1 - 15 JAN 1945


1944:

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


1945 1st ˝:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

1945 2nd ˝:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep




The basic chronology and general information on these pages is a composite of entries excerpted from “Air War Pacific Chronology: America’s Air War Against Japan in East Asia and the Pacific 1941-1945” by Eric Hammel (Pacifica, CA: Pacifica Press, 1988 ISBN 0-933353-26-6)
and, “USAAF Chronology: Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces” by Jack McKillop (Piscataway, NJ).
Also on line at Rutgers University.

Note:
Shaded boxes show updates and comments from members of our B-29 mailing list, many of whom were there.

1 JANUARY 1945

MARIANAS:

A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 Pilot downs a Japanese G4M over Tinian at 0450hours.

2 JANUARY 1945 (pg 536)

MARIANAS:

A 6th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 crews down a Japanese G4M and a P1Y near Tinian at 0450hours and 0600, respectively; and a 318th FG P-47 pilot downs a C6N near Tinian at 1255hours.

CBI:

Transport aircraft mount a record 546 sorties to front-line and forward bases throughout the region.

THAILAND:

Forty four of forty nine 58th BW B-29's dispatched from Calcutta attack a rail bridge in Bangkok with 179 tons of bombs; 42 hit the primary target and two B-29's attack alternate targets and a target of opportunity; they claim 0-1-1 Japanese a/c.

3 JANUARY 1945

JAPAN:

Fifty seven of ninety seven 73rd BW B-29's dispatched to bomb port facilities and urban areas of Nagoya with incendiary bombs; and 21 attack alternate targets. Japanese fighters fly 300+ attacks on the bombers and 5 B-29's are lost. Gunners claim 14-14-20 Japanese aircraft.

The five B-29's lost today are:

42-63418 A50 497th BG MACR 10901 "Jumbo, King Of The Show", with the Clifford crew; 5 survived ditching
42-24626 A42 497th BG MACR 10854 "Joker's Wild"; Lawson crew was lost
42-24660 Z48 500th BG MACR 10899Amos crew lost after ditching
42-24748 T42 498th BG MACR 10853 Stickney crew lost
42-24766 Z22 500th BG MACR 10905 "Leading Lady", lost with the Hurlbutt crew
(More info on Z Sq 22 crash from a Japanese website here.)

Additionally, 42-24593, A Sq 7, "American Maid," Bartlett crew, Suffered a blister blowout at 29,000 feet over Nagoya. Gunner James B. Krantz was sucked outside but survived: held for 15 minutes by his home-made harness until pulled back in with frostbite and broken bones. (incident also described in Stephen Birdsall's "Saga of the Superfortress", page 136.)

Ray Brashear's Navigator's Notes:
(It is tough enough to prepare for a mission without having to abort later on. The general briefing, the specialized briefings, the preflight and the heavy weight takeoffs and a flight toward the target. When an abort occurs, all of the prepraration is for nothing and it will have to be done all over again. This is our first abort.)

-- ABORT --
1/3/45
NAGOYA Day demo
28,000 0800--2000 1200 5430
Lost number 2 engine 100 NM short of the coast.
1100 NM on 3 engines

4 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported

5 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported

6 JANUARY 1945

JAPAN:

(Mission 24) Twenty eight of forty nine 58th BW B-29's dispatched from Chengtu, China, attack an aircraft factory and urban areas at Omura with 91 tons of bombs. Thirteen bomb a secondary target at Nanking, China while 6 attack targets of opportunity; they claim 4-6-10 Japanese aircraft. One B-29 is lost. This is the last mission against targets in Japan by the XX BC.

AIRCRAFT

NICKNAME

GROUP

TARGET

STATUS

42-24579

Eddie Allen

40BG

Pagoda A/F

42-24582

Little Clambert

"

Jettisoned

Air Abort

42-24589

Calamity Jane

"

Bangkok

42-24620

Sleepy Time Gal

"

Bangkok

42-24738

Honeywell Honey

"

Jettisoned

Air Abort

42-24739

(Unnamed)

"

Bangkok

42-24752

Wichita Witch

"

Bangkok

42-24798

Ole Gas Eater

"

Bangkok

42-63396

Marietta Belle

"

Bangkok

42-63462

The Lemon

"

Bangkok

42-63498

B-Sweet III

"

Bangkok

42-65233

Superstitious Aloyisious

"

Bangkok

42-93859

Shag'n Home

"

Bangkok

42-24485

Lady Marge

444BG

Bangkok

42-24492

Deacon's Disciples II

"

Bangkok

42-24507

Bachelor Quarters

"

Bangkok

42-24538

Better 'n' Nutin

"

Bangkok

42-24580

Undecided

"

Bangkok

42-24724

Hollywood Commando

"

Bangkok

42-24730

High and Mighty

"

Bangkok

42-24731

Victory Girl

"

Bangkok

42-63376

Miss N.C.

