Early in 1945 a b29s began fullscale operations against japan. 1500 miles to targets, and 1500 miles back from bases at saipan, tinea and guam. Here 21st Bomber Command concentrated its massive air power and planned the ultimate crushing defeat of japan down to the last bomb. Here was the beginning of the end of the road to tokyo. After six months of reoccupation there were few signs of war along the quiet summer shores of guam. The liberated chamorrans were in their native villages, smiling and friendly unaware that a miracle had happened around them. A miracle 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 selfservice. The latest labor help saving devices, few laundry problems and no modern inconveniences. By midsummer, 21st Bomber Command was in business, big business. Under general amazes direction, the Bomber Command began punching the enemy with appalling power from guam, timeon and saipan, 600 plane missions increased the weight 100 in two months. Behind this power was planning and it began on the ground with maintenance. Assembly line technique cut engine chain times from three days, and ground crews worked day and night during the blitz weeks to keep more b29s on the line. It is an efficient, welloiled, welldrilled machine of destruction. Heres a vital cog of that machine, 11 men and a bomber. While they wind up for action, lets find out where theyre going and some of the things theyre going to do and why and with what . How do they set up the longest, toughest Bomber Mission in history . It began about 12 hours ago in the war room at guam with general lame and the staff receiving a report on tomorrows weather in japan. Tomorrows forecast is typical, clouds above 10,000 feet. In the east, tokyo area will be 22,000, 0. 3 at 14,000 pefeet closing up solid after 11 00 a. M. And osaka is completely socked in. His b29s are up against a blank wall except for a possible opening around tokyo. The man considers every vital factor and makes his decision. Four wings will strike tokyo at 10 00 and they will go in under that weather and bomb at 12,000 and now its a question of target selection. 573, intelligence informs the general that 573 is threequarters destroyed. At the moment number 574 is still untouched which seemed more important. Operations check the Tactical Command for 574, general lamay, okays the target and commits all executive details to his staff. Operations with his deputy chief of staff and his officer goes to work setting up the changes. In that plans folder is a mountain of preparation by special sections of intelience and operations. 1,000 hours of research, collated facts and figures have been distilled into fact cal pl tactical plan 574. Smoke markers at oneminute intervals will be dropped by lead planes to expedite the departure from Assembly Point. One squadron each wing will carry m47 incendiary clusters. Balance of squadrons 1,000pound gp bombs fused a quarter second nose and tail. Altitude of attack, 12,000 feet. Planes of 314th wing will carry capacity fuel loads of approximately 7300 gallons per plane, calibrated speed of 10 Miles Per Hour will be flown by aircraft of bombing run. Radar landfall 3450 north and 140 east will be the same for all planes to afford a good water contrast checkpoint. The navy has requested to furnish the following facilities for rescue purposes. Three air force to proceed to x, and two dumbos to orbit at station z. Four b29es will be at the following positions. Each section of the plan is doublechecked. To supervise certain aspects of planning, lieutenant cannon, a former lead crew pilot was brought as project officer. This officers extensive combat experience now helps to iron out operational kinks. He will accompany this mission to observe new Smoke Signals at Assembly Point, a field order is now dispatched to the wings. Takeoff time is flashed to the controller who coordinates the vast network that gathers here at the heart and moves to center command. Here in the control room, status panels and a Mission Board are maintained to show at a glance the countless uptotheminute details of all daily operations. Prior to takeoff, each mission is set up on the board to afford a visual progress of the flight from takeoff to target and return. Yarns, one for each wing are laid out to indicate the flight lines which pass close to iwo jima, the half way point. And proceed as specified in the field order to the proper target. Other signals are used to mark air and sea rescue positions. A timetable of statistics for each wing was planned and flown as recorded by hourly reports on the status panel beginning with takeoff time. To veteran crews, its just another days work. One more 1500mile haul up and down the ruddy pacific, 15 miles, 7,000 gal orngs four engines, 11 guides. Knock 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. 