21st bomber command tactical mission report 172, ocr

8/6/2019 21st Bomber Command Tactical Mission Report 172, Ocr

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UISSION NO. 172FLOWN 11 MAY1945

COpy NO. 41

I

HEI\DQU4RTERSXXI BOMBER COMMAND

APO 114


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Fi eld order No. 74

HEh!lClu.lRTEllS:xxI BOMB!R ca,f.ViNDAPO 234TAaI'ICll.L MISSION :REPORT

Mission No. 172Torget: Kmanishi Hrcrart Plant. 90.25.1702

KOBE, JAPAN11 "'y 1945,

1'0 ble of ContontsPage...J!2.,.

'Ibctical 1rrative. . 1Annex A - Operations. 8",rt I NaVigation '!'rack Chart 9part II - Aiming points 10part III - Flight Engineering Charts. 11Pnrt IV - Radar 13part V - GUnnery. 13Part VI - Air-8ea :Rescue Chart. 15,

Anne:r: B t1eetb'r . . , 16part I - TIellther SUl!llllary. 17Part II - Chart - Forecast \,eather vs ..Obssrvcd \"leather. 19part I I I Rognostic M:1p 20part IV - Synoptic Jotlp. 21

Annez: C Communications. 22Pert I - Radar Counter Measures 23" ' r t I I - Radio 24

i.nnex D .. Intelligence. 25,Ro,.. I - Dlemy Air Opposition 26Pert I I - Enemy Antiaircraft andA i r t o ~ ~ i r Bombing. 27

Fert In - Damage Assessment. 29.mncx E - Consolidated s tat i s t i ca l sumno.ry. 33.lnnex po - >:XI Bomber COf!IrIQnd F:l. old Qrdar 43Annex G - Distribution. 47,

PI' epc.red By:A_2 SectloD.

XXI Banbar COIIInDn4


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EQ1 ! ] !

HEADQumrmsXXI BOMBER Cot.W.NDAPO 234

,SUB.TECT: Report o f Opera tions. 11 MDy 1945

: : : : ; : : : : : 1 1 1 : 1 : 1 1 1 1 1 1 1S E CR E T

: Autb. at the e.G.XXI Bomber CQllll8r1d6 July 45 J. D.&.Date Ini t ials I

::::::::::: I:: II::::: I I

6 July 1945

TO: COD'lD!lrding General, Twentieth Air Force, Washington 25. D.c.1 . m:mrIFlCATION OF MISSION:

a. Field Order Number 74. Headquarters XXI Bomber CCIllIII8.nd.dated 10 May 1945. d ire ote d th e 58th. 7)rd. ani 314th Bombardment Wingsto take part in an attac.k on the Kall'anishi Aircraf t Plant in the ~ o b earea . and the 31)th Wing to ]Il'ovide a forae to s tr ik e a t Kyushu Ai r .f ields a t opprOXim!ltely the Solll! time. This rej)CJrt wil l deal only w ithMission Numb&' 172, the st tcck on the Ka1f3.nishi A:ircratt Plant .

b. Targets Spee1!ied:( I ) PriJmry Vi sual and Radar T a r ~ e t : Ka.wanishi Aircraf tCompany. Assembly Works, Fume Plant ; located in ( the Kobe area (Target90.25-1702).(2) No s ecorda ry o r las t resor t targets were named.

2 . S'IRATIDY.AND pum OF OPERATIONS:o . Select ion of D-Dny: On the b asis of a weather forecast

tha t predicted favorable conditions for a st r ike . firm decision wasmOode to at tack on 11 May. I t was f e l t that th is attack would serve asa diversion to th e fo rce attacking the Xyushu Airfields at apJroximatelythe same time.b . Importance of ' the Target: This i s one of Kawanishi's ~ e and. smaller a ir cr af t p l lb ts . The plant recently took over production ofthe 4-engine flying boot , Etnily, fran Kawsnishi's neo.rby Naruo Plant aldin addit ion, i t produces e new twin-engine land-based p la ne. th e KOnan

63.c . Details of planning

(1) Bombing Plans:Operational:

(a) D e t ~ r m i n n t i o n of Bomb Load:1. It was decided t ha t a ir or af 't on th is missionWould corry 100 per cent 500-pound genoral_purpose bombs. fuzed .01second d e l ~ nose ond non-delay t a i l .l. . 'I'be primory buildif188 at th is QI 'Mt were oflong sJX1n, steel frame c0l18true1:1on, and were subjeet to spreading eol ..lapse. lArger aize bombs would be more effective against th is tyPe ofbuilding and were given serious considera tion. but due to t he l im it edtime between mission planning and toke-off, necessary changes or banb

rocks could not be IOOde. Therefore, the SOO-pound general.purpose bcmb

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was s el ec ted s ince i t would ollOQ 8 maxtmum tonnage of high explosives tobe released on the t a r g e t . This would resul t in 8 mUltiple number ofbomb h i t s , thereby assuring maximum d ~ g e to building contents i n addit i o n t o interrupting operations.

1. Becauso of the alight c om bu st ib il ity o f th eprimary buildings in tho target area and because at l imi tat ions o fsupply, incendiary nunitions were not employed.ll. The . O l ~ s c o n d delay nose fuzs was selectedsince i t would nllou bomb burst 6 t o 10 feet beneath the roof l e v e l ,

g h i n g llfU:1mum dC1IG3ge t o build ing contents . The non-delay t a i l fUzewas eelected in order t o give ground-level burst t o ' n e o r ~ m i s s ' banbB.

5. Aircraft were to be loaded to obtain rltIXimumtonnage of high explosives OV6r the target areo..

(b ) Bombina Dato.: (Seo Annex A. P a r r I I ; for PhotoShOlJing ":"i.lning p o i n t s ~ )

! . The mean point of impact selected wos thecenter of the plant . Inasmuch os the target 'Hould be the most praninent point in the surrounding .area. i t was f e l t toot j u s t i f i a b l e r e s u l t scould be expected if the 'I7eo.ther were as briefed.

1. The primary fD.ctors which determined theQxis of at tock on t h i s mission were a n t i a i r c r a f t , d r i f t . radar approaches,and a distinguishable i n i t i o l point . Enemy antioircraf t defenses weroso placed that an axis of at tack running from 180 t o 360 degrees wouldbe the best BuitEd. HO'l7evcr, on axis of at tack o f 360 degrees a t 20,000ft.-tot would have caused excessive d r i f t on the bomb run. The projectingpoint of land a t 34l6N-l3504E would aUem 0. run of 2J deg rees to thetargE;t .:lad would l imit the amount of d r i f t a t 20,000 feet to 15 dcgreur i g h t . This i n i t i a l point ,"ould be very &asy t o i den ti fy , and in addi_t i o n , the northern t i p of A'I7oja Shima ,"ould serve os an excellent checkpoint on th e ta rg et run. A minimUl!l. amount o f time would be spent inthe o n t i a i r c r a f t arcas (see JOr 2 'd ( 2 " using t h i s axis of at tack, andthe radar approo.ch to the ta rget tl'ould be good. The designated axis ofat tack and bombing al t i tudes for Q.ll 3 Wings '1"lere 23 degroees true and16,000 to 20.000 f e e t , r e s p ~ t i v e l y .

J. Since tho sun a t the time or at tack ..ould bea t 125 degrees, no d i f f i c u l t y was expected fran glare. The surface windwas predieted to be fre.tl 2 7 0 ~ 3 6 0 degrees and m),S expected t o blOl'l own)"the smoke in the torset area. thus o.llowine a l l SQuadrons part ic ipat ingt o ident ify the ir aiming points.

