MIA, 24 captured — the largest single-day loss for the group.) Budapest's three refineries were operated by Shell, Magyar Petrol, and Asvanyol-Fanto,[41]: IV and oil storage was at Budapest-Csepel.[42]: 40 Budapest also was the site of the Duna Repülőgépgyár Szigentmiklos assembly plant for Messerschmitt Me 210s and 410s.
The 32 BS bombed the Photogen oil refinery (formerly the Petroleum Refinery Transylvania).[61]
June 11 & July 13, 1944
(Porto Marghera)
The 485 BG bombed the "Marghera Oil Storage" near Mestre.
July 6, 1944
(Porto Marghera)
The 464 BG bombed the oil storage at Porto Marghera.
July 6, 1944
Ploiești
The 461st BG bombed Ploiești oil targets.
July 7, 1944
The Joint Oil Targets Committee was set up.[6]: 149
July 7, 1944
Blechhammer North & South
365 bombers attacked the North and South plants.[43]
July 7, 1944
Leipzig
Of 453 B-17s, 114 bombed Leipzig/Taucha, 35 hit Leipzig/Heiterblick, 79 & 15 bombed the Erla fighter aircraft plants at Leipzig/Mockau & Leipzig/Abtnaundorf, 46 hit Leipzig Deutsche Kugellager Fabrik (D.K.F.) ball bearing works.[44]: 18 (The Leipzig DKF plant was also bombed on December 3/4, 1943.) 35 hit Kolleda Airfield, 19 hit Leipzig Station and 7 hit Nordhausen. Leipzig/Taucha had an oil refinery and a Mittledeutsche Jumo 211 engine plant. In March 1944, the Leipzig A.T.G. plant could complete final assembly of Ju 88 bombers at 10/month.[27]
July 7, 1944
Leipzig/Böhlen
64 B-17s, out of a 303-bomber force of Flying Fortresses hit the Böhlen oil plant.[62]
July 7, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
The 447 BG bombed Merseburg, and Leuna was shut down for 2 days. By July 19 production had risen to 53% of capacity.[40]
July 7, 1944
Leipzig/Lützkendorf
102 B-24s, out of a 373-bomber force of Liberators hit the Lützkendorf oil plant.[62]
July 8, 1944
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
The 464 BG [59] and 465 BG earned Distinguished Unit Citations,[63] as the Heinkel-Süd plant in Floridsdorf was hit, destroying the third prototype of the He 177B four engined bomber, and possibly damaging the incomplete fourth prototype He 177B airframe.[64]
The 464 BG bombed the oil storage at Porto Marghera.
July 14, 1944
Budapest
The 32 BS bombed a Budapest oil refinery
July 14, 1944
Budapest
26 B-24s of the 450 BG targeted the Ferencvaros marshalling yard and hit buildings, a factory, and a refinery.
July 15, 1944
Ploiești (Unirea Speranţa)
600+ B-17s and B-24s bombed 4 oil refineries in the Ploiești area and the "Teleajenul pumping station".[45]Archived 2009-03-13 at the Wayback Machine The 485 BG bombed the Sperantza [sic] Oil Refinery.
July 16, 1944
Vienna
The 32 BS bombed a Vienna oil refinery.
July 17, 1944
Aviation fuel production was 2,307 daily tonnes (40% of original production).[38]: 416
The 447 BG bombed Kiel oil targets.[46] During the September 12 major assault on the German oil industry (Mission 626), 58 B-24s also bombed a Kiel target.
157 bombers attacked. The raid "achieved complete surprise through radio silence"[26]: 466 and caused production to come to "a complete standstill for a long period".[65]
188 heavy bombers. The bombing destroyed 20% of the installations.[65]
July 20, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
The 447 BG bombed the Merseburg "synthetic oil refinery".
July 20/21, 1944
Bottrop-Welheim
166 bombers attacked the Ruhröl AG synthetic oil plant.[66]
July 20/21, 1944
Homberg
147 Lancasters attacked and caused severe damage
July 21, 1944
Brüx
The 32 BS bombed.
July 22 & 28, 1944
Ploiești (Româno-Americană)
The 464 BG bombed the Româno-Americană refinery.
July 23, 1944
Berat
14 B-24s of the 450 BG targeted the "Kucove Oil Refinery" and previous bombing obscured the aiming point (there were "near misses" on the "old refinery").
July 23, 1944
Donges, France
119 aircraft attacked an oil refinery and storage depot at the start of a new campaign "against oil targets in the occupied Countries."
July 25/26, 1944
Wanne-Eickel
135 bombers attacked the Krupp GmbH synthetic oil plant.[66]
July 28, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
Over Merseburg, the 92 BG bombed the synthetic oil refinery/storage, and the Me 163B Komet rocket fighters of I.Gruppe/JG 400 conducted its first point-defense attacks from its nearby field at Brandis,[67] engaging B-17s with escorts, including 8 P-51s of the 359th Fighter Group.[68] Merseburg-Leuna was bombed 6 times from July 20-September 28.[6]: 153 Leuna attacks on July 28 & 29; August 24; September 11, 13, & 28; and October 7 kept Leuna closed until October 14.[40]
July 28, 1944
Ploiești (Româno-Americană, Standard Petrol Block)
The 464 BG bombed the Româno-Americană refinery and the 485 BG bombed the "Standard Oil Refinery" (B-24 44-40497 was abandoned after flying into the fireball of 41-29275).[55]
July 29, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
The 384 BG bombed Merseburg.
July 31, 1944
Luftwaffe fuel supplies were 35,000 tonnes in July.[69] By July 21, Production was reduced to 120 daily tonnes, but was restored to 690 by the end of July. However, repairs were not as durable and shocks from near misses caused leaks (from August to October, monthly production was 10% or less of original rates, then reached 28% in November.)[38]: 417
July 31, 1944
Bucharest
Two oil refineries at Bucharest, one at Doicești, and oil storage at Targoviste were bombed.[70]
The 461 BG bombed the Ploiești Xenia oil refinery.
