all oancelled lIT

~~ 110. ~OO.9. di'eotin 28 1Joy.1I8

VOL' 110.8 U A'''ll/94S

n. FII\ES GUT TO~YO

'II AI\.$ElU.l ''"'6£ 3

n.. JAP SUICIDE

'ill AIRCRAFT ''"'6£ ,

'A6E "
 XXI BOMBER COMMAND

&1 TElliGE (E HE RT
26 1
,... ."
w
4

•
~.

o -u"" or •
·erl..... ~.

.
1r
""
n 1.1 .. - w· .. 1r-
 ""
•
It 11 lnt.mlld that thu weekly,...
port be .. saurc. or IntOJ"IU.t1on tr,r co~.
bat crews and ,tart officers "ho have ••
.letlt1nlate intere.t In the operations or
th. XXI Bombv COIlIlIIand. "I'lthln thc. .
1111.tt. It shouUl ncel.. the "l~"t Pl»_
11b1l c1rc~latlon Ptr~1111bl. Under'th.
provl.1oas or AR ~eo.!.
In order that .. lllU1lIamI or intellt_
senee lIIIIy be included, the rapart 1_
Itven an overall claU1tlcatlon or Sec_
ret. "!hen th. nature or the lIIatertel
warrants, indiVidual article, have I'll._
ceivad a l~.r 'fiCurtty classification.
The report 1s '0 aJllSllllbled that the
COIlPOlMlnt sectlon.!l lila,. be removad and
circulated or tihll separately, It POI'.
tlOI\5are reproduee(l. security regula_
tions lIIust b., obaerve" and the SOW'ce
crMlted.
CorresPondenea reCu41na thill PUb.
l1e.ticn ehould be addreSSed to the COIIl_
III&ndl~ General, XXI BOIDber COlllUnd.
APO 234, c/o Postlllalter. San Pranct.oo.
Caltfornia, Attention: At; or S, 4-2.
~ .f.,-L-
J.tUS D. GARCIA
C01oa-1, G.a.c.
AC or s, .l~
H: C.G. XXI B.C. Initial. CLt b.
DATI 26 April 1945 ~
2 I
T.o large_!!eale 1neend1ary at..
uek3 on Tokyo by the XXI Bomber
CO:cI:Isnd during the week leveled an-
other 16 square miles of that e1ty
and hesped more weight upon a na_
UCIl already staggering under the
bUrden ot the war they a.sked far.
Bit by bit, from photographs,
prisoDe.L's ot war, intercepts at en-
elll1 radio broadcas'ts ana olOher sour-
eU,the scope ot the damage reeent_
17 aeeOlllplUhed becomes more det1n-
able. oestruct1on or industries,
I_U and large, is now eounted in
leores of thoUS:l.n.ds •. Cornmun1c8t.1Ql13
In tne areas attac!ted are ehaot1c
aDd being more overburdened daily
(it flOW appears that no trains are
running between Tokyo and Yokohama).
1'bere is plenty of evidence that
:11I unexpected destruction caused
l the bOlDbings has Jarred the Japs
o their tOUndl!ltions.
orono ARSENAL BLASTED
IfhSlon No. 67 ot the Bomber
~nd nOlrn on the night of 13_
h APrh, was d1.rected ag8inst the
~oneelltration or 11ldustry in North
q.o knOltn es the Tokyo Arsenal,
aVilal Part or Japan's arllls arld
I'll!litlons prOduction fecH1 t1es.
'1~1nes were loaded to capacity
~~ or ncen~ia.ries, plus eo 500-pound
to ~1 bunch of tregs in each load
SCOUt"s,ge the fire fighters.
.,
Total aircraft airbcrne nre 348 ...
frQII all three Wings. The "in
forces were precede~ to the target
by s1% pathfinderll trOlll each Wing.
Bombing was by radar.
WING RtsULTS
A quick look at the mi!!!!ion
breakdown by Wing!! llhow!! the tol..
10lfing:
73rdJ!M: Of 120 alrcr:lft air.
borne dropped 971.4 ton!! trOlJl
5,500 to 9,000 teet through 2/10
cloud. EnelDY aircraft oppos ition
was reported a!! slight and flak
~vy, meager to moderate, ~stl1
inaccurate. One er1ecy tighter was
C1estroyed. Three B-29s were lost.
3l3th!1!l&: or 115 airbcrn8,
llO"1Jr'Oppe<r813.6l tODS from 8,000
to 11,000 teet through 2/10 to 6/10
cloud. Dense smoke and turbulence
over the target were reported tc
have interfered with bombing. Three
aircraft dropped 4.25 tons co Chot!
Point. Enemy al.rerart oppo.ition
wes meager I!lnd illefrective. flak
was reported as meager and inaecur-
ate. One fighter was elsaed U
destroyed and one damaged. ODe
bomber of thU .ing tailed to
return.
314th: Pr1mar1 1I'&S bit b1 103
airerin', of 113 a1rbOl'ue, 1f1th
456.6 tons of bombs. BCltlIblng alt!o.
tude "p 8,300 to 9,900 teet .04
"eather CAVU. Three a1reratt drop-
ped 19.9 tODJ aD atrt1el~' ~.
northeast TOkyO. !nemy atreritt
opposition "81 lDodet:,ate and lnef.
fective. flak l1188pr to aoderate,
accurate to 1naeeurate. four en..,
aircraft .ere de.tr01ed and one--
aged. Three !I_e91 were la.t.
SEARCHLIGHTS, rIGHTERS COOP!RAfI
CQtstanding in the reportl of
return1ng cren .... the h1gb dter"
_
 ...f
-. ~
8
rdin ation between enemy I"J.aK
o~ e~archl1ehts, and fighterS and
nlightS _~ particularly the
5es~:r 'nlere ",erE' mal\Y reports of
la~ehi1ghts il1~inat1ng the bOlD-
1n most reports the use or rope
and the desynChrontzation or el:l.
gines were effective against the
searchlights. Some dul1UllY fires 'IIere
Suspected.
se , in the target area while enemy 1)AY.AGE
nghte
r orbit ted above and then Da~ge to the city of TOkyo from
~e rs 1n to attack. There was one this misSion is 10.7 square miles.
;:;or of tlares being dropped by Seven numbered industries 'IIere det.
t ini te1y da~ged and 20 numbered tar.
:a:
n enelV)'
betS
aircraft trom above the
, illuminating them for en- gets are within :>1' adjacent to the
burned areas. (Secret)
.• i'~1 e:t! tWiter attacks •