(2) 1bvigotion:(a) A ll 3 Wings \'l.r", t o use the follO'A'ing route:

B! se to Assembly ItoReassembly Ito3416N-I3,504E ( I n i t i a lto Point)

Reasons tor OhoiceTactioal DoctrinePoints ",ere selected off the CaDst in caseof rod 'I7snthr a t Iwo j i m o .This j e t of lond in Osaka Boy " au ld g iv e excel lent ch6ek point for the turn to the t a r g e t .


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Targetto3454N-1J.52JEto3446N-13550EtoBose

This route was selected in order to ovoidf lak defl1ses.This route waG selected in order to avoidf lak defenses.

(3) Flight Engineering:(aJ Designated al t i tudes and speeds. except far the

bombing run. were selected fo r JnlU.i..mUlll fuel econany and safe ty .(b) Fuel resorve dota from previous formation missions ot the plarmed al t i tudes indicated tha t the 73rd Wing (Saipan)

gould require fu l l fling and center ning tanks for a to ta l ruel loadof approximltely 6750 gallons. I t ; ;o s estilmted that the average a i r crof t of the 58th (Tinion) and 314th (Guam) Wings gould re qu ire. inaddit ion to fu l l ning and center wing t .,nks. I por t in l ly_ f i l l ed banbboy tank for a to tn l fuel load of approximately 6950 to 7.300 gallons.

(c) No mllximum or minimu:n bomb lrod was specif ied.It i i 'OS estinnted that .:tvd"oge a i rcrar t of the 56th. 73rd. and 314thWings nould be able to carry potenti.:JI lends of 12.000. 12.000. and9000 pounds respectiv&ly. An ammunition loo.d of approxim.'ltely 1500pounds per ai rcrnf t nos p lanned .

(4) ~ (0) The rndar landfall l13S to be node at vnrious

assembly points and the dist inctive coas ta l f eatu re s were expected tobe an aid f or po si ti on ing the oircrnf t by radar. A cOf!l!lon in i t i a lpoint C34l6N-13504E) was chosen since i t is a peninsula easily ident i f i ed ei ther by radar or visual means.

(b) The target i t se l f could not be sepDrat6d franthe coo st li ne a s a dis t inc t and s e p a r ~ t e radar re turn . Hcmevc.r, theronould be an excelllmt opporturnity to sot course on the i rrEogular beycOQstline, and thereby ident ify t h t e r ~ e t location b.Y radar meansi

(c) A radar release on th is ta rget . l'I'bich projectsout into the boy. vould be Q c c u r ~ t e for rangf> because of tho lnnd-v_tE:r cont ras t . but only f l l i r in deflection due to the blending at thecoostl ine and the target re turn . '!bo approach by radar for visunlsighting t1o.s considerod to be goed.

(d) The ta rget 'ilas not considered Q good radartarget because of itD sntlll s izo. It has chosen Do8 Q p-imary rad::1rtarget beco.uso there t10S no other suito.ble ro.dor torget si tuated onth is axis of ~ t t a c k .

(5) Ftodo.r Countao Measuresl In order to continue ageneral search o J'o.panese Radar equipnent free 38-3300 me. i t vasplanned to hOve 5 Fto,dnr Counter Measures Observers par ti ci pa te i n themission using Am.-4. APA_ll. and APA-24 eqUipment. Searcb was to becotducted in the aree. north of apprCD:iJ:latcly 30 degrees North.


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(6) Air-5eD Rescue:(n) .:.:u.V;C\I: The NJvy ' 3 0 , s furnished nitb the detni ls

of the mission ond provided the follm7i'lg uir-sen rescue f n e i l i t i e s :1. Tuo su1:marines 'Q'cre assigned for the entiro

mission a s fo11oos: a t -333ON-13630E and a t 310ON-13BooE.2. Thre. Dumbos yere assigned as foll0'07s: a t27+5N-:!.3945E fra!! li03i5:, 't o 110515Z; al; 2 6 1 9 1 ~ ! . 1 1 ' ) 3 : : l E fran 11034.5Z to

l l a ~ 4 . s z ; and


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!l.lH.E.E!

3 . :E:X:ECurION OF THE PUSS ION:a . Take-off: . T=lke-off

Aircrc.f tWing Airborne

nas accomplishedFirs tToke-off

os 011005:LootToke-off58th 38 101632Z 10175&73rd 22 1016542 101706z114th .JIg lO1626z 101902ZXXI B.C. 102 101626z lO1902Z

The above f igures do not in clu de 2 Supc.r-Dunbos free the 7Jrd Wing and1 SUpcr-D..unbo frCl!l tho 314th \/1ng.b. Route out: i ~ i r c r Q f t proceeded individually to the assembly

7.ooe5.. Relianco = 8 plaood on doad r eckon ing naviga t ion, ~ u p p l e l : l e n t o dby Lor"an. celest ia l , and rndar. Tioc control 17:lS fa ir u ith 360-dcgreeturns be ing necessa ry 1n SCl:1C c

in the target area WClS frCf!l. 280 degt'ces CIt 43 knots. A to ta l of 92a ircro.ft dropped 459.5 tons of SOD-pound gent.ral-purposo bCf!l.bs on theprimcry target fran 1100532 to 11010320 a t al t i tudes from 15.700 to20,000 fect . Th ir ty-onc of the 92 aircrr-.tt bornbins the pri.nt:lry t


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g. Operations 5\ll!l!larY:(1) Navi/W.tion: (See l.nnex A. Pert I. for Track Chnrt.)(2) Bor:lbing:

(0) BecausE of the l in i ted v i sib il it y over th e t c r -get. a l l Uings made rodar approoches. SCll:le ai rcrcf t of the 56th and73rd Wings, oft...r mking radar approaches to th .... ta rget , were able tor.JOke corrections vhen the. target bcco.mo visible for a fJfi seconds 00_f o r ~ thc ....nd of tho bcmJb run. All aircraf t of the 314th Wing bcx:1bed.by radnr.

(b) The str ike photogrophy on th is oission Tlas poorC!.nd fen hits could be soen on tho targot. Subsequently, h(7.7ev ...r , nhonpost-s tr ike photography uns obtained, i t uoa found that approxinately39 p ....r ct:lnt of th .... plont hod been dOI:Xlgod or destroyed. (Soo Annox D.p.'1rt I I I , for Doco.gG Assess:l.ent.)

(3) Flight Engineering: (Sec ;.nnex ..... Part I l l , forCharts, and Consolidcted Stat is t ical Sur:nary, ..\.nnux E. for Details . )(a) Narrative of Mission as Flown:

1. In i t i a l Cruise and Cilimb to Becbin.s Altitudo:Most aircraft of the 56th, 73rd. ond 314th \iings prooeGdod c t al t i tudesf rcn 1500 to 5000 feet to the point of clirlb. Cliobs were cade as plan.ned to ba::J.bing al t i tudes (15,700 to 20,000 feet) without diff icul ty.

g. J"ssE.r.lbl.y: Tnil uiJ':ds encoWItered in the i n i t i a l cruise brought a ir cr ll ft t o the assec.bly points just o t f th e c oast ofJapan ~ r l 1 c r than plQMed. Sooc additiorml fuel was consuoed in circl inga t the asse:t:lbly point prior to the depllrture, uhich vas t iced to effoctarr iva l at the ta rg et as b riefed .

1. Return to agse: %e f l ight plan for the returnto base \10:3 a 50 feet p...r minute le t dam fr


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ll.11


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MISSION NO 172DATE 1 MAXXI BOMCQM.

KEY_____ ~ t h . Wing 35________ 73td. ____ ~ 1 t l .

