Danube Mining

[Peter Kassak]

HI Folks,

I am looking for anyone who can help with data on crews, planes, and photos related to mining of Danube river in 1944 by 205 Group RAF.
Thanks for any help

[Dénes Bernád]

There is a book detailing the activity of 205 Group, titled: THROUGH DARKNESS TO LIGHT by Patrick MacDonald. Are you familiar with this publication? Those night mining missions are most probably detailed in it.

[Peter Kassak]

Hi Denes,

Nope, I am not familiar with it...Will try to look for it...THX
However it has subtitle: The Night-bomber Offensive Against Romanian Oil 1944
And the mining was also in Hungarian area and partly Slovakia...
Can someone check what is about my topic in the book?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Peter,
I am also very interested on those missions. Have tried to find something but so far nothing emerged from my very limited researches.
Hope you will be more sucessfull.
Yours
Adriano

[kaki3152]

As far as I can tell, there is very little on the RAF 205 Group who operated Wellingtons/Halifaxes and Liberators in the Med-Southern Europe.

There is the afore mentioned book "Through Darkness to Light" which dcouments the losses of the 205 GP against the Ploesti oil fileds,
There were some articles in the old Airfix magazine in the 70s which summarized the activities by squadron. Finally, there is a soft cover book about a Wellington pilot titled "Its Dicey Flying Wimpy Around Italian Skies" by Maurice Lihou. It has a summary of all 205 Group operations in the back which is pretty useful. The title is "Bombing, Mining and Supply operations carried out by 205 Group February 1944-May 1945".

That's pretty much I all I can think of. Definitively a subject that warrants a book!

[stefaan]

Hi.
There is a book 'The Men who went to Warsaw' that describes those missions.
Written by Simon Isemonger.(Spelling) and available in S Africa.
Google Aviation shop in S Africa, they have it in stock.You can order online.
It only deals with the SAAF Sqdn's that took part ie 31 and 34.
Stefaan Bouwer

[Peter Kassak]

Stefaan: I know the book. Has it. One plane of the SAAF crashed during such a mission in Slovakia. However it is limited to SAAF, and does not cover others...

Kaki3152: "Its Dicey Flying Wimpy Around Italian Skies" sounds good. Is it possible to think of scans of the final table of missions you mentioned?

Adriano: Thanks. I will try. I managed to get all ORBs for the missions. started to focus on each squadron that suffered loss. Much on take off and landings, not much operational. Will stay in touch.

I do work with Intops summaries, which gives at least nice overall data. But what I miss are crew photos that were involved, first hand accounts and other particular info. Will try and inform you. Hope it will end as some 100 page booklet at least

Thanks and regards

[Dénes Bernád]

There is also another book that looks interesting, written by Maurice G. Lihou: Out of the Italian Night - Wellington Bomber Operations, 1944-45.
http://www.keenzo.com/showproduct.asp?id=2152680

[Leendert]

Peter,

There's a story here: http://www.rafb24.com/index.php?opti...-raf&Itemid=58

Regards,

Leendert

[Peter Kassak]

Thanks

checked this one already...just a drop in ocean
Hope to collect more...

Br