145 planes, one minute apart, 67 tons each. Those b29 takeoffs are a tough sweat. That first, long moment is the woods. Some swear it takes luck like a White Stocking to beat it. 100 miles north, two more b29 wings prepare for takeoff. 134 aircraft from the 58th wing. 100 more from the 313th wing, at saipan, a few minutes later the veterans 734rd wing lines up for takeoff. 153 more are added to the mission striking force. The last b29 is airborne at 15 40. The tower at saipan relays this information to the controller back at guam. First and last takeoff times of each wing are recorded here and go to make up for the first of a series of tabulated mission reports. Copies of these reports are dispatched to headquarters washington, and posted on the control room report board. During that first hour, the b29s have settled down for the big grind saving precious gas. Cruising 1,000 feet off the water. Ability, experience, confidence ride in each plane. A plan of action for 11 men trained and tested to function as one. The navigator sets the course, logging island checkpoints as they climb past the northern malianas, pagan a assumption, the pohones. They pass i wo jimiwo jima. Eight square miles bought and paid for by our marines. We made some quick changes, cutting away the sulfurous volcanic crust and moving iwos surface into one enormous flat top. Three big airstrips now launch our p51s for bomber escort over japan. The 7th fighter japan run the show and direct all airsea rescue operations with Bomber Command. A lastminute briefing check just to make sure todays fighter escort knows all airsea rescue positions. Out on the line general moores p51s are warming up for the longest fight or flight on record. Seven hours and one engine, extra belly tanks and extra nerves and stamina in the cockpit. About the time our bomber wings are passing i wo jima, the p shooters are scheduled to take off off the shores of japan. After a rendezvous at kita, the p51s head for Assembly Point run by of navigator ships. Farther out, they grind ahead to the last empire. Reports to the controller back at guam give their flight position which has kept up to the hour on the Mission Board. Still at low altitude, the b29s are approaching the bad weather belt where unreported storms and cold fronts appear across the bomber course. Pilot to crew. Were going to start our climb. Check oxygen equipment. Tell buck he better get out to his doghouse. As they begin their slow climb to altitude the crew prepare for their business ahead and now until they come off target and head home, its all business. The central fire control system is warmed up. Super human brainpower at the flick of a switch. Each gunner flexes his sights and with a few short bursts to clear the guns. After pushing up to altitude the bombers arrive close to Assembly Point. Air in the pressurized cabin is comparable to 8,000 feet, but oxygen masks are adjusted and ready for instant use, and the fighter escort appears for its ships which are to the fighters return at rally point. The mustangs climb in formation to take positions above the boxes of b29s. Lead bombers begin to circle, dropping the new smoke markers for assembly. The project officer observes this part of the tactical plan of action. From various zone positions, the groups separate. And form on their lead ships and nine are 11 plane waves. Which head for initial point. The big parade is on. Landfall was picked up. Along with the first flag burst from enemy coastal fujiyama the familiar white beacon marks the point. The flag becomes heavier and more accurate. And the first jap snoopers appear diving into formations. Some are suicide fighters trying to ram our bombers. Others drop phosphorous bombs set to explode in front of the oncoming b29s. Our p51s go out after them and know theyre tangling with experts. The b51s job is to protect the b29s, but some of those fighters meet the crew and meet the blast of bomber guns. [ shots fired ] a tail gun appears with the fight tore come in a little closer. [ shots fired ] from the turn at initial point the tight bomber waves move steadily on and get ready for business. Flak and fighters fall off, but those clouds are beginning to close in and it looks worse ahead and just east of hajioji, the tokyo area breaks clear. The bombardiers began to drop on 574 and the plane sit tight for the bombing run. Heres where we pay two jap air plant crafts and an air drone 2,000 feet below are about to receive 4,000 tons of destruction. First waves of b29s have already found their objective. Succeeding bomber groups at their devastation to the smoking targets. Tactical plan 574 is now an accomplished fact. The bombers turn and go downwind, across the burned acres of tokyo. Closeup cameras show the scars of those spectacular fire strikes last march. 