Američka 15. zračna armija

zbocek · Gost

15. zračna armija bila je jedina američka postrojba strategijskih bombardera na mediteranskom ratištu stvorena s ciljem sudjelovanja u združenoj bombarderskoj ofenzivi, koja je predviđala napade na strategijske ciljeve u Evropi, i to bombarderima RAF-a iz Engleske po noći, a američkim bombarderima iz Engleske i Sjeverne Afrike/Italije po danu. Osim četveromotoraca B 17 i B 24, u sastavu 15 AF bile su i lovačke grupe za zaštitu (uglavnom P 38, P 47 i P 51; P 39 i P 40 bili su u uporabi vrlo kratko na početku), podređene isključivo zapovjedništvu 15 AF i s primarnim ciljem zaštite bombardera. Tek potkraj rata dopuštalo im se da u povratku napuste blisko praćenje bombardera i napadaju ciljeve na zemlji, ali samo ako nije bilo opasnosti za bombardere.
Glavnina zadataka bila je na području centralne i južne Evrope, tako da su preleti formacija ove postrojbe nad Hrvatskom bili gotovo svakodnevni. Brojni bombarderi i lovci svoj put završili su upravo kod nas.
Za početak, evo kratkog opisa djelovanja ove postrojbe; to je službeni sažetak koji su pripadnici postrojbe dobivali po povratku u SAD za uporabu u kontaktima s novinarima i na predavanjima koje su držali po školama i na skupovima:

The Fifteenth Air Force

In the 18 months of existence the 15th Air Force, operating principally from the complex of airfields in southern Italy, destroyed all gasoline production within its range in southern Europe; knocked out all the major aircraft factories in its sphere; and destroyed 6,282 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground.

The 15th crippled the enemy's transportation system over half of once-occupied Europe with repeated fighter and bomber attacks. On occasion it helped disperse enemy counter attacks and spearheaded the advances of our own armies.

The 15th dropped 303,842 tons of bombs on enemy targets in 12 countries of Europe, including military installations in eight capital cities. Its combat personnel made 148,955 heavy bomber sorties and 87,732 fighter sorties against the enemy.

It lost 3,364 aircraft and 21,671 personnel killed, wounded, missing and taken prisoner -- 20,430 bomber crewmen and 1,187 fighter pilots.

The 15th fought four broad campaigns: against enemy oil, enemy air force, enemy communications, and enemy ground forces. Most vital of the 15th's oil targets was the Ploesti complex of refineries, which contributed about 30% of the entire Axis oil supply and an equal amount of gasoline. Ploesti was protected by 150 first class fighters and 250 heavy flak guns when the 15th, with the cooperation of the RAF 205th Group of night bombers, began a series of attacks against it on April 5. The campaign continued until Aupust 19. 15th and RAF bombers flew 5287 sorties, dropping 12,870 tons of bombs. The cost was 237 heavies (15 of them RAF), 10 P-38 dive bombers and 39 escorting fighters. More than 2,200 American Airmen were lost. But results were good. At the end of the campaign the refineries were reduced to only 10% of their normal rate of activity and during the entire period from April to August the average production rate was reduced by 60%.

The 15th followed up the Ploesti attacks by dropping 10,000 tons of bombs in attacks on three synthetic oil plants in Silesia and one in Poland, reducing their combined production by February of 1945 to 20% of what it was in June of 1944.

By devastating attacks on Weiner Neustadt and Regensburg, two of the three main enemy fighter manufacturing complexes, the 15th helped materially in the attainment of European air supremacy. By May 1944, estimated actual production stood at 250 aircraft a month within range of the 15th against a contemplated production of 650 aircraft per month.

Throught the counter-air force and oil campaigns, the 15th was also attacking enemy communications and transportation systems far behind the front lines, disrupting supply movements from industrial centers over an 8OO mile radius from the ItaIian airfields.

The 15th also supplied Allied Army cooperation bombing targets at Salerno, Anzio, and Cassino in the Rome campaign. On April 15, 1945 the 15th put up a record smashing 93% of its available aircraft to soften up the approaches to Bologna in one of the final missions of the Italian campaign.

A unique sidelight of the 15th's operations has been the rescue and repatriation of air crews shot down in enemy territory. No other air force has undertaken escape operations in so many countries. The 15th has returned 5650 personnel by air, surface vessel and on foot through enemy lines. In more than 300 planned "reunion" operations, men have been brought back safely from Tunisia, Italy, France,Switzerland, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany.

AleksandarMorozov · Upisano: Čet Stu 08, 2007 2:20 pm Naslov poruke:

Donji grad u Osijeku je dobio svoje od njih. Zadar također. Onaj P-38...mislim L...iz sastava JRZ-a je porjeklom njihov (prinudno slijetanje pa popravak pa slijeganje ramenima kad ga je trebalo vratiti...naime, nije imao kotače (!!!) Klinac. Bili su skinuti i skriveni dok Ameri odu jer ovi naši jednostavno nisu htjeli vratiti to "čudo tehnike").

