2 July
Another nite raid on Shimonoseki. Easy mission, going in
at 15,000’. Again had trouble with #2 engine and again
had to land at Iwo to get an oil leak fixed.
Took off from Iwo about 1200 and arrived Guam 1520
Total flying time was 16 hrs 25 min
4 July
Completed another nite raid on city of Tokushima on Shikokbu,
very little opposition. Came straight back getting here
about 0920. One of our shortest missions 14 hrs 20 min.
Had a big 4th of July celebration in our thatched roof officers
club which we had almost completed in our spare time.
7 July
Took off about 2000 for nite fire raid on Kofu. Not much
excitement.
Flying time 14 hrs 14 min
10 July
Another nite fire raid on Gifu. “The Lancer”
was out commission and we flew Payne’s airplane (Crew
44). In releasing our bombs that nite, some of them hung
up and bent up the front bombbay doors. We couldn’t
close them until over the Pacific & drop down to about
10,000 ft and depressurized. I then went put in the from
bombay and managed to get them closed with the emergency
system.
On that mission we saw 3 fighters and were in searchlites
for a while but no fighter attacks and very little flak.
Flying time 14 hrs 45 min
29 July
We weren’t scheduled for a mission from July 10 to
29th. On this nite we started on one but lost an engine
a short way from Guam and had to return.
Flying time was 2 hrs & 55 min
2 Aug
Finally got in our 20th mission. A nite raid on Mito. Very
little opposition and everything went well.
Flying time 14 hrs 35 min
7 Aug
1 sqdn of 12-13 B-29’s from the 39th Bomb Group bombed
munitions plant at Toyakawa. It was a daylite mission and
about 125 superforts hit and from all indications was an
excellent mission. Weather was clear over the target &
our bombs looked good.
Flak was meager but very accurate. We got 3 flak holes
and most of the sqdn for a few. No Jap fighters were seen
and we had P-51 escort from Iwo.
It was on the return trip from this mission when we heard
over the radio that the first atomic bomb had been dropped
on Hiroshima. At first we thought it was some more Jap propaganda
but when we landed on Guam we weren’t long in finding
that the whole thing island knew and was the celebrating
had clearly begun. A great time was had by all that nite.
9 Aug
To our disappointment we were scheduled for another daytime
mission near Tokyo. We lost another engine shortly after
take off. Salvoed our bombs returned to base.
We had been on orders to go on rest leave for several days
and we left the next day for Honolulu. |