August 2, 1944
[Expand]
Mission 510: Paris/Gennevilliers (51 B-17s), Paris/Dugny (38 B-17s), and Sens (26 B-24s) bombed. Fifteenth Air Force B-17s hit Le Pouzin (461st BG) and Le Pontet oil storage facilities. The 447 BG bombed the St Dennis "oil and supply dump".
August 3, 1944
Friedrichshafen
The 461 BG's primary target was the "Raderach Chemical Works", and the ZF Friedrichshafen "Zahnradfabrik" (English: gearwheel factory for vehicle transmissions) secondary target was also bombed. The chief tank factories were at Maybach, Nordbau (Frankfurt), and Zahnradfabrik,[47]: 21 and nearly all tank engines were produced at either the Maybach Motorenbau at Freidrichshafen and Norddeutsche Motorenbau at Berlin.
August 3, 1944
Mission 513: 62 B-24s bombed Brussels/Vilvoorde oil installations/dumps. The Ghent, Langerbrugge (Shell) plant was in Belgium.
The Pauillac oil store was bombed in clear conditions without encountering German fighters.
August 6, 1944
Hemmingstedt
Mission 524: 23 B-17s bombed Hemmingstedt.
August 6, 1944
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Mission 524: Hamburg oil refineries bombed at Hamburg/Deutsche (54), Hamburg/Eband [sic] (33), Hamburg/Rhenania (61), Hamburg/Rhenania-Ossag (62), Hamburg/Schlieman (32), and Hamburg/Schulau (72 B-17s). Rhenania-Ossag was a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell.[72]
B-24s bomb an oil refinery at Budapest, Hungary. The 461 BG bombed the Almásfüzitő Oil Refinery.
August 10, 1944
Bec-d'Ambes
215 RAF aircraft dropped over 500 bombs and largely destroyed [51] the Bec d'Ambes refinery 15 miles from Bordeaux. Bordeaux was also bombed on December 31, 1944 and the Focke-Wulf plant at Bordeaux was bombed on August 24, 1943.[33]: 335–6
450+ B-17s and B-24s bombed 6 oil refineries.[52]Archived 2009-03-13 at the Wayback Machine The 464 BG bombed the Astra Română refinery, and the 461 BG bombed the Xenia oil refinery.
Mission 556 bombed Magdeburg/Rothensee. The 487 BG had bombed the Magdeburg Focke-Wulf airplane factory on August 5, and the US Ninth Army captured Magdeburg on April 18, 1945.[12]
The 485 BG bombed the "Ober[raderach] chemical works".
August 16, 1944
Leipzig/Rositz
The Rositz oil refinery was bombed.
August 16, 1944
Leipzig/Böhlen
The 92 BG attacked the Böhlen oil refinery in Leipzig.
August 16, 1944
Leipzig/Rositz
The 487 BG bombed the Rositz oil refinery.
August 16, 1944
Zeitz
The 487 BG bombed the Zeitz oil refinery.
August 17, 1944
Ploiești
Three oil refineries and targets of opportunity were bombed in the Ploiești area: Româno-Americană (by the 461 BG on their last Ploiești mission), "Astra Română Refinery" (450 BG)[specify]
August 18, 1944
Ploiești (Româno-Americană)
370 fighter-escorted B-17s and B-24s bombed 5 oil refineries around Ploiești. The 464 and 485 BGs bombed the "Americano" [sic] refinery.
65 B-17s with 125 P-51s escorts bombed 2 Ploiești area oil refineries. Ploiești was captured August 30[73][74] after a total of 350 bombers had been lost attacking the area.[30]: 172 The Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 12,804 tons of explosives on Ploiești targets, On October 17, a Fifteenth Air Force B-17 carried a photo crew to Ploiești.
First of 3 raids on the IG Farbensynthetic rubber and oil plant near the Auschwitz III (Monowitz) forced labor camp that supplied slave labor: "It was the practice to brief bomber groups to steer clear of prisoner-of-war and concentration camps" (radar navigator-bombardier Milt Groban).[5]: 321 Ultra intercepts reported impressive bombing results for oil targets: "for the first time, wehrwirtschaftlich (English: war economy) raids, which might deal a really fatal blow to Germany, had begun" (Speer).[5]: 328 The town of Auschwitz (now called Oświęcim), the IG Farben Buna-Werke (under construction in November 1943), and the three concentration camp locations Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II (Birkenau), & Auschwitz III (Monowitz) were 5 separate facilities in the same region.[specify]
Mission 568: 65 B-17s bombed Freital oil industry. This mission to Freital and Dresden was the 486 BG's longest mission. Dresden had a "Dresden Reick A.G." grinding wheel plant.
August 24, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
Mission 568: 88 B-24s bombed the Misburg oil refinery.
Mission 576: 41 B-24s bombed the "chemical works".
August 26, 1944
Salzbergen
Mission 576: 71 B-24s bombed the "Wintershell [sic] oil refinery" (60,000 tons/year) at Salzbergen.
August 26, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
Mission 576: 89 B-17s bombed the Gelsenkirchen/Buer oil refinery.
August 27, 1944
Homberg
The RAF restarted daylight bombing of Germany with an attack on the Homberg Fischer-Tropsch plant.[6]: 149
August 27, 1944
Blechhammer South
The 464 and 485 BGs bombed the Blechhammer South synthetic oil plant (the 485th commander became a POW).[56]
August 28, 1944
Vienna (Moosbierbaum)
B-17s hit Moosbierbaum oil refinery and adjacent chemical works.
August 28, 1944
Szőny
The 464 and 485 BGs bombed the oil refinery.
August 29, 1944
Pardubice region
Czechoslovakian oil refineries bombed included the Moravská–Ostrava oil refineries A minor Moravská Ostrava crude oil refinery was at Prwoz.[27]
August 30, 1944
Ploiești
Soviet Red Army forces reached Bucharest on August 28, and the Ploiești oilfields on August 30.[10]: 204 [74]
September 3, 1944
After a lull in V-1 flying bomb attacks, the Allied Combined Strategic Targets Committee (CSTC)[57] switched the top bombing priority from Operation Crossbow to oil targets.[76]: 241 39% of US bomb tonnage from Oct-Dec was on synthetic oil plants.[58]
September 3, 1944
Ludwigshafen
Mission 601: 325 of 345 B-17s bombed the Ludwigshafen/Opau [sic] synthetic oil plant.