,1eHICHl JIMA

--1-------+--.

,,, ,, __ KITA- 10 - JlMA ........\ \ 73rc\.-102024Z 1020482'\

\JIMA -- --+- - ,\ +MINAMI - i -

\ 5 1 4 1 t l . * 1 0 2 0 0 ~ 2 l0203Sl"I'\"\I,,,,I ,\1

I "- - - t - - - -T- ' l ,1.,--t:-.- -00\ II ", I\\\1I0n9! IIOtZ3Z \I lorzoz 1l0t25Z - - - -4 -f\,-,fl."""

LAND'S END1st. Lost1l000ZZ llOl40Z

LANDfALL TARGET1st. Last 1st. Last58ft1.-110030i! 1I0059Z 1I0054Z UOIOiZ

( ~ e l l l . WI"II S."I 26 Pl an e. over Torll_t73rd..1I0017Z I ' O O Z O ~ 1l0053Z l l O O ~ lI 73rd. WI"ll senl 16 PIorl_. 011'. TOI'II_' I314th.-llOO49Z IIOO57Z 1I"055Z 1l0103Z

IIII

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o - - - i - ' - - - - - - - + - - - " " ~

APRIL 194' PART NAVIGATION HART130" 13'-II, II

.0 I 010 - - .... OMCllChi"OQ,- Son


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AIM'G POINT

WINGS5ih .73111314 III.


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sooo


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flIRT IV - RADAR REPORT1 . EQUlFMEln' PHUORWl.N;E:

a . 'Ibere were 91 operatioool AN/AN.-13'e a t take..of f , 84 wereoperational ovor the target (92%). ond 85 operational on return (93,) .b. 'Ibe overage unx1mtlD range of AN/APQ.-13 wall. 62 nautical mU_

n t 14.000 f t a l t i tude .c . The overage mnimum range of radar bencon reception was 112nnutic.:l.} miles fran 5000 to 10.000 f t al t i tuds.d. 'Ibe average maximun range of AN/AFQ.-13 on landfi l l point 11'0857 nautical oi les .e. There were no fo.ilW'ea reported of AN/APQ.-13 in lead Ale.f . '!bere were 2 fa i lures reported or AN/Am9. 1 of sm-718,ani 1 of SCR-695.

2. RADI.R NAVIGl\TION: There were 681 Loran f ixes reported l1ith anoverage 1!IlX1mum range of 653 nautical miles tar ground tmves and 895M\I:UC31 mUes for sky r.aves.

3 CCM.!ENl'S :a . All r6!eo.ses nere made by radar, SaDe 'With lost minute visualcorrections b. Identification of landfal l and in i t io I points '1'1'013 reportedos good.c . The radar aiming point uns considered to bo poor by the 58th

and 7Jrd Wings aoo good by the 314th .. .. .. ., ....

PAAT V - GUNN:ERY RE:PmT"1. No. of Ale Fir ins : 902. Ammunition Loodinlp

58th WinsUF _ 2000 rdeUA 1000 rdsT - 1000 rdll.LF 1000 rdsl.A - 1000 rds

'14th !i1'l8OF - 500 rdBUA. - 500 rdsT - 500 rdsu\ - 500 rdeLF - 500 r4s

TIrd ;ansIJF 500 rda\L\ - Sao rdsT - 500 rdll.U - 500 relaU ' - .500 rde

J . bber o f rounds t i red in combatl 146. 669.4. NUmber cr rounds t i red in tes t : 8000.

" Blsed on r8J)Orts trCIII . i na GUnnery OfficGt's

13


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7. D:luippent oporation:

5. Averase rowds expeDded per t\!Tet Il!354!335

a . C.F.C . . . 99.3% operative.b. Cal. 50 M.G. 96% operative.

6. Pun loading: 73rd llnd 314th Wg - cold;, 56th Vs .. bot.

8. l@lfuncstions occurring tr...re minly due to impropmo prell isbt

- 14 -


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APRIL 1945

,

SECRET145-

MISSION NO 172DATE II MAY'XXI BOMCQM,

'.

I- - - - I - -WIIII

140

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--T--IIII

IIII----+-IIII

e- SUBMARINE0 - SURFACE VESSEL. . - NAVY OUMBO- SUPER DUMBO

130TRACK CHART XXI BOMBER COMMANO

OKINAWA I

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\ "\ ' I ~ ' -, f' PA '-- -- -- -YI_m;AN"JGUAMIII


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JL2.11Z111I.ll11U,

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Part I .. Weather S\IlIlIBl'YPart I I .. Cbart .. .rcreoaat .,.Observed ileatherPort m .. Prognostio IbpPl'U't IV - SYnoptic Jibp

Mi,,1on 8? 172

16 _


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Mission No. 172PART I - ilEI.THm SID_tViRY

t e t e : l 1 )by 194.5PLANNH& FmECJ\ST

BiiSES:

RourE:

4/10 1017showers.To 20otg:To 2?OU:

To 26CJi:To 28?n:

To coast:

cloud. base 1600 f t . tops 6 to 10,000 it with fev

Same as bases.10}10 10'11 cloud h'ith tops gentrQlly 9000 f t but SCllleto 16,000; 8/10 middle cloud tram 12.000 to 17.000 t tin neaksning cold front and frEquent modsrnte shOl ld ' .5/10 Ion cloud, roSQ 2000, tops 6000 f t r:ith feg middlEclouds a t 14,000 to 16,000 f t .10/10100 cloud. base 1000, tops 10.000 t t ; 6/10 middlecloud. base 12,000 . tops 16.000; 7/10 bigh cloud a t28,000.3/10 Ion cloud, base 2000. tops 4000 f t .

TlIBGEI'S: All S . Honshu: 2/10 low cloud, base 2500. tops 6000 f t .

Operatiooal Forecast Weather EncounteredB o s ~ a t Toke Off: 4/10 100 cloud,rose 1800 ft. top 6-10.000 f t ; 2/10middle cloud. base 16.000 f t . top17.000 ft; 5/10 high cloud a t 30,000ft.

OVercost 101i cloud pitb hoovy s h o w ~ .in the area . Visibi l i ty l


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Ql ! l !P . l l l t l l d ,

.,,-10005 A l o f t - Forecost

I bs e to 20 N 20 N to 25 N 25 N to 35 N TnrUt:2 5 . 0 0 0 290/12 -20 710/30 -22 270/6 -26 20000(270/6 .19)2 0 , 0 0 0 JOO/l0 -09 270/30 -11 270/53 -16 18000(270/57 -15)15. 000 330/10 -01 280/25 -01 280/43 -06 1600(270/53 -11)10, 000 360/12 10 290/20 08 280/33 045.000 040/15 19 330/15 17 300/25 122. 000 060/18 25 020/15 23 315/18 17S u r f a c e 070/16 29 050/12 27 330/12 21 710/10 16

" i n d s A l o f t - ObservedR u e t o 20 N 20 N to 2S N 25N toJ2N 'Plrgot

1 6 , 0 0 0 270/5515.000 250/30 270/385.000 260/102, 000 070/15 310/15

.. 18 -


21/51

I I ;W/lY / 9 4 5 '/ t O ~ 5 S 1 0 N 172 AJ'lo- '",,", TWIATIIII ' r = " . - / . - / . - / . ? ? - ' . . - / ~ * " , 4.IICAS'-go I'l o I Juyh0 000 . . . ( ! . ? / ~ ~2 ~ , O o o I

20,000

lMARIANAS

~ = - - ~ / . -::=::= 7 ' /0 - - . . r - ~ $ < - ~ L'.1

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251w


22/51

."SAIPAN

. . . ? ~ U A M I

" TRuK


23/51

"IWO JfMA

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24/51

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25/51

PART I - RJJ)J,R COUNI'ER MEASlt:l!S

1- Purpose:n. To D/p enrly-werning and gun-laying rndars.b. To continue radar search in the region 36-300 me.

