Western Allied Campaign in Romania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Western Allied Campaign in Romania
Part of World War II
A B-24 Liberator called "Sandman" during a bomb run over the Ploiești Astra Romana refinery during Operation Tidal Wave
Date December 1941 (war declarations)/ 12 June 1942 - 19 August 1944 Location Romania (Bucharest, Ploiești, Constanța) Result Allied strategic failure
Belligerents
United States  British Empire	Romania Support:  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Franklin Roosevelt Winston Churchill	Ion Antonescu Gheorghe Jienescu
Casualties and losses
325 aircraft destroyed (259 by Romanian forces) 32 tanks leased to the Red Army captured 1,706 killed 1,123 captured	80 Romanian aircraft 7,693 civilians killed

The Western Allied Campaign in Romania was a series of events during World War II. It involved war declarations and air attacks by eight Western Allied countries against Romania. At the same time, Romania was mostly fighting on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.

Countries Declare War

Romania declared war on the British Empire on December 6, 1941. Six days later, on December 12, Romania also declared war on the United States. The British quickly declared war back on Romania that same month. However, the Americans waited until the summer of 1942 to do so.

Two countries allied with the United States, Nicaragua and Haiti, also declared war on Romania in December 1941. Romania declared war back on them right away. Four countries allied with Britain also declared war on Romania:

• Canada (December 7)
• New Zealand (December 7)
• Australia (December 8)
• South Africa (December 9)

Romania never declared war back on these four countries. This was probably because Romanian leaders saw them as part of the British Empire.

Air Attacks Begin

The United States declared war on Romania on June 5, 1942. The first attack on Romanian land happened just a week later, on June 12. Ten B-24 Liberator planes from the United States Army Air Forces attacked oil refineries in Ploiești. Two planes attacked other targets, and one attacked the port of Constanța. Not much damage was done, and none of the 13 planes were lost.

Operation Tidal Wave

The second major American attack happened over a year later, on August 1, 1943. This mission was called Operation Tidal Wave. It was a very large air raid on the oil refineries in Ploiești, Romania. A total of 178 B-24 Liberators flew without fighter planes to protect them.

During this raid, more than 50 American bombers were shot down. German and Romanian forces defended the area. The Royal Romanian Air Force said they shot down 20 American planes. They only lost two of their own fighter planes.

Later Bombing Campaigns

After these two separate attacks, a more organized bombing campaign started. It lasted from April 4 to August 19, 1944. This time, planes from the United States were joined by the Royal Air Force from the United Kingdom.

The campaign ended on August 19, 1944. It was not successful for the Allies. Their main goal was to stop oil production in Ploiești, but they did not achieve it.

Over about a year, from Operation Tidal Wave until the end of the 1944 campaign, Romanian forces shot down many Allied planes. The Royal Romanian Air Force, with help from Romanian anti-aircraft guns, shot down 259 Allied aircraft. This included 223 bombers and 36 fighter planes. German forces, who were allies with Romania, shot down another 66 Allied planes.

In total, the Allies lost 1,706 soldiers who were killed. Another 1,123 Allied soldiers were captured. Romania lost far fewer aircraft, with 80 fighter planes shot down. We don't know how many Romanian airmen died. However, one famous Romanian pilot, Alexandru Șerbănescu, was killed on August 18. He was Romania's second-best flying ace, with 47 enemy planes shot down.

Sadly, 7,693 Romanian civilians were also killed during these bombings. On April 4, 1944, when the campaign began, 2,673 civilians died when the Americans bombed Bucharest.