The heroism of the crews that flew the 1 August 1943, low-level raid against Ploesti shines so brilliantly that almost everything else about the mission is remembered only dimly in comparison.

That specific mission was a tactical failure. It did not knock the Romanian refineries out of action, and it did not set German fuel availability back. It was the second of 22 missions flown by the USAAF against Ploesti, by forces ranging in size from the dozen B-24Ds of the HALPRO detachment to an armada of 761 heavies from the Fifteenth Air Force that struck it on 23 June 1944. It was hit from high-altitude flight, from one low-altitude assault, and from dive-bombing attacks by brave P-38 pilots.

In many ways, Ploesti was a typical strategic target. Its eight refineries processed about 10 million tons of fuel annually, including the high-octane aviation gasoline that helped keep the Luftwaffe airborne.

Ploesti had been specified as a strategic target in January 1942. HALPRO struck it on 11 June that year, six days after the US had formally declared war against Romania. It lay at a great distance from USAAF bases, with the Eighth AF more than 1,300 miles (2,092 km) away in England and the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) almost 1,000 miles (1,609 km) to the south. It was a well defended target; by the time of the later strikes, Ploesti was the third-best defended enemy area, ringed with anti-aircraft sites, concealed by smoke screens, and protected by German, Romanian and Bulgarian fighter units.

Five heavy bombardment groups, all equipped with the slim-winged, slab-sided Consolidated B-24, were chosen for the mission (codename Tidal Wave). The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Colonel Leon Johnson's 'Eight Balls', was a veteran Eighth AF unit. Along with the 93rd BG(H), Colonel Edward Timberlake's command that called itself 'Ted's Traveling Circus', the 44th was taken from Eighth AF strength and sent to Benghazi, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Sidra, in Libya. Timberlake was grounded by higher headquarters after planning to lead his group on the raid. Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker took over.

From NAAF came Colonel John Kane's 98th BG(H), the 'Pyramiders', and Colonel K. K. Compton's 'Liberandos', the veteran 376th BG(H). The fifth group, Colonel Jack Wood's 389th 'Sky Scorpions', had been scheduled to go to the Eighth AF and was diverted to the Ploesti raiders.