The Bombing of Balikpapan

The 22nd Bomb Group bombs Balikpapan during WWII

On October 10, 1944, 18 Red Raiders B-24s loosed 45 tons of high explosives on installations at Balikpapan’s Edeleanu Plant and paraffin refinery. Explosions and fires created vast columns of smoke and in a matter of minutes the entire area was blanketed in a pall of smoke, interspersed with the bright flashes of exploding bombs. Oil storage tanks fueled a continuing blaze that could be seen by the departing B-24s until the smoke disappeared beneath the horizon.

This photo can be found on page 319 of Revenge of the Red Raiders.