Mission 35 - Inland Sea Harbors (May 3)

This was an aerial night mining mission involving 32 planes from the 6th Bomb Group:

The first mission in May was flown on the night of 3-4 with thrty-three planes carrying a load of 232 aerial mines in a late afternoon takeoff to Mine Field “L” just east of the Shimonoseki Straits. The field had been mined previously and this operation was for reinforcement, i.e., replacing mines swept away or exploded. Thirty-two aircraft were effective with missions results classified as good. Enemy opposition was light, and all Sixth planes returned undamaged.

[Pirate’s Log, p. 41]

20th AF Mission 183

Date:	25 May 1945
Target:	Tokyo Urban Area
Participating Units:	58th Bombardment Wing 73rd B.W. 313th B.W. 314th B.W.
Number of A/C Airborne:	498
% A/C Bombing Primary:	92.8% (464 primary and 6 opportunity)
Type of Bombs and Fuzes:
Tons of Bombs Dropped:	3362 tons
Time Over Primary:	252338K – 260213K
Altitude of Attack:	7,915ft – 22,000ft
Weather Over Target:	1/10 – 9/10
Total A/C Lost:	26
Resume of Mission:	Aircraft dropped a total of 3362 tons of incendiary bombs on the Target with excellent results. This mission and Mission No. 181 accounted for 18.6 square miles of area burned out. Twenty-eight A/C were non-effective. Enemy A/A, which was heavy and medium, moderate to intense, destroyed 3 B-29’s and combined with E/AC to down another: 2 planes were abandoned year Iwo Jima, and 20 B-29s were lost to unknown reasons. A/A damaged 89 B-29’s and combined with A/C damaged 11 more. E/A damaged 10 planes. Sixty E/A sighted made 99 attacks. Claims were 19-0-4. Average bomb load: 13,517 lbs. Average fuel reserve: 794 gallons

Mission 35 – Inland Sea Harbors (May 3)

20th AF Mission 183