September 5, 1944
Ludwigshafen
Mission 605: 277 of 303 B-17s bombed the Ludwigshafen synthetic oil plant.
After Speer completed the Effects of the Air War on September 6, the President of the Rustungskommando VI (5) ordered only 3 days or less of production be stored, and emergency preparation for the transfer of POL plants was initiated (e.g., identification of vital parts for removal).[59]: a2 "On principle, plants are only to be crippled temporarily by removing various elements to safety, particularly the electrical ones." (Speer telegram, September 13). August "chemical plant" production was 10% of former capacity. At the beginning of September, 1944, the Luftwaffe minimum fuel allotment was decreased from 160,000 monthly tons to 30,000 due to shortages.[77]: 210, 224
September 8, 1944
Ludwigshafen
Mission 611: 348 of 384 B-17s attacked the Ludwigshafen/Opau oil refinery.
Mission 623: An Operation Frantic force of 75 B-17s bombed the Chemnitz oil refinery and, along with 64 P-51s, continued to the USSR. In 1945, Chemnitz was also bombed on February 14 and the 466th bombed Chemnitz on March 5.
Mission 623: At Fulda, 66 B-17s bombed the tire plant and 40 bombed the marshalling yard. Fulda also was the location of Gebauer & Moller ball bearing plant, and on September 12 (Mission 626), 46 B-17s bombed a Fulda target.
September 11, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Nordstern)
September 11, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
The Scholven/Buer synthetic oil plant was bombed. The RAF bombed a Gelsenkirchen target on September 29/30, as did the 466th on September 12 & 13, November 6 (the 466th bombed a Münster target on September 12 and March 25, 1945).
September 11, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
Mission 623: 87 B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Misburg and 88 bombed an engine factory at Hanover.
Mission 623: 75 B-17s bombed the Böhlen oil refinery. Böhlen was also bombed on August 15 (Mission 556), and the 384 BG bombed "Böhlen/Leipzig" on March 19, 1945.
September 11, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
Mission 623: 111 B-17s bombed Merseburg.
September 11, 1944
Lützkendorf
Mission 623: 96 B-17s bombed Lützkendorf.
September 11, 1944
Magdeburg
Mission 623: At Magdeburg, 33 B-24s bombed the oil refinery and 27 bombed an ordnance depot.
September 11, 1944
Ruhland-Schwarzheide
Mission 623: 22 B-17s bombed the Ruhland oil refinery.
September 11, 1944
Wanne-Eickel
Wanne-Eickel synthetic oil plant bombed. A Wanne-Eickel target was also attacked by the 466th on July 25 and by US Forces in November 1944.[60]
September 11, 1944
Brüx
Mission 623: 39 B-17s bombed Brüx.
September 12, 1944
Dortmund
The Hoesch-Benzin GmbH synthetic oil plant at Dortmund was bombed.[66]
Mission 626 dispatched 888 bombers and 662 fighters to 6 oil targets, including 34 B-24s that bombed Misburg oil industry. Misburg bomb damage from the September 11 & 12 attacks was repaired by October 15.[61]
September 12, 1944
Hemmingstedt
Mission 626: 66 B-24s bombed Hemmingstedt.
September 12, 1944
Leipzig/Böhlen
Mission 626: 35 B-17s bombed a Böhlen oil industry target.
Mission 628: 109 B-17s bombed the oil refinery at Stuttgart/Sindelfingen. Sindelfingen also had a Daimler Benz truck plant, and an aircraft engine factory at Sindelfingen was bombed on September 10, 1944.
September 13, 1944
Dwory
The 464 BG bombed the Auschwitz synthetic oil and rubber plant.
September 14, 1944
Hemmingstedt
Mission 629: 6 of 11 B-24s are dispatched on an Azon mission to the oil refinery at Hemmingstedt; 5 hit the secondary target, ammunition dumps at Kropp. Both Operation Aphrodite drones (B-17 30363, "Ruth L III", & B-17 39827) targeting the Hemmingstedt oil refinery missed due to weather.[55] On this date 5000 planes flew over Germany.[73]
September 17, 1944
"…the enemy always… after the resumption of work, …destroy[s] these [synthetic oil] installations again by air attack" (Speer).[78] On July 20, Speer met with Ambassador Clodius of the Foreign Office regarding the "safeguarding of Rumanian oil." September "chemical plant" production was 5.5% of former capacity.
September 17, 1944
Budapest
440+ B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, attacked 2 oil refineries and 4 marshalling yards in the Budapest area. The 464 BG bombed the Shell oil refinery at Budapest and the 485 BG bombed the "Magyar Oil Refinery".
In Czechoslovakia, the Bratislava "oil district" was bombed. Bratislava was the site of the Apollo refinery.[79] The Bratislava "industrial area" was bombed on May 16, 1944, the "marshalling yards" were bombed on October 14, 1944, and "the town" of Bratislava was bombed on February 7, 1945.
September 21, 1944
Ludwigshafen
Mission 644: 147 of 154 dispatched B-17s bombed the synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen/Opau [sic].
September 23, 1944
Brüx
147 B-17s, escorted by 290 P-38s and P-51s, bombed the Brüx synthetic oil refinery and the marshalling yard at Wels. Wels also had an aircraft facility.[62]: 40
September 25, 1944
Ludwigshafen
Mission 647: B-17s bombed the Ludwigshafen/Opau [sic] "synthetic oil plant".
September 26, 1944
Frankfurt am Main
The chemical factory at Hochst, just west of Frankfurt, was bombed. The "cavernous I.G. Farben complex at Frankfurt became Eisenhower's permanent headquarters on June 1, 1945.[80]: 814, 820
Mission 669: 88 B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Kassel/Altenbauna and 122 bombed the armored vehicle plant at Kassel/Henschel. Kassel also had two Fieseler plants: Bettenhausen & Waldau.
