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THE PIRATES LOG PART III – Chronology of Missions

Mission Status Board in Briefing Hall - charts formations, Crews for last raid 14 Aug

Mission Status Board in Briefing Hall – charts formations & crews for last raid 14 Aug

CHRONOLOGY OF MISSIONS – 1 February 1945 to 15 August 1945

Hiroshima - 6th BG Mining Missions

Hiroshima – 6th BG Mining Missions

No.DATETARGETACFTREMARKS
1.3 FebFighter Escort to Iwo Jima4First Navigation Mission
28 FebTruk, Moen Island Airfield30 Daylight Precision
3.11 FebRadar Search Mission No. 18 Japanese Ship Search for Navy
4.12 FebRadar Search Mission No. 28Lost Lt Casaurang’s Crew
5.14 FebRadar Search Mission No. 35
6.18 FebTruk, Moen Island Airfield19 Daylight Precision
7.19 FebTokyo Urban Area3 Planes with 504th
8.25 FebTokyo Urban Area21 Incendiary-First Group Strike
9.4 MarTokyo Urban Area20Daylight Incendiary
 MARCH BLITZ
109 MarTokyo Urban Area32 Night Incendiary
11.11 MarNagoya Urban Area32 Night Incendiary
12. 13 MarOsaka Urban Area30Night Incendiary
1316 MarKobe Urban Area33Night Incendiary
14.18 MarNagoya Urban Area32 Night Incendiary
15.24 MarNagoya Urban Area18 Night Incendiary
FIRST MINING MISSION
16.27 MarShimonoseki Straits-Mining29Lost Lt Steel, Lt Grounds’
and crews
17.30 MarCure Harbor Area23Night Mining
18.1 AprilSuper-Dumbo Mission3Air Sea Rescue
19.3 AprNakajima A/C Eng Co, Ota-Koizumi19  Night Precision
20.7 AprNagoya Mitsubishi A/C Co30 Night Precision
21.8 AprKanoya East Airfield, Kyushu10Capt Preston Crash
22. 9 AprShimonoseki Straits10Mining
23.12 AprHodojoma Chern Co., Koriyama20Daylight Precision 
24.13 AprTokyo Arsenal Area29Night Incendiary
25.15 AprKawasaki Urban Area24Night Incendiary
TACTICAL SUPPORT OF 10th ARMY
26.17 AprKanoya East Airfield10Tactical Raid on Kyushu
27.18 AprKushira Airfield10Southern Kyushu
28.21 AprKanoya East Airfield22Tactical Support
29.22 AprKanoya East Airfield16Tactical Support
30.24 AprHitachi A/C Co, Tokyo12Daylight Precision
31.26 AprMatsuyama West Airfield18Tactical Support
32.37 AprMiyakonajo Airfield6
33.28 AprMiyakonajo Airfield18Night Incendiary
34.15 AprTachikawa Arsenal, West of Tokyo7Daylight Precision
35.3 MayInland Sea Harbors32Mining
36.5 MayKure Harbor Area24Mining
37.7 MayKanoya, Ibuski Airfields20Tactical Support
38.10 MayUsa Airfield22Daylight Precision
39.11 MayNittigahara Airfield11GP Bombs by Radar
40.14 MayNagoya Urban Area31Night Incendiary
41.16 MayNagoya Urban Area33Night Incendiary
42.19 MayTachikawa Arsenal30Precision by Radar
43.23 MayTokyo Urban Area-Incendiary33Lost Lt Boynton, Lt Snyder, Lt Anderson’s crews
44.25 MayLost Lt Fox’s crew24
45.29 MayYokohoma Urban Area25Incendiary
46.1 JuneOsaka Urban Area27Daylight Incendiary
47.5 JuneKobe Harbor Area29Daylight Incendiary
48.7 JuneOsaka Urban Area27Incendiary by Radar
SECONDARY INDUSTRIAL CITIES
49.9 JuneKawasaki A/ C Co, Akashi26Precision by Radar
50.15 JuneAmagasaki35Incendiary by Radar
51.18 JuneYokkaichi30Night Incendiary
52.19 JuneShimonoseki Straits2Radar Search
53.20 JuneFukuoka29Night Incendiary
54.22 JuneKawasaki A/C Co, Akashi29Daylight Precision
55.26 JuneKawasaki A/C Co, Akashi38Daylight Precision
56.28 JuneMoji  Urban Area30Night Incendiary
57.1 JulyUbe Urban Area35Night Incendiary
58.3 JulyHimeji Urban Area35Night Incendiary
59.5 JulyMarcus Island3Precision
60.6 JulyShimizu36Night Incendiary
MINING MISSIONS RESUMED
61.9 JulyShimonoseki Straits-Mining24Lost Capt Schmid’s crew with Lt Col Dixon
62.11 JulyMining Rashin, Fusan in Korea27Longest Mission of the War
63.13 JulyMining Inland Sea Harbors31
64.15 JulyMining Japan Sea27
65.17 JulyMining28
66.19 JulyMining Inland Sea Harbors29Lost Capt Jordan’s crew
67.22 JulyMining26Last Mining Mission
FINAL PHASE
68.26 JulyTokuyama Urban Area36Night Incendiary
69.28 JulyMarcus Island4Daylight Precision
70.28 JulyUji-Yamada Urban Area30Night Incendiary
71.1 AugNagaoka Urban Area45Army Air Force Day
72.5 AugMaebashi Urban Area26Night Incendiary
73.7 AugToyokawa Naval Arsenal1291% Within 1,000 ft.
74.8 AugYamata Steel Works29Night Incendiary
75.14 AugMarifu Railroad Yards-lwakuni41Last Mission of the War
(Number of aircraft is number of airborne minus aerial aborts)

