Measured against all other bombing missions flown in WW II, prior to Aug. 6, the most devastating were the two largest low level “firestorm” missions over Tokyo on the nights of May 24 and 26 in which 15 square miles of the city were completely destroyed. On May 30, 1945 Lt. Charles Scholsser wrote a letter to his wife about this mission
Read about why the Japanese feared the 6th Bomb Group. Read an original account from Sergeant Virgil Morgan, B-29 Engineer assigned to the 6th Bomb Group based on Tinian Island in the Marianas during the Pacific War. He flew 19 long range combat missions over Japan.
The 6th Bomb group has just added an important article to it’s LESSONS OF WAR category. It is the entire text of a Report entitled, “United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report, an Official U.S. Government Pacific War Document.” This is a concise and extremely accurate overview of what happened and why.
Lessons of War: The Home Front Was Critical To Winning WWII. Written by Edgar L. Vincent, B-29 Aircraft Commander. "World War II veterans are happy to believe that the war was won on the battle front. I disagree"
Ralph C. Wilson was the aircraft commander of the Wilson Crew (Crew #4007) of the 40th Bomb Squadron, who flew the Superfortress “White Mistress,” The path to becoming a B-29 pilot was challenging especially when your instructor falls 4,000 feet out of the airplane. Read more about this fascinating account.
The B-29 bomber had just redefined warfare in its unique capability to strike a crippling military blow to an enemy by carrying heavier bomb loads over significantly greater distances. What transpired was a stunt. The standard B-29 was incapable of flying non-stop, 27.5 hours to Washington DC. Yet, four B-29s on November 1, 1945 did so.
The Superfortress B-29 Story. Twenty years ago this fall the first B-29s, operating from the newly captured Marianas, struck the Japanese home islands. It was the first blow in an aerial campaign that, in the next nine months, was to reduce Japan’s war industry to rubble and so lower the morale of the Japanese people that, many say, the war in the Pacific could shortly have been ended without either atomic bombs or the scheduled land invasion.
“A DAY OF INFAMY” is a phrase that resonates in America even today. On the first day, December 7, 1941 (December 8 on the other side of the International dateline) Asian targets were attacked, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a great success; much of the Pacific fleet was in ruins. On Dec 8, 1941, FDR presented the case for war in his address to Congress and the American people saying “a state of war has existed with Japan.” The United States declared war on Japan.
My first mission. We took off at 2 a.m. in the morning. Our assembly point was just off the coast of Japan. Target was the city of Osaka. Arrived as the assembly point about 9 a.m. but the weather was very soupy. Flew around in the soup awhile until we got orders to proceed in over the target alone. We flew into the soup for a half hour. Dropped our bombs by radar & proceeded back. Right after leaving target, we began to pick up ice.
Regarding Khaki vs. Blue: During WWII, the Air Force was still part of the Army (USAAF). The Air Force did not become an independent branch until 1947. However, khaki was not the only color worn by the Army. Enlisted men wore khaki, while officers wore olive drab jackets and khaki pants ("pinks and greens").
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