.- V •

.
• ",

TOKYO
..--:-'4
-...~
.. '
.
i

_e
Close on the heel! of the strike
&l dnst the TokyO Arsenal came a
dual blO'll' ... at Kawasaki urban area
.nd the urban area of South Tokyo.
~t·11lD~U\.lflilIU
L~J!~~.,~
from 7,900 to 8,800 reet through 0
to 3/10 clOUd. One hu~red seventy
three enemy aircraft were Sighted,
with 30 attacks reported. Halt ot

"
fhe,e 111155ions, No. 68 and 69, were the attacks were rated as eggres ..
nown on the night of 15_16 April. sive, being pressed to 200 yards.
'Theil the 5IIloke !'rom these had begun
to clear, PIS located 5.2 more

,
squate miles of Tokyo burned aOO One came in to 50 yerds. There were
ebrot 3 square miles of ashes in two attacks by raeket ..f1r1ng enelllY
r.ansaki, a little south of Tokyo aircraft, and also sOllle ground fire
proper • fran rockets.
Included in the total damage as_ Flak was heavy and medlum,moder.
""ment of this coordinated mis- ate to intense,ioaccurate and accur.
slOl1,and the one against Tokyo just ate. Ten aircraft returned earlyand
preeedlt\8 it, is damage to 54 num- five failed to return. Four enemy
bered targets. Among these damaged aircraft were destroyed.
tU!ltlI are: Arsenals, ordnance
supply depots, clothing depots, 314TH WING
IUl1powder works, power stations,
ehllll1cal plants, armories. ra11 This wing had 108 aircraft air ..
KAWASAKI 7ardJ,
7ar d"
radio stations, freight
warehouses, piers, instru_
borne, of which 95 dropped 597 tOM
on the primary from 6,900 to 10,000
Hnt works, iron works, elevator feet. Thirteen enemy aircraft, or
r~torlt1, steel and chrome works, 168 sighted, attad:ed. Flak W65
"'",bel" plants, wire cable Ca:lI.pan1es med ium and heavy t moderate to in·
a Spinning mills. tense,. inaccurate to accurate.
lar Ag~in the attacking aircraft Six aircraft returned early and
a ~ 08ded with incendiaries, plus six failed to return.
e1rb~~:und GP per aircraft. Total
rr~ 3 against Kawasaki, 219 __ 73RD :nNG
are th13th and 3l4th ·'.'ings. Here
P01'ts: e highlights of the wing re- This wing attack'ed the southern
part of Tokyo city de.!l1gnated as
Incendiary zone No.2. It put 118
3l3TH WIlla aircraft into the ait', 109 of which
bombed the primary with 992 tons
dr:.ed lll
airborne, 99 aircraft
pr~ 682 tOil! ot bombs on the
from 8,300 to 9,800 feet. P1fteen
enemy aircraft were sighted and 20
'1 by radar and visual mean'" attacks received by the boaberJ •
. ~

