5th Bombardment Group (Heavy): Bomber Barons

By Turner Publishing

“This document is intended to cover the history of the Fifth Bombardment Group from the era immediately preceding WWII, through the war years until V-J Day 1945. It is presented against a summary background of the entire life of the organization.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Jun 1, 2000
• ISBN: 9781681622712

Book preview

Turner Publishing Company

Publishers of Military History

Co-published by

Mark A. Thompson, Associate Publisher

Pre-Press work by M.T. Publishing Company, Inc.

Graphic Designer: Diana F. Butcher

Author: The 5th Bombardment Group Association

Copyright © 2000

Turner Publishing Company

This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Publishers.

The materials were compiled and produced using available information; Turner Publishing Company, M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. regret they cannot assume liability for errors or omissions.

Library of Congress Catalog

Card No. 98-61818

ISBN: 978-1-56311-491-5

Limited Edition

Page 1 photo: 30 September 1944. First mission to Balikpapan. Pandansari refinery. Mission was supposed to be 13th Air Force and 5th Air Force; however, the 5th Air Force had back luck and did not get to the target. The 31st Squadron of the 5th Bomb Group with Col. Tomas Musgrave in the lead did hit the target.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

History of the 5th Bomb Group

Missions

Citations and Commendations

A Tribute to Ground Men

History of the Squadrons

War Sories

Veterans

Index

THE 5TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)

This document is intended to cover the history of the Fifth Bombardment Group from the era immediately preceding WWII, through the war years until V-J Day 1945. It is presented against a summary background of the entire life of the organization.

The group was originated and activated in Hawaii on the island of Oahu on 19 May 1918 as the Second Observation Group. On 12 April 1921 it was redesignated as the Fifth Group (Observation) and later on 21 June 1922 as the Fifth Group (Pursuit and Bombardment). Effective 1 May 1923 it was reorganized as the Fifth Group (Composite) at Luke Field, Oahu. The units assigned were Headquarters, Fifth Group; 65th Service squadron; 41st Air Intelligence Section; 11th Photo Section; 6th Pursuit Squadron; 23rd Bombardment Squadron and the 72nd Bombardment Squadron. On 25 March 1938 it was redesignated as the Fifth Bombardment Group, again as the Fifth Bombardment Group (M) on 26 December 1939 and finally as the Fifth Bombardment Group (H) on 20 November 1940.

Following the end of WWII, the Fifth was redesignated the Fifth Reconnaissance Group, Very Long Range, Photographic on 11 March 1947. On 1 July 1949 the Fifth Reconnaissance Wing was established. On 14 November 1950, the group was redesignated the Fifth Reconnaissance Wing (H). The wing was redesignated the Fifth Bombardment Wing (H) on 1 October 1955. In the year 1999 it resided at Minot AFB, North Dakota and operated B-52H aircraft.

During its life the group has had two official and one unofficial group insignia. At the time WWII began it was a winged death’s-head on a blue background. The death’s-head was white with black eyes, nose and teeth outline. The wings were gold and were joined at the bottom by a gold banner bearing the inscription: Kiai O KaLewa, which is an expression in the Hawaiian language meaning Guardians Of The Upper Regions. During 1944-45 the group adopted the name of Bomber Barons with an insignia which included a death’s-heads figure, clothed in maroon and gold, smoking a cigarette in a long holder and wearing a black top hat. The figure was shown against a blue shield having a broad gold stripe running from the upper left hand to the lower right hand corner, with the letter B located on the stripe at the two corners. This insignia was never officially adopted.

The emblem adopted by the Fifth Bombardment Wing features a winged death’s-head against a shield which is divided vertically by a nubbly line. The area to the left of the line is green and the area to the right is black. The deaths head is blue with gold wings. The lower part of the shield is enclosed with a banner carrying the Kiai O KaLewa motto.

In its long history, going back to the earliest days of what eventually became the Air Force, the Group/Wing maintained and flew a variety of aircraft as illustrated by the following list.

The following distinguished officers have commanded the Group/Wing over the years.

