Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

Fuel and Iulnic.mts-v-llrc lifehlood of ur.rclrinc \\:IIf:nc-
!l:I\C hccn '\',tl'nl:ilicJ!h' dLlinl'l1 t rom it, \ ciu». B]m\' bv
blow. tl«, ,Ie;lgchcllllnler~ of ,tLltegic b(lIllbillg 1I:1\C jlollncle;]
:\\1:1\' until l l it lcrs oil productior: of 111()Je th.m :1 m illiou
mct ric toIlS per month hcl' dwiudlcd to a th iu, ,llIggi'h
trickle.
Beyond the we] tcr of dcltes a 1Il1 figures th.: t ckt.i il thc
,tory of our cllnpaign to strikc oil is the ximplc fact of its
O\'er\l'hehlling iuiport.uu:c to the enl'IIl~' .md the priiuc
ncccsxi tv, from our poi 11t of view, for its dc, t ruct iou , Th i,
was rccogni/,cd c.ulv ill the \I:IL As far back as 19-f0, the
RAF went after ,p'ccifie oil t:lIgcts ill the Ruhr .uu] cbc.
where. I ImYC'\lT, it \\:IS not until the t uruim; point ill Africa
and the cuhu in.rt iou of the ,lm\' grechmlm'akia and
\\'Dtertl Pol.mel: the 1 :;th Air i'-oree \1:1, to stril«: at southern
.md southc.u.tcru CCrJIla1l\', soutlurn Pol.unl, Auvtri.r. l luug:tn',
ltulv, xout iu-rn FL'IllCC .md the import.nit Bulk.u:
cOIintries,'illc1udillg R01Il:\IIia. It \I':lS a m.r-tcr phil to clovetail
three powerful .iir .mn.id.rs ill :1 CIIIlJl:ligll :lg:1ill't ll itlcr'«
oil relillerics, 'yllthetic fucl m.muf.rc-turiut; pl.mtx .md xtorcd
lTSLT\'CS.
The cnsllillg .rir cllllp:lign \I':IS couvi-tcnt .md cffcctiv«.
Bctl\'ccn the iu iddlc of \ I.rv and Octolxr 19. the Sth m.icl«
112 axs.mll s Oil nlO1T th.m .~O inrl ividuul refineries :\IId svntlrcfic
pl.mt« in ,OIllC of the higgest d:1ylight att:lcks of the
war. In [ulv. thc 1 :;th aimed it : hOlllbs at oil t;trgcts on 1clavs
of the month. wh il« during the short S\lIIIIllLT night-.;
the RAJ' \\,:1, abo diligent. Anr] p;lcing the drive \\,:IS a
week-in. week-out dcmulit iou of storage tanks, depots. railwav
t.mkcrs .md other supplies hv all Allied air forces in
Fmope. hoth ,tr:lte~ic .md t.ictical. Thc list of iinport.mt
places hit iucludcd Ploc-.ti, Almasfuv.itn. Trvcbinia, Lolxiu,
32
Flames .md bl.rck smok« ,hoot up tr om blHllillf; oil ,tor:lf;l' tallh
.mc] iu-t.rllatious at the Nouhcun rcfiucrv situ.ucd lxt wccn Cologlle
AIR FORCE