Mission 677: 61 B-24s bombed the Düsseldorf-Reisholz oil facility. The Düsseldorf refinery produced 25,000 tons/year and had a Deutsche Carborundum grinding wheel plant.
Allied policy was changed to bomb oil targets even if reconnaissance was not available.[6]: 170 After Eisenhower notified Marshall on October 23 that the bombing of oil targets was being successful,[81] oil targets were retained in the highest priority, and the German rail system was made the second priority.^27.80
October 19, 1944
Ludwigshafen
An oil refinery at "Ludwigshafen & Mannheim" was bombed.
October 20, 1944
Brüx
After having been out of operation for 4 months, the Brüx oil refinery was bombed.
Mission 688: 455 B-17s dispatched to hit the Harburg (221) and Rhenania oil refineries (214) at Hamburg. 297 B-17s dispatched to hit the primary hit secondaries, Harburg (179) and Rhenania oil refineries (106) at Hamburg.
Mission 688: 91 B-24s bombed Gelsenkirchen/Buer; 34 hit the secondary at Münster and 1 hits Gronau.
October 26, 1944
Hamburg-Harburg
The 92 BG bombed the two oil storage complexes in Hamburg.
October 30, 1944
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Mission 693: 357 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Harburg oil refinery (72) and Rhenania oil refinery (67) at Hamburg; targets of opportunity are Hamburg (28), Cuxhaven (25), Wesermunde (21), Uetersen (9), Bremen (1).
October 30, 1944
Gelsenkirchen/Hamm
The 384 BG bombed the Gelsenkirchen/Hamm synthetic oil plant and marshalling yards.
October 31, 1944
Bottrop-Welheim
101 bombers attacked the Ruhröl AG synthetic oil plant.[66]
November 1944
Chemical plant production in October was 10% of former capacity and 28% (1633 tons/day) in November.
November 1, 1944
After the British Air Staff requested on June 3 that RAF Bomber Command attack Ruhr oil plants,[6]: 146 and Portal unsuccessfully attempted on July 5, 1944, to "move Harris away from area bombing to join the attacks on oil",[70] the Air Staff ordered Harris to bomb oil targets.
November 1, 1944
Gelsenkirchen (Nordstern)
The 384 BG bombed the "Gelsenkirchen/Nordsten" [sic] synthetic oil plant.
131 bombers attacked the Union Victor synthetic oil plant.[66]
November 2, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
After 459 B-17s dispatched to bomb Leuna were recalled on October 30 due to weather, 700 US bombers escorted by 750 fighters attacked the Leuna synthetic oil plant. Leuna production was interrupted (but returned to 28% of capacity by November 20), and 6 more heavy attacks on Leuna through December were "largely ineffective because of adverse weather"[40]
November 2, 1944
Oberhausen (Sterkrade)
The 384 BG bombed the Sterkrade (Holten) synthetic oil plant.
November 3, 1944
Vienna/Moosbierbaum
2 of 3 PFF B-24s of the 450 BG bombed. The 450 BG also bombed Moosbierbaum on November 6; December 8 & 11; January 31; February 1, 7, & 9; and March 1 & 15.
November 4, 1944
Bottrop-Welheim
The 384 BG bombed the Bottrop (Welheim) synthetic oil plant.
The 447 BG bombed the Hamburg/Rhenania oil refinery[71] and the 92 BG bombed the Harburg oil complex. The production capacity of the Phoenix tire plant at Harburg was 50,000 tires/month.
The 487 BG bombed the Neuenkirchen coking plant and the 452 BG bombed the "Benzalube Stoking Plant" at Neunkirchen on a Micro H experimental mission.
November 4, 1944
Regensburg
The 32 BS bombed Regensburg oil storage.
November 4 & 11-15, 1944
Linz
The 485 BG bombed the benzol oil refinery.
November 4 & 7, 1944
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
The 32 BS bombed.
November 5, 1944
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
The 450 BG & 485 BG bombed the oil refinery. The 450 BG also bombed the "Floridsdorf Oil Refinery" on October 11, November 17, December 2 (as an alternate on a Straszhof Austria mission), & December 18 (the marshalling yard on March 12).
November 5, 1944
Ludwigshafen-Oppau
The 487 BG bombed the Ludwigshafen chemical works. A Ludwigshafen target was also bombed by the 466th on January 1, 1945.
The 452 BG bombed the oil plant: "Although other Aircraft, friendly, may be under you, drop your bombs" (Wing Commander). 9 B-17s also bombed a Wiesbaden target on November 13 (Mission 628).
November 11, 1944
A Speer memorandum identified that the oil and margarine plants in the Ruhr were on the verge of shutdown. The Vienna area had no fuel after November 15 (US intelligence report, February 1945).[72]: 5
The Hoesch-Benzin synthetic oil plant was bombed.[66]
November 13, 1944
Blechhammer South
The 32 BS bombed the South plant. Only 1 of 3 Pathfinders B-24s of the 450 BG was able to bomb "Blochhammer Synthetic, Oppeln [province], Germany", (25 miles from Opole). Oppeln also had labor camps E17 (a cement factory), E419 and at Schalkendorf; Oderthal had labor camp E162; and Heydebreck had E711A.[73]
18 B-24s of the 450 BG bombed and hit both the refinery and the "Winterhafen Storage Facility" and 5 bombed the alternate target, the "Győr Marshalling Yard".
168 RAF bombers and 134 USAAF bombers attacked the synthetic oil plant.[66]
November 25, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
The 447 BG bombed the synthetic oil plant at Merseburg.
November 26, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
The 491 BG earned a DUC for bombing an oil refinery at Misburg.[75]Archived 2009-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
November 29, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
The 384 BG bombed the Misburg oil refinery.
November 30, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
The 487 BG bombed.
November 30, 1944
Lützkendorf
The 452 BG bombed the "Lützkendorf, Germany (Merseburg)"[specify] synthetic oil plant: "Merseburg is infested with enemy fighters" (B-17 "IDA WANN" crewmember of the 452 BG).