Samo nekoliko asocijacija na 15-u koja mi padoše na pamet u prvi mah.

zbocek · Gost

I Zagreb, Sisak, Brod, Pula, Rijeka...njihov je i P 51D JRZ-a, koji je prinudno sletio kod Siska, a sad se nalazi u Surčinu.
No o tome ću više kod opisa pojedinih grupa, i kasnije, kod napada na ciljeve kod nas.

AleksandarMorozov · Upisano: Čet Stu 08, 2007 3:37 pm Naslov poruke:

Kao što rekoh. U prvi mah. Wink

Hajde samo. Ovo bi moglo biti zanimljivo.

zbocek · Gost

5th Bomb Wing (B 17), Foggia

2nd Bomb Group: 20th Bomb Squadron, 49th BS, 96th BS, 429th BS; Amendola
97th BG: 340th BS, 341st BS, 342nd BS, 414th BS; Amendola
99th BG: 346th BS, 347th BS, 348thBS, 416th BS; Tortorella
301st BG: 32nd BS, 352nd BS, 353rd BS, 419th BS; Lucera
463rd BG: 772nd BS, 773rd BS, 774th BS, 775th BS; Celone
483rd BG: 815th BS, 816th BS, 817th BS, 840th BS; Sterparone

47th BW (B 24), Manduria

98th BG: 343BS, 344th BS, 345th BS, 415th BS; Lecce
376th BG: 512nd BS, 513rd BS, 514th BS, 515th BS; San Pacrazio
449th BG: 716thBS, 717th BS, 718th BS, 719thBS; Grottaglie
450th BG: 720th BS, 721st BS, 722nd BS, 723rd BS; Manduria

49th BW (B 24), Incornata

451st BG: 724th BS, 725th BS, 726th BS, 727thBS; Castellucio
461st BG: 764th BS, 765th BS, 766th BS, 767th BS; Torretto
484th BG: 824th BS, 825th BS, 826th BS, 827th BS; Torretto

55th BW (B 24), Spinazzola

460th BG: 460th BS, 461st BS, 462nd BS, 463rd BS; Spinazzola
464th BG: 476th BS, 477th BS, 478th BS, 479th BS; Pantanella
465th BG: 780th BS, 781st BS, 782nd BS, 783rd BS; Pantanella
485th BG: 828th BS, 829th BS, 830th BS, 831st BS; Venosa

304th BW (B 24), Cerignola

454th BG: 736th BS, 737th BS, 738th BS, 739th BS; San Giovanni
455th BG: 740th BS, 741st BS, 742nd BS, 743rd BS; San Giovanni
456th BG: 744th BS, 745th BS, 746th BS, 747th BS; Stornara
459th BG: 756th BS, 757th BS, 758th BS, 759th BS; Giulia

305th Fighter Wing (P 38 ), Salsola

1st Fighter Group: 27th Fighter Squadron, 71st FS, 94th FS; Salsola
14th FG: 37th FS, 48th FS, 49th FS, Triolo
82nd FG: 95th FS, 96th FS, 97th FS; Vincenzo

306th FW (P 51), Lessina

31st FG: 307th FS, 308th FS, 309th FS; San Severo
52th FG: 2nd FS, 4th FS, 5th FS, Madna
325th FG: 317th FS, 318th FS, 319th FS; Lesina
332 FG: 99th FS, 100th FS, 301st FS, 302nd FS; Ramitelli

Izdvojeni skvadroni specijalne namjene

885th BS (H)(SP), (B 17&B 24), Brindisi
37th Photo Recce Squadron (P 38 ), Neapel
15th Combat Mapping Squadron (F5), Bari

Zoran Petek · Upisano: Sri Velj 24, 2016 2:00 pm Naslov poruke:

A evo i baza oko Foggie, oznake wingova su uz broj grupe. 47 BW nije na karti, jer je baziran južnije.

JŽ · Upisano: Uto Lip 21, 2016 9:05 am Naslov poruke:

Grunf · Administrator

JŽ · Upisano: Uto Lip 21, 2016 9:45 am Naslov poruke:

Pa pročitao sam ga još u OŠ. Zato i pišem.
Naši su P-38 sakrili kotač u Somboru da ga Sovjeti (a ne Amerikanci) nisu mogli odletjeti na istok. Naime Sovjeti, a ne Amerikanci, su imali svoje vojne i druge postrojbe na teritoriju tadašnje Jugoslavije.

A od Amerikanaca je P-38 primjetio samo neki njihov predstavnik dok je sljetao u Beogradu na preletu iz Sombora.

Josip
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Live and let die

Grunf · Administrator

Poanta je da su ga htjeli i Sovjeti, ali i Amerikanci da im se vrati natrag, tako da kolega koji je navodio podatke nije naveo ništa netočno, nego nije naveo cijelu priču. Wink

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Group build - Metal finish battle

JŽ · Upisano: Uto Lip 21, 2016 7:03 pm Naslov poruke:

To sa kotacem je bilo u vezi sa Sovjetima I tocka!

Inace nadimak 15. Zracne sile (ne armije) bio je "Thunder from the South".
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Live and let die