2. Method:n. 1 lU'R-4 1 1 APi,-l1b. 2 i.m-4 ;. 2 j"p':"-ll ;. 2 APA-24

3. Results:Choract"erist ic s Coardinndes ~ " .!!.m2 li.._ :91' .Q.* !!!.2 :IXI!!. ~ _ .00047 0363 48 3325N 13540E 051145 0945 21 121 S00052 0350 36 3300N 13710E 051145 1140 21 121 S00068 0495 26 33431' 13514E 051145 0915 21 122 P &1 CIII00068 0496 24 3408N 13548E 051145 0935 21 122 P E.I CHI00072 0990 28 333llN 13650E 051145 1040 21 121 S m CHI00072 0492 32 341SN 13648E 051145 0930 21 122 P &1 CIU00074 0600 20 325llN 13550E 051145 1045 21 121 S &i CHI00074 0480 32 3245N 1}615E 051145 0932 2l 121 S m CHI00076 0499 32 3358N 13428E 051145 0940 21 122 P &i CHI00077 1870 06 34431' 13604E 051145 1040 21 P GL aTM300078 1900 08 3iliN 13520E 051145 1055 21 s GL 00'i!,.0300076 0471 28 33300 13550E 051145 0955 21 1 ~ S u"j CHI00081 0494 21 333SN 13535E 051145 0915 21 122 P ". CHI00082 1875 08 34300 '3455E 0.51145 1050 21 1.1 S GL orA300085 0487 08 3210N 13700E 051145 1137 21 121 S ". CIII00090 0496 08 3330N 13550E 051145 0950 21 1.1 S r..1 00101020200146 0480 04 3010N 14015E 051145 1300 21 122 S &: 0010300148 0490 09 3332N 13531" 051145 0925 21 122 P EJ 0010300158 0495 5 2630N 14200E 051145 0710 21 121 s ;aj 0010300198 2480 04 3432N 13532E 051145 1105 21 ,


26/51

PJn I I - RI.D!O

1 . s t r ike Reports: Ten Str ike Report mossages were reee1ncl bythe grouoo. stot ions .. -2 by the 73rd .. 4 by the 58th, 1I.n4 4 by tho .314th"\i1ng.2 . Fox Transmissions: \Jeather and Til'lle Signll!s wero tronaaitte4by the ground stat ions to the a i rc ra f t in f l i gh t .3e FrC9uencies: :.11 frequencies r ec eived only Q leg instaDoes ofin terference. Atmospheric interference '1m3 el ight t hroughou t the miss ion . FollOO'ing is a purcentoge breokd05m at t raf f ic par frequency:18 per cent on 3 megacycles;. 58 per cent an 7 megacyclell& and 24 per oent

on 11 megacycles.4 . ~ t i o n n l Jdda: One HF/DF bearing was requested old obt81Decl .No VHF/DF bcoring fac i l i t ies uere used. Ranges. hallQ"s, cud broodcaat

sta t ions vera used effect ively . 'Ihe 56th \f1na roportod ua1ng a i r - to -a i rhaning a t n .IlDXimum distance at 25 miles.5e Not Discipline nnd Security: No serioW! viola'Uona or eithersecuri ty or net discipline 'I7cre r epcr tod dur ing thia misB1on. '!'he "13rdlQ'ing soid thot 1 of the supcr-Dumbo a i rc ra f t broke in on anotber a1rcll:"att'.transmission to give i t s hall-hourly posit ion report. Cozorecthe aati.GIlhaa been token.6 . Ea'!J!!Y ' transmissions: '!he following incidents at jnnnina millinter fe rc .nce nero reported during th i s miS3ion:

h. 7415 KUocyelesl Mixed code Cboroot t. r8 wbell ef tr nat1aDain the net ""ould transmit frem 025& to 0703t wee p a r t 1 4 1 ~ eftoeUw.

f . 10305 Kilocycles: C \ ~ . a t 03SSZ nas TerT e t tocU" .g. 3990 KHoeycles: Unkncvn s ta t ion key1Da (TJ at 222CI' toOlOQZ noe ineffect ive .

'!be 58th " ins reported 1 di8tree8 -aaaae inengine t rouble. 'Itli8 oirornt t m4e two 11. . . ael'el7.Bluipmont Mllfuncti0D8: iN"\BH=7: 2 sons. o.atemm.1 inonU'll.tivc. 3 mieroDhonc b\.ltt.azul atiekin ~ stuck.

7 . pist ress:to an a i rc ra f t with

d . 3020 lO.10cyc1es: Negligibloeo. 6615 KilocYcles;

(1) tJi1 fran 164SZ to 220az. va8 part1ally etfocthe .(2) Ingpipe and Cli fran 014.5Z to 0200 wera inetteoU'N.(3) BJ.n. snw jQllJlline fran oooaz. to 020Q'Z, an4 170SZ to 19,5(&uoa c1'foctivo.

a. 3145 KiilocYclc;s: Negligibloeb. 6055 IO.locyclcs: Ncgligible ec . 11080 Kilocyc le s: U 'l id en ti fied l%' a t Oll.5Z to 0l..4,5Z. . . .cffcct ive e

i. 10820 Kilaeycles:effoctive.

8.~ t h e or


27/51

Jl JJ! lI.n

D

Fort I - En_ Air OppoaitiOllPart n - J!Xl,em;y Antiaircraft aDd AU-

to-.Air _ b i n gPart III - ]):ulnae Assessment


28/51

lMfr I - mp.rt Am OppC6ITION

1. General:a . An estimBted 50 enelY ai rcraf t made 243 attacks on aUformations, with lllOSt at the a t tack:! occur ring over the t a rge t . Of the

t o t a l of 243 at tac lis. 93 were made on the banb run and 110 af te r bombsawsy. Four s t tacks WEre made prior to landfsHand J6.. trCllvlandta-1.1 J:o to tPt:! ipitrio::' p ~ ! . n t . . . . :rho f i I : o ~ f ~ ~ i o n ovfI' t 9 ~ . t!U'80t cncountcrodmoab.of the on.emy oppoa.i$ion,. inl}ioating thc.t thp onomy1a dofenac!3 ha.du c o . k " n c d ~ a p P F e c i a . b l y . bJl: ~ h tJ.n? t?O s , c e . o ~ tormc.tion went ova-.

b. Sev ...r a l pacer planes following &-29'5 continued their coursethrough the f lak over the target .2. TYpe of Enemy Aircraft Attacking: The 243 at tacks n:s.de by enlllllllY

a i rc ra f t oere as fo11O\1s:Stemy Aircraft Number atType Attacks PercentageU1identif ied 66 27Tojo 54 22Zeke 30 12Nick , 30 12Tony 26 11Irving 15 6Jsck 9 4Oscar 8 3Ale 2}Frank 1) ( 3JUdy 1)Mike -1}TOTAL 243 1003. Dlem-v Tactics:

s . 'nu'ee eoordinDted s t tacka were reported. Dl these,4 to 5Tojoe came in from 1 to 2 o'clock, l ine asterD. pressing as close aa300 yards and breaking under the formation .. '!he Tojoa nere s i lve r ,flying a t about to- second in tervals .

b. 'l'bree unusual types of enemy f ighters nere encountered onth i s mission. One Judy oame in on ths t a i l of the SBCOnd formation justpast the target I throttled. back. and gave the gunners time for a longburst and posit ive ident i f icat ion. One possible Hike uas also reportedat tackina the second fcrnetion. A radial-engine a i rc ra f t came in a t 7o'clock level . f lying past the No.6 Ale of the second formation a t a dia,o.tance at 100 yards. and f i r ing fran a. l2.7-mn at" 7.7...;m. gun mounted ontop of the fuselage. The 61leIllY f i g h t ~ vas camwtloged dark gray r. ith abUlky f 'u se lage . l ong canopy, and mid 11I"ine with some dihedral . Gun t i recame fran seme part of the long canow. One crEm" reported i t as a JIltebut tho crm \71th the greates t Visual advantQge mlS Wl8ble to ident i tyit as such.4. Losses or Damage to 11:29' (I b:tr ln0rnY Aircraf t I No 80-29'8 norel o s t . 'I'tJelve B.29' S 'i'!'ire dannged by IIInEllQY ai rcraf t ..5. ClailJl5: B-29 crC'C'l"s claimed f ! ene.lllJ" a i rcraf t destroyed, 24 IZ'obably deotroyed and 18 damaged.