"

Bangkok

42-63451

Blackjack II

"

Bangkok

42-65202

Satan's Angel

"

Bangkok

42-65226

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-24463

unnamed

462BG

Bangkok

42-24506

Untouchable

"

Bangkok

42-24590

Celestial Princess

"

Bassein, Burma

42-24800

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-24801

Phoney Express

"

Bangkok

42-63450

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-63454

Thunderbird

"

Bangkok

42-63457

Battlin' Betty

"

Bangkok

42-63472

unnamed

"

Jettisoned

Air Abort

42-63503

Sky Scrapper

"

Bangkok

42-65252

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-65254

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-24429

Blind Date

468BG

Bangkok

42-24442

Wichita Witch

"

Bangkok

42-24469

unnamed

"

Bangkok

42-24486

Windy City II

"

Bangkok

42-24487

Bengal Lancer

"

Bangkok

42-24494

Mary Ann

"

Bangkok

42-24542

Lady Hamilton II

"

Bangkok

42-24691

Fast Company

"

Bangkok

42-24703

American Beauty

"

Bangkok

42-24704

Gear Box

"

Bangkok

42-24714

Robert J Wilson

"

Bangkok

42-65208

Andy's Dandy

"

Bangkok

The single lost aircraft was:

42-65254 CBI tail code K over 1, MACR 11298 Major Slack's crew, 11 MIA.

(Story of this aircraft Rush Order, crew, unit, missions on
Major Slack website.)


The reason no more missions were flown from China by the XX Bomber Command was in part, that all the Chinese bases were captured by the Japanese. Why, the 73rd Bomb Wing was now bombing Japan and someone felt that we didn't need the Chinese bases anymore because the 58th Bomb Wing wasn't going to Japan anymore from these bases. We pulled out.

7 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported

8 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported

9 JANUARY 1945

CHINA:

Six B-29's from the 58th BW unable to reach primary targets on Formosa attack targets of last resort on the China coast.

FORMOSA:

(Mission 25) Thirty-nine of forty six 58th BW B-29's dispatched from Chengtu attack port facilities at Kiirun with 293 tons of bombs; this raid is the first of several such combined USN-USAAF operations against Formosa in conjuction with the US invasion of Luzon, Philippines.

AIRCRAFT

NICKNAME

GROUP

TARGET

STATUS

42-24522

B-Sweet II

40BG

Nanking

42-24589

Calamity Jane

"

Nanking

42-24620

Sleepy Time Gal

"

Omura

42-24685

unnamed

"

Omura

42-24718

Black Magic II

"

Nanking

42-24718

Honeywell Honey

"

Omura

42-24739

unnamed

"

Omura

42-24798

Ole Gas Eater

"

Omura

42-63396

Marietta Belle

"

Omura

42-63462

The Lemon

"

Omura

Air Abort

42-63498

B-Sweet III

"

Omura

42-63505

Draggin' Lady

"

Omura

42-24462

Princess Eileen II

444BG

Omura

42-24464

Flying Stud II

"

Omura

42-24485

Lady Marge

"

Nanking

42-24492

Deacon's Disciples II

"

Omura

42-24507

Bachelor Quarters

"

Omura

42-24524

Super Mouse

"

Omura

42-24538

Better 'n' Nutin

"

Omura

42-24584

Lucky Lady

"

Omura

42-24724

Hollywood Commando

"

Omura

42-24730

High and Mighty

"

Nanking

42-63411

Duchess

"

Omura

42-63496

Naughty Nancy

"

Omura

42-24484

Our Gal

462BG

Nanking

42-24506

Untouchable

"

Nanking

42-24590

Celestial Princess

"

Lao Yao Harbor

42-24728

unnamed

"

Nanking

42-24786

Assid Test

"

Lao Yao Harbor

42-24800

unnamed

"

Omura

42-63448

unnamed

"

Omura

42-63450

unnamed

"

Jettisoned

Air Abort

42-63457

unnamed

"

Omura

42-63503

Skyscrapper

"

Lao Yao Harbor

42-65232

unnamed

"

Omura

42-65254

unnamed

"

Omura

42-24442

Wichita Witch

468BG

Omura

42-24469

unnamed

"

Omura

42-24494

Mary Ann

"

Omura

42-24525

Mary K

"

Omura

42-24542

Lady Hamilton

"

Nanking

42-24691

Fast Company

"

Nanking

42-24703

American Beauty

"

Convoy

42-24714

Robert J Wilson

"

Omura

42-24734

Miss Lead

"

Nanking

42-63415

Jolly Roger

"

Tang Yang

42-63456

unnamed

"

Omura

42-63500

Gravel Gertie

"

Omura

JAPAN:

(Mission 26) Seventy-two 73rd BW B-29's are dispatched from the Marianas to attack the Musashino aircraft plant near Tokyo, but the formation is broken up by high winds. Only eighteen B-29's attack the primary target, and thirty four attack alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 13-3-11 Japanese aircraft. Six B-29's are lost.

