Signs of war along the quiet summer shores of glum. Graham. Deliberated to morris were back in their clean native villages. American citizens again, smiling and friendly. Unaware that america had happened around. America that moved mountains of material, equipment and supplies across the pacific. That changed their dirt roads into broad highways, that manicured their jungles into acres of black top airfields. And nearby, new communities of american citizens had set up housekeeping with various types of self service. The latest labor saving devices, fewer laundry problems, and no modern inconveniences. By mid summer 21st Bomber Command was in business. Big business. Under general amazed direction the long arm of Bomber Command began punching the enemy, from guam tim inside pan, 600 plane missions increased the bombing weigh 100 and two months. Behind the six pending power was planned. The limaye plan began on the ground with maintenance. Assembly line technique cut age and shun they work day and nights to keep more be 29s on the line. By july remains Bomber Command is an efficient well oiled, well drilled machine of destruction. Here is a vital card of that machine 11 men, while they wind up for action, let us find out where they are going and some of the things they are going to do, and why, and with wet . How do they set up the longest a fist bomb emission in history . It began about 12 hours ago in the war room and guam. With general limaye and his staff receiving reported on tomorrows weather, tomorrows forecast is typical. Look guava a tense clouds about 10,000 feet in. The east tokyo area will be six tenths of 22,003 tenths at 14,000 feet closing up solid after 11 am. Osaka in everything west is completely sacked in. How will the general solve that one . His be 29s are up against a blank wall except for possible opening around tokyo, the allman considers every vital factory makes his decision. Full wings will strike tokyo at 10 00 they will go in under that weather and bomb at 12,000 now its a question of targets election. First priority in the tokyo area is number five seven three intelligence and forms that five seven three is already three quarters destroyed at the moment number five seven four still untouched but what would seem more important. Operations checks the tactical plan for five seven four. General limaye orders the require change is that oks the target and commence all executive details to his staff. Operations with his deputy feat chief of staff and project officer goes to work sitting up the changes. And that plans folders a mountain of preparation by special sections of intelligence and operations. 1000 hours of research koolaid facts and figures have been instilled in the tactical plan five seven four aircraft will assemble with three groups of p 50 once. Smoke markers that when minute intervals will be dropped by lead planes to expedite departure from Assembly Point. Once each wing will carry and 40 sevens in clusters. Balance of squadrons 501,000 pound xi p bombs fused a quarter second nose and tail attitude of attack 12,000 feet planes of tweet 314 wings and capacity fuel loads of approximatelys calibrated airspeed of 210 Miles Per Hour will be flown by all aircraft and. Radar landfall fifth win for the east will be the same for all planes to afforded checkpoint. The navy is requested to furnish the following facility for air sea rescue rescue preparation. Three service that seems to proceed to position ex for. Submarines assigned a lifeguard duties and positions why to dumb bows to orbiting station seat for be 29s orbit a super dumbo as in the following positions. Each section of the plan is double check to supervise certain aspects of planning Lieutenant Colonel captain, a former likud pilot was recently brought over to stuff as project officer. This officers extensive combat experience now helps to iron out operational kings. He will accompany this mission to observe new Smoke Signals that Assembly Points. A field order is now dispatched to the wings. Take off time is slashed to the controller who coordinates the vast network of communications gathered here at the heart in moving at center of command here in the control room status panels of eMission Board are maintained to show the compass up to the minute details of all daily operations. Prior to takeoff, each mission is set up on a board to afford a visual progress of the flight. From takeoff to target, and return. College yarns, one for each wing are laid out to indicate the flight lines, which passed close to you hiroshima, the halfway point. And proceed a specified in the field order to the proper targets. Other symbols are used to mark air sea rescue positions a. Timetable of statistics for each wing as planned and flown as recorded from hourly reports on the status panel beginning with takeoff time. The veteran crews its just another days work. One more 1500 mile haul up and down the ready pacific. 15 hours 7000 gallons four engines 11 guys knock on wood. A water jump across 20 degrees of the globe. A continent of ocean destination tokyo. Its like taking off in mexico for targets in canada the. 314 145 planes, one minute apart 67 tons each. Can those be 29 take offs are tough sweat that first long moment is the worst. Some swear takes a look, like a wife stalking to beat it. At a tenure hundred miles north, to more be 29 wings prepare for takeoff 134 aircrafts from the 58th winning. 100 more from the 313th wing. At tie pan a few minutes later the veteran 73rd wing lines up for takeoff, 153 more bombers are added to the mission striking floors. Series of tabulated mission reports. Copies of these reports are dispatched to headquarters in washington and posted on a control room report board. During that first hour the be 29 has settled down for the big grind saving precious gas, cruising 1000 feet off the water, ability, experience, confidence right in each plane. A plan of action for 11 men train and tested to function as one. And navigator sets the course. Locking island checkpoints as they climb past the northern marianne ox. Assumption, mark, up a whole lace after about four hours of flight, the bombers passed closer to you will jima. A hot rock of black greedy porch shop halfway to home shoe. Eight square miles bought and paid for our by our marines. We made some quick changes, cutting away that sulphurous fall can it crossed and ruling surfaced into one enormous flat top. Three big airstrips p 50 once for bomber escort over japan. General moran and his staff a seventh fighter command run the show and direct all air sea rescue operations in close collaboration with Bomber Commands. A lastminute briefing check, just to make sure todays fighter escort knows all air sea rescue positions. Out on the line general words p 50 ones are warming up for the longest flight flight on on record. Seven hours on one engine extra below tanks extra verve and stamina about the time. The wing surpassing mood she ma, theyre taking. Off schedule to join three and a half hours later off the shores of japan