In September 1939 World War II began in Europe. Shortly thereafter the United States Army Air Corps (later the Army Air Force) began to build and train toward a stronger organization. The Fifth Group moved from Luke Field on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor to their new home at Hickam Field. Hickam provided a beautiful, new, three-story, concrete barracks for the enlisted men and new homes and apartments for officers and senior non-commissioned officers. At Hickam the Fifth was joined by the recently activated Eleventh Bombardment Group (H). As new enlisted men arrived from the mainland, they were sent to specialty schools and following completion of classes were assigned to combat crews. The group comprised the 23rd Bombardment Squadron, the 31st Bombardment Squadron, the 72nd Bombardment Squadron and the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron.

The group was equipped with the Douglas B-18 medium bomber, a twin engined plane with a very rugged structure. Those sent to Hawaii were equipped with flotation compartments in the wing as well as having a bilge pump. They were lightly defended for an aircraft expected to go into combat: three .30 caliber machine guns and no power turrets. The B-18s however served a useful purpose in 1940. Combat crews normally flew five days a week, Monday through Friday from 0800 hours until 1200 hours. Many of the flights were navigation exercises to various other islands in the Hawaiian Group. The many hours aloft built up valuable experience for every member of the crew. Many flights were for the benefit of the bombardiers. At that time all bombardiers were enlisted men, primarily senior non-commissioned officers. The Norden bombsights were classified secret and were kept in a special vault in the hanger which was guarded 24 hours a day. One never saw the bombsight. When the crew came to the aircraft, the bombardier was carrying it in a canvas bag. The squadrons annually spent two weeks at the South Cape of the big island, Hawaii for record bombing using the 100 pound practice bomb. There was a short runway there which could handle the B-18 and wooden barracks, which was kind of roughing it after the comfort of the new barracks at Hickam. There was also the opportunity to gain experience in handling live bombs at the bombing range on the island of Kahoolawe. This is a small and at that time uninhabited island near Kauai. Rumor had it that one person, a goatherd, lived on the island but that seems unlikely. This activity went on regularly through the spring of 1941. Each squadron also retained a Martin B-10, and there was an occasional flight in it. The B-10 was a pretty, low wing, twin-engined monoplane. As a note of the advancement of technology from the B-10 to the B-18, the B-10’s engine instruments were in a small panel on the inboard side of the engine nacelles. The pilot needed sharp eyesight.

Hickam 1909-1939 30th Anniversay, US Air Corps B-18s.

In November of 1940 the group was redesignated from a medium bombardment group to a heavy, and in May of 1941 received its first B-17s. The squadrons each retained a couple of B-18s but the regular crews found themselves with three added members and flying in a B-17. These were the C models, lacking tail guns and effective belly guns. Nevertheless they were a valuable step up for all personnel. Flying went on in the regular schedule of 0800 to 1200 five days a week. Now however the emphasis was on bombing, usually from an altitude of 20,000 feet. Combat crews gained experience in operating at altitude, on oxygen and even in Hawaiian skies, dressed in the Air Corps heavy flying suit. (An especially difficult task was using the relief tube, which was in the bomb bay, just ahead of the radio cabin door, with the bomb bay doors open. Remember the aircraft was neither heated nor pressurized. Sounds trivial, but on a real mission it could become a problem if not solved.)

Experience went beyond that obtained in flying. The combat crews were required to do regular routine maintenance on the aircraft, and so crew members became competent in keeping the aircraft air ready. This was a crucial skill in later times at distant bases in the South Pacific. There were times when a crew on an island and far from an Air Depot or hanger personnel, accomplished such major tasks as an engine change or the change of a main landing gear. This depended upon skills which had been honed by the many hours spent with the aircraft in the air and on the ground. In addition to his own particular skill, every crew member became familiar with the field stripping and maintenance of the .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns.

In September of 1941 the Fifth Bombardment Group assisted in equipping the Ninteenth Bombardment Group (H). Each squadron in the Fifth and the Eleventh Groups gave up an aircraft, a combat crew and ground support personnel. These aircraft and personnel then proceeded to Clark Field in the Phillippines. Many of those who survived the Japanese capture of the Phillippines later met old friends when the Fifth and Nineteenth met briefly in New Guinea in 1942.