ONE PAGE HISTORY

6th Bomb Group B-29 Mission

1944
1 April-Group Reactivated.
23 May-Move to Grand Island.
3 June-First B-29 Arrives.
17 June-Col Gibson Assumes Command.
1 July-Extensive Flight Training Begins
31 July-Gen Arnold Visits Group.
3 Aug-Bivouac.
10 Sept-Colors Presentation.
15 Septr-Motion Picture Unit Arrives.
20 Sept-Organization Day Picnic.
7 Octr-Capt Richards’ Crash.
17 Octr-George Jesse! Show.
6 Nov-Flying Circus Arrives.
18 Nov-Ground Echelon Leaves GlAAB.
29 Nov-Ground Echelon Leaves Seattle.
8 Dec-Sea Marlin Docks in Oahu.
24 Dec-Planes Return from Borinquen.
28 Dec-Sea Marlin Reaches Tinian.
1945
2 Jan-Combat Crews Clear GlAAB.
9 Jan-Air Echelon Leaves Grand Island.
18 Jan-First Sixth Planes Land.
18 Jan-ATC Echelon Arrives.
30 Jan-Maug Island Training Mission.
2 Feb- Navigational Escort to Iwo Jima.
8 Feb-Truk Mission. First Flak.
12 Feb-Radar Search-Lost Lt Casaurang.
19 Feb-Four Planes over Tokyo.
25 Feb-First Group Empire Mission.
3 Mar-Key Personnel Changes.
9 Mar-First Blitz Mission to Tokyo.
11 Mar-Nagoya Incendiary.
12 Mar-Suicide Attack Rumors.
13 Mar-Osaka Fire Raid.
16 Mar-Kobe Urban Area Burned.
17 Mar-Iwo Jima Ours.
17 Mar-Sixth Gets Its First Jap Plane.
18 Mar-Nagoya Raided Again.
20 Mar-The Blitz Over-A Holiday.
27 Mar-First Mining Mission

2 April-Okinawa Invasion.
7 April-Capt Preston Crash.
13 April-President Roosevelt’s Death.
15 April-Kawasaki Urban Area Hilt.
17 April-Tactical Raids on Kyushu Begin.
26 April-Back to Kanoya A/ F Raids.
3 May-Mine Inland Sea Again.
9 May-V-E Day in Europe Announced.
10 May-Usa Airfield Bombed.
14 May-Nagoya Hit with Incendiaries.
23 May-Tokyo Incendiary-Heavy Losses.
24 May-Lost Boynton, Snyder, Anderson.
25 May-Tokyo Again-Roughest Mission.
26 May-Lost Lt Fox. Clay Bail Out At Iwo.
1 June-Osaka Fires Rekindled.
9 June-Secondary City Fire Raids Begin.
18 June-Yokkaichi Burned Out.
22 June-Kawasaki at Akashi Strike.
28 June-Moji Urban Area Fired.
1 July-Incendiary Mission to Ube.
3 July-Officers’ Club Opening.
9 July-Mining Missions Start Again.
9 July-Lt Col Dixon. Capt Schmid Lost.
11 July-Longest Mission of War.
19 July-Capt Jordon’s Plane Goes Down.
28 July-Incendiary Mission to Uji-Yamada.
1 Aug-AAF Day Raid to Nagaoka.
6 Aug-Hiroshima Atomized.
8 Aug-Yawata Daylight Raid.
9 Aug-Atom Bomb Hits Nagasaki.
9 Aug-Russia Enters War.
14 Aug-Last Mission to Marifu Rail Yards.
15 Aug–Japs Surrender.
28 ·Aug-Col Gibson Leaves Group.
31 Aug-Lt Col Tucker Assumes Command.
2 Sept-V -J Day.
12 Oct-Rescue Search Missions.
15 Dec-Sixth Echelon Leaves.
1946
15 Jan-Seventh Echelon Leaves.
28 Jan-First Planes to Clark Field, P.I.

POST-WAR DAYS

In the early days of the post-war era the Sixth remained on Tinian as a part of the 313th Wing. Training and so called “snooper” missions to Japan were the only flying activities. The Group Commander was Lt Col T. W. Tucker; the Deputy Commander, Lt Col Jack E. Cunningham. Other key positions underwent many personnel changes as officers and men were returned to the U.S. under the point system. With the addition of months of service as a rotation factor in December, greater numbers were eligible to go home. Many combat crews flew their ships home on the various Sunset Projects. In January 1946, the Wing, including the Sixth, was ordered to Clark Field on Luzon in the Philippines to become a part of the 13th Air Force. The first airplanes moving to Clark Field took off on 28 January. Others followed in the next few weeks. The ground echelon was scheduled to move late in February.

EDITORS NOTE | The story of the Pirate’s Log is included in the Bill Webster Photos video on our website:  VIEW VIDEO

TO PURCHASE THE PIRATES LOG | The 6th Bomb Group Association offers high quality lithographic prints (using the original negatives, shortly after its formation in 1984) of the Pirate’s Log for $30 per copy.