Customer Reviews

Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler's Oil

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A well researched account and easy read of one of the most effective bombing campaigns of WW II. The author places the reader in each combat crew position involved in the raids, starting with the well documented August 1, 1943 low level raid and then picking up the less recognized high level raids that ran from April 5, 1944 until August 1944 when the Soviet Army took over. Stout covers the action from all the angles, that of the B-24 crews, the Romanian, Bulgarian, and German fighter pilots and indivduals on the ground.

This a must read for WW II buffs, especially for those air crew members of the past and for todays "fly boys" that have a need to understand their heritage. Jay Stout has covered the complete Ploesti Story. I strongly recommend Fortress Ploesti.

Having read the advance review copy, I am pleased to record my impressions of this title.

First, let me say that there is a deluge of WWII books coming out these days. Unfortunately, most rehash often-told stories of the war. Fortress Ploesti is not that kind of book. It breaks new ground entirely, and that fact alone makes it a worthwhile addition to the literature on the subject.

The author, himself a combat pilot veteran (Iraq) has long been fascinated with the massive and well-known single bombing expedition of August 1943 against Ploesti. This book, however, includes that mission but also covers in depth all those missions that followed in 1944, a massive strategic campaign of more than twenty missions that had a significant (and yet ironically overlooked) effect on the course of the war.

The author's style is very conversational--easy to read, enjoyable, entertaining, and very enlightening. Included are interviews and recollections of the pilots who participated, including Third Reich pilots, which provides an entirely new perspective on this phase of the war. Stout's experience as a fighter pilot helps describe what these men recalled and experienced. There are also two galleries of photographs, many previously unpublished, but they were not included in my copy of the advance galley.

If you enjoy World War II books in general, and aviation books in particular, you should add this book to your library. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.

I think Stout has done a great job in covering the missions to attack the Romanian oil fields at Ploesti. It is well researched and gives a good insight into reasons certain tactics were used, and also gives good first hand accounts of the action. His knowledge of the subject and his understanding of the practicalities of the fluid nature of air combat from his flying background make this a sound work.

I would have given it five stars apart from the fact I found the book a little disjointed at times. I would have liked a little more structure from an editing standpoint.

I found this book to give an excellent history of the bombing campaign against Ploesti with enough personal stories of some of the people involved from both sides to emphasis the bravery and commitment of those involved. Another good book, if you can find a copy, is "Target Ploesti - View from a Bombsight" written by Leroy W Newby, who flew with the 460th Bombardment Group which provides not only an overview of the Campaign but an interesting personal perspective.

There are now so many books on Ploesti, it is difficult to recommend one book over another, because there is no dispassionate "history" yet available to recommend itself. However, although many know that Hitler's interest in the Caucasus had to do with obtaining petrol, few will know that Ploesti was one of the early sources of gasoline refining for the Third Reich, and as such, one of the earliest bombing targets of the U.S. Army Air Force. The accomplishment of this mission with B-24 "Liberators" shipped through North Africa, which was largely disastrous for the Allies, MUST be understood by anyone who wants to have an overview of the history of the Second World War.

As an early military enthusiast, I am thankful to the veteran who pointed out my lack of knowledge about Ploesti and its importance. This book is a good place to begin--but once bitten by this bug, you'll want to know more.

Make room, Stephen Ambrose. Jay Stout brings the attack on Ploesti to vivid life. Not many airmen today can appreciate the difficulty of a long-range, large scale low-level attack on a defended target...with no sat imagery, no GPS, nothing. Just a group of large, overloaded bombers that handled like pigs, navigating by map, compass, and time, flying into the teeth of a vicious and competent defense. But read this book, and you'll know what it was like. This is THE definitive work on a mission that stands high in the annals of courage and a press-on spirit.

Very hard to read and much technical stuff that I did not understand as I am not an air plane person nor military.