AT WAR AGAIN

By Madonna Yancey

World War I had been called The War to End All Wars. After all the terrible loss of life and destruction, there was a belief that the world would never again see war waged on such a massive scale. Yet a mere 20 years later, battles were once again raging throughout Europe, North Africa, China, and Southeast Asia.

For its part, the United States had adopted an isolationist policy, preferring to distance itself from the affairs of the world and concentrate on rebuilding from the Great Depression. Yet there were some in our government and military who had a premonition of what would soon come, including President Roosevelt, who sounded a cautionary note when he suggested that, America must become the arsenal of democracy.

The war in Europe had begun in 1939, when Germany launched an attack on Poland. In quick succession, the Germans took control of Holland and Belgium, then France and finally North Africa.

The Germans had also set their sights on England, but Britain’s Royal Air Force proved a formidable foe. For nearly three months, the skies over England were dark with Luftwaffe planes seeking to bomb the British into submission. But England refused to be conquered. Hitler then took a new tack, again sending German bombers to the skies over England to attack civilian targets. Germany’s next goal was to conquer Russia, the only thing standing between Hitler’s army and Japan, their ally in the East.

For some time prior to the beginning of World War II, the Japanese had been undertaking their master plan to gain control of the other half of the world. That was only part of the plan for the Japanese believed that if they could first conquer the Far East, eventually they would come to dominate the world. By 1930, the plan was in motion. The Japanese occupied strategic positions throughout the Asian mainland. As well, they controlled islands off the coast of China and many Pacific Islands that were small but that would be of tremendous strategic value in the war that was to come.

The Japanese set about to bring the rest of Southeast Asia, more of the Pacific islands and, finally, China under their control. The battle for China had begun in 1931, when Japan wrested control of the province of Manchuria from the Chinese. When the League of Nations voted to place sanctions against the Japanese, Japan simply resigned from the organization. By 1937 most of the Chinese mainland was under their control.

Eventually, French Indo-China would fall under Japanese control, once France had been defeated by the Nazis. The Japanese also had a treaty with Thailand, which virtually assured their control of that part of the world along with its vast supply of natural resources. Piece by piece, the Japanese were acquiring the strategic locations and the raw materials they would need to complete their master plan. Nor were American interests safe from the Japanese master plan, even at this early date. A United States gunboat, the Panay, was bombed and sunk by the Japanese, who claimed that the incident was unintentional. During this time period the Japanese also captured the islands of Hainan and Spratley. Located near both the Philippines and Borneo, these islands were of immense strategic importance to the Japanese. On 27 September 1940, Japan officially joined the Axis Powers. The only thing that stood between the Germany and Japan and their joint goal of world domination was the United States. If America entered the war, the balance would shift. Still, in spite of the aggression on the part of the Axis Powers, the United States remained in an isolationist mood.

All the while, the United States was in negotiations with Japan in an attempt to bring about peace. As Japanese diplomats sat across the bargaining table from their American counterparts, the Japanese military was making other plans. The Japanese devised a strategy that would catch the Americans off guard and inflict heavy casualties and damage on their forces in Hawaii, thereby preventing, or at least delaying, America’s entry into the war.

In late November 1941 the Japanese Navy’s attack fleet, under the command of Admiral Yamamoto, set sail on a course that would take them to a launching site in the Pacific Ocean, about 230 miles north of Oahu. From there, they would attack the American installations at Pearl Harbor and other sites on the island of Oahu. If this strategy worked, the Japanese would catch the Americans by surprise and inflict heavy casualties and damage.

On the morning of 7 December 1941, the ships of the Pacific Fleet were lying at rest in Pearl Harbor. Just before 8 a.m. the early morning calm was shattered as the first wave of Japanese fighters and bombers approached their target. Their commander radioed these words back to the waiting fleet: Tora, Tora, Tora. The coded message was a signal that the attack had begun.

The attack was swift and deadly. Fifteen minutes after the attack began, the USS Arizona exploded when she was hit by an armor-piercing bomb. Nine minutes later she was at the bottom of the harbor. The Arizona’s entire crew, 1,177 men in all, were killed in the attack.

Four other battleships — the USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, and USS Utah — joined the Arizona in her watery grave. The USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania and USS Tennessee were also severely damaged.