• 5

'Ooe Ughter 'It!:.' ,·p'itroyed. N1ne
:a1.rcr,.rt returnc' 10' r 1y, one crashed
on land1D& at Iwo.
The higher losses sustained by
the B-2~ on th15 mlssion':a3i-a at-
tributed to increasing effectiveness
of the enemy in using his fighters
were deserted. '!'hen tha 111~'1 .~'"
came. A thick (lf OI'1l.) III ~;;.'" ,or 8 d~ 80
aDlS flat. Observers reported that
lIlost of the losses were of bombers
which were over the target after
the main bod)' of aircraft had ·18S-
and 10 or 20 men 1n 1II0St e~',
Surficient to tear ~OIIn ~t'\1
by this method.
sed. (s~cret)
-:O:h
,~. '. ~~ •·tit,.
., .• , :':'1~'
(TOnO RADIO)
"Jap!.nese houses,
and most business
buildings except for
some in great cities,
Bre built lightly and of wooden ma.-
terial. AS a result, they burnllke
straw. Drastic measures had to be
taken to pr~vent the spreed of
fires, which are easily started in
the great Japanese cities by the
terr or incend 1ary bomb raids. Large
scale anti-tire measures in Tokyo
besan about one year ago, following
the caJ=ture of Saipe.n by the Amer-
icans. Although broad fire-breaks
were cut through Tokyo at that time,
many more houses are fa1lin3 today.
"Th, new plan for defense a ~
fire, worked out by the cooperative
efforts of military and government
officials. began just recently to
be put into effect. For one or two
weeks agents went through the
streets of Tokyo marking many houses
a'illl,~~-'"~::t.i'
~~.[~~_S'1l'.
On 17 end 1e Aprll. in a total
ot 12 missions, small elements or
XXI Banber Command bit airrtelds on
y,yushU in support or 5aTJ operations
~ound Okinawa. A thausen(!l tons ot
bombs m'ost1y fragmentation, were
(lropp~ on the airtields and cloae
to a hundred enemy aircraft were
reI?F~;:ablY damaged or de~
'1.
~
",.,.',
..
_ 6
-
:J:
wi th the wora whieh la rt on the ground are bad-
or fastening an 0!l:I1n ea~ tt~
door. The reSidents~:a~~:
alJ'~\y the attack' ,or unleSS
l"s
11 .,-eelll"the dalllBge maY not be vi' M
'"
.::>
had frOlll five to 14 dan t~~!~1 tt Yb\lt'n, tM a1l'. GrClllna observe.-- ,l,
lbl88 rtet' airfieldS tata!ln fTc:m the
"In only a fe"" daYS,tIlo ttI,l, dOll o~uallY
revealS a greatOOel
1 than that assessed from
*'
if-
to one of the (WOrd) or t~~ ~otOS. d~ition, the scattering ot
In a
8~:r
,118
ai1'craft by the attacks,
of runwaYs, morale effect
It the h':t:lt"", ~a=.a&1I' and ground crews, frequently
.... ~.
515 ted Such Pl'0I:~ (Ill a eancelatlons of miSS ions aOO
:r,
tractor or 4ni I C8US In other tr6Ys the enelD)'" s op- No. 75 _M Y,anoya, 30 314tb Wing
.r~'
,..~ t~~
brought up and
went dO'ltn.
~~~lons. The NavY haS reported a planes dropped 86 tonsi dallege to
l!5Sen1 g of attackS by enelD)" a1r- hangar': five ~/A damaged •
re rolln owing the XXI B.C. opera-
"You can See t~t rt against the airfieldS.
ilOn5 The above m~!lSiol1S were flam OD
scale of the tb~I::: 11 Aprlj.. On ttl-e following day siX
~ ~1IIIfIIU/Uj6tJ
program in 'tcllro~'I others were tlq,n.
the fact that al!ol\!\
billion yen 'fa, ,~I No. 16 _M Tachiarai, 20 frca
iated tor the
,\e result? Twentn~
i/l."" BrieflY, the 1.2 missions .,..ere as 13rd, f!fI tODSj five E/A destroyed,
11 dallll}gedi three destroyed, tem
i'irebreak!J eaeh f'!~1: roUo'" : probables, nine damaged in air. 'I"lo
to 200 metel'S Itde, II 10. 70 •• !z\Di Airfield hit oy B_29s lost, one ral'!llled and one dUM
BO f1rebreakS or !l«l' 20.irerat t or the 7:!lra ,'i'1ne, drop- eb.ed.
to 70 meters rld~~ ping ~ tOn!. Fires started in ban--
Around the raill&111o
tions, every html'!l apd or ~l9troyed.
,e:
areaSj eight enemy aircraft d8m- No. 11 and eo .M )tokubU and 1.!.o-
oye E, KUShira and Akuna hit by 39
been torn (l0lfn. IlIIporta~t tn.~ trUll 313th Wing: five E/A damagedi
centers have been made into 'es 10. i l M. Tacb.iarai, 84. tons by 1:51 t.oDS dropped.
plazas. 21 of 7:!1rd Wing; lS FlA damaged Cll'
No. 78 .M Kano:ra, 103 tons frca
dlltr01a~. 30 314th Wing B.29ait'l'O E/A burnl:1l&
10. 72 ._ KokubU, 20 313tb. Wing
~lIost important ot all, 1111. and one lI.ore dall8gIQ·
is the protection ot flct«1£ :;~ dropped 148 ton!; direct h1ts No. 79 __ lImi by 21 !'rca 73rd
Eroad, open spaces are clJli 4w6~~!I; tour E/A oestroyed,t'1ve Wing dropping 89 tons; seven !ll
around every plant. several lito
drecl thousend houses era ~ daag ed •
felled in Tokyo. '1r~~r~ ~. baoya E. bit by 20 No. eo _M (se, '17 aod 80); 18
113 tOllll' r di313th Wins, dropping
"The face of TokyO is c~ &ad bIl'ra~ks', rect hits on hangarS VA possiblY d.-ged OD 1\"o1D1w.
from day to day. AnyOni'
been away from the city r_ ..
'fIlo: seven E/A damaged.
No. Bl M. N1t.tagabar'& - U or
3Hth dropping 41 tons; 00 85S....
monthS w11l find he nO l~. n~\h '0. 74._ Rittagehara, seven
B.29s dropped 25 tons i hits t
find his way around in ~ • IllI fUlII'lyt and hangars. ment of resulU. (S.cr. )
city'S wards". (TokyO in QtrIP ..
Europe_Exchange. Broacl. C&5t bLl
.'[eickert, 4/5/45 ~. (il.e5tri~~
