Cseh Valentin szerk.: „70 éve alakult a MAORT” – tanulmányok egy bányavállalat történetéből (2009)

Valentin Cseh: Allied Air-strikes against MAORT's Facilities in 1944

Valentin Cseh Musen/// of the Hungarian Petroleum Industry Allied Air-strikes against MAORT's Facilities in 1944 The Soviet victory in Stalingrad of 1943 and the allied attack against Italy resulted in a drastic turn in how the world war progressed. The Allies took over military initiative from Germany thanks to their military successes. Although allied leaders had already glanced the possibility of victory, but numerous battles still needed to be fought in order to achieve it. The extension of strategic air strikes to German's allies - including Hungary - was one among these. The occupation of Southern Italy by Anglo-American forces simplified the achievement of the goal, since this made it possible for the allied air-force's units stationed in North Africa to transfer their headquarters to newly constructed southern Italian air bases, from which the operadonal radius'

48 of their heavy bombers easily reached Central Europe, together with Hungary, as well as the Balkans. The threat that Hungary could expect was indicated by the US 9th Army Air force's attacks on the six Romanian crude oil refineries in Ploiesti and the one in Câmpina, launched from Benghazi in Lybia. British and American military commanders already had the plans for a potendal air-strike against Hungary as early as the autumn of 1942, but they decided against it at the dme. The Office of Strategic Services'

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, however, started Hungary's airborne reconnaissance from September 1943 with the help of Mosquito aeroplanes from the Royal Air Force,'""

1 moreover hostile flyovers

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''' also became regular above Sopron, Vas, and Zala Crown Counties parallel with this. It was aeroplane manufacturing that initially "enjoyed" priority, and it is owing to this that no more than 1.1% of all air-strikes were directed against the oil industry until May 1944. The Allies revised their previously standing opinion in February 1944, and started to think that destroying the Axis powers' oil industry could well expedite the success of operadon OVERLORD, and they developed a plan code-named Pointblank

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12 for this reason. From April 1944, attacks against the oil industry- took priority. The US 15th Army Air Force (AAF) ,J- The operational radius of the Boeing B-17 hiving fortress was 2960 km, its service altitude: 11400 m, its maximum pavloatl 7

850 kg in case of short ranges. The aeroplane - duly named a flying fortress - had a crew of 10, and 13 machine guns. Its highest speed was 480 km/h at 9150 metres. The operational radius of the other American heavy bomber, the Consolidated B-24 liberator was 3360 km, its maximum speed was 480 km/h at 9150 metres, its cruising altitude 8550 m, its short-range bomb pavload came top 5450 kg, and average pavload to 2275 kg. This plane had a crew of 12, and 10 12.7mm calibre machine guns. SZTOLJALOVSZKV 1999 71-72. '

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'' OSS - Office of Strategic Services. 150 The missions were carried out flying from Egypt towards Great Britain; aeroplanes also took off from bases in ltalv later on, after Southern Italy was occupied. "' The first such fly-over happened on August 1.3,1943; on that day, planes from the American 201st Temporary Bomber Regiment carried out a strike against the Messerschmitt Works in Bécsújhely (Wiener Neustadt) as part of operádon "|uggler". Air-raid alarms were ordered in Zala, Somogy, Vas, Veszprém, Sopron and Mosón Crown Counties. It is interesting to note that this was the first air-raid warning in Hungary, which was ordered by the 15th District Air Defence Centre - quartered at the Golden Sheep 1 lote! in Zalaegerszeg - at 13.30 hours on August 13, 194.3, on orders from the National Air Defence Centre. VKRF.SS D. 1981. 151., PATAKY- ROZSOS-SÁRHIDAI I. 199290. 152 Western Allies adopted operation Combined Bomber Offensive (('BO), code-named Pointblank's plans at the Tehran Conference held in 1943. According to it, the Allies were to gradually extend their bombing campaign to Germany's allies as well, thus to Hungary among them. PATAKY 1997