The radar station at Opana Point had picked up signals of incoming planes early that morning, about an hour before the attack began. A flight of B-17s from the mainland had been expected that morning, so the men at the radar station assumed the signals were from friendly aircraft.

The Japanese also attacked other American military installations on the Island, including the Naval Air Station at Kaneohe Bay, a Marine Corps Air Station, and the airfields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam.

Less than an hour after the first attack, a second wave of Japanese planes struck, inflicting even more damage on the American installations. The USS Nevada attempted to reach open water, but was hit and beached. While severely damaged, she did avoid the fate of the other battleships moored at Pearl Harbor.

The Americans, though unprepared for the attack, struck back at the invaders. Some pilots from the Army Air Corps were able to take off and shot down several enemy planes.

The previous night five midget Japanese subs had attempted to slip into Pearl Harbor. Four of them were sunk, and the 5th was captured when it ran aground.

The attack was over in just two hours. But the toll was heavy. Eighteen ships had been sunk at Pearl Harbor, and more than 2,400 men had lost their lives there. More than 1,100 other had been wounded. Hundreds of planes had been destroyed on the ground at the Oahu airfields, with many more deaths and injuries. Now, the United States had no choice but to enter the war against the Axis Powers.

Admiral Yamamoto was reported to have said in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I fear we have only awakened a sleeping giant.

Admiral Yamamoto’s fears were quickly realized. While the Japanese had inflicted considerable damage, it could have been much worse. The Navy’s aircraft carriers were not in port at the time of the attack. While the facilities at Pearl Harbor had sustained heavy damage, they had not been destroyed. And the oil storage facilities on the island had not been destroyed, which was, perhaps, the biggest failure of the Japanese attack. Had the attack on the oil storage facilities met with success, the Navy’s ships would have had to be moved, and America’s ability to wage war in the Pacific would have been made much more difficult.

Later that day, at 2100 hours, Eastern Standard Time, Japan formally declared war on the United States. The following day the United States declared war on the Axis Powers. All of the training and preparation the men of the 5th Bombardment Group had undertaken would now be put to test in battle. All of their skill and bravery would be needed to overcome a formidable and determined enemy.

PEARL HARBOR DAY

As remembered by some of the men of the 23rd Squadron, 7 December 1941 began peacefully. Most of the 23rd were on base, a result of there having been a beer party in the hanger the night before. The commander of the 23rd was Major Laverne G. (Blondy) Saunders. Saunders was a former West Point All American tackle who believed the troops should have a beer party about every three months. Usually these had been at some Oahu beach location, but he may have had good reason for keeping most of the men on base that night.

The 23rd occupied the third floor of a wing of the barracks which was oriented somewhat east and west. The windows on the north side of this wing faced directly toward Pearl Harbor. Several of the men had been to morning chow at the big, consolidated mess hall and were idling about their bunks. There was the sound of aircraft from outside, however this was no cause for alarm. It seemed that the Navy had something airborne every Sunday which was a puzzle because the Army Air Corps at Hickam never flew on Sunday. Being young and entranced with just about anything airborne several of them strolled over to the windows to see what in the world the Navy was up to. What they saw was a formation of three aircraft at about 10,000 feet. As they watched, the formation pushed over into a long dive. When they pulled out a moderate quantity of smoke was seen in the direction of Ford Island. From their vantage point a direct view of the ships on battleship row was obscured by the three-story Marine barracks which was just inside the Pearl Harbor fenced area adjacent to the Hickam area. Someone commented that the Navy must be using very large spotting charges in their practice bombs. (A spotting charge was normally a pound of black powder with an igniter placed in the base of a practice bomb. At the time of impact of the bomb in the target area the black powder is ignited, releasing a cloud of smoke which is photographed by the scoring camera in the dropping aircraft.) The next aircraft to come into view was a lone float plane which came in toward Pearl Harbor from the direction of Barber’s point to the west. After it disappeared from view behind the Marine barracks, a geyser of water was seen to rise high in the air. Now that just did not look right. Sure enough it was a torpedo plane, not a float plane; although they did not figure that out for about a minute. At the end of that minute, the first three aircraft came over the Hickam barracks at rooftop level, displaying their big red, round insignia and instantly everyone knew they were at war.