AltbOGIb \be prl.-r1~·
~illl each 24.hour period sinc.
nJ.lht.
~
I $ poae at then .tlllODI 11 t.o obt.aiD
prel1"ina~~.s~
'flu e"ber, three 73rd Wing B-298 _-.th.r 4at.a. a WP 1 of
strayed. after Ib!:·n 'cheduled to fiy weather M
strike and reconnaUU bf1'"~ \-.l&l1ll"ilSions against the Jap
In addition, many hangar:',,,""'" ..~. To provide constant
_t.a r raeonnaissanee on XXI tar.
ar_
th_ alSO bCDb urbaD - lDI!U t.rta1
of JapaD.·
prca 5 oae ~ U lJII'il, Sl'
and other buildingS wer
and runways pitted. ~ 'b, ':t,,:~tes, these aircraft sr·
th' ~ lat.t!'Tau---Y ewer targets at spaced
ot the M8 mer...uot.. tl
i&1rb0l'll8 ha" 'Oe'ID .rIM .... at
dJ'-"
A large por'..ion at • .,.,..,. throu.RhOllt the day aDd
ot this type operation at'_aJll.
ever. Visible on a photoO"
•
,. t!a~!!!''' ...... rt dropped a eom.
I biDed total or 6215 tons or IBa and or the J ap hOlD.ela
RII
and
OQ
other
Tok;yo I Nagoya, Kobe f Osaka
loealities. DesPite A trained ""u.
"'.
.e..ther eondlt1ons at hCKDe base, companies \IIoat or P' ~
the three-e._day schedule 1s DOW be_ from Which In.. n~''''''l
ins very elosely adhered to; wit. ports to Weather ~ S
DesS 89 weather - strike aircraft enroute. AU 1hIltttt. Il"-i I
airborn.e during Karch an4 33 during cratt laM at Gu_ II t a " . .
llIissions where erll1rS~ tS,
the period 1 .. 11 April, or whieh
94 pereent were eftective. ad by pers Onnel or th,
tral. While at Guaa. er.....
:s -,The (piloted) luiciGe pam 11
port all Ship Uaht~ tIIi! a ow_w1ng monoplane witb cOlITen
While the cumulat'1ve bomb and tiona! fl1r;ht controls. Ttle I ~
intelligenee O,"8n 'ttor.~~
~ncend1ary damage is significant,
it 15 easier to estimate the etfeet
quarters XXI BOll1ber c--: 11 16 rut and the length or :..
ruu!age measures 20 teet. The
the,. perslstant, unpredictable wingl and empetU'l4r;e are ot plJ800d
Six ot the Me • and the !Uselase i, lI&I5e or alu::.
attack:! have had on Jap morale and aircraft have been loSt:'? inUlll. The l,ooo-pound ..arb.d
physical ••U-belD8. It 1s :late to 22 ot the personnel or tbeti probab~ SAP tTPe. is attachec1 t~
say that sinee the inception of craft were re5tued. E!IIIIr_ the leadin& edr;e ot the lr1nr;.
these weather_strUms, all Jap ur- has been light, a total of I
ban tire defenses have been con- fighter attaelcl havlll(_. -The .. ingl bave a un1!orll snep
stant:,. alerted and no sleep hes ed tor all the m1s310lU. ilI~ back and are taper:ed. The eClpen-
been untrOUbled 1n the major eities aircraft was destroyed. (~ nege surfaces are square. The pres-
1 destruction ence of armor plate behiM ~he war-
Tb.1 5'llr incr eall ~mejor indus- head and the pilot and absence of
Jlpanl.. clt~:; torced the enemy
T 'D. "19·
lIandS U· I. minus
14 feet 0 f or
r:n~~;;~t:uadrr~~t~~ti~a~O::
lal ,1••" • , •• ,gne' ..
fuel tanks suggests thet heavy cal-
iber Ure lIculd be necesnry to
,top thU lIeapon.
l.IOLl. Sincr~ "'h~~~S and antiaircraft -There are three rockat motorS
flGll b1 - rul in stopping and proviSion tor ein& rockets.
1st Lt. Woodrow B. Palmer, pilot ot the dalll8g1 UI not been 3UCcess arll that the Range is probably !bort with little
lane. tells his story of hOlt' he landed the B_29 ).29 strikes, it aP:'er b~ begun time for maneuvering around a tar-l
. ;IP,l11r:e hil U1,', '.~d ~ tbe roey get. construction or the rusal.al
, prCCru pre c aDd the fact that there are no pro-
"On 25 If:arch 1945 I experienced level flight. Lard1nS lilt IttU or secret weapons.
the tollow1ng rlight characteris_ flaps were lowered at 12 OX, vUiol15 for 6J1 undercarr1qe pre-
ties or a B...29 tollowing the shear- and simulated land1ng proe~ Witb the present 1,"e1 of irtf'or;. clude' the possibility t(lr aDJ' bUt
air launcbings by a mother plane.
ing of a 14 toot section ot the carried out to check ttl_ I~' _nOll it 11 impossible to pre4ic
\hi utant to 1l'hicb thiS program Gun camera photos taken by pilOts
wir:g tip in a mi~a1r collision speed ot the damaged will!i III of the Hornet anI' F;)'U!bU 011 21
with another E-29 over the Halliday general reaction5 or thl l! W been cr wU1 be carried. It
.,- be that the air aver and around lIIarcb 1945 shalf several Bett)'S in
leland bcab1ng range. at a lower speed. No staillll flight w1th rl7ing bombS .U1ble oD
fects were observed at 14511~,
;Ipan will ,oon be cluttered with
"Collision occurred at 20,000 . . ft . . itlcrealing DU1llber of inven- under side of !'USelaU. Euct
feet and the aircraft "&5 brought per haul'. This assured- \lOIlI .1aUar to V-l, V_I, jet-pro-
unGer control at 1!5,00Cl teet. Low_ sate approach for landil1!i. pUIlO nChte1", roc:k8t_propelled
erlng the landing gear helped to r1Ibtvl t~1nr; winc' radio con-
_My first attempt to 1,11I
high and a go-a:r 0uD4 ~
brlng the aircraft out ot the Wide -.aId 'btwlbl. and ail the other
IweePing spiral. The airlpeed did too ItIVtlll&l1cet of the tlrinc circUS.
not exceed 250 miles per hour in without d1tticulty. AI~~
