This was a daylight tactical support mission involving 10 planes from the 6th Bomb Group:
The next day, April 8, ten other planes of the Group attacked Kanoya East Airfield on the southern tip of Kyushu. This was the first of a series of missions for the purpose of neutralizing airfields from which the enemy was staging aerial attacks against naval units supporting ground forces on Okinawa. These airfields were the homes of the Kimikaze flyers.
[Pirate’s Log, pp. 35-38]
20th AF Mission 61
| Date: | 8 April 1945 |
| Code Name: | Famish #1 |
| Target: | Primary – Kanoya East A/F (primary – visual) – Target 90.38-2516 Kagoshima (primary-radar) Secondary – Kokubu A/F Target 90.38-2525 |
| Participating Units: | 313th Bombardment Wing |
| Number of A/C Airborne: | 21 |
| % A/C Bombing Primary: | 29% (6 A/C primary visual); 62% (13 A/C ” radar) |
| Type of Bombs and Fuzes: | |
| Tons of Bombs Dropped: | |
| Time Over Primary: | Kanoya East A/F – 081132K Kagoshima – 081132K-081135K |
| Altitude of Attack: | Kanoya East A/F -17010-17800 Kagoshima – 17000 – 18800 |
| Weather Over Target: | 10/10 |
| Total A/C Lost: | 1 |
| Resume of Mission: | Bombing results – total destruction to Kagoshima from missions 60 and 61 amounts to 1,260,000 square feet. One aircraft missing – crashed shortly after take off. One aircraft returned early. Enemy air opposition and AA nil. Average bomb load 9,095 lbs. Average gas reserve 1076 gallons. |