November 30, 1944
Zeitz
The 384 BG bombed the Zeitz oil facility.
December 2, 1944
Dortmund
83 bombers attacked the Zeche Hansa coking plant.[66]
A Regensburg oil refinery was bombed. Regensburg had four small oil refineries for a total production of 80,000 tons/year.
December 11, 1944
Vienna (Moosbierbaum)
The oil refinery was bombed.
December 12, 1944
Blechhammer South
6 PFF B-24s of the 450 BG bombed the primary and alternate targets, as well as a target of opportunity.
December 12, 1944
Leipzig/Leuna
Mission 748: 337 B-17s bombed the synthetic oil plant.
December 12, 1944
Pardubice region
The 485 BG bombed the "Norravska" [sic] oil refinery.
December 15, 1944
[Expand]
German oil storage was bombed at Heimbach, Wollseifen, Harperscheid, Schonau, Ruthen, and Dorsel.
December 16, 1944
Linz
The benzol plant was bombed. The 450 BG had been unable to bomb Linz on December 3 and instead bombed the Villach Marshalling Yard (also bombed the "North Main Marshalling Yard" in Linz on January 8, February 25, & March 31; "South Main" on January 8).
December 16, 1944
Brüx
The lead 741st BS pilot bypassed the Brüx refinery target: "I'm not sure to this day that he wasn't right in avoiding that almost suicidal bomb run." (741st pilot George McGovern)[36]: 182
Mission 772: In Hamburg, 96 B-17s bombed the Wilhemsburg [sic] refinery, 71 bombed the Grassbruk refinery, 68 bombed other oil industry targets, and 72 bombed other industrial area targets.
December 31, 1944
Hanover (Deurag-Nerag)
Mission 772: 96 B-17s bombed the Hamburg oil refinery (bomb damage was repaired by February 14).[76]
January 1, 1945
Hanover/Dollbergen
B-17s bombed the Dollbergen oil facility as a target of opportunity.
The 384 BG bombed Derben (primary) and Kassel (secondary) targets: a vehicle workshop and an oil storage depot.
January 3, 1945
"…the chimera of one air operation that will end the war…does not exist. …much of the Russian advance is due to the immobility conferred on the German ground forces by our attacks on oil." (Spaatz letter to Barney Giles)[57]: 273
Mission 796: 67 B-17s bombed the Ruhland oil plant.
January 16, 1945
Brüx
The 106th bombed Brüx.
January 16/17, 1945
Brüx
[85] This attack and an earlier U.S. PFF attack on December 25 immobilized "the giant synthetic plant at BRUX".[86] By February 6, Brüx had experienced the worst damage since bombing started and production was not expected to resume for 2 months (with no prospect for resuming crude refining).[86]: s2
Mission 798: 158 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Rhenania (40) and Albrecht (34) oil refineries at Hamburg and the U-boat base at Hamburg (73). 78 of 84 B-24s hit the Rhenania oil refinery at Harburg.
January 20, 1945
Regensburg
The 32 BS bombed Regensburg oil storage.
January 20, 1945
Oberhausen (Sterkrade)
Mission 801: 36 of 309 B-17s bombed the Holten oil plant at Sterkrade.
A diversion raid for the Bombing of Dresden, 360 Lancasters and Halifaxes bombed the Braunkohle-Benzin synthetic-oil plant at Böhlen 60 miles (97 km) from Dresden.[88]: 205
Bombing of the Siemens-Schuckert electrical transformer plant in Nuremberg (the largest[17]: 232 in the world), ignited the oil tanks.[89] Bombing destroyed the transformer plant c. February 1945.[98]
February 14, 1945
Dülmen
Mission 830: 35 aircraft bombed the Dülmen oil depot.
February 14, 1945
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
February 14, 1945
Vienna (Lobau)
The Lobau oil refinery was bombed.
February 14, 1945
Vienna (Moosbierbaum)
500+ B-24s, B-17s and P-38s bombed the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
The 447 BG The 447 BG bombed the Cottbus "oil refinery". Cottbus was also bombed on March 17.[99]
February 14/15, 1945
Leipzig/Rositz
Operation Thunderclap: 224 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes bombed the oil refinery in Rositz near Leipzig, causing damage to the southern part of the plant.
February 15, 1945
Leipzig/Böhlen
Mission 832
February 15, 1945
Magdeburg
Mission 832 bombed the Magdeburg oil facility(ies).[specify]
February 15, 1945
Ruhland-Schwarzheide
Mission 832
February 15, 1945
Korneuburg
February 16, 1945
Dortmund
Mission 833: 78 B-17s bombed the Harpenerweg [sic] synthetic oil plant at Bochum-Langendeer, 112 bombed the Kaiserstuhl coking plant,[66] and the 92 BG bombed the "Hoesch Benzol coking plant". The small Dortmund/Harpenerweg "refinery" had begun partial production c. February 6.[100]: s3
February 16, 1945
Gelsenkirchen (Nordstern)
Mission 833: 104 B-17s bombed Nordstern.
February 16, 1945
Dortmund (Minster stein)
Mission 833: 112 B-17s bombed the oil refinery at Minsterstein. [sic] By February 2, 1945, "Minster stein" had been conducting "at least partial production".[101]: s4
February 16, 1945
Salzbergen
46 B-24s bombed the Salzbergen oil refinery.
February 17, 1945
Linz
The 32 BS bombed the Linz benzol plant. A Linz target was also bombed by the 464 BG on January 20 and April 25, 1945.[55]
February 19, 1945
Alm
Mission 835: 37 B-17s bombed the Alm oil refinery.[66]
February 19, 1945
Bochum
Mission 835: 99 B-17s bombed the Carolinenglück synthetic oil plant.[66]
Mission 835: 37 B-17s bombed the Alma Pluto coking plant.[66]
February 19, 1945
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven/Buer)
Mission 835: 36 B-17s bombed the Scholven synthetic oil plant.[66]
February 20, 1945
Vienna (Schwechat)
Schwechat oil refinery bombed.