110 miles per hour .....
tha spiral. The let...down to traf- the traftic pattern and:t- in fII 'THE VlPIR-
fio altitude wa, made at 180 miles approach W8l!!I made at 160
p.. hour but I think the landing liour. The shillng speed ~ In oonJunotion with the apparent
gear and flaps should have been aircraft under normal ~. M84 of the .nemy tor a det.n"
used as this 1I'ou14 have allowed a -.." on n.. weapoUl, the first or
slower descent With less chance ot wauld have been 95 mtl··
but the damaged wing,ta~
nr.. ""'e, ·Tbe V1per-, hu be.n en-
lGlIatereG lQl! captured at Okinawa.
~ther damage to the wing.
airplane at 135 mlleJ ~r t' 1\ 11 Gucribed in an AlFPQA. report
-The drag and loss of wing erfi- used power on No. 1 an4~ II tau" l
ciency caused a reaction similar to gines to help keep the d ,
loss of ~o enginel. Ten degrees high &S I broke my gUd" rita
01 tlaps increeAed flight stab11it~ landing was accomplished __ ft.'
but mos t of the rudder and ailer on further damage to the alrCP'·· TID: "Pm!. .... Three_quartere
control had to be used to maintain (Confidential) rlcbt trOlllt . i...

,
8
 1hdent1tieatlon ~.
p otos. bl.lt 1 ... ~
are : 11 P!'Obt.:~lt
BettyS
aerial bomb d,::n:: ~
~Close btfi,
tells th.e f~~~atlOl1 Of ....
s trument panel ll« .tOl) ~I
moth.er plane ca:ndl~~
bOlllb to "ithln Vi;~! tliI'l
target. There are & !"'tI
tor tuture installat~ll"
emploYlllent by a !' 0Qs tit"
mother Plane. There ~
that radio control h llo
for the pilot. The bubb~1 _,
°PY is used I whiCh aUOt1 ~ 51nce thiS descr1pt1on was re_
wrt s ide view ot Viper maximum Viston. Release l"d further 1nformation has been
bomb trom mother plq Itl e:edved of the f1rst possible at-
P!1shed by opening e Ullll•• ~ek by thlS new weapon. On 12
placed forward Of the Z'lrcr, 1prll 1945 a Navy bogey report was
the suicide plane. ~~ ,1ven tor a plane mak1ng a pre_dawn
ment foun 1 in the plw attack at a speed of 12D-150 kTlots.
that the approach to the ta.." 5uddenly th1s bogey beC8lll6 twins as
the ~ther sh1p launched 1ts pro_
be IlIade at the lIla:l1JmuD allli jeetile. The attacking plane then
the mother plane. turned and approached its t-.arget at
eoo knots but missed wnlle the
"The Japanese pU~ ICItiler plane cont1nued on its way.
bomb is a suicide "'apoll. l\t Four core of these fly1ng bombs
that the warhead arms ._~ han been used 1n s1m1lar efforts
I upon release from the lotillt-' Illd speeds as high as 400 knots
Callmi ts the weapon and the han been reported.
destruction. ~ (From All'
gence ~femorandum No. 3,HI ntlSe attacks have been coordin_
AAFPOA. 11 April 1945) ated wlth attacks by Va13. Since
it is not beHeved that the Val is
,
....o~~//f//··
,"
~"".,~ ..
•
Three quarters right front
view ShoWing nose section
and fuselage removed.
-~-:'''..i~:\f(t
I

.
-,' .~

"
"'"'

capable of carry1ng the -Viper",

there is SOl"le doubt a5 to Whether
these reported attacks were actually
made by that mlss1le. :Vhlle the
pOSSil)11tty exLsts that the Cl~'SllC
was launched by the Val and there-
fore is a scalIer type or roelret
bCl!lb (perhaps slmUar to the GemaD
Henschel 29:5). 1t seeMS core pro-
bable tha t the Vals were actually
used to divert ettentlon frl1ll the
Betty usee mother ship aM allow 1t and lts
"1. .Gun camera aspbotos
parent nl:l.ne to carry and launCh
by a1rcratt or USS Hornet. rocket p~.
!larcb 1...•
21
(.... 'f1tr.t or cockpit
<l\otos by CI~C?AC_CtNCPOA. TAl)
~Viper" to reach its launchlng post.
t10n unobSel"1ed.

10
11
 atli n& caw'se as much as 35
IlJo : andl T&J'ylng a1rspeed from
• i4Qti:';(

dt\o e50. AS a result B_29 lost

Has this ~evelopment aqy rela_
tionship to our combat report or
~bal18 ot tire"? While it becomes
readily apparent that all of these
report! have not stemmed from the
same causative source, it does not
appear beyond the realm of poss!.
bl11ty that some ot the so-called
"hal1.5 9f ftre" may have been gen_
4 'I.
"::n
one lll.!Jtanct tit-
of fire appeared to . •
from enemy aircraft••
5.
"Four balls ot r
she ot a fighter plallt llt ..
level heigbt then dr1tw~
e of fire on three cecas ions
:r~ it pallsed through clouds; but
..ch ttme B.29 emerged trom clouds,
NJl ot fire waS on 1ts tail. F1re
ppeared to be steady phO!phOreS-
:eat g10'll' and ball of fire stayed
ror aboUt five m1n u tes.-
" tar leadOS the secondary
'-a f111tl8 acrosS the penin-
_/!itt eD landI, end. watat gunner
,ulI et what he !'1r!t thought to
ob,el'flJd b r_colored searchlight on
bI an am C:JlIM'ed light was gain1D&
U ound • and at same time it was
oa tbea altitude and apparently
II.
"Atter leeving coast cr.
s igbted two Cherry r,o bahs or".
tire, one at seven olcloCk, other
at four olclock See~d to Clr.lle trOll
below, SlOWly. P'ollO'll'ld apP!'OJ:i.
mately mile behind. B-29 thr0U8h
Violent ..,asive ectlon-.t1Jo 45 de.
gree turns to r1Sht end. on, to left,
able to lO!e them. Balls appeared
to burn out anO lose altttUdl.
11.