There was a big rush to get out of the barracks, most people guessing that it would shortly become a target. Several ran out into the street to the north of the barracks. By that time it seemed that there were strafing aircraft everywhere. They dropped their bombs or torpedoes and then came over and strafed targets at Hickam. There were no sure slit trenches at Hickam that day so some took cover behind the street curbs, but when they made themselves as flat as possible and one eye could see over the curb, it appeared that somewhere else would be better.

Someplace else was the hanger. There were guns there, offering the possibility to shoot back. The available gun mounts were quickly manned and a lot of guys left over. Two of these decided to take a run across the main runway to where two of the squadron’s B-18s were dispersed. The idea was to arm it with a .30 caliber machine gun. They went to the armament shack where one of them took a machine gun while the other carried a 100-round ammunition can. (The aerial .30 caliber was designed to have the 100-round am- munition can mounted on the gun and made for quick change when that can was empty.) They set out running as hard as they could to cover the half-mile distance to the B-18. The scene outside was chaos. The Japanese planes seemed to be everywhere, and the Navy was doing a busy job of trying to shoot them down. Their anti-aircraft shells were exploding all over the place at an altitude of about 200 feet, or so it seemed. The fuses from the nose of the anti-aircraft shells came down as a unit about six inches in diameter and weighing several pounds. One quickly became more concerned about being wounded by one of these than by the Japanese. In the midst of this lively environment there appeared several new B-17s, mixing in with the Navy’s anti-aircraft fire and the Japanese, who were probably as confused at this unexpected turn of events as the B-17 crews since the Japanese did not shoot any of them down. They had no ammunition and their guns were still in cosmoline. Word later was that they all found a safe landing place somewhere on the island.

Finally, with tongues hanging out, our two warriors reached their objective. To their surprise it was found that the aircraft had guns and ammunition. The ammunition was in fabric belts rather than the normal aerial ammunition belt. (The latter is made of steel and is so constructed that when a round is fired the part of the belt which brought it to the gun is discarded. The fabric belt can be made to work in the aerial machine gun with a little effort). One man took the rear crank-up turret while the other took the nose turret. The aircraft was pointed in an easterly direction. Our intrepid runners had barely reached their destination when, from the direction of Honolulu, off the right wing of the B-18 an aircraft appeared, flying at tree-top level. This was a single engine aircraft, therefore it must be Japanese. As he came in range, approaching them head on, they began firing. At that angle about the only target is the engine; many rounds went into his engine but the aircraft kept going. After he had passed they did not turn to follow him because almost immediately his buddy appeared from the same direction. He was given the same treatment; however, he returned the fire with his 20mm cannon. He scored several hits along the trailing edge of the B-18 but failed to scratch either of our gunners. The situation was such that one wondered if there would soon be more Japanese planes or if this thing would go on all day, or what. Finally at about 1000 hours, a formation of 20 to 30 planes came over at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. They dropped from that altitude and their target was Hickam. The barracks and many of the hangers were hit. Many of the B-17s were damaged beyond repair by the strafing which had occurred in the first attack. Several were lost when a bullet struck the panel of Very pistol flares on the fuselage wall in the radio cabin. The aircraft simply burned in half and it was a sad and sorry sight to see these great planes sitting with broken backs. Naturally a standard task for combat crews was added. The Very flares were carried in a .50 caliber ammunition box and the first man off the aircraft after landing was tasked with taking the box of flares out of the plane and to a safe distance away.

Much of the barracks, perhaps all, could not be occupied. A fire had started in the roof structure under the copper cladding and this burned for two or three days. In the combat crews many of the senior non-commissioned officers had apartments away from the barracks and in those cases whole crews bunked with them. The mess hall had suffered a direct hit and was unusable. A temporary mess hall was set up along side Pearl Harbor Channel and served cheese, bread and coffee on Sunday night.

Headquarters Seventh Air Force 13 June 1942

Subject: Air Force Employment at Midway

1. By order of Cincpac, The VII Bomber Command came under the operational control of PatWingTwo. Until 1 April 1942, all planes of the VII Bomber Command were, because of the tactical situation, assigned either to search or striking force, which permitted little training of bombardiers and aerial gunners. On that date, approximately 25 percent of the planes of the VII Bomber Command were made available for limited training daily.

