Mission
#11
June 22, 1945: Day raid, Mitsubishi aircraft at Tamashima,
23 - 500# G.P. M-64 bombs, most modern aircraft plant
in Japan destroyed.
Combat
Flying Hours: 15:10
Missions #12
July 4, 1945: Temporary duty at Iwo Jima to navigate
P-51 fighters to Tokyo area where they strafed assigned
targets or targets of opportunity; No bombs dropped.
Combat Flying Hours: 16:40
Mission #13
July 17, 1945: Night raid Hiratsuka, 40 - M17A1 incendiaries,
18,200# bomb load.
Combat Flying Hours: 14:00
Mission #14
July 20, 1945: Night Raid, Okasaki, 184 - M47A2 incendiaries,
12,880# bomb load.
Combat Flying Hours: 14:10
Mission #15
July 27, 1945: Night raid, Omuta, 20 - M17A1 500# incendiaries
and 92 - M47A2 incendiaries, 15,580# bomb load; Combat
Flying Hours: 15:40
Mission # 16
July 29, 1945: Night raid, Ogaki, 20 - E46 500# incendiaries
and 92 - M47A2 incendiaries.
Combat Flying Hours: 14:50
Practice mission
July 31, 1945: Pagan island in north Marianas, Japanese
held, formation flight by day, 10 - 500# G.P. AN M64
bombs.
Mission # 17
Aug 2, 1945: Mito, 20- E46 500# incendiaries, 92 - M47
100# incendiaries, 1 - M47 W.P. anti- personnel bomb
and 1 - M46 photo flash bomb; Combat Flying Hours: 15:45
On
this mission we had an engine fire, which we tried to
extinguish, but failed. We contacted Admiral Halsey’s
fleet, which at this time was bombarding shore installations
by day and retreating far offshore at night, and planned
to bail out with the Navy standing by. We lowered the
landing gear and opened the hatch to drop out of the
plane thru the nose wheel opening and the bomb bays.
Fortunately, the fire went out, the engine had been
feathered and we returned to Guam on 3 engines.
Mission #18
Aug 6, 1945: Night raid, Kobe area, Mikage, 39 - E46
500# incendiaries, 1 - T4E4 fragmentation cluster.
Combat Flying Hours: 15:05
We had engine trouble, aborted the mission and bombed
Shingu on withdrawal. This is the date that the A- bomb
was dropped on Hiroshima.
Mission #19
Aug 10, 1945: Day raid over Tokyo, Nakajima Aircraft
Co. and Tokyo arsenal, 4 - M66 2000# G.P. bombs, 3 -
M64 G.P. bombs, 9,870# bomb load. Note that this is
the day after the A-bomb drop over Nagasaki.
Combat
Flying Hours: 14:30
Mission #20
Aug 15, 1945: Night raid, Isesaki, 20 - E46 500# incendiaries,
92 - M47 incendiaries, 1 - M46 photo flash bomb, 14,940#
bomb load. Combat Flying Hours: 14:40
This was last scheduled combat mission of the war.
Mission #21,
Aug 31, 1945: Day flight in formation over Tokyo as
a “Show of Force” or “Display of Power”.
No bombs aboard but guns armed and loaded.
Combat Flying Hours: 16:40
Mission #22
Sept 2, 1945: VJ day;
All B-29s circled Tokyo Bay as Japan surrendered formally
on the deck of the battleship Missouri. The air was
full of Navy aircraft as well, all slowly circling in
a counter clockwise direction; it was a cloudy day.
Once again we had engine trouble and had to feather
an engine. We continued to circle in traffic, however,
until we were noticed and ordered to depart the area.
We ignored the order, in our exuberance, until 3 - F6F
hellcats came over and motioned to us to leave. This
we did reluctantly and flew home to Guam on the 3 engines,
not stopping at Iwo Jima for repair. What a great day
it was.
| Side
Note: Regarding VJ day, many people believe this
to be Aug 14,1945, the date of the explosive celebration
on New York’s Times Square after the Emperor’s
speech to the Japanese people that they would
surrender and end the war. However, the war was
not over for us, apparently the Japanese Government
needed prodding inasmuch as there were factions
in the cabinet that desired to fight on when the
Americans invaded. The emperor, to his credit,
made his decision wisely in the face of overwhelming
force. - Bernie Greene |
|
