Target Ploesti - View from a Bombsight 1944

Book was written from the author's own account. "The Ploesti oil fields in Romania were a vital source of supply for Hitler's army. The Allied determination to destroy them, therefore, was met by an equal effort to protect, rebuild, and retaliate. Lieutenant Newby was at the heart of this conflict and tells exactly what it was like. His tour of duty began with the Fifteenth Air Force, 460th Bombardment Group, on 9 November 1943, a n d e n ded fifty missions later with his return to the United States on 12 August 1944. The black panther was his unit's insignia - an indication of their purpose and spirit. Spinazzola, Italy, was their base, and their directive, in addition to the bombing missions, was to 'destroy the German Air Force in the womb, in the nest, and on the wing'. The reader comes to know not only the author but each member of the crew of the 'Hangar Queen', as well as their stuffed toy mascot. We follow them from their moments of fun to the tragic moments of death. The overall picture of the conflict comes clearly into focus - the 'massacres', the 'milk runs', the priority targets; the Germans' valiant defense with smokepots, flak, fighter planes .(This book) is a fund of precise information on bombers and bombing, on the Norden and Sperry bombsights, on how, precisely, a bombadier gets the fix on his target, or where he finds an alternate 'target of opportunity.