·Several enemy aircraft ob-
served to have two bright lights
which flowed like fire, one located
on either e:i~e of enaine (If it
.ere single engine Plane). Lights

erated by the rOcket motor of the
"Vlp8l'''. In one form or another a8
many 8.! 302 sightlngs by 140 crews
which may be classified under the
headlr~ "balls ot ttre" have been
reported. While a large percentage
ot these sightings have continued
tor a~ most two-three minutes. some
have perUsted tOr as long as 15
mlnut!s. A few are Quoted below.
I.
"A yellow ball of tire about
six inches 1n diameter observed
movlfl8 upward at en engle of about
75 degrees. Fire burned out at
8.000 feet. Six white balls of
fire seen to come up fro!ll Nagoya.
A greyish ball or fire about the
size or a Soccer ball paSSing below
the aircraft in the target area. A
reO ballot tire was' Seen coming up
frOlJ below."
1.
"A reO ballot fire was Seen
Oro;Jping Slowly frO'!l 1,000 feet to
500 feet below and ahead or one
B_23. Ther. it droPPed l1ke a bUl_
let and exploded on the groUnd. One
crew reported Seeing Some obj ect
going away trom the~ just before
they reached the target. It was
believed to have been a fighter.
Fl£.'IIes seemed to be coming from it
and as it turned two balls of fire
cane up toward the B_29 trom behind
but did not get close to it."
3.
aircraft
to be fI
course. "
flaring up or burnill8."
6.
"Ball of fire f'lrst Ill:
five o'clock level about 3"l
behind B-29. Near 8! CIl! bI a
mined ball of tire IIllI _
Size Of a basketball. 11lIer.
action taken in form ot l2II'lI,
of fire turned inside 8.2913
follOWing. Appeared that
B-29 made a turn ball or rut"
-=
behind but on straight811ll7 It~
make up lost distance. !-2!'
altitUde going dawn to 6,o:n
in order' to gain air spe'd ulLi:
ally turned back toward COU "
was estimated that ball d "
followed for about five (Jl lSI
utes. .,
• thuT
"One crew member _·.tot.
ct
short streamer behind ba1ot s'
Which was faint and til fIdI
This light appeared 0t\ll'l,
ball of fire was rnaki'1", ,I:rl
increasea atter resum t III
COUrse. Streamer of li~ bI1I
for about one minute a (lISt,'
tire headed back tOWllrfi;W'
it taded abruptly. J! l,fiJI
of this crew thought he , nt';-
connection "ith ball 0(11111
that Wing had navigation
iog on lett w1ng tip.-
"Just at!; lea'lins _
al';r target on course ot ~
aM at 7,000 feet, obS !tI
appeared to be ball of (i:..
ing llt about four 0'01
illUlledletely took
•
evadYffl"
ga1nlna: and lOSing sOO
"
1i~118 them. Airplane commander .ere whiUsh red, estlcated to be
o to lZ 000 feet then came five. teet apart. Not bel1eve/l to
cl1a~~ 10 000 teet bUt aircraft or be exhaust flames ~1nce they appear.
d:U of hre followed. At thi, ed to be turned off InO on••
~1M radar operator picklid up ail'_
ereJ't Ibout one 1Il1le bebind.
'Tdl gunner then observed stre8m9
ot' tire emanating trom object to1.
1C1ing tbem, and coming out In
bursts. One burst about 24 inches
1011&1 and then about a six inch
bUlk, followed by another burst of
nue aboot 24 lnches long. These
Ipwots of flame kept up tor about
111 to eight minutes when flre "ent
CQt altogether. No explosion was
l.tD. Ball of rtre appeared to be
Ibcut 12 lnches in diemeter. 0Ur_
1111 81'ad'te action ball of. tire Some of thesa reports suc!1 as
tollall'lld, although at times ball of (1) appear to refer to ground laoo-
t1rt seemed to fall behlnd, then cheO rockets while other' (2 :5 and
,11n. Tail gunner f'urther reported 4.) have the character Is tics ~f rock.
l W ' appeared to galn and diminiSh et projectiles launched from enelll1
t~ ll1tensity "hich may have resul_ aircraft. 'The phenomena related ill
las ia observing di,tance. When (5) Ooes not, however, seem to fit
to ioS!len ball of fire was about 25 this Oescr1ption and may be sClle
~-
t "e miles beyond coast line over
OCean.'
sort ot a scarecrow flare desigMd
to ~ive the impression of a d,ltr01-
ed B_29 and thUS impose a psycho-
10. logical hazard on B-29 cre'll'S.
Oiled ball of fire, estimated
~ tnches diameter, seen atter turn
However tbe most puZZl1rl1 of
OIl target. B-29 heading 120 de_ these reports appear in (6 • 11).:bl
let speed 220 K, altitUde 7,000
';:6(lS, these reports the ball of We ap-
h 8tl , Ball of fire seen two O'clock pears to have characteriStiCS 'lbich
11 , ClOSed on tail, level, fol_ would teDd to demonstrau bUDIn ~
S1~ld 8_29 level approxbately 30 trol, a capabf:l1t1 or the -Viper-.
IS. 'n1'n rnaOe steep dive, hit While the possibilttr or a radio
rXp~' flve Oistinct bright white controlled miSsile can not be c~­
!S OSlons seen ••.•• f1rst seenabrot pletely diScarded, the inherent IW-
O'tef'~~_30 mUes beYOnd coast Une ticulty in the use ot IUcb a ",pODt
'''I OCean._
in nlsht aerial wartare I".abOI
13
 ~.-
On the ot.her han~
l.nsurllloo ntable.
a rocket_propelled projectile such
as the -'11per·, directed by 8 pllo~
could show similar characteristics.
If thiS were to be. the case. the