February 20, 1945
Vienna (Lobau)
The Lobau refinery and Floridsdorf railyard were bombed. "The attack was outstandingly successful, resulting in severe damage to the boiler house, virtual destruction of the distillation unit pump house, a probable hit on the fractionating tower, and serious damage to tankage and rail sidings.[86]
85 Lancasters bombed the Alma Pluto coking plant.[66]
February 22, 1945
Oberhausen (Osterfeld)
82 Lancasters accurately bombed oil refineries at Osterfeld during Operation Clarion.
February 24, 1945
Hamburg-Harburg refineries
Mission 845: At Hamburg, 278 B-17s bombed the Albrecht oil refinery and 70 bombed the Harburg oil refineries. 383 B-17s are sent to hit the Deschimag U-boat yards at Bremen (200) and the Bremen W rail bridge (134). The 92 BG bombed the Albrecht synthetic oil complex.
February 24, 1945
Kamen
340 aircraft bombed a "synthetic-oil plant in Bergkamen, just north of Kamen" using Oboe and H2S markers.
Mission 847: 174 B-17s bombed the oil storage tanks and marshalling yard at Munich. Munich also had a Metzler tire plant.
February 25, 1945
Kamen
153 No. 3 Group RAF Lancasters carried out a G-H attack on the synthetic-oil refinery at Kamen.
February 25, 1945
Linz
The 485 BG bombed the benzol plant. The Third Army entered Linz and Salzburg on May 4[80]: 790 after the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 8,962 tons of explosives on Linz.
The 487 BG bombed the Neuberg underground oil depot. Neuberg also had aircraft service/park facilities,[102]: 40 and Neuburg am Donau (Zell) had an Me 262 production facility.
February 26, 1945
Dortmund benzol plant
149 Lancasters bombed the "Hoesch-Benzin GmbH[66] benzol-oil plant" using G-H.
Mission 851: 23 B-24s bombed Wilhelmshaven oil storage by PFF.
February 28, 1945
Gelsenkirchen (Nordstern)
156 Lancasters bombed Nordstern using G-H.
February 28, 1945
Frankfurt oil depot
Frankfurt/Main oil storage tanks were bombed.
February 1945
Total POL production was down 27% from the production prior to the January raids.[103]: s1 Stocks of aviation fuel were down to 6,000 tonnes and in February, the Luftwaffe received only 400 tonnes:[citation needed] "anyone using [German] fuel for purposes other than the immediate conduct of operation will be considered a saboteur and court-martialed without mercy" (military order).[5]: 461
March 1, 1945
Vienna (Moosbierbaum)
22 P-38s bombed the Moosbierbaum refinery and Tulln marshalling yard. Vienna also had aircraft service/park facilities at Tulln and Aspern.[104]: 40
After the Fifteenth Air Force had dropped 8,370 tons of explosives on Budapest targets, Budapest was captured February 13, 1945[12]: 1808 (the Red Army was within 10 miles on November 3, 1944).[90] On March 1, Germany launched the last major German offensive of World War II (Operation Frühlingserwachen) to retake Budapest and the Nagykanizsa oil fields south of Lake Balaton.
March 2, 1945
Speer ordered that Nitrogen plants were to be repaired before the hydrogenation plants.
March 2, 1945
Chemnitz
Mission 859: 255 B-17s bombed Chemnitz.
March 2, 1945
Dresden
Mission 859: The 447 BG bombed the oil refinery at Dresden.
March 2, 1945
Magdeburg/Rothensee
Mission 859: 24 B-17s bombed the Rothensee oil plant
March 2, 1945
Leipzig/Böhlen
Mission 859: 96 B-17s bombed the oil plant and gun batteries at Böhlen.
March 2, 1945
Leipzig/Rositz (Altenburg)
Mission 859: The 384 BG bombed the oil plant at Rositz near Altenburg. An Altenburg target was also bombed on March 17.[105][specify]
March 2, 1945
Ruhland-Schwarzheide
Mission 859: 24 B-17s bombed the Ruhland oil plant.
170 aircraft bombed the Consolidation coking plant at Gelsenkirchen.[66]
March 6, 1945
Salzbergen
The Wintershall oil refinery was bombed.
March 7, 1945
Castrop-Rauxel
The 487 BG bombed the oil refinery.
March 7, 1945
Dortmund
At Dortmund, 24 aircraft bombed the Hörde Refuge Association coking plant and 62 bombed the Harpenerweg coking plant.[66] The 466th also bombed Dortmund on March 12.
Bomber Command attacked the oil refinery at Harburg.
March 7/8, 1945
Hemmingstedt
256 Halifaxes and 25 Lancasters of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups attempted to attack the Deutsche Erdöl-Aktiengesellschaft oil refinery at Hemmingstedt, near Heide, with little success.
March 8, 1945
Bochum
99 aircraft bombed the Robert Muser coking plant and 63 bombed the Bruchstraße coking plant.[66][clarification needed]
March 8, 1945
Bottrop (Mathias Stinnes)
37 aircraft bombed the Mathias Stinnes coking plant.[66]
March 8, 1945
Dortmund
110 aircraft bombed the Gneisenau coking plant. On March 10, 509 aircraft bombed the Verschiebebahnhöfe at Dortmund.[66]
Prior to a raid targeting a Vienna oil refinery, the briefing officer told crews to avoid the St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna State Opera, the Schönbrunn Palace and other historic buildings and schools. Due to weather, the alternate (Wiener Neustadt marshaling yards) was bombed.[36]: 228–9
March 14, 1945
Dates
50 aircraft bombed the Emscher-Lippe coking plant.[66]
Mission 892: 127 B-17s bombed the oil refinery and power station at Mölbis (the 92 BG bombed the Mölbis benzol plant). A Mölbis target had been bombed on September 12 (Mission 626), and the 303 BG bombed the Mölbis thermal electric power station in Rötha on May 28.[92]
March 17, 1945
Ludwigshafen
Mission 892: 138 B-17s bombed their secondary target, the Bittefeld oil refinery. After the Eighth Air Force had dropped 17,796 tons of explosives on Ludwigshafen-Mannheim, Ludwigshafen was captured on March 21.[50]: 2065
March 17, 1945
Ruhland-Schwarzheide
Mission 892: 214 B-17s bombed the Ruhland oil refinery.