- 26 -


29/51

6 . Direction and level of approach at en8IIJ aircr.n ......101101l1'8:

Tots l Numberof Attacks243

13% ....

~ f ' ; L : l ! ~ ~ ~25S...........R . ~ . ~ ~ .Noss5IS

5 S , - - . . L - ~

IRCl1 ABOVE

.mCM B E L ~ /

..... ,.PART I I - ENFlol'i AmAlR(J!All' A.ND AlR='l0:AlR Ba9ItIi

4S

1 . Enemy ALA Firel&. 'Ibe primary target ..a s a tta cked b7 a1rcreft of 3 W1Dae6S follmf8:

(1) 'nlir ty-live aircraft or the ,5&tJa t ina et:tacblS rz...llOO.54Z to 1l0103Z at alUtudea of 16,000 to 19.000 'ee ' . '!'be ......alti tude nae 17 .500 feet . Axis o f attack was trQD 23 ",0 AIter--.and cloHd undercast Vftl'ied 1rarI 6/10 to 8/10.

2 7 -


30/51

(2) Seventeen ai rcraf t ot the 73rd Wing attacked trCII11005lZ to 11005&. Alti tudes varied !:ran 16.000 to 18.200 teet an4the a.verage al t i tude usa 16.750 t e e t . Aircraf t attaoked on axes atattack of 10 to 15 degt'ees. with undercast of 5110 or greater ,

(3) Forty ai rcraf t of the 3l4th Wing baDbed trom llOO.5.5Zto 1l0103Z a t a ltitu de s of 18.000 to 19.500 fee t . Average a l t i tudewas 18.500 fee t . Axes of at tack Tlere 20 to 36 degrees t rue. Cloudundercaat varied from 8/10 to 10/10.

b. The winds in th e targ et area nore repcr ted as 43 to 53knots a t 270 to 280 degrees.

c. one a i rc ra f t of the 58th lJing bombed sak1Jnobamo, (3324N-13412E).d . 'The f i r s t f lak ' l iSS enCO\lntered by the U4th Qr'oup at the58th Wing during assembly off 1GJ.shimoto. Fire was meager and very in -accurate . being 2000 feet ar.ay from the assembliDS a i rc ra f t but a t the

CCIr'rect al t i tude.e . Meager and inaccurate barrage flak was repcrted by a ir ..

cra f t of the 7Jrd "iing and 3 a i rc ra f t of the 58th Wing in the vi cini tyof the LP . a t Sida (341'iN-13504E) and frClll an unidenii t ied naval Te S -se l a t Okina Shima C3417N-13502E).

t . While over Osaka. Bly on the approoch to Kobe, sev6t'al a ir ..crof t encountered f lak from the fa r l"estern defenses of Osaka and t ranships in the bay. This f i re l i sS moderate and genera lly inaccura te ,

g. Flak in the target area wes o f moderate intensity tarmost ai rcraf t . The f ire l7O.S generally accurate although a tew forma-t ions r epor ted inaccu ra te f i re . The only trend in deviations \mS atendency for the f i re to be to the l e f t of the a i rc ra f t . Continuouslypointed and barrage f ire predaninated. THo groups o f the 56th Wingreported a Nick flying paral lel to the formations fran the I .P . to thet arg&t. The rap plane uas 2000 yards Ql.'ay and flOS thought to be pecingthe ~ 2 9 I S to obtain information fa r the f lak b a t t e r i a ~ .

h. On \'lithdrB1l'al fran the ta rg et o re s, moderate and inaccur-a te t i re UBa directed a t fo rmations o f the 58th and 314th Wift8S tramthe northern sect ion of oealm.. A Tojo nas observed 'pacing the a i r .craf t out of range o f the 314th formations.

1 . l"OllOlfing the brea1mlisy fran the target area. meager andiMceurato f lak "as reported from t ho fol lcming locationsl(1) KPriyama Airf ie ld (3440N..13550E).(2) "'ra (3440N-13550E).(3) Tambeichi (3435N-13550E).

j. Most f lak burets wero black, with a ts brC*l\ o.nd 3 or4 white ph08pboroua AlA buret . 0b5erved.

k. A tota l at 29 a i rc ra f t , cr 31.5 per cen't of t bon at tack..ing the target . ';l'ere dameged by f lak on this mission. In v i e . at theundercast condi tiDns. most of the Are must have boen radar coatroll .e4.and thi:l f igure represen ts a high e"ficie,MY tar this type at f i recontrol . No ai rcraf t vere lo s t to f"lak

.. 26 ..


31/51

2 . Tactics Vs. Antiaircraft: The 7Jrd Wine tmploye4 81i&htturns as evasive act ion.3 . ~ . T o - A i r Bombing: Fo1101'9ing bonbs away a t 11005&. 2single-engine ai rcraf t attacked the 497tb Group ot the 7jr4 Wins

from 11 to 1 o'clock high. At\acking aircra.ft "ere about 5000 t ee tabove the. formation. &lch plane dropped 1 pho8phoroua bcmb. 'nIesame type of attock by 2 similar aircraft occurred a t 1100,5&. All4 bombs expioded a t 9 o'clock level , Just behind the lead e l..ut.They were fa ir ly accurate but did not any B-29's. (SECRET)

PMT I I I - DA!1AGE AS&S'?MEtTI' REPORT (CONFIDOOIAt)90.25-1702KA'i1ANIsm: AIRmAPl' CO. FUXAE(34143 N--135117 E)

1 . SumnarY:8 4 This rep ort as se ss es dam:l.ge to Tarpt 1702 resu lUnsfran l1ission No. 172 o f l l loby 194.5.b. AppraxiJm.tely 39% C1f the target was damae;ed or destroyed.DcmagE; includes a lerge sub-asae.mbly build ina. 70% gutted. 9 s:JBllshop nnd office buildinas destroyed, and 2 8atl11 shop buildinas part lydestroyed . A large and a smnll assembly building received root daJ:8e;e.c . other damage in the vicinity include" appl"ax:imately 7QCdestruction to a merchant-marine col lege ndjacen t to ond NE of the

target . Appraxin:8tely 3.936,000 sq . f t . of 1 large end 2 8111611 rElaid6ntio1 and MlBll manufacturing areas NIl at the, target were destroyed.2. s ta t i s t i ca l Sumnary of Damage:

n . OI"igina1 roof m-ea (18 January 194.5)Roof area removed prior to str ike Total roo! area a t time of str ike

b . j)aflll3;ge f ran current st r ike:

- 1.330,601 sq . t t .49.150 sq . f t .1.281.451 sq . f t .

