pbA new study of one of the most famous, costly, and strategically vital air operations of World War II, the United States' great airstrike against Nazi Germany's oil refineries.bppOperation iTidal Wavei was one of the boldest and most controversial air raids by the United States Army Air Forces USAAF. At the time, the Romanian Ploesti oil fields produced about a third of all Axis oil, and was Germany's single most important fuel source. In the summer of 1943, the USAAF decided to stage a major raid on Ploesti from air bases in Libya. The resulting Operation iTidal Wavei raid on 1 August 1943 was one of the costliest to date, losing 53 aircraft, about a third of the starting force. Of the more than 150 bombers that took part in the raid, only 88 B-24s returned to Libya, 55 of which were damaged. On the other hand, of the 17 Medals of Honor awarded to US soldiers and airmen from Pearl Harbor in 1941 to D-Day in 1944, 5 were awarded to pilots of the iTidal Wavei mission in recognition of