The six aircraft lost are:

42-24598 A5 Waddy's Wagon; Young crew lost after ditching
42-24772 A14 (MACR 10907); Baird crew lost
42-24655 A46 Mis' Behavin'; Crowell crew lost
42-24658 V3 Wugged Wascal; Murphy crew lost after ditching
42-24665 V4 Satan's Sister; Fiala Crew lost after ditching, 12 MIA
42-24657 Z45 Mustn't Touch; Charters crew lost (detailed below)





Info on 42-24657 Z45, Mustn't Touch:


Crew Missions: 1       Aircraft Missions: 6

Pilot: Capt. John F. Charters KIA
Copilot: 1/Lt. Carmon B Rucker KIA
Bombardier: 1/Lt. Leland B. Young KIA
Flight Engineer: 1/Lt. William F. Nothcutt KIA
Navigator: 1/Lt. thomas G. Haher KIA
Radio: James A. Marshall, R. KIA
Left Gunner: George T. Copher KIA
Right Gunner: Ray M. Bell KIA
Central Gunner: Clarence Cohen KIA
Radar Operator: Max J. Swanson KIA
Tail Gunner:Beverly A. Hocker KIA

Ground Crew:
MSgt. Robert W. Doonan (Crew Chief)
Sgt. George M. Lester
Sgt. Charles C. Griffen
PFC. Crol J. Dunais

Notes:
Capt. McClanahan and crew brought this aircraft to Saipan in early November of 1944 and were assigned to it along with Capt. Hanson's crew. She was ditched by Charter's crew on 1/9/45 on their second mission. They were followed down by a buddy plane but contact was lost when they hit water. There were no survivors.

Capt. Charters was on his second tour of duty. He had flown with the old 19th Bomb Group.

(Source: 500th BG Historian)

Ray Brashear's
Navigator's Notes:
Mission 4:
1/9/45
Tokyo Night Weather strike
34,000 1900--0945 1445 6915
Flack meagre --inaccurate
Fighters--nil
About 50 lights-- some on us momentarily Pretty lonely up there all by ourselves Dropped fire bombs on big T and saw some fires

10 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported

11 JANUARY 1945

MALAYA:

(Mission 27) Twenty five of fourty seven B-29's from the 58th BW dispatched from Calcutta attack two drydock facilities at Singapore (Mission 27); and fifteen B-29's attack alternates on Penang Island and Mergui, Burma and various targets of opportunity. They claim 6-1-17 Japanese aircraft. Two B-29's are lost.

The two aircraft lost are:

42-24704 468th Bomb Group A/C Humphries MACR 10879
3 killed, 4 captured, 4 evaded capture
42-65226 444th Bomb Group A/C Wilson MACR 10878

About 42-24704:

One of the B-29s lost on this raid was 42-24704, piloted by Maj. Donald Humphrey of the 793rd Bomb Sqn., 468th Bomb Group. The loss is covered in MACR 10879. The plane crashed in Malaya. Several crewmembers were killed when the plane was shot down or died of injuries shortly after the crash. Several were captured by the Japanese and held in a prison in Singapore for the remainder of the war. Four, including Humphrey, managed to evade capture and spent time with a communist guerrilla band in Malaya (one of these four died before the war ended, the others were not able to return to US military control until after Japan's surrender).

Those killed were Lt. Col. Robinson Billings, the mission commander (and who was flying as co-pilot); radio operator T/Sgt. M. A. Kundrat; and tailgunner S/Sgt R. E. Spratt. Those captured were radar observer 1st Lt. M. J. Govednick, CFC gunner S/Sgt J. A. MacDonald, left gunner T/Sgt H. D. Gillett, and right gunner T/Sgt Ralph Lindley. Those evading were Maj. Humphrey, navigator Capt. C. A. Hansman (who died before the war ended), bombardier 1st Lt. William F.Duffy, and flight engineer 1st Lt. Ernest C. Saltzman.

Humphrey's crew, I would note, was part of the original complement of the 468th BG and their original aircraft was named "Postville Express" after Humphrey's hometown of Postville, Iowa. Humphrey was the lead aircraft commander for the first B-29 raid on Japan proper, which took place against Yawata in June 1944. This raid is the subject of a guest column on Sallyann's site (the column appeared around October, 1999, I believe). "Postville Express," the original plane, had been returned to the US as war weary in late 1944. To my knowledge, 42-24704 was unnamed, though Humphrey in a postwar newspaper interview referred to it as the "Postville Express." This may have been a case where, had the aircraft remained in service longer, it would have carried nose art and been named.