March 18, 1945
Bochum
75 aircraft bombed the Harpenweg coking plant.[66]
1945-03-18
Bochum
22 Lancasters bombed oil plants at Hattingen and Langendreer in Bochum.
March 18, 1945
Hattingen
78 aircraft bombed the Henrichshütte coking plant.[66]
March 19, 1945
Gelsenchirchen (Consolidation)
79 aircraft bombed the Consolidation coking plant.[66]
March 19, 1945
Ruhland
The 486 BG bombed a Ruhland oil plant.
March 20, 1945
Hamburg-Harburg
Mission 898: The 92 BG bombed a Harburg oil plant.
March 20, 1945
Hemmingstedt
Mission 898: 114 B-24s attacked the oil refinery at Hemmingstedt.
March 20, 1945
Kagran
The oil refinery was bombed.
March 20, 1945
Korneuburg
The oil refinery was bombed.
March 20/21, 1945
Hemmingstedt
166 Lancasters attacked the Hemmingstedt oil refinery.
March 21, 1945
Vienna
3 oil refineries and a goods depot were bombed at Vienna.
March 21, 1945
Vienna (Floridsdorf)
The 32 BS bombed.
March 21/22, 1945
Bochum
143 aircraft bombed the Harpenweg coking plant.[66]
Mission 920: 29 B-17s bombed the secondary target, the Bad Berka oil plant.[specify] The 100 BG attacked the Bad Berka oil storage. Bad Berka underground work plant used forced labor.[83]: 148
March 31, 1945
Nuremberg/Würzburg area
B-17s bombed the Erbach [sic] oil depot.[93] Erlbach was south of Ebrach between Würzburg and Nuremberg.
Mission 920: 20 B-17s bombed the Gotha oil plant[specify] as secondary target (Gotha also had an aircraft production center.)[33] The Ohrdruf forced labor camp near Gotha was the 1st found by the Allies, and Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley inspected the Ohrdruf Nord work camp on April 12, 1945. After an April 13/14 overnight visit with his father, John Eisenhower visited Buchenwald on April 14.[80]: 564k, 761, 764, 770
The 384 BG bombed the Hitzacker underground storage.
April 7/8, 1945
Leipzig/Rötha
The bombing of the benzol plant at Molbis, near Leipzig, ceased all production at the plant. Halle and Leipzig were captured by the VII Corps on April 14.[50]: 2133
Oilfields in the central Po Valley were bombed. On April 20, US ground forces encountered "half-hearted resistance [in capturing the] flat ground of the Po Valley with its excellent road network".[96]
Mission 941: 300 B-17s bombed the Freiham oil depot.
April 11, 1945
Regensburg
Mission 941: 80 B-24s bombed the Regensburg oil depot and 31 bombed the munitions depot.The 401 BG bombed a Regensburg target on April 16. The Fifteenth Air Force dropped 5,815 tons of explosives on Regensburg.
April 12, 1945
Strategic Bombing Directive No. 4 ended the strategic air war in Europe. On April 16, Spaatz notified Doolittle and Twining: "The advances of our ground forces have brought to a close the strategic air war waged by the United States Strategic Air Forces and the Royal Air Force Bomber Command.".
During the RAF's "last major strategic raid", 107 Lancasters destroyed the small "Vallo-Taneberg" oil refinery at Tønsberg.
April 1945
Germany's oil production was 5% that of the previous year:[36]: 249
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr 1945
tbd - tbd - tbd - c. 7,000 tons/month
By the end of the war, instead of using "200 liters of J-2 fuel taxiing for 5 minutes," Me 262 jet fighters were towed by oxen or Kettenkrad track-cycles to save fuel. "General Carl Spaatz had been insistent—and correct. The enemy would fight for oil, and the enemy would lose his fighters, his crews, and his fuel" (Herman S. Wolk, USAF historian, June 1974)[97]
^"German Trust To Oppose Standard Oil". New York Times. November 11, 1906. Retrieved 2013-10-23. In 1906, Standard Oil included the German-American Petroleum Company, the Mannheim-Bremen Petroleum Company and, formerly known as Korff, the Petroleum Refinery.
^Frankfurt also had a Naxos Union grinding wheel plant.
^13.50"Meeting No. 45/6"(PDF). Enemy Oil Intelligence Committee. February 6, 1945. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
^ abcdef
Gurney, Gene (Major, USAF) (1962). The War in the Air: a pictorial history of World War II Air Forces in combat. New York: Bonanza Books. pp. 172, 215, 217, 232.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"The Bomber's Baedeker". PRO London: Ministry of Economic Warfare. AIR 14/2662. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (cited by Coffey, p. 237)
^ abcdCasablanca Conference: Papers and Minutes of Meetings. available at Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library; Combined Chiefs of Staff: Conference proceedings, 1941-1945; Box 1: Office of the Combined Chiefs of Staff. January 1943. pp. 40–43, 88, 256. Brehon Somervell … DECLASSIFIED … 10/29/73 … U.S. SECRET … BRITISH MOST SECRET … COPY NO. 32{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) (Brehon Somervell is stamped on the inside front cover of the Eisenhower Library copy, and the copy number is stamped on the inside back cover)
C.C.S. 166/1/D: "The Bomber Offensive from the United Kingdom"(jpg). January 21, 1943 – via WikiMedia Commons. Approved by Combined Chiefs of Staff at their 65th meeting on January 21, 1943. ... You should take every opportunity to attack Germany by day [and] to destroy objectives that are not unsuitable for night attack (distributed version, pages 88-9)
"C.C.S. 62nd Meeting [minutes]". January 19, 1943: 254. 1. Axis Oil Position [pp. 255-257]{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^13.03AAFRH-3: Cruickshank, Earl (1944). "The Ploesti Mission of 1 August 1943": vii. We must, therefore, apply [bombardment] to those specially selected and vital targets which will give the greatest return.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (p. vii: Arnold to Spaatz, April 10, 1943)
^13.10AAFRH-10: "The War Against the Luftwaffe: AAF Counter-Air Operations, April 1943-June 1944". SECRET … Classification Cancelled … JUN 8, 1959 ... the Bradley Plan [was the plan for ] troop build-up for the Eighth Air Force. ... General Arnold prepared a "Plan to Assure the Most Effective Exploitation of the Combined Bomber Offensive" and submitted it to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 9 October 1943.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (p. 84)
^13.18AAFRH-18: "The Early Operations of the Eighth Air Force and the Origins of the Combined Bomber Offensive". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^13.19AAFRH-19: Stormont, John F. (Capt) (March 1946) [1945 summer]. The Combined Bomber Offensive: April through December 1943. AAF Historical Office; Headquarters, Army Air Force. SECRET … Classification Cancelled … JUN 10 1959 (available at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in the "Collection of 20th Century Military Records, 1918-1950 Series I"; Historical Studies Box 35).