2. On 18 May 1942, the 7th Air Force was placed on a special alert in preparation for meeting a threatened enemy attack. At that time 34 B- 17s were on hand, of which seven were Cs and Ds which were not sufficiently armed to utilize on combat missions. That left a total of 27 B-17s suitable for combat service. From the 18th to about the 28th of May no B-17s were used on search missions but were held loaded with five hundred and six hundred pound demolition bombs as a striking force.

3. From 18 May to 10 June, 60 B-17s arrived in this department and were assigned or attached to the VII Bomber Command. This, of necessity, required a radical reassignment of equipment to the tactical squadrons, some of which received new equipment only one or two days prior to 3 June. Bombers arriving from the Mainland in the early part of the morning were turned over immediately to the Depot, where extra ferry tanks were removed, auxiliary tanks installed in the radio compartment, and equipment and armament checked. The planes were then made available to the tactical units within 24 hours. To accommodate this large increase in planes, it became necessary to convert the 72nd Squadron from a B-18 to a B-17 squadron. This reequipping of the 72nd Squadron with B-17s began on 4 May when two airplanes of this type were assigned to them. They were not fully equipped until about two days before they were committed to combat. Obviously no opportunity existed for the proper training of this unit

4. Upon arrival of the additional equipment, all squadrons were brought up to Tables of Organization strength. Little opportunity existed for combat crews and maintenance personnel to familiarize themselves with the new equipment, particularly the ball-type turret. During the action several cases of malfunctioning of the bomb release mechanisms were reported, and it is believed these can be directly attributed to the short time available to personnel to become familiar with their material. During combat it was found that some ball turrets when operated to maximum traverse, pulled away their electrical fittings, necessitating manual operation of the turrets.

5. Because of the time and space elements, it was necessary for combat crews to accomplish to a large extent their own servicing and maintenance at Midway. Crews returned from long and trying combat missions to find that they must reservice their own planes and accomplish essential maintenance. As a result they went into the air on some missions in a very exhausted condition.

6. After a two weeks period of alert, the first actual combat mission began when one squadron of six airplanes was ordered by PatWingTwo to proceed to Midway. This squadron arrived at Midway on the 30 May and flew two search missions on the following two days to a distance of 800 miles and return. On 31 May another squadron of six airplanes was ordered to Midway and, after making a tank change to comply with local instructions, was sent on a search mission on 31 May and 1 June. These airplanes were flown on distant search missions to 800 miles and return with an installation of one bomb-bay tank and one-half bomb load. Combat crews flew approximately thirty hours in two days before the beginning of actual hostilities, in addition to accomplishing their own maintenance.

7. On 3 June actual combat began and six additional airplanes were flown to Midway to assist in attack on a reported force of Japanese vessels. The first combat began on 3 June at 1623 hours, when nine B-17s were ordered to attack a force bearing 265 degrees and 570 miles from Midway. This force was reported by pilots conducting the bombing operations to consist of five BBs, or CAs and other warships and transport vessels estimated to be about 45 in number. The attack was conducted by elements from an altitude of 8000 feet, and dropping thirty-six 600 pound demolition bombs having 1/10 second delay fuses, in train at 120 foot interval. A total of five hits, one probable hit and four near misses, was observed on two BBs or CAs and two large transports. One BB and one transport were observed aflame. One waterline hit was made on the other transport.

8. On 4 June the Japanese fleet was located bearing 225 degrees and 180 miles from Midway, and four B-26s armed with 2000 pound torpedoes were dispatched. This force attacked two carriers in the face of extremely heavy fighter opposition and anti-aircraft fire from all caliber guns of the fleet. Two of the B-26s were shot down, but one of the lost airplanes was observed to have launched its torpedo before being shot down. The other two B-26s successfully delivered their attack and reported torpedoes launched true for the target and combat crews reported two hits. They returned to Midway and made crash landings on the airdome. Both planes were riddled with bullet holes throughout. It is interesting to note that one leakproof tank had approximately fifty bullet holes in it and apparently operated successfully for at least 180 miles on the return flight.