SQ. uare Feetof Roo(

Per cent at Roof J..reaa t Time at Str ike

Destroyed:superficial!

1 . GUtted 389 ,8632 . Minor roo! damage 24.164

Total dentlge .504.2,47 XXI B.C C.I.U D.1i.. Report H:l. 79.

- 29

30.02,039.0


32/51

3 Itemization of DamBge:. .. DAl!AGE IN SQUARE FEEl' Per ceni FUnction at build.No. Roof J\rea Destroyed SUfliftFICIAL Totol ot root 1nS. carmen'Gutttd Minor

1 453.000 16.46i! 16,484 Final 888embly2 214.200 214,200 214.200 100 Sub.ossembly3 19,440 19.440 19.440 100 Shop(2 build1ns8)4 19.440 19.440 19.440 100 Shop(J bui ld1_>5 20,493 20.493 20,493 100 Shop6 970524 7.680 7.660 10 AssSIlb177 198.135 148.000 148,000 70 Sub-e.s8embly8 7.170 7.170 7.170 100 Shop9 38.920 38.920 38,920 100 Office.,10 7,560 3.024 3.024 40 Shop11 7,$60 4.536 4..sJ6 60 Shop12 ~ , 8 6 0 4,860 4,860 100 ShopTOTAL: 1 ,air ,202 90.220 389.863 24,164 504.247

Itlcloeurcs: 1. Annotated enlargement fran Jm5M 86.:Jh 502 . Attached print 3PR.5M 235-2: 33

30


33/51


34/51

GUTTEDUIIIIIO REMOVED PRlOR

TO STRlK


35/51

B

-33-


36/51

o 0SECRET

XXI BOMBER COMMAND

CONSOLIDATED STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF COMBAT OPERATIONSFORM 34

MISSION NO. 17211 ".y 1945Prinary Target .. Kaooniahi 1.1rcraft Plant . Kobe

EFjWTIVENESS 01 MISSION.t .ircraft 1..irborne .. ..

.Percent Of ..... ircro.ft On Hand 105 > 29.0%COST QF 1,lISION~ i r c r a f t Lost .. .. f .. ..Percent Ot .....i rcraf t l.irborne. 1. . 1.0%

" ' ircraf t Bombing Prin:ary Target . . . . 92Percent Of Bombing i. . ircraft ':"irborne ....... 90-"% lUre raft Daue.god.. .. .. .. YlPercent Of ~ l r c r a f t ':"irborne . . . a .. 35.2%

Bombs Dropped On Prinery TargetBombs Dropped On O t h e : . . ~ Targe 108 B O ~ i n g Results _ Unobserved to poor.

460 Tona

5 TonaC r e ~ ~ m b e r Casualties .......Percent Ot Total Enrticipatiag. 16.. .. 1.4%~ i r c r a f t Londing ....10 lwo Jin:a ........ 14

SECRETIIIID STATIITIGAL GONTiltOL UIIiT


37/51

nSS1CI< _ ~ 1 : J 7 2 ~ ' _11 r."y 1945

1:! .Edd! 1:R AFT P Ai:'l'ICIPJ.'l'ING 1.lA'Th

;'/C i..lc Ale 'J'lMi:. c;; r.r..= CFF Tn/II:: OF R J : : l ' l I i ~ N ~ / A/C A/C 1../CA/C Tow. TorALC:l SCLw,_ Fi..n.:mG i . . l ~ _ BCh:BING BO!mlNG ECllJING ~ ~ A/C1:".1 :1.1 UL.lJ '" '..It.:..: I R ] ) ~ Y SZCCNDARY 0'J'lIDl 4fC NCil.'fi.:':' on L , , ~ 1 : . F I . \ ~ ' r :u.sf l.IA'l'Z }'DiSf US T UTIXOTm:Ti.HG.J:..T ThRGET TARGETS MISSIONS EFFl::CTM' i 80 44 8 38 a 10 1'l8y 1632 Z. 1758 Z 11 ".,. 0725 Z 0935 z 35 - 1 - 36 2'" 97 22 22 1654 z 1706 z 0706 z 0945 z 17 - . 17 5

22 , 2 - 2 2 -4" 185 44 2 42 1626 Z 1902 Z 0800 Z 0938 Z 40 - 40 21 b - 1 . - - 1 1 -B 362 110 10 102 10 lJ>y 1626 Z 1902 Z 111B 0706 Z 0945 z 92 1 - 93 93 3 . - 3 3 .

.!!. Includes 2 sJS.re a i rc ra f t .2 Super dumbo ai rcraf t .

NOTE: XXI BC Field Order No. 74 called fo r4 a ~ u a . d r o n s from th e 58th an d 314th ';iingsend 2 squadrons from th e 73rd \"iing.

1 . .i r cr aft land ing 1l.t I l70 Jille:58th Uing - 7 a i r c r a f t .73r d ' ;i ng - 5 a i r c r a f t ..

3l4 th J i ng . 2 a i r c r a f t

. i E C R ~ T_._--


38/51

,~ l U H I

BRE.lKIX1I'lN OF A.U lIRCRAFT FAILnlG TO B(J,[B PRIMARY tARGETMISSION '7 2DA. 'I'E ) 1 U,A t ]945

~ ~ I C l . L FllUJRE PffiSONNEL KRROR FLIGHT CONDITIONS .E:rmlT AcrIa. OTHERUNIT Non- _ b e d Banbed Non- - Bombed Non- Bombed Banbed Non- Bombed Danbed Non_ Bombed EombedEffective secondary other Erfectiv ""'.ODdor Other krteetin econdary other Eftectiv Secondary Other g r t ~ e t 1 T eeondary Other58 \ 1 1 1.2 - - . - - - - - -- -73 , 4 . - - - - - - 1 - - - -14 " 1 .!! - - - - - - . 1 - -- - -2 1 . 5 2 1 - - - - 2 - - .

!. :.5aintenance per30nnel error .! .air crev pereoJnnel error.

~ H l l E I


39/51

~ ~ : ~ ! .~ : I ~ S I ~ ~ j _-'1,,7"'2'-- _

11 ,...,. 194'>]O l . i 3 I : :O R u :r DATZTAEO:T BOIIBED TIr'=' OF ",_,jzASZ ALT. OF :CUASE T A . ' i G ~ : T V! 5I:E!.E TA.Il.O:::o;; ::OT VISI5!.EAIRCRAF't' VISUAL RAni...;, R:;:l Dr.;)??: :a V:S.SI;jHTIIl,; DF..:.D DRQP?H:GUlTIT DROPPlllG P.ADJ.R}IA!'E or TARO:::T TYPE E A . ~ E S ' ! ' UTES!' LO;r;:ST l : I O : ~ S ! ' S ! 3 H ' i ' I ~ ! G if : :":-; n 5::--L ' .. c.- I C ; ' : , < U : : ~ ~ ;;':'Ci(_ OJ!Bo:.:i3S c. liL-,:ONLY c;e,;::..,,:,:: :. ' J ~ : 3 : . ~ : . . ? ;:,:;;. 0::50: PT. O:oI::C. LuUE..t

.sa ... Kuanishi .;e Plant . Kobe P 35 0054 z 0103 z 16000 19600 . 1 13 . 2 19&tJti.DJ:)bliJlB TO 1 0059 z - 16000 . 1 . . - . - .73 " Kavaniabi we Plan t . Kobe P 17 !. 0053 z ooss z 15700 17300 - 2 15 . - -314 " Kavan1shi iJ./e Plan t I Kobe P M 0055 z 0103 z 10000 20000 - - - - 4 - 3621 Be Kamniahi JC Plant . Kobe P 92 0053 Z 0103 z 15700 20000 . 3 28 - 6 . SS