51 square miles of lame treatment. Across the bay, a tailwind is down the chiba peninsula. This is fighter country with the first call on the intercom on mustangs peel off and go to work. [ shots fired ] [ shots fired ] [ shots fired ] [ shots fired ] with the big bombers home ward bound our p51s drop down for bombs, concentrating on the objective from here to the enemy coast. The fighters pair off and go to work cutting vital flight lines, blasting away at communications, radio installations, power lines. [ shots fired ] th swooping down on railroads, small factories. [ shots fired ] [ shots fired ] and airfields. [ shots fired ] then on the shipping targets. Freighters, fishermen, trollers, destroyer, its the same enemy. [ shots fired ] after strafing, our fighters drop back to rally point and the b29 navigator planes, with the first sieght of iwo fuel gauges are near empty and they come in with a kick at whiplash speed and zoom into their victory roles. Once over for each jap killed. After the last fighter groups are in, all hands sweat in those first limping b29s. That runway is a beautiful sight as they let down with engines out, low on gas or beat up by fighters. In three months, nearly 2,000 crippled or gasshy b29s havened at iwo. You can understand why those four fan boys blessed those marines and even named their planes after them. The lucky ones are fuelled and depart for home bases in an hour. But iwo still has its hazards. Weather can turn this station into a hopeless day may, paul and quick overcast often blacks out the airstrip during these crucial periods. That means orders to bail out. Or with luck, a b29 might drop in for a copy book ditching. From here, you can see how the cloud cover up there smothers the runway and realize what one pilot went through. Sometimes a battlescarred bomber staggers back to iwo only to flatten out at the last heartbreaking second. [ siren ] by some miracle the whole crew got away from their stations to safety before 2,000 gallons of flaming gas enveloped them. Firefighters risked their lives to save the ship. This, too, takes courage beyond the line of duty. Far to the south, most of the wings are nearing their bases. Exhausted crews wait out the last endless hour when time seems to stop. Their position is radioed in and the controller gets word of the approaching flight. At last, the familiar arianas come into the horizon. The pilots turn on to the landing path. 15 hours ago they left the other end of that runway. Its a pleasure to be back, a pleasure to rule on solid, familiar black top. Its good to feel the humid 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 wont be able to talk it today. 11 men and a bomber that didnt quite make it. [ siren ] the rescuer squats tear away the hot metal. Somewhere a man has lived to feel the eager hands. One man saved and ten lost. Thats part of todays toll. And there were many other days and nights that took their toll on Young American lives in the service of our relentless, expanding air power. By the end of july our b29s have all, but obliterated the war. Thousand air missions will hit japan with twice the monthly tonage that ever fell on germany. The question was how much longer would a beaten japan hold out . In august we made a test that never was applied to germany. While great lands, sea and air forces gathered for the last invasion our b29s dropped two a tomm tomic bombs. Which hastened the surrender of japan and saved untold thousands of american lives. Which hastene japan and saved untold thousands of american lives. So the mission of our air forces which began nearly four years ago was accomplished. We continue now with the bombing of hiroshima japan that led to the end of world war ii. Next in 1945, universal newsreel on how the atomic bomb evolved both as science and the decision to use it. Thats followed by a discussion how president harry truman came to order the use of the atomic bomb during world war ii, part of what you will see every weekend during American History tv here on cspan3. Weeknights this month were featuring American History tv programs as a preview of whats available on cspan3. Tonight a look at the uss indianapolis, in 1945, two japanese torpedos sunk the uss indianapolis in sharkinfested waters. Only 217 out of 1196 crew members survived. They were not rescued for several days. On the 75th anniversary, congress awarded the entire crew the congressional gold medal, its highest civilian honor. Watch tonight beginning at 8 00 eastern and enjoy it this week and every weekend on cspan3. This weeks cspans the contender looks at the lives of 14 men who ran for the presidency and lost, but changed political history. Watch the contenders this week at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Starting tonight, 1844 president ial candidate henry clay. We continue now with the bombing of hiroshima japan that began the end of world war ii. How the atomic bomb evolved both the science and the decision to use it. Thats followed by a discussion of how president harry truman came to order the use of the a tommic bomb during world war ii. Part of what you will see every weekend during American History tv here on cspan3