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After
this brief respite, it was time for Crew 10 to get back
to the air war. A/C Bell was ordered to proceed with urgency
to their photo targets of Hiroshima and Kokura. It would
later be revealed that Kokura was the primary target,
and Hiroshima was the alternative, for the first atomic
bomb drop. This flight by P-10 was made 30 June 1945.
All of the targets that day were in the Yawata area. After
completing several runs, Crew 10 found themselves in the
area of Nagaski. A/C Bell called back to Jones to make
another run on this last target, hopefully of getting
better results. Suddenly, navigator Joe Callaghen broke
in on the intercom exclaiming, "Bell this is no training
mission - there's a Jap naval base almost under us! Let's
get the hell out of here!" No more was said and P-10 turned
the nose to Guam.
On
26 June, Mission # 15 - P-10 flew the longest documented
mission of World War II in a solo photo flight to Sapporo,
Hokkaido and other targets in that area. The distance-covered
non-stop (and no refueling) was 4,650 miles and ran just
short of 23 hours. Elmer Jones mentions that the crew
appreciated the Sapporo air base turning on its landing
lights for them but "we decided not to stop." Obviously,
the Japanese could not believe that an American plane
had reached that far north into the Japanese home island.
It's interesting to note that "Tokyo Rose" later mentioned,
"a lone B-29 was shot down over Hokkaido." The announcement
was premature; however, as P-10 went on to complete 29
missions. And on mission # 30, 2 September 1945, there
they were in the skies over Tokyo Bay to witness the Japanese
surrender aboard the USS Missouri.
Upon
completion of the war, Crew 10 was transferred to the
73rd Bomb Wing on Saipan, where some of its members were
sent home by troop ship. The balance of the crew participated
in flying back a B-29 back to Mather Field, California,
and the point where their overseas adventure had begun
several months before. Mather was socked in, however,
but being low on fuel the crew was forced to hazard a
landing just over the telephone wires with about 3/10
mile visibility. Ironically, this landing turnout to be
their most perilous one ever. It was good to be home.
But though the echoes of warfare were stilled now, the
vivid memories of comrades that survived were obscured
by the reality of those that didn't. They, and the experiences
they shared, would never be forgotten but would remain
with them always.
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Tsuyama
Recon Mission-27 July 1945
15,000 ft
Crew
10 flying over Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet located
off the coast of Japan at night. P-10 was flying
a solo recon mission to Tsuyama 27 July 1945.
"I
took the radar picture from my radar scope. We
were very lucky we did not get shot at, but the Navy
must have known who we were. I called to turn on the
IFF which was a radio signal to identify friend or
foe." Joseph
F. Callaghan,1st Lt, Nav.
"We
counted 105 ships in 4 formations"; One group
of ships started evasive action when we went over
(at 15,000 ft.)" - From the diary of Tom Smith,
TG |
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