.J

f-

a IDol.. 1 a1rofttt boIIb1.Dl ;yf tb 58th ii1l1 toration.::i :.. C R :r:; 'i'---_-0-


40/51

., Jua .. :rD I ~ P O S I T I O N OF BOMBS

MlSSlON _-='.::72=--__DATE 11 11l.y 1945

FUZE WADED ON A.m.- RELEASED ON TARGETSUNIT TYfl; 05: JC:T1'!SONED fU:."l'UrtNfl) UNKN(fIVNW'l:IGHr ( BtuiB SETTING BOR.'lE 1mCRAFT PRIWlY L.R. & T..-D.- No,", Tai l No. Tons no. Tons No . Tons No . Tons No ' fons No . Tons No . I Tons58 llC A N ~ 4 500#.oP I .01 N.D. 714 178.5 626 '56.5 22 5.5 27 608 39 9.7 - -73 r< AN"";;4 soo# OP 583 145.7 4 4 6 ~ 111.5 - - 137 34-2 - . - -

314 ill: A N 500# GP Ill8t. 834 208.5 766 191.5 - - 68 17"" - - - -21 Ill: AN"";;4 soO# OP 2131 532.7 1838 459.5 22 5-5 232 58.0 39 9.7 - -

! . 2 bombs re ..... -. , ta r with c ~ ~ Pat"" u1 lea.!!. 30 boa . re ...... _. , ta", . with c tea Pat"" ui lea.


41/51

~ ! ! ! . !MISSION 17 2

J.CCURACY OF BOMBING ON PRIMARY TARGETDATE 11 toby 1945

JOMBS BE- BOKB HITS SCORED AlID DISTANCE :FR(J.I AIMING POINT HITS SCORED WITHIN 1000' HITS SCORED VI THIN 2000'UlIIT =011TARGET OVER TO TOTAL H.E. TO TOTAL H.E. TO TOTAL S.! . TO TotAL H.E.o - 500' 5 00 '_ 10 00 ' 1 00 0' _2 00 0' 2 0 0 0 ' - 3 0 0 0 ' )000' TOTAL BOMBS RELEASED BOMBS SCOBED BOMBS RELEASED BOMBS SCOBEDS. .'E. TOTAL

21 Be 1838 1BJ8 - 5 - 307 19 368 759 3'.\% 8 . 20,,2% 49,0%

,

1iCIB, Due to henvy cloud cover r a da r bombing \".'Us used by .Il108t of a i rc raf t . only 31 of 92 aireref t bombing pri.Ju:l,ry t a r g e t boDtled T l a u a l l .


42/51


43/51

" & . ~ 1 l , l ; . 1 mssIIV ~ 1 , " 7 ... _DAXZ 11 Ltw 1945mIDdY OPPOSITICN AUD AM.lJNlTIW EltPENDI'ltRE

ENEMY :E1fiI,;Y A/e 1IF.ST::"OYED t...DANlLGID 50 CALIBER ..uBt1UlrrIW E X P . E U D I ~t'-.:Ir Ale AT'l'ACY.sBY E/A TYPE CR Ir,.s. "'aB. ",. = FlHED m TESr IVSIc.HTID .>KJDEL 'ffiOYa) DESm l ceo:llA'r FJREll =I.Slm2l umA;c ror.u.~ '" 41 64 - 1 4 24355 3735 - - 28090

.. 4986573 riG 35 1G9 5 3 3 47475 2390 - -14 loG 40 88 4 18 8 64124 6640 - 6600 7736421 BO 41 261 9 22 15 135954 i2765 - 6600 155319

Tony 3 6 1SjE 2 5 2Nick - 2 IJudy 1 - -Tojo - 5 6Irving - - 2Oscar 1 2 ,Zekslack 11 2 2

.o .1l .1


44/51

'.fISSION 172rum:: 11 May 19/.5

FLIGHT DATA & FUEL CQK:iUMPTION...ISSION hUffiER I 172 172 172 172UNI'i' , 314TH wnll 21ST B.C.j 58Td GOO 73RD "l;X;AIrtCRAFT COf6!DEnED ! 28 13 36 77IAVG. FLH!'t TIME 14:49 14:43 16:10 15,26...vc. DISTAtJ::i-; FLOWN 2770 2830 2688 2835( l ~ u t i c o l Air Miles)fUiL eorSlThlED:

i\vcruge 6323 6121 6413 6331I r.ltu:1mun 6662 6340 7100 7100I 5975 5621 597.2 5821dird.mumFlf.2L HEMAl loll IE- :

Avcraee 61.4 594 89/. 7';2, Y.oximun 1025 929 1415 1415Mini.m.un 338 430 300 )00

: AVG. GALS. US.ED PhR HOUR 4)0 416 400.6 414IAVG. GALS. USE.D PER l.\Ill 2.28 2.16 2.22 2.23

I TOTAL USED ON I.IRBORliE Ale I 223481 1129231 I 267585 620297. ,

WEIGHT DAT.\.til.it1B::R lIIRCRill'''!' JURDORUE 3B 22,!!, 42 . 102.i.VG. BASIC 'ir'T. Oi" AIRCRJ.F'T 75122 74955 75596 75261il.VG. USEFUL LOAD 59599 61534 ~ 2 6 2 61113

1AVG. I l l . OF 00laBS WADED 18.5 - !.t64 26.5 - .64 19.3 - .64(Comp B) (TIlr) (Oo


45/51

iJ.llliJ.2:

Mi4pt 172

XXI l!l1MAJI! Cl!'MP l IB P ( l ip .


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----:.s- 'H H ! ' - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - . . ,

2. The XXI Bamber COIIlr.Brd str ikes a ir field instal lat ione on Kyushu andtarget 1702 (Leafstalk) on the island of Honshu.

1. Because of th3 staging of aircraf t through Kyushu airfields to str ik eour t ac t ica l operations. and the cr i t ica l situn.tion of' cnany aircraf tIrodlction the d acis ion for the se str ikes was made.

FRCU: COIdG:::mol.!COJ,l: XX!TO: CWGENBQt.ffG 58

CQl.GENBO\r'1G 73C O l . l G E r m O ~ ' ' 1 G 313c a ! G ~ m O I r T G J14

rnFO: CO,)RD POOTO R . . ~ C O N SQ

FIElD OROOR NUlIB!1l 74

2 ! ~ ! ! ~ !By Auth of 00 XXI BC

'- j j / /C ' ,M I l l 'Datexx:I row Ell CC1!MANDGUAM1200 10 l1AY 1945

J. a . 59th \ling:(1 ) PrilMry Visual en d Hadar

1702FORCE RByIRED4 &padrona

HPI Reference: XXI Ban Can Litho-lloaa1c 90.25-1702.(2) R{1'.' te :

E " : ; ~ 0 3Vlirg Assembl,v Zore 1Wirg Reassembly Point3416N - 13504& (IP)Tarbet34541' - 13523&3446N - 13550Eh a Ji.neBase

() Axis of Attack: 23 Degrees t rue .(4) Pass IF at 1l105SK.(5 ) hltitude of attack is 16,000 to 2O,OXl feet .(6 ) BOl:!b load: 500 lh GPl a fused 1/100 noee am non-de1&y t aU.

b. 7Jrd Wu,,'(1) Pri rmry Visual arid Radar

TARC'"1702

UEI075027

FORCE RJnUJRfD2 Squadrona

liPl Referenco: XXI 80m Catt Litho4fosa1c 9O.25-17'C2.(2) Rout.,

BasoWing Asserrb1y Zone 1Q(i..r8 Roassenbly Poin!:.34161' - 135",E (IP)Target3454N - 13523&344611 - 13550EI'M) Ji.llaBase

