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Operation Tidal Wave
Operation Tidal Wave was a USAAF attack on Romanian oil fields in 1943. The attack was meant to destroy oil refineries and deny petrol-based fuel to the Axis. On 1st August 1943, 177 B24 Liberator Bombers flew from airfields around Benghazi in Libya, heading for individual targets, but flying towards Ploesti in Romania. The city of Ploesti itself was not their target - individual groups had been tasked with destroying separate oil processing facilities, including the Steava Romana and the Concordia Vega refineries.
However, because 13 B24 Liberators had attacked Ploesti in June 1942, since then the Luftwaffe had constructed a more robust defence, including hundreds of anti-aircraft guns. There were also three Luftwaffe fighter groups based in the area.
Of the 177 USAAF planes that set out, only 88 returned. The allies reckoned about 40% of fuel production was temporarily lost to the Germans who, however, were very quick to repair the damage and return to full production within weeks of the attack.
Assessment of Operation Tidal Wave by the Allies concluded that the attack was a failure given the high loss of men and planes.
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Those known to have fought in Operation Tidal Wave during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Boxwell DFC.. William Desmond. Sqdn. Ldr.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
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Sqdn. Ldr. William Desmond "Boxy" Boxwell DFC. 150 Squadron William Boxwell was born in 1912 and died in 1984. He learned to fly in a Tiger Moth and BA Swallow in 1936/7 at Hooton Park in Cheshire, and in 1938 he joined the Civil Air Guard, and was commissioned as a PO in September 1939. In training he flew a wide variety of types including Hawker Hart and Hind, Gloster Gauntlet, Battle, Demon, Blenheim, Oxford and HP Harrow.
In September 1940 he commenced operations (unit unknown) and between then and April 1941 flew 12 operations on Whitley Vs. He was then transferred to Instructional Duties with 18 and 19 OTUs and between then and early 1943 was mainly at Kinloss with the rank of Squadron Leader.
In March 1943 he transferred to the infamous Manchesters and later Lancasters, taking a drop in rank to do so, but flew no operations on these, transferring in about August 1943 to Wellingtons and being posted with 150 Squadron to North Africa as a Flight Commander at Kairouan. He flew 28 ops between then and May 1944, taking command of the Squadron as a S/L during this period in succession to S/L.
In May 1944 he was attached to 330 Wing (the only RAF unit to come under US command during WW2) and although it is not recorded in his logbook he spoke in the 1960s of having flown as an observer on the infamous Ploesti raid (Operation Tidal Wave) which was so costly for the USAF. A photograph from this period, now lost, described him as Acting Wing Commander. In July 1944 he was awarded the DFC.
In late 1944 he flew two further ops on a Venbtura, and was then transferred to the Middle East where he spent the rest of the war instructing SAAF pilots in 76 OTU. His final posting was as Station Commander of the firefighting unit at Moreton-in-Marsh, and he was demobilised sometime in 1946, thereafter undertaking periodic refresher training on Tiger and Chipmunks up to mid-1953.
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