The Last Eruption of Vesuvius Destroyed Eighty American B-25 Bombers Parked at the Foot of the Mountain
Vesuvius erupted between 17 and 23 March 1944, while Allied forces were operating from a temporary airbase at Pompeii Airfield approximately 8 km from the volcano. The eruption's ashfall destroyed approximately 80 American B-25 medium bombers parked at the field — the largest single-event loss of American aircraft to a non-combat cause in the European theatre.
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