9. Fourteen B-17s were dispatched at 0415 NT 4 June and proceeded on course to attack the same body bombed the previous afternoon. Enroute to the target, at a distance of approximately 200 miles, a message was received in the clear, stating that another enemy task force complete with many carriers was approaching Midway from 325 degrees at a distance of 145 miles. The bomber formation was directed to intercept, and climbed to 20,000 feet. Interception was effected at 0732 MT. At 0810 two carriers were seen to emerge from beneath broken clouds. The order to attack by flights was given at 0814. The first two flights attacked with a total of forty-four 500 pound bombs. They obtained one hit on the stern of a carrier. The hit was obtained by the second element and the photographs previously furnished headquarters were taken at this time. The third flight of three B-17s obtained one hit on the port bow, one waterline hit amidship, one possible hit and five near misses. The fifth element of two planes attacked this second carrier and obtained one hit, one possible hit and two near misses. The three B-17s of the fourth element attacked the third carrier and obtained one hit and two near misses. Three carriers were reported on fire after this attack. Anti-aircraft fire was heavy and at the proper altitude but generally behind. Enemy fighters were not anxious to close, but of those that did, two Zeros were shot down.

10. Six B-17s, each with half a bomb load and one bomb bay tank, were dispatched by PatWingTwo from Oahu to Barking Sands early on 4 June. There airplanes were then ordered from Barking Sands to Midway, and attacked the carrier force at 1830 hours before landing at Midway. This attack was conducted on one CV and one DD from an altitude of 3600 feet. Eight bombs were dropped, resulting in one hit and two near misses on the carrier, which was already aflame. One hit was made on a destroyer and the destroyer sank. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was experienced during this attack, and eight Zero fighters made interception with the bombing force. Four of these fighters were shot down and one was damaged. The bombardier’s window in one ship and a hole approximately 19 inches in diameter from an anti-aircraft shell in the wing of another airplane was the only damage to the bombing force. Considerable difficulty was experienced with bomb racks on this flight and about nine bombs hung on the racks. The two damaged B-17s were unable to drop any of their bombs.

11. Six B-17s took off from Midway and made contact with the previously mentioned CV force at about 1830 hours on 4 June. Four of these airplanes attacked a cruiser, dropping twenty-eight 500 pound demolition bombs and observed one hit, one probable hit and two near misses. This attack was made from 25,000 feet and reported no anti-aircraft fire. The cruiser was left smoking heavily and aflame. No interception by fighters was made. The remaining two planes attacked a BB and a burning CV from 10,000 feet, dropping sixteen 500 pound demolition bombs. One hit and two near misses were observed on the BB and two hits and three near misses on the CV. The carrier slowed down sharply, and antiaircraft fire stopped from both the BB and the CV. Several Zero fighters intercepted these planes and three Zeros were shot down and one damaged. No damage was reported to the B-17s.

12. On 5 June, three squadrons of six airplanes each were dispatched by PatWingTwo from Oahu to Midway. Four B-17s took off from Midway and made contact at 0830 hours with two BBs or Cas, bearing 270 degrees and 130 miles from Midway. These airplanes dropped nineteen 500 pound observing two probable hits and three near misses. The attack was made from 20,000 feet and results were not observed. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was reported but no fighter opposition. No damage was done to the B-17s. Four additional B-17s attacked a second BB or CA of this force immediately after the first attack from the same attitude and dropped twenty 500 pound demolition bombs, reporting one hit on the stem and four near misses. No fighter interception was made, and no damage was reported to the B-17s.

13. Seven B-17s made contact at 1825 hours on 5 June with one large cruiser bearing 300 degrees and 300 miles from Midway. Four of these airplanes attacked from 16,000 feet and dropped thirty-two 500 pound demolition bombs. Two hits and three near misses were reported. Anti-aircraft fire did not damage the B-17s, and there was no fighter opposition to this force. Three of these airplanes dropped twenty-four 500 pound demolition bombs from 14,500 feet on this same cruiser, reporting one hit and one near miss. Damage as a result of this bombing was not observed, and the same report relative to anti-aircraft fire and fighter opposition was made.