229/3


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~ . E f t ~ 1FIElD ORDm mn.ffim 74 , CONTDnJEI)

(3) Axis of Attack: 23 Degrees Truo.(4 ) Pass IP at ll1050K.(5) Altitude of Attack is 16,oex:> to 2O,C()() feet .(6) Bomb Lood i s 500 1b GP's fused 1/100 noso and non-dclay t a i l .

e. J lJ th Wing:( l l T:JlGET !!tl FOllCE !!EQUIR:ID

(a) 01"" 136069 1 Squadron01"" 097062 1 Squadroo(b> Saeki 094cm 1 Squadron(e) Nitt.agahara 071085 lS


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H! !UFIELD ORDER rum:m 74, CONTINUED

(3) Axis of Attack: 23 Degrees True.(4 ) Pa!!! IP at 1l1054K.(5 ) Alt itude of Attack i s 16,000 to a:>,tXX:l teet.(6) Bomb Load: 500 Ib OP's !used ]/100 nose and n o ~ e l a 7 ta i l .

4. a. Uo change.b. Tactical Yission Numbers:

(1) 01ta - 167(2) Soeld - 168(3) Nlttag


49/51

o

. u1 . a s 112

DIS'JRIBmClf us! '


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DISTRIBUTIOIFTACTICAL MISSIOU REPORTS

Copv No.1 'COlIl.lIlAnding Genoral., Twentieth ;"ir Foroe.2 COllllllo.nding Genernl. XXI Bomber COllllD.M43 Deputy COlIlJDMdor. 1 lron tioth Air Forco4 Chiof of StcJ'f, Twentioth .lJ.r Foree5 Chiof of St:lI'f. XXI !Iombo. COIlllll!lnd45 Deputy CIS. Opns, m Bomber COlllll.o.nd7 Deputy CIS, Sup Y ~ i n t . XXI Bomber Commo.ndB AD of S. A-a, m BombaI' CCIClmnnd9 Comlllanding General, Anay Air PoreeaATTN: AC/AS. I n t o l l i ~ n c e10 Com.mandor in Chief. Paci f ic Ocellll Areas (Adv Hq)11 CommandoI' in Chief, Paci f ic Ocoan Aroaa (Rear Rq)12 Chief of Navd Oper at ions , OP_16.V13 Join t Intell igence ConteI', PacifiC OCoan Areu14 Commander Air Force, Pacif ic Flee t15 Commander, Third Fleet16 Commander, Fif th 'F'leet17 COlllJUndor, Pi r s t Carrier Tut: Force16 COfIIIlIander. Karianas19 Commander in Chief. U.S. Army Forcos, Pacif ic2() CculIlIllllding Q.eneral, U. S. Army Porces, Pacifio Ocoan MOU21 Coll1llltlnding GeMral , Allied Air Porcos,

Southwest Pacif ic Areas22 Commanding OeMI'd , Southwest Paoific Areas, ATTN I 0-2

(For Section 22, RCM)23 Cellllllo.ndin, Gone ra l, F ar East _'II' Forces24 Command 1nt General, U. S. Stratogic Air Forces in Europe25 COnflo.nding General. Eighth Air Feree26 Commanding General, 1iediterre.n&nn Allied Air Foroos27 COlllll1anding Genoral. Fif teonth Air Foree28 - 29 Commanding General, Sovonth Air Foreo30 Commllndiug General, VII Bomber Commo.nd31 - 32 Commanding Cenonl , VII Fighter CotllmllJ'ld,33 Com.manding General, Eleventh A ir Forco34 COlIDlnnding General, XX Bomber Commo.nd35 Commnndinr; Genero.l. 38th Flying frainins Wing36 Commnnd Sq. Allied Air Forcoe. SouthY/oet Po.cific Area.,

ATTN I Senior In te ll igonce Of fi ce r R.;'.A.F.37 COlllllanding Genera.l, seth BOlIbardm3nt Wing3e Commanding Goneral, 73rd BOlDwdment ' ' i l l !:59 Commanding Generc.!, 3l3"th BombQrdm.ent 1flllg40 Commanding Genernl . 3Hth BoabardlDcnt . ing4.l Coftunntlding Ooneral, 3lSth Bombardmont \'.1ng42 CDmm4nding ot f icer , 3rd Photo Rocon Squadron43 COlImaJlding Orr iGl;lr, nlSt Pho1;o- Reoon Squadron1.'.10 COlU1and tnj!; orficor , 33r4 StotiaticcU. Control Unit4S ChelDical l'farfClTe orr icor , XXI BOftIbor COllllllo.nd46 Tactice and Training Sec t iona. 04-3, XXI BOIIber COIlllD&Dd4.7 Ordnance Ofricur, lXI BOlllber Co_and48 COl:ulIo.nding Officer, XX! BOllber COGlllO.nd. Coabl1t StQ&1ns

Center (Provi&1onnl)49 - 50 Hi.tor icnl Officer , XII BombGr Commnnd51 - BO COllII:Ill.l'lding Genernl, J.rmy .Air Forcos,ATTNI l.C/J..S Intell igence, Colleotion DivisioD


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Copy No.81 C9Illmllnding Oenora1, Army JJ.r Porcet Po.c1fic Ocean Arou,ATTN: J.AF Evalua.tion Boo.rd62 COlIlmanding Oonora.l . Army Air Forcos Po.ciflc Ocean Aro ....

ATTN I Diroctor of CommunicationsFor I Countar l.!otLauroa Air J.no.1ya1e Center

63 COllllllnnding Officer, 6th BOlnb Group (VB)84 COlMlunding Officer, 9th Bomb Group (VB)85 Commc.Dding Officer, 16th Bomb Group (VH)86 C ~ m a n d i n g Officer, 19th Bomb Group (VB)67 Commo.nding Officer, 29th Bomb Group (VB)86 Commanding Officer. 39th Bomb Group (VB)69 COmQanding Officor, 40th Bomb Group (VB)90 COl!IJlLllnding Officer. 330th BOfJIb Group (VB)91 Commanding Officer. 331.t Bomb Group (VH)92 COI:lIIIc.nding Officer, 444th Bomb Group (VH)93 Cor:unc.nding 0rf icer , 462nd Bomb Group (VH)94 Commo.nding Orfioer, 466th Bomb Group (VB)9S Comma.nding Officer, 497th Bomb Group (VR)96 COmlnnnding Officer , 498th Bomb Group (VB:)97 CammDndin.!; Officer, 499th Bomb Group (VB)98 COCIma.nding Officer, SOOth Bcmb Group (VB)99 Commanding Officer, S01st Bocb Group (VH)

100 C ~ a n d i n g Orficor, 502'nd Bocb Group (VH)101 Commanding Officer, 504th Bomb Group (VB)102 COl:ll!'Innding Officer, SC'Sl;b Bomb Group (VB)103 Commnnding Officor, 509th Composite Group104, Communding 01'1'10031', 655th Bomb Squo.dron eH) (WR)105 Commnnding Oaicar , Twentieth J.ir Forco Leo.d Crew School105 Commanding Officer, 15th FIgh te r Group107 Commanding Off ic er , 2 1st F ig hte r GrouplOB C9mJ:lo.nding Officer, S06th Fighter Group109 Reportint; Unit, J , . ~ 2 . XXI Bomber Co.lUIInnd (Flle Copy)110 - 115Reporting Unit, A ~ 2 , I I I Bomber C ~ ~ d

21st bomber command tactical mission report 172, ocr

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