^13.22AAFRH-22: Norris, Joe L. (Capt) (April 1947) [1946 Winter-Spring]. "The Combined Bomber Offensive: 1 January to 6 June 1944": 6. SECRET … Classification Cancelled … JUN 10, 1959 … In December 1942 … Arnold … directed that the group of operations analysts under C/AS, Management Control, prepare … In compliance with this directive, the Committee of Operations Analysts submitted on 8 March 1943 a comprehensive report on Axis industry. … Nineteen vital industries were selected … which if destroyed would … stagnate the German war machine. (p. 6){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (also available in Box 35)
^ abJablonski, Edward (1971). Airpower. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company. Retrieved 2013-10-23. 4 volumes:–––^I Terror from the Sky (pages 1-168)–––^II Tragic Victories (pages 1-192)–––^III Outraged Skies (pages 1-136)–––^IV Wings of Fire (pages 1-218)
^27.101943-12-27: Arnold, Henry H. (27 December 1943). "[letter to Spaatz: "Dear Tooey"]". Spaatz Collection. Box 14. we must use our initiative and imagination with a view of seeking out, destroying the German Air Force in the factories, depots, on the ground, or in the air, wherever they may be.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) (quoted by Mets note 51, pp. 191,383)
^27.251944-02-03: Arnold, Henry H. (3 February 1944). "Objectives for Area Attack [memorandum to Eaker]". available at AF/HSO microfilm, reel A5616, fr. 45. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
^27.201944-01-21: Spaatz, Carl (21 January 1944). "[message to Arnold]". Spaatz Collection. Box 14.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^27.301944-02-15: Hughes, Richard D. (15 February 1944). "Conference Held at A.E.A.F Headquarters, Stanmore 15 February 1944 [letter and notes]". Spaatz Collection. Box 14.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^27.35 Col. Richard D. Hughes was Eaker's "target-selection specialist." (Coffey, p. 237)
^27.401944-02-19: Spaatz, Carl (19 February 1944). "[message to Arnold]". Spaatz Collection. Box 14.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^27.501944-03-24: Spaatz, Carl (24 March 1944). "Employment of Strategic Air Forces in the Support of OVERLORD". Spaatz Collection. Box 14. We believe attacks on transportation will not force the German fighters into action. We believe they will defend oil to their last fighter plane.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) (quoted by Mets note 100, pp. 204,386)
^27.601944-03-25: "Final Minutes of a Meeting held on Saturday, March 25, to Discuss the Bombing Policy in the Period Before 'OVERLORD'". Spaatz Collection. Box 14. "apart from the attack on the GAF, [German Air Force] the transportation plan was the only one which offered a reasonable chance of the air forces making an important contribution to the land battle during the first vital weeks of OVERLORD{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) (quoted by Mets, p. 208)
^27.701944-08-09: Kuter, Laurence (Brig. Gen.) (9 August 1944). "[memo to Arnold]". Spaatz Collection. Box 15.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) Kuter quotes an Air Ministry memorandum for the July 5 meeting. (cited by Mets note 60, pp. 269, 394: "staff meeting the British Chiefs of Staff ... 5 July 1944 ... Portal had tried to move Harris away from area bombing to join in the attacks on oil. ... the recommendation that emerged was a gigantic attack on Berlin")
^27.801944-09-23: "Directives Agreed by DCAS, RAF, and Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz". Spaatz Collection. Box 15. 23 September 1944. The German rail and waterborne transportation systems; tank production plants and depots, ordnance depots; and M.T. (motor transport) production plants and depots{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link) became the secondary priorities. (quoted by Mets note 23, pp. 260,393)
^
Haines, William (Lt. Col.) (6 June 1945). "ULTRA History of U.S. Strategic Air Force Europe vs. German Air Forces, SRH-013". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (cited by Mets, pp. 212,386,392: "copy provided to author by Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Another copy is in the National Archives". p. 343: "Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. was a member of General Spaatz's staff in England in World War II.")
^Bari (1944). Fifteenth Air Force, The Air Battle of Ploiești. Italy. p. 27.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) (cited by Stout p. 137)
^The Air Battle of Ploesti Written in the Skies Over Romania by U.S. Fifteenth Air Force and 205 Group (RAF) Between 5 April and 19 August. 941st Engineering Battalion. 1945. p. 108. (cited by Stout p. 137)
^Galland, Adolf (1968) [1954]. The First and the Last: The Rise and Fall of the German Fighter Forces, 1938-1945. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 210, 224, 239.
^
Chandler, Alfred D. Jr.; Ambrose, Stephen E., eds. (23 October 1944). "[Eisenhower message to Marshall]". The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower: The War Years. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins: 2247–8. (cited by Mets note 20, pp. 260,393,406)
^ ab
Shugg, Roger W.; DeWeerd, H. A.; Lieutenant Colonel (January 1947) [January, 1946—First Edition]. World War II: A Concise History (Second ed.). Washington: Infantry Journal Press. p. 350.
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