Lucrarea reprezintă o sinteză apărută şi tipărită în două volume (vol. I – 2002 şi vol. II – 2004 şi) sub egida Editurii “Mica Valahie” din Bucureşti. Volumele, elaborate în temeiul unor documente descoperite în arhivele române şi străine, acoperă perioada de până la 1929 în primul volum şi perioada 1929-2005 în cel de-al doilea volum. În lucrare se relevă rolul şi locul petrolului românesc în derularea istoriei naţionale şi universale, mai ales pe parcursul conflagraţiei mondiale din 1939-1945 şi în desfăşurarea “războiului rece”. Volumul stăruie asupra perspectivelor evoluţiei problemei “aurului negru”. În anexe, se publică documente şi bibliografia completă a petrolului.

Lucrarea reprezintă o sintază apărută şi tipărită în două volume (vol. I – 2002 şi vol. II – 2004 şi) sub egida Editurii “Mica Valahie” din Bucureşti. Volumele, elaborate în temeiul unor documente descoperite în arhivele române şi străine, acoperă perioada de până la 1929 în primul volum şi perioada 1929-2005 în cel de-al doilea volum. În lucrare se relevă rolul şi locul petrolului românesc în derularea istoriei naţionale şi universale, mai ales pe parcursul conflagraţiei mondiale din 1939-1945 şi în desfăşurarea “războiului rece”. Volumul stăruie asupra perspectivelor evoluţiei problemei “aurului negru”. În anexe, se publică documente şi bibliografia completă a petrolului.

The work represents a synthesis published and printed in two volumes (the 1st volume in 2002, the second one, in 2004) under the aegis of Mica Valahie Publishing House in Bucharest. Being elaborated on the basis of some documents discovered in the Romanian and foreign archives, the two volumes cover the period up to 1929 in the first volume and the period from 1929 to 2005 in the second one. The paper reveals the role and place of Romanian oil in the evolution of the national and worldwide history, especially during the World War between 1939 and 1945 and in the development of the so-called “cold war”. The book insists upon the prospects of the specific “black gold” evolution.In the addendum there are to be found some interesting documents and the complete bibliography of oil.

The history of the European oil and gas industry reflects local as well as global political events, economic constraints and the personal endeavours of individual petroleum geoscientists as much as it does the development of technologies and the underlying geology of the region. The first commercial oil wells in Europe were drilled in Poland in 1853, Romania in 1857, Germany in 1859 and Italy in 1860. The 23 papers in this volume focus on the history and heritage of the oil and gas industry in the key European oil-producing countries from the earliest onshore drilling to its development into the modern industry that we know today. The contributors chronicle the main events and some of the major players that shaped the industry in Europe. The volume also marks several important anniversaries, including 150 years of oil exploration in Poland and Romania, the centenary of the drilling of the first oil well in the UK and 50 years of oil production from onshore Spain.

Romania was shaped in significant ways by one industry: oil. It brought the best and worst to the nation, its economy, and its people. That story started far earlier than 1857 when the first commercially refined oil was produced in Romania. This we discover in a fast-paced anecdotal account of the people who shaped that history through World Wars, peace, Communism, and after: adventurers, geologists, corrupt insiders, fire-fighters, politicians, spies, lawyers, and business personalities of the fossil fuel era.

This volume comprises a series of studies on Romanian history by Romanian and foreign historians of Romania dedicated to the memory of the distinguished Romanian historian Constantin C. Giurescu.

Operation Tidal Wave 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 Tidal Wave 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 Tidal Wave mission in recognition of their extraordinary performance. Although undoubtedly bold and heroic, the mission had questionable results. Initial assessments argued that the mission caused 40% of the refinery capacity at Ploesti to be lost but subsequent studies concluded that the damage was quickly repaired and that output had exceeded August levels within a month. This new study examines the raid in detail, exploring the reasons why its dubious success came at such a high price. Supported by maps, diagrams, and full-colour artwork including battlescenes and bird's-eye views, this is the full story of the audacious Ploesti raid of 1943.