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When I Entered the United States Army Air Corps at 18, I Had No Way

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When I Entered the United States Army Air Corps at 18, I Had No Way THE LAST MISSION OF WORLD WAR II AUGUST 14, 1945 When I entered the United States Army Air Corps at 18, I had no way of knowing that I would become a B-29 crew member participating in the last bombing mission of World War II, in August of 1945. A mission that was so intimidating in scope as to influence the decision of unconditional surrender by the Japanese government. Flying from our base on the island of Tinian in the Marianas, along with B- 29 Groups from Saipan and Guam, the 20th Air Force had, during the previous months of 1945, destroyed more than 600 of Japan's major industrial plants in and around 60 of its cities. In addition, approximately 8.5 million civilians had been evacuated from these destroyed areas at government orders, thereby sending the nation's resolve and morale to a dangerously low level prior to August 1945. The 201h Air Force was under the command of General Curtis B. LeMay, who had previously cmrunanded the 8th Air Force in England in its successful campaign against Nazi Germany. The 20th Air Force combat operation against mainland Japan was a documented causative factor in the unconditional surrender by the Japanese government, and too frequently has not been acknowledged as such. Many historians of WW II continue to rationalize and over-emphasize the more political and dramatic nuclear bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the compelling factors in Japan's final surrender. History is frequently recorded long after the fact, and is written to reflect current national justification. Contrary to some popular documentations of this explanation of the surrender of Japan, the Japanese people, experiencing a severe food shortage and loss of their homes, had been ready for peace and wanted an end to the havoc and devastation brought by the continuous, massive day and night B- 29 bombing raids on their cities. Japan was like a stumbling fighter against the ropes in the last round. When the decision to drop the nuclear bombs had been carried out on Hiroshima August 6, and on Nagasaki August 9, a moratorium on all bombing against Japan was ordered on August 11 by The Joint Chiefs in Washington, while negotiations of suiTender were attempted with Japan. The untenable debate between the Emperor's supporters in favor of surrender, and the military hierarchy against it, brought an ambivalent response to the U.S. demand for unconditional surrender. This Japanese position resulted in the removal of the bombing moratorium of August 11, and General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, U.S. Army Air Corps Chief of Staff, ordered a maximum effort bombing mission against ten individual Japanese cities. This mission was scheduled for day bombing of some targets and night bombing of others on August 14, 1945. This was to be the largest single bombing raid of the Pacific War. An armada of 1002 aircraft participated in this awesome endeavor. There were 816 B-29s from Tinian, Guam and Saipan, plus 186 P-51 fighter escorts from Iwo Jima. A portion of the B-29s took off in the early morning hours of August 14, meeting their P-51 escorts as they passed lwo, arriving over their daytime targets about midday. The remainder of the B-29s took off in the afternoon to arrive over their targets after dark. Our B-29 from Tinian bombed the city oflsezaki that night, August 14, 1945. By this date the Japanese were low on petroleum, had a minimum of fighter aircraft, and put up inaccurate anti-aircraft defenses. As a result of these weaknesses, all 1002 of our aircraft returned safely to their bases. This was the exclamation point on all previous B-29 missions over Japan. At noon, on August 15, immediately after receiving news of our devastating attack against these ten cities, Emperor Hirohito, in an unprecedented radio address to his people, announced Japan's unconditional surrender. After returning to Tinian, we didn't attach much importance to taking part in this mission. Then the word came out about the enormity of the raid and how many planes took part in what was actually the last mission of World War II. It was then that we allowed ourselves some self-congratulation. On September 2, 1945, our crew, with over 400 other B-29s and hundreds of allied planes circled Tokyo Bay, as General Douglas MacArthur, on board the U.S.S. Missouri, officiated over the signing of the surrender documents with the Emperor's representatives of the Empire of Japan, bringing the final end to World War II and peace to the free world. ****After the war, the U.S.Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) documented that----"prior to December, and in all probability prior to November, 1945, if not sooner, the Empire of Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, even if Russia had not entered the war (for political purposes only) and even if no invasion had taken place." Further documentation is readily available in the National Archives, the Air Force Research Center, and the Air Force Historical Center that will show that the Japanese government, prior to the nuclear attacks, was in no way capable of sustaining a military defense of its demoralized homeland. Another excellent factual resource about the 20th Air Force and its operations against Japan, is E. Bartlett Kerr's book, "Flames Over Tokyo" which is based upon extensive research and personal interviews with members of the 20th Air Force. Kerr is a graduate of West Point and a veteran of the Korean War. Facts surrounding The Last Mission ofWWII can be found in Kerr's book from pages 274 through 293. Robert E. Collin S/Sgt 462nd Bomb Grp. 58th Bomb Wing 9574 Townsville Circle 20th Air Force, DFC, Air Medal Highlands Ranch, CO 80130 West Field, Tinian, Marianas Islands S/Sgt 98th Bomb Grp. 15th Air Force, Yokota AFB, Korean War 1950-1951 36 B-29 missions Three Air Medals .
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