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1 January 1945 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
(The final assault - VJ + 244 days)

2 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 49 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.

NEEDS TABLE

3 January 1945
JAPAN - Fifty-seven of 97 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, "Jumbo, King Of The Show", with the Clifford crew; 5 survived ditching - MACR 10901
42-24626 - A42 - 497th BG - "Joker's Wild"; the Lawson crew was lost - MACR 10854
42-24660 - Z48 - 500th BG - the Amos crew was lost after ditching - MACR 10899
42-24748 - T42 - 498th BG - the Stickney crew was lost - MACR 10853
42-24766 - Z22 - 500th BG - "Leading Lady", lost with the Hurlbutt crew - MACR 10905]

4 January 1945
No actions reported

5 January 1945
No actions reported

6 January 1945
JAPAN - Twenty-eight of 49 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.

[The one B-29 was from the 462nd Bomb Group 768th Bomb Squadron.

B-29 serial number 42-65254 CBI tail code K over 1, Major Slack's crew, 11 MIA, MACR 11298.

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 - Thirty-nine of 46 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.

[Listed here are the 58th BW aircraft that participated in Mission 26:

JAPAN - 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 18 B-29's attack the primary target, and 34 attack alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 13-3-11 Japanese aircraft. Six B-29's are lost.

[The six aircraft lost are:

The aircraft of the 73rd Wing lost on 9 January 1945:

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

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 CHARTERS CREW ON 1/9/45 ON THEIR SECOND MISSION. THEY WERE FOLLOWED DOWN BY A BUDDY PLANE BUT CONTACT WAS LOSTWHEN THEY HIT THE WATER. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS.
CAPT. CHARTERS WAS ON HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY. HE HAD FLOWN WITH THE OLD 19TH BOMB GROUP.

( * DENOTES KILLED IN ACTION )

Source: 500th BG Historian]

10 January 1945
No actions reported

11 January 1945
MALAYA - Twenty-five of 47 B-29's from the 58th BW dispatched from Calcutta attack two drydock facilities at Singapore (Mission 27); and 15 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
42-65226 - 444th Bomb Group A/C Wilson - MACR 10878

Listed below are the aircraft that participated in Mission 27:

[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 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.]

12 January 1945
No actions reported.

13 January 1945
No actions reported.

14 January 1945
CHINA - Nearly 20 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 82 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 73 B-29's from the 73rd BW dispatched from the Marianas attack the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya through a heavy undercast; and 23 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:
A? / 42-24807 / Schramm crew lost / MACR 11223
A2 / 42-24595 / "Pacific Union" / ditched; Cox crew, 4 survived / MACR - 11221
T21 / 42-24609 / "Lassie Come Home" / surveyed after mission
T34 / 42-24763 / "Geisha Gertie" / ditched; Baumann crew lost / MACR - 11219
V22 / 42-24647 / "Hasta Luego" / ditched; Mellen crew, 6 surv / MACR - 11222]

15 January 1945
No actions reported.

16 January 1945
MARIANAS - In a shakedown mission by the 504th and 505th BG's of the 313th BW 32 of 44 B-29's dispatched attack Maug Island and the airdrome at Pagan Island.

The 316th BW Headquarters arrives at Guam/Northwest Field from the US to prepare to oversee combat operations of several air groups.

The 19th BG HQ arrives at Guam/North Field for service with the 314th BW. The 28th, 30th and 93rd Squadrons arrive (first mission 12 Feb 45)

17 January 1945
CHINA - Eight B-29's from the 58th BW unable to reach their primary target in Formosa attack targets of opportunity on the southeastern coast.

China Theater headquarters is informed of the decision to move all XX BC B-29 aircraft to new bases in the Marianas.

FORMOSA - Seventy-seven B-29's of 92 58th BW dispatched from Chengtu attack Shinchiku Airdrome with 553 tons of bombs. One B-29 is lost.

[The B-29 that was lost was:
42-24494 - "Mary Ann" Major Clarence McPherson's Crew, from the 468th Bomb Group 792nd Bomb Squadron.
After taking off at an altitude of 6500 feet, the number three oil cooler shutter would not work. They returned to base and circled the field (A7) losing altitude they dropped there bombs at 300 feet. The blast was terrific, fire flashed all around, the front bomb bay bulkhead door was blown in and shrapnel splattered the airplane. They bailed out, 7 survived 4 killed, some of the chutes didn't open in time.

Source: Major Clarence C. McPherson]

MARIANAS - The 29th BG and the 6th, 43rd, and 52nd Bomb Squadrons arrive at Guam/North Field from the US for service with the XX AF (first mission is 16 Feb 45).

18 January 1945
No actions reported.

19 January 1945
JAPAN - (Mission 20) Sixty-two of 80 B-29's from the 73rd BW dispatched attack the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Akashi with 153 tons of bombs; and nine B-29's attack alternates and targets of opportunity. They claim 4-4-8 Japanese aircraft.

20 January 1945
TWENTIETH AIR FORCE - Brig. Gen. Roger M. Ramey officially becomes Commanding General XX BC. Maj. Gen. Curtis Emerson LeMay takes command of the XXI BC.

21 January 1945
CAROLINE ISLANDS - (Mission 21) Thirty of 33 B-29's of the 313th BW, 504th and 505th BG's bomb Moen Airfield, Truk Atoll.

21 January 1945
No actions reported.