reason for ~~elr absence from day-
light missions 1s not easily ex-
plained. In like manner, it 1s dif-
ficult to explain this phenomena 1u
terms of normal jet or rocket-pr 0-
pelled. :"1ghters such as have been
used by the Germans 1n the Eur opean
Theater of Operations. Perhaps the
simplest explanation 1s that these
,;<dWO-USED MUSTANGS HAYING FIElD ~l
In addit:1on to escorting XXI BC
B_29s over Japan, P_51s of the Sev-
enth ?ighter COr.l.!l'Iand have launched
a series of strafing missions a-
gainst Jap air defense points on
Honshu and Kyushu. These attacks
are bound to further weaken Jap
fighter defenses against B.29 mis-
sions.
In support of the action at Ok_
inawa, on 16 April Mustangs fle~ a
successful mission against a1l'fie1ds
on ryushu. On 19 April, nearly 100
}~str"ngs conducted a low_level
strafing attack on Atsugi Airfield.
25 miles southwest of Tokyo. Sweep_
ing in at roof_top levels, pilots
reported flying under high-tension
wires and rudely interrupting Nips
at tennis. 'l\'l.e fighters opened up
on formations of between 200 and
300 fighters aM bombers caught
comIletely by surprise anI) parked
along the field. Twenty-one ~nemy
aircraft were destroyed F!.nd five j1"0_
bans or tire are gell.e
unknown fashion, by I\~". ,
Japanese night t1gh~l'tllllt~'-'1
l:llem is as yet unSOlved: 111I1,
Thus While sOllIe or ~
may be or weapons prrrli ~I
countered, there &1't otb.::q~
may be the first 1~~\ \ltl
the actiVities or tht ~\I
Japan have forced the ,..,"-
evolve ne" and revolutl~ _
ods of defense. (Seeret) "
bably destroyed in the air' 5/,
stroyed, probably destrO)'ed (I:
aged on· th~ Kl'oond. 'tIo tit 'il
planes destroyed were tro~ ~I Ilea or TJ'Uk:.
ports shot down over To~o !l&.oIJ:l:,
On 22 April, an equal tlmj'
P_51s struck at Suzuka !lavelCr\l'
and l\kenogahara Airrteld, lei
near Nagoya. Shipping in lft""'1
Ise Bay and a factory adloto~l!'
airfields were also stratee,~1
attack was conducted rr~ l~llll'
low as 10 feet. The 30 enellQ'tlVl
ers encountered were daserl't«ll
nextremely unagressive" a~1
flak, while varying trOll tA ,I
to intense, was inac~~" Halds.
pilot said the only gall"':'
came fr om a ganner on a
who was potting at him with·'
g>.ln.
all--
Despite extremelY \ ~
which obscured the t,ar,~oteo p
emy a1rcraft were e diiar.
air; IB destrOyed and 19 ~1II1
the ground. An B,OOO to~~}50'
exploded in Ise BaY, ~
oilers and one 20P roo:a"talll
sunk and a 150 foot cVO"~
dal1l.8ged. In addition, ¢ii1l.
stallations at the oun th' d .,:' are the only ones ageins t
rall facilities ar • t1~h a SUfficient number or mU-
were "thoroughly strafed •
Yustang fighterS fUs _'
t"~
action in the pacifiC11II101
assault on lWo Jima. ~ 1G"
on D-plus-l5, they flew it'!:
ground support for the..
dlve-bOlilbed and strat
p1'~••
targets of Chichi and gab'
(Confidential)
14
It4 S ; r.
:,,,pIIL :""J?'--~
m
~-
iij'MPIBiSONo/LOSSMUtDAMlGE WS
IN ~ARIOUS TYPES of MISSIONS
• (l O~
l) :o~
G 1. There has been no increase
S
... erlU
illce the beginnl
•
tht (0110'11'108 types.
of opera-
b the XXI Bomber command our
~~M jt have flown on missions of
1. Shake.dCM'n missions to!lfo
2. High altitude (25,000.:34,000
re~t) day missions.
~. sea_search. mls91ons.
•• Uine.1eying missions.
(5.000- 9,000
5. Low altitude
teet) night missions.
6. !.!edium altitude da)" missions.
7. IUsslonll against KyushU air-
.' 1Ms study is concerned primarily
nth the types 2, 5. and 6.
1 sions and medium altitude day ois-
The statistics used are drawn
!roe. missions against targets in
'olls Tokyo and the Nagoya areas.
Il1ssions against all other ter-
Pta also have been exam1ned. How-
"er, they add nothing to the con-
elusions that can be drawn f'r0lll the
~1 or the Tokyo and the Nagoya
v,tons. ll'urthermore. these two
!l ' or dtrrerent type have been
.:: to permit a reliable comperi-
jifII'
-1.
tt ~~sresults or this cCIllpsrlSoa
~n"hdallll1ge are given 1n tbe
Wl1 c. tollow.
IConclusions...
"",,', /.
in total percent loss on 10'11" alti-
tude night missions or on mediu:n
altitude day missions comparell. to
previouslY flOll"n high altitude ~s­
s ions. Actually there has been a
definite decrease in t~is rate.
This decrease is explained by:
o
Use of greater average
force on low and medium altitude
attackS with subsequent greater
saturation or enemy defenses.
o Improved 'bO:nbing results
leading to progressive disorganiza-
\
tion of enemy defense.
e Sharp decline in ene:ny
fighter react1oIl..
A Availability of e~er~
gency '"landing facilities on IWO
J ime wi th subsequent sharp decrease
in losS through ditching.
a
2. 'l'be 10'1" altitude night mi5
sions resulted only in a relativelY
insignificant increase in percent
loss due to flak.
:3 The lOW altitude night !!Iis-
ant - -~
91on; resulted in no signir1c e
increase in percent daug (total
or flak) to our aircraft.
40. '1'he aedilla eltitucS a day Illi'·
stonS resulted in 't8ry greet in"