Note: Lt. Goh Keng Loon of the Malaysian Air Force and Shaharom Ahmad have posted information well as recent crash site pictures on their WWII history website.


42-65226 wreckage found?

Researchers looking into a 1941 British naval battle in Malaysia recently found a B-29 in the water, and put pictures on their website. Meanwhile, Lt. Goh and Mr. Ahmad have determined that it is probably 42-65226.


Aircraft that participated in Mission 27:

AIRCRAFT

NICKNAME

GROUP

TARGET

STATUS

42-24503

Nippon Nipper II

40BG

Mergui Harbor, Burma

42-24579

Eddie Allen

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24582

Little Clambert

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24587

San Antonio Rose

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-24757

unnamed

"

Penang, Malaya

42-63374

Tabooma II

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-63394

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-63407

Shoot, You're Faded

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-63455

Genie

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-65233

Superstitious Aloyisious

"

Mergui Harbor, Burma

42-24462

Princess Eileen II

444BG

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24580

Undecided

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-24720

Fu-Kemal-Tu

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24732

Hore-Zontal Dream

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-63375

Her Majesty

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

42-63378

Fubar

"

Aerodrome

42-63446

Trojan Spirit

"

Mergui Harbor, Burma

42-63451

Black Jack II

"

Singapore

Air Abort

42-63496

Naughty Nancy

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-65202

Satan's Angel

"

Jettisoned

Air Abort

42-65226

unnamed

"

Singapore

MIA Last Seen Mersing

42-24463

unnamed

462BG

Penang, Malaya

42-24475

Hoodlum House II

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24581

unnamed

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24800

unnamed

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24801

Phoney Express

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24838

unnamed

"

Penang, Malaya

42-63454

Thunderbird

"

Malaya

42-63472

unnamed

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-63502

Long John Silver

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-63540

unnamed

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-65230

unnamed

"

Mergui Harbor, Burma

42-24469

unnamed

468BG

RR Tracks

42-24471

Chat'nooga Choo Choo

"

Singapore

42-24486

Windy City II

"

Penang, Malaya

42-24487

Bengal Lancer

"

Singapore

Air Abort

42-24546

unnamed

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24678

Kickapoo Lou

"

Singapore Floating Drydock

42-24691

Fast Company

"

Oil Storage Area

42-24704

Gear Box

"

Singapore Kings Drydock

Crashed in Malaysia

42-24714

Robert J Wilson

"

Penang, Malaya

42-24734

Miss Lead

"

Floating Drydock

42-63417

Rushin Rotashun

"

Singapore

Air Abort

42-63445

Craig Comet

"

Penang, Malaya

42-63464

Belle Ringer

"

Penang, Malaya

12 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported.

Lee Florence's Diary:

Saipan Briefed for Nagoya

13 JANUARY 1945 No actions reported.

14 JANUARY 1945

CHINA:

Nearly twenty B-29's from the 58th BW unable to reach their target in Formosa attack a number of alternate targets and targets of opportunity in mainland China, including Hengyang.

FORMOSA:

Fifty four of eighty two B-29's from the 58th BW dispatched from Chengtu (Mission 28) attacks Kagi Airdrome, and one B-29 attacks and arsenal at Heito. Several B-29's also attack Taichu Airdrome as an alternate target.

JAPAN:

Forty of seventy three B-29's from the 73rd BW dispatched from the Marianas attack the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya through a heavy undercast; and twenty three B-29's attack alternates and targets of opportunity. They claim 16-7-26 Japanese aircraft. Five B-29's are lost.

The 73rd B-29s lost were:

42-24807 A? MACR 11223 Schramm crew lost
42-24595 A2 MACR 11221 "Pacific Union" ditched; Cox crew, 4 survived
42-24609 T21 "Lassie Come Home" surveyed after mission
42-24763 T34 MACR 11219 "Geisha Gertie" ditched; Baumann crew lost
42-24647 V22 MACR 11222 "Hasta Luego" ditched; Mellen crew, 6 surv

Lee Florence's Diary:

Saipan: Bombed Nagoya visually. 6 airplane formation. Brashear leading. Attacked by large number of fighters. No B-29s shot down. Good results on bombingat 32,000 ft. Lt. Mellen and crew ditched on return. Lt. Mellen and McClure did not survive. Others picked up two days later .

Ray Brashear's
Navigator's Notes:
(This is a copy of our navigators note pad. They get better as the missions get worse. Ray)

Mission 5:
1/14/45
Nagoya (194) Day demo
30,000 0750--2150 1400 8315
Flack-moderate, accurate
Fighters-unknown number. Quite a few, tho About 20 attacks on our ship alone. Mellon ditched 6 got out and were picked up after a pretty hectic night. We took over lead one half way up. 6 plane formation.

15 JANUARY 1945

No actions reported.


1944:

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec


1945 1st ˝:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

1945 2nd ˝:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep