Date: 23 june 1944

MISSION #33

BASE: Castelluccio dei Sauri

TARGET: Giurgiu, Romania--Oil Refinery and Storage

SHIP: Jesse James …808

ESCORT: Fifty P-38’s and P-47’s (332nd Fighter Group--Red Tails)

BOMBS: 100 x 50 lb. Incendiaries from 21,500 feet

ENEMY AIRCRAFT: none

FLAK: Moderate Volume, Accurate Aim, Heavy Caliber (36 guns)

RESULT: Hits on oil storage tanks. Four of them were on fire. Many hits in and around target area.

SORTIES: 2 Total: 47

MISSION TIME: 8:00 Total: 221:45

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NARRATIVE: Target was an oil refinery and storage south of Bucharest. Took up a new type of incendiary bomb. Had bad weather all the way over. The clouds were thick. The formations just separated in all directions. This was really something to sweat out. We couldn’t see 10 feet away from the ship. We couldn’t see the plane next to us. There were 200 planes in there with us. Just prayed that we would get through it. B-17’s were with B-24’s but after a while we got into formation. We hit the target all right. Flak was heavy and accurate. No fighters were seen. Another long cold mission. One B-24 from our squadron, AMERICAN BEAUTY (41-29530), didn’t come back.