AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED-FLYING-CROSS--By direction of the President, under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 2 July 1926 (Bull 8, WD 1926), and persuant to authority delegated by Headquaters United States Army Strategic Air Forces in letter, file AG 323; subject: "Ddefinitions of Administrative Responsibilities", dated 6 August 1945, announcement is made of the award of the Distinguished-Flying-Cross to the following named officers of the 62nd Bombardment Squadron, 39th Bombardment Group.

        For extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight 23 July 1945. These officers were crew members of the B-29 aircraft which lead the entire 39th Bombardment Group on a devastating strike from a base in the Marianas Islands against the Nakajima aircraft company in Handa, Japan.  Two weather fronts, one of which was approximately three hundred miles in depth, were penetrated on the flight to the Japanese homeland.  Although the target was an extremely difficult radar objective, this method of bombing was necessary because of a heavy cloud coverage.  Despite this difficulty and the intense concentration of heavy caliber flak in the target area, this bombing team dropped their projectiles with such unerring accuracy that all of them struck the target.  The remainder of the aircraft in the formation synchronized their bombardment with such accuracy that approximately ninety-five percent of their bombs also landed in the target area with devastating effect.  The superior skilled and technical ability of each of these individuals contributed immeasurably to the extreme accuracy of the bombardment and to the success of the mission.  Their exceptional airmanship and outstanding leadership reflected great credit on themselves and the Army Air Forces.

First Lieutenant JULIAN R. ARNOLD, Air Corps, United States Army, as Bombardier.

First Lieutenant THOMAS A. BRENNAN JR, Air Corps, United States Army, as Navigator.

First Lieutenant CHARLES A. SMITH, Air Corps, United States Army, as Radar Observer.