14. Five B-17s attacked a heavy cruiser at 1825 hours on 6 June, bearing 320 degrees and 435 miles from Midway. This squadron dropped fifteen 600 pound and eight 300 pound bombs from altitudes ranging from 9000 to 12,500 feet. The damage was not observed, but extremely heavy anti-aircraft fire was reported. One B-17 in this flight was seen to drop its bomb-bay tank, probably as a result of anti-aircraft fire. This airplane failed to return from the mission, and to date its crew has not been recovered. A fact of interest is that this airplane was named the City of San Francisco and was an airplane donated to the government by the citizens of that city. One other B-17 landed in the ocean as a result of fuel shortage. This crew was located and picked up, but one member of the crew was killed.

15. On 6 June, 12 additional B-17s were ordered to Midway from Oahu. About 1140 on 6 June, six B-17s made contact with a large submarine that was mistaken for a cruiser. Twenty 500 pound demolition bombs were dropped from an altitude of 9500 feet and photographs of the pattern showed several near misses. The submarine was friendly and was not damaged. No other contacts were made with enemy surface forces after this date.

16. During the entire operation, a total of 55 B-17 plane missions were flown, and three hundred and fourteen 500 hundred or 600 pound bombs and eight 300 pounds bombs were dropped from altitudes varying from 3600 to 25,000 feet. These bombs were dropped on an accumulated total seven BBs or CAs, seven CVs, one DD and two transports. Twenty-two direct hits, six probable hits, and 46 near misses were reported. Contact with 18 Zero type fighters was reported, and of this number, ten were shot down and two damaged. Two B-17s were lost at sea and two were damaged. Four B-26 plane missions were flown with four topedoes, scoring three hits on two carriers. Two B-26s were lost at sea and two made crash landings at Midway, badly damaged. Very heavy antiaircraft fire was reported throughout and up to altitudes of 20,000 feet.

The following comments and recommendations are deemed pertinent and have been derived from personal observation, official reports and interviews with combat personnel.

Incidents and conclusions reached which should be of value to training establishments.

A. Servicing and maintenance conditions, as well as the general living conditions on small Eastern island at Midway were poor, due to lack of provision for greatly augmented airplane strength. Combat crews consistently flew long, grueling missions daily and were forced to do their own servicing and necessary maintenance to a large extent. As a result of this condition and because of continuous search missions from the beginning of the attack, many of the combat crews fought missions in an exhausted physical condition. Only damaged aircraft were returned to Oahu during the battle, and many crews were used continuously throughout the operations.

B. During the attack by Japanese aircraft on Midway, the powerhouse on Eastern Island was destroyed, resulting in complete disruption of one of the systems for refueling. The servicing of aircraft immediately became a serious and tedious proposition, and overworked crews spent long hours servicing by hand from cans and drums. More than one method of servicing should be planned at all bases that might be under attack. The enemy could have sent a second wave of attackers to destroy our aircraft on the ground during the slow servicing and refueling due to disrupted installations.

C. Power equipment is a vital necessity for clearing debris from runways and operating areas of any airdrome under attack. Many airplanes were disabled from tire punctures caused by shell fragments and coral thrown up on the runway.

D. Attack with torpedo bearing aircraft must be well coordinated with dive bombing or high level bombardment attack unless heavy loss of torpedo bombers is to be suffered. Fighter support if the range permits should always be used.

E. Adequate ground crews and equipment for servicing, maintaining and care of aircraft must be provided in order not to over-fatigue combat crews. Every consideration should be given to adequate underground facilities for messing and sleeping combat crews. It is believed that rest and comfort of combat crews is one of the most important factors in their accomplishment of assigned missions.

F. Adequate air transport service facilitates supply and maintenance to bases distant from supply points. During this operation, an already over-burdened transport service was forced into almost continuous operation.

G. Japanese carrier forces proved to be highly maneuverable in their efforts to avoid bomb patterns. In some in stance, complete circles, combined with turning maneuvers, were employed to avoid high level bombers. Photographs of one large carrier showed a turning radius of about 1700 feet. They made continuous efforts to secure cloud cover.

H. Anti-aircraft fire from carriers and from the immediate escorting vessels proved to be more accurate than from other surface ships.

I. For operations against fighter aircraft and in strafing operations it is believed that