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The [[United States Army Air Forces]] first dropped bombs on Romania on 12 June 1942, one week after the declaration of war, during the Halverson project (HALPRO) raid against Ploiești – the first U.S. mission against a European target. Thirteen [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberator]] heavy bombers under the command of Colonel [[Harry A. Halverson]] from [[RAF Fayid]], Egypt, dropped eight bombs into the [[Black Sea]], two onto [[Constanța]], six onto Ploiești, six onto [[Teișani]], and several onto [[Ciofliceni]]. In all, three people were killed and damage was minor. Halverson would be awarded the Silver Star for leading the Ploesti raid.<ref>John Sweetman, Ploesti: oil strike, New York, Ballantine, 1974</ref>
To make matters worse, the German [[Afrika Korps]] under General [[Erwin Rommel]] was poised to attack Allied forces in Egypt. HALPRO was quickly diverted from its original mission to a new one: interdictory raids from airfields in Egypt against shipping and North African ports supporting Axis operations as part of '''United States Middle East Air Forces (USMEAF)''' on 20 June 1942, a quickly assembled organization based in [[Cairo]]. The Halverson Project was dissolved and the organization was renamed the '''1st Provisional Bombardment Group'''. Halvorsen returned to the U.S. in August.<ref>St. Petersburg Times, 17 Dec 1942, page 18</ref>
As early as 7 September, [[United States Air Forces Central Command|Ninth Air Force]] commander Maj. Gen. [[Lewis H. Brereton]] sought to have the 1st Provisional Bomb Group assigned a tactical designation and number, and a formal [[table of organization and equipment]] to make it a permanent organization. At the same time, the U.S. and British had reached an understanding with the Soviets about establishing an Anglo-American air force in the [[Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic|Transcaucasus]] to protect its flank in the Middle East. The American contribution was to be one troop carrier group and one "highly mobile" heavy bomber group. Gen. [[George C. Marshall]] on 11 October ordered Brereton to create the '''376th Bombardment Group''', composed of a headquarters squadron and four tactical squadrons, the [[512th Rescue Squadron|512th]], [[513th Electronic Warfare Squadron|513th]], [[514th Flight Test Squadron|514th]] and [[515th Bombardment Squadron]]s, intended for the Transcaucasus assignment. The group was constituted on 19 October and activated at midnight 31 October from personnel and equipment of the 1st Provisional Group. The first commander was Col. George F. McGuire, who took charge of the provisional group when Halverson returned to the United States in August 1942. After several weeks, the Soviets declared that they wanted only the aircraft and not British or American crews. None could be spared and the Anglo-American air force proposal was cancelled.
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