| DATE:
July 17, 1945
TARGET:
HONSHU
TIME:
Night
Briefed
at two o'clock and then went to the airplane and made
ready for take-off which was at five o'clock.
The
trip up to Japan was the same as the others, the weather
was fair, and everything went O. K. After arriving over
the Empire, which was fairly well socked in, we waited
for whatever they had in store. Lucky for us, we did not
see any fighters or flak. Probably the reason was that
there were clouds all around us.
On
the way back, though, we had a little excitement. The plane
was all lit up like a Christmas tree. What it was was static
electricity surrounding the airplane. The prop arc was flaming
like a fire, both antennae began to glow, as did the stab
rudder and wings. But after we were through the cloud it
all went out.
We landed here at Guam at about ten o'clock.
DATE:
July 20, 1945
TARGET: CITIES OF ISESAKI, HACHTOJI, and KAWAGO
TIME: Night
Briefed
at three-thirty and took off at five o'clock. The trip
up to Japan was fine except for the first hour which was
rather rough because of all of the clouds.
The
place was so dark I could not see the forward turret.
But if had not been for the clouds, the moon would really
be bright.
We
left Japan about two o'clock in the morning and landed here
at Guam at about nine o'clock. It was only a fifteen-hour
mission, one of our shortest.
DATE:
July 25, 1945
TARGET: CITIES OF MIHARA and TSUYAMA
TIME: Night
Briefed
at three o'clock, then went to the airplane and prepared
for the takeoff which was scheduled for five o'clock.
We started the engines and prepared to taxi, but the radio
wouldn't work so it had to be fixed. The second time the
engines were started and we taxied out to the runway and
we could not take off because all the planes were returning
from a bombing mission. The third time the engines were
started we got off of the ground.
The
trip up to the target was good except for a front at Iwo
Jima, which bounced around a little bit. There were a few
clouds over the targets, but we were above them. Also, there
was a bright moon shining, just like all of them when they
do shine. I mean all moonlight nights.
Also, over the target the radar man was getting interference
on the scope which meant that we were being tracked either
by radar guns on the ground or by a fighter in the air.
Luckily, though, we did not see either. The only thing we
saw over the target was one spotlight, which the left gunner
saw.
The best sight of all, though, was the Third Fleet of Adm.
Halsey which we saw going in and coming out. We did not
see the ships on the water, but on the radar scope. The
count was estimated at about a hundred and twenty ships.
These ships also had radar sets on them which could be seen
on our scope from the interference. Luckily for us, though,
we were not fired upon.
Finally we landed here at Guam at ten-forty-five (1045).
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