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the dcfcuckrs could not get 1lI supplies of the ncccssary
chcnuc.rlx.
Another dctcnvivc fcuturc at l'locsti \I'as the coustruct iou
of hugc blast \I'alls-rcquiriug cnollgh brick to bu.ld a
sizeable modern town-s-arouud cvcry single iustall.it iou at
each refinery, r" oth ing qui tc 1ike tlu-m had ever been seen,
Some were six feet thick at the bottom and tapered upward
to a height of 20 feet, \I here thcv were 111'0 feet wide. I':n'n
a series of three pU1llpS had a complete squarc of blast \I'alls
around it, and from the air the whole arrnngcmcnt had the
weird, dazzle-painted appearancc of a gigantic, ouc-storv,
mul ti-roomcd, roofless h ousc.
There were three Lngc-scale raids in the month of ~Ll\',
at the end of whicl: the Stc.iua Rom.m.t rcfincn'--thirdmost
productive-c-had been definitely knocked out, 'and the overall
output at Plocsti had been trimmed down to 317,000
tons monthlv.
[unc brought another three attacks and an innovation in
the l Sth Air Force's tactics, On the l Oth , P-3Ss made a
10w-le\TI bombing-strafing run on Rom.m.r Amcr icaua Rcfincrv,
They dropped between 40 and 50 bombs wcigh ing
500 pounds each and set fire to the Crutvcll crude oil distillery
plant, \\'hen they left, 10 oil storage tanks were
hlazing and the mechanical work shops were almost COlllplctcly
dcmolished.
Five stabs in [ulv caused important material damage to
the Rom.rna Amcr icn na and Concordia refineries. Storage
faeil itics of the Unirca Rcfincrv were scvcrclv rocked, and
the giant Astra Rmnnuu plant \\';IS once again subjected to an
aerial pummeling,
In August, up to the time of thc capture of the Plocsti
fields by the Soviet Army, several hcuvv strikes \\'CTe carried
out byfl«: I Sth Air I'o'rce with one ilight hombiug foray
by RAI' \Vcllingtons and Hulifuxcs. In addition, there was
a straight fighter sweep by p.51s and p.38s on August 6,
By the end of the last mission, the cupacitv of the main
Romanian refineries \\'as reduced from its rated 700,000 tom
of erudc output per month to a mere 77,00') t()m~a drop of
90 percent. No wonder, then, that the followiru; rccorn-
Thick blast walls 20 feet hiah were reduced to rubble at the
Xenia rcfincrv. Oil t.mk , sheltered bv walls. was complcu-lv C'oll:lp'ecl.
36
mcud.rtious appeared m the \llthcira\\al orders issued by the
command of the Nazi 26th Panzer Divixiou in Italy:
"Armored units which arc not completely ready for action
and those which cannot be taken along on account of the
iucl position must be blown up, Connunudcrs will have to
decide which motor transport will have to be taken along
and which left behind, basing their decision on the fuel
positiou . , ." l':loquent tcxtimony to the leak which air
PO\lU- had punched in the German gas tank.
On the less cloudy side of the enemy's ledger with respect
to his "fuel position" arc several important considerations.
I'irst is the bet that the word "dcstrov" must be
used cautiously when applied to the oil incluxtrv. A refinery
is a vulncrublc mcch.iuixm, it is true, but it can be repaired
if spare parts arc rcad ilv avu il.iblc. A plant m.iv be struck
with the greatest possible aecuL1ey, with the right number,
tvpc a nd size of born bs. ~ lost of the surface structure may
he dcmolishccl, most of the mach incry smashed. But the
foundations will prob.iblv be left standing. the bulk of
undcrground pipes and other works will be little harmed,
and some of the mar-hines wi] l no doubt be available for
repair or sal\';lgc. Hitler's men are well aware of this, and in
Jnne a spcci« 1 conun issioncr was a ppoi n ted to d ircct such
rcnovat ion activities. IIc \\'as gin'n preference for labor and
material even over ann.uucnt m.mnf.icturcrs, and the result
has been the creation of a well trained corps of skilled workmen
who arc specialists in just this type of emergency work.
}.lorcovcr, extr;I\'agant pains have been taken to have spare
parts within reach, Just as in the Reich substitute bridges
arc read:' to replace existing Sp;1I1Swhich the Nazis think
may he demolished, so extra machinery and huilding materials
have heen deposited in the vicinitv of many essential
oil plants. By this means, it is possible for a refinery to be
in production again remarkably soon after it has been saturated
with hom bs.
The speed of German restoration is hest illustrated hy
recent figures, Whereas, in September it was known that oil
capacity had fallen to its [ow point of approximately 2)
percent of the pre-attack level, the belief among experts was
Five successive attacks in [ulv, J