after a rendezvous at key, to the p 51s head for Assembly Point lead by be b29s as night the gator ships. The wings grind ahead on the last lap to the empire. Reports to the controller back at qualm give their flight position which has kept up to the hour on the Mission Board still at low altitude the be 20 nines that are approaching their unreported storms and cold fronts appear suddenly across the bomb of course. Pilot to crew we are going to start our climb. Check the oxygen equipment. As they begin their slow climb to altitude, the crews prepare for the vet business ahead. And from now until they come off terror target and head home it is all business the central fire control system is. Warmed up superhuman brainpower at the flick of a switch. Each they tried to coordinate fire controls with a few short bursts to clear the. Guns after pushing up to altitude, the bombers right close to Assembly Point. Air on the pressurized cabin is comparable to 8000 feet. But oxygen masks are adjusted and ready for instant use from the southeast the fire escort appears with its navigator ships. Which now turn off to wait for the finest return at raleigh. Point the must tanks climb information to take positions above the boxes of be 29s. Lead bombers begin to search droppings markets for assembly the project officer observes this part of the tactical plan in action. From various sewn positions, the group separate and form on their lead ships at nine or 11 plain waves. They had for an initial point the. Big parade is on. Landfall is picked up along with the first ship flag burst from enemy coastal batterings. Fuji among the familiar white beacon marks the term for initial point. Flag becomes heavier and more accurate. And now the first jet snicker superior diving head on into the formations. Some are suicide fighters trying to rev up bombings other jet fighters drop clusters of bombs set to explode in front of the oncoming b29s. Our p51s go out after them. They are tangling with experts. The p51s is to protect the b29s. Some of those jet fires meet the blast of bomber guns. A tale gonna pleads with the fighter to come in a little closer from the turn an initial point the tight bomber waves move steadily on and get ready for business. Flag and fighters fall off. But those clouds are beginning to close in and it looks worse ahead. And just east of hatch yield she, the tokyo area breaks clear. The bombardiers begin to drop five seven four. The planes sit tight for the bombing round. Heres where we pay off. To daft air craft planes in an air interim 12,000 feet below are about to receive 4000 tons of destruction. The first waves of b29s have already found their objective. Succeeding bomber groups of devastation to the smoking targets. Tactical plan five seven four is now an accomplished fact. The bombers turn and go downwind across the burnt eight acres of tokyo. Closeup cameras show the skies of the spectacular fire strikes last march. 51 square miles of the main treatment across the bay, and a tailwind speed themselves down the cheap but peninsula. This is a fighter country with the first call on the other on mustangs who offered go to work here. engiines roar guns fire guns fire with the big bombers homeward bound, our p51s drop down for strike and runs concentrating on definite objectives for here to the enemy. Coast skimming along at maximum speed, they parallel. Blasting away at Communications Radio installations, power lines. Sweeping down on enemy transportation railroads small suburban factories. And airfields. Then on to shipping targets. Fighters, fishermans carbon coastal craft, destroyer or lug, or it is the same enemy. After straightening our fighters climb back to raleigh point. And the waiting b29 navigator planes. Few gauges are down close to empty but fires spirits begin to rise. They wind up and finish with the kick whiplash speed. And zoom into their victory. Once over for each jet. I after the last fighter groups are in, all hands sweat in those first limping b29s. That runways a beautiful sight as they let down with engines, outflow and gas all beat up by flak and fighters. In three months, nearly 2000 crippled or gas shied be 29s haven and you can understand why those four fan boys blast those marines. And even named their planes after them. The lucky ones are fueled and the part for home bases and an hour but still has its hazards weather can turn the station into a hopeless far gain quick overcast often blacks out the airstrip during these crucial periods. That means orders to bailout. Or with luck a be 29 might drop in for a ditching. From here you can see how the cloud coverup there smothers the runway and realize what one pilot went through. Sometimes, a battle scarred bomber staggers back only to flatten out at the last heartbreaking second. By some miracle the whole crew got away from the stations to safety before 2000 gallons of flaming gas enveloped them. Firefighters risk their lives to save the ship this to takes courage beyond the line of duty. Most of the wings are nearing their bases. Exhausted crews wait out the last endless hour when time seems to. Stop the position is radioed in. The controller gets word of the approaching flight. At last, the familiar are beyond the horizon. Bombers fly across qualm and turn into the landing pad. 15 hours ago, they love the other end of that runway. It is a pleasure to be back. A pleasure to roll on solid familiar black top. Its good to feel a sudden human heat to be among the living swapping details with the ground crew, flak, fighters, the close call. The one that got away. But some of those b29 crews will not be able to talk it over today. 11 men and a bomber that did not quite make it. Cory thierry thieves thigh. Thai thaw out the rescue squads tear away the hot metal. The burning wreckage, the man has got to live to feel the flames. Ten lost lives. That is part of todays toll. There were many other days and nights that took their toll of Young American lives in the service of our relentless expanding by the end of july our b29s had all but a blimp obliterated the up and hes a billeted to make war. Youre gonna hit you pan with twice the tonnage that ever fell on germany. The question was, how much longer would have beaten to japan holdout in august, we made a test that was never applied to germany. Great land sea and air forces gathered for the last invasion, our b29s dropped two atomic bombs. Which hastened the surrender of japan. Saved untold thousands of american lives. The mission of our air forces which began nearly four years ago was accomplished. You want to understand military history, look at from the ground of washingtons, were joined from the Education Museum center there by doug brad burn, president and ceo of George Washingtons amount vernon on this president sday. First concern, explain the significance of that moment that is portrayed over your shoulder, the swearing in of george washington. Good morning, welcome to mount foreign, behind me you
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