Mission 49 – Kawasaki Aircraft Company at Akashi [1] (June 9)

This was a daylight precision bombing mission involving 26 planes from the 6th Bomb Group:

On the 9th of June the Kawasaki aircraft company at Akashi was attacked by twenty-six of the Group’s planes. Twenty-four ships bombed the cloud-obscured target by radar. Results were poor as later photos showed little damage to the target. Weather proved a greater obstacle than Jap resistance. Two planes bombed the Kochi Airfield on southern Shikoku and returned to the base.

[Pirate’s Log, p. 47]

Twenty-four B-29’s hit the Kawasaki plant at Akashi; there is 9/10 cloud cover and bombing is by radar; the village of Akashi rather than the plant is hit; two others hit targets of opportunity.