crea,e in percent total cSamage, al"
.ost eat1relJ as a result of aD er tn·
a05t of thiS ~ bas been or
crease in flak 4P'ge. RO'I'ev 1.
.inor natuJ"e·
15
 , V 1\ 'u HIGH ALTlrllDE DA~ fOI/'(O MfOIUM ALTITUDE DAY MI~"lJ'"
Det. No. Ale
Total
105S ( Totel
damage (
Flok ~l:
los s ~ !lii' ~No.Ale
Totol
105S lC
Totol
Oamage " loss
Flak \(i

2 2.28 ~ 69 I 66.20 I 3
"
24 NO' 88 11 0 Da u
• 2.88
8 27 lov 50
.9
1

•
0.50
8.70
1
14
0.&0
20.30
0(1)
0(1)
0(.50) l 0
'I A.lI t

~ 11.E Apr
.. o a :56'
105
:58.30 I 0
:5
o
"
"
• Doe

27 Dec 4. 3 '.25 14 29.20 I 0

O(1.4t511 ,
o ... ". 3
1.5 1.51 $?5 53.00 1.5 -.

9 Jan 51 • 111.75 11 21.60 0(3) 0(5,8611 2

~
~,.r6,e
"
21 Jan .9 82 N.2& 1
• 113.55 1.70 TOKYO COMPARISONS <tfote.l (Total
19 Feb 119 • 5.04 53 ".50 I 0(1)
a
0( ...) I"
, me 119910tl
No.Ale Alt.
10.. Daaaga
18.05 .25(.74)
25 Feb 171 2 1.17 5 2.92 I o 4..30 9.22

• Mer 15' 1 •• 6:5 6 3.7.11 ... • .,erlge RA

411 Illusions
90 23_33,000'

5..11,000' 3.26 12.10 .'10(1..0) 10,94

.'4 35 147 2(') 200

90 3.69 4.:50 16.33 18.05 .22(.67) .25(,74) U

" 'far&l' LA
1l1lht missions
12_17.500' 1.51 53.00 1.51 50.00

Figures 1n p.renthes 1s are losses 'Clue to unknown

and may Incl~. t'lak.
e8IUtl
~nrage MA
"
'For H.A. ~ay missions flat< loss and da:rage const1tute
42( of total losS and da~ge.
MiSSions *8, to. s~, anO M nown over 10/10 undemlt, For L.A. night mUsions rlak loss and damage constLtute
76( of total losS and damage.
for fI..A. day missions flak loss and damage constitute
TOKYO HI611 ALTITUDE MISS/ON Ir¥iOUNI
95( of total loSS and damage.

_.
-~
Total Total
! ~
loSS 11: damage
Dete No. Ale ,",
2 2.74
,
.. •
T(lI(YOLOW ALTITUDE NIGHT III 5.48 31 42.5
1> De, 73

"".....
0(1.59)
Oot. No. Ale loss
Tote1
(
Tota.L
Oamage (
Flak
loss ( 18 De, • 6.35 • 12.7 :57.3
0(1)
o o ,ll

" 21.'
.,
51 2 3.92
9 liar
1 Apr
283
115
I
I
14
8
4.95
5.21
'2
13
14.8512(7) .71(2.4 7)162

1. 74
, " De,
3 Jan 7. 5 6.57 21
1(2) 1.32(2.541 6
0(1,64) 110
11.301 2: 0(1)
3 Apr 61 1 0 oI • 6.551 0 o
l4. Jan

23 Jan 5.
•
2
6.56
3.68
23
52
37.8
57.1 I 1
1.77
..•
3 Apr 109 I 1 .92 I 1 .921 0(1) o( .92)
4(4)
13 Apr 328
303
1
I
7
11
2.10 I 45
3.62 1 40
13.701 ?
13.211 ?
?
?
'80 21
3.5 ".53
1M
22.3 35.30 .6'7(.6'7)1.53
_. -..,
-
10.'7
:.:--'~.

1199 39 145
6.5 3.26 24.1 12.10 .70(1. 40 )

,. 17
 oat. No.Ale
.N.,::..~::G-=-O.:-YA:-:-:L_OW_A_a.-::7~TU.:-'D...:.'E.:.::NIGII7"
T-t l
l~S: ;(
tota.l
da;nage ~ loss ;( ~
"'ll!1
Flak-----"":::
" .,~I~ \e~6

265 1 .35 24 8.42 0 n ~

41 lllo!ar ~
13.10
."
-•"
1 .34 3B 1
.,..-: 44
._
4.'"
18 :.lar
~~4 "ar
290
225 5 2.22 46

108
20.42 1

2
...
5u, BOO 7
101
~

....
~
267 2.3 .88 36 13.50 0.67 .25
Average
48 30!&r 12 o o a "•
!:1ss1on H48 Cla.tn by a single formation over 10/10 undercast.
I

MEDIUM AL1ITVD£DAY MIl Airborne ¥hoals

Flak i'la~
total Total
loss '( loss ~
""
last Word in RIR&/5 £R
dall)!l,ge "
1 .66 tl '
2 1.32 83 55.00
eMue rt
•••1 ght of 2.500 pounOs. It is equiP-
!l.&bt B.I7s equipped "tth Air- pe to carry 12 lllEIn, although ~
b~fle Ltreb08t!l arrived recently to men have been aboard at on' time.
NAGOYA COMPARJSO, lGll'1 the 4th !:mergenc)' Rescue Sq~

aotal
-
'Flak
ron at Saipan and 1wo J1Illa. These
4roppe.ble boat!! are bound to bring
t~ & nn high the ever_increasing
It can be transported and droP-
ped by any model B·17 aircraft. EX·
perime launchings ot the 11fe-
Type lIiss10n No.Ale

'7
Alt.
c1Total
La" Damage L""
-
1.5>
~tl'tentage of XXr- BO'IDber conrnend
c~en rescued after ditching. In-
bOBt ntal
trom B.29S are n(Jll' b81Df> coo-
ducUd. The boat 15 hoiSted 1n

."-
35.30
means ot the sta~d bOllb bOiSt
Anrage HA 25-33.000' 5.53 Spired by a version used with great place underneath the aircraft b1
day mission luee,n in European waters. these
hHeboat.s eliminated lD8r!Y or the gear and 15 secured by tour cables

."-
Average LA 267 4.5_ 9,000' .B8 13.50 t~dS aM cUscomforU ot long.. attached to the bOlllb shackles. The
night mission ! ~e reseu.e. tlore important. 8 boat 19 released from the aircraft
~M with run armament e.Rd the ex" at an alt1tude ot 1.500 teet bftht
"ed-1um Alt. 101 16-25,000' 1.32 55.00 ta~O range prov1ded by tokyo bombardier us1ng UlfI bod sal~·
day mission Arter thl boat lea.,.es the plene, a
par~
..,>I'tI' "tr I elln fly 1n and drop thU
~r.;pr~pelled means or getaway to triple olu!ter ot 48 teetnl
for H.A. day m1ssions flak loss and damage c 1bere t~n close to enemy shoreS
the boat It • es teet ~ ,.co
chutes. opell b1 • statiC l1 ,l.cldI::..
45( of the total loss and damage. let flllv1 I!I rescue DO or sub can-
!II. gate. rate ot descent. 'l'ba 'bO&t . . . .
for L.A. night miss10ns flak loss and d..maS' the watar at • 500 baroo4- att.1-
9~ or the total 1059 and dallJl,ge. tI/II'fI"" 'b1111t~o~1rbarne Ufeboat 1s a COlD-
Illl O'I'f'&ltatl and motor boat with tude to (IWlhiCG tba iJIpaO'e
For U.A. day m1ssion flak loss and damage C ength or 27 teet and a
of the total 10S9 and damage.
19
1B