Che ci stanno a fare ??? Non erano tutti basati a Poltava e Mirgorod (o Mirograd)??? Sono quelli scampati all'attacco tedesco del 21 su poltava ?
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/III/AAF-III-9.html#fn24 On 21 June 1944 the Eighth Air Force began its participation in FRANTIC with a mission that was to prove historic in more than one respect. It began well. As part of the previously described operation on that day,* a task force composed of 114 B-17's and 70 P-51's bombed the synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, south of Berlin, in perfect weather and proceeded to the Russian bases. Unknown to the Americans, a German He-177 trailed the Fortresses to Poltava. Within five hours the Russian warning system reported that a large force of German bombers and fighters was crossing the front lines, and shortly after midnight these airplanes were over Poltava. The Germans dropped great numbers of flares which illuminated the airfield and the B-17's on it. Then they deposited approximately 110 tons of bombs -- demolition, incendiary, and fragmentation -- and fairly wrecked the target area. Some of the German aircraft flew low over the airdrome, strafing it thoroughly and scattering murderous antipersonnel bombs. The enemy's blow was brilliantly successful.166 Forty-three B-17's were destroyed and twenty-six were damaged. Besides, fifteen Mustangs and miscellaneous Russian aircraft were destroyed, American ammunition dumps were fired, and 450,000 gallons of gasoline which had been brought into Russia so laboriously were ignited. Only one American was killed, but the Russians, who fought the fires heroically and refused to let the Americans endanger themselves, suffered twenty-five fatalities. And not a single German aircraft was brought down. A few months later Spaatz told Hermann Goering that this was the best attack the Luftwaffe ever made against the AAF, and the prisoner reminisced, " Those were wonderful times. "167 The Poltava disaster was not the end of the story, for the elated Germans returned on the following night to punish Mirgorod and Piryatin. They were unable to locate the latter airdrome, however, and the Americans flew their airplanes away from Mirgorod before the enemy arrived. [1] But considerable damage to bomb dumps and gasoline supplies was inflicted at Mirgorod,168 and Eastern Command was temporarily immobilized. [1] Quindi Probabilmente a Kharkov, e i tedeschi lo sapevano ! Ma se la ricognizione tedesca li aveva individuati a Kharkov il 24 giugno, dopo gli attacchi della notte del 22 a Mirgorod, perchè non proseguirono con gli strikes ? Forse perchè la notte del 24 (di giorno la Luftwaffe si asteneva dall'usare gli He-177 non scortati) se ne erano già andati ...
mistero risolto, sono i b17 del 95° group: The leaders of the task force, noting the absence of any defense of these two air fields, took action the next day to move the 13th Wing Bomb Groups. The 95th Bomb Group flew to an airfield near Kharkov, and the 390th Bomb Group went to Zaporozke. The 100th Bomb Group went to Kirovograd, south of Mirgorod. Such action was proven to be wise when that night the Germans made a bombing try at Mirgorod – but no B-17’s destroyed that night. http://www.390th.org/bulletin/winter2003-2004/russiansarecoming.htm
