Nagoya (January 3, 1945)

We bombed Nagoya today and I hope we burned it up1. Take off was at 7:30. There were 12 planes but only 10 reached the target. Bombs away at 3:45 p.m. We were over land 1.5 hours and we had several fighters but little flack. All planes returned safe. We were in the air 13 hr. 55 min2.

— Joe Caner Swann

On this mission 97 aircraft were sent to bomb the docks and urban area of Nagoya. The average bomb load was 5,300 lbs. The target was bombed from 28,000-31,500 feet starting around 3:45 pm and continued for about 45 minutes. Eighteen aircraft returned to base early.

In spite of 6/10 cloud cover some 140,000 square feet of the primary target was destroyed. Some 75 fires were also started from the bombing. Twenty-one aircraft bombed as a last resort or hit targets of opportunity.

The bombers encountered 346 enemy fighter attacks. Fourteen fighters were confirmed destroyed, with fourteen more probables, and an additional ten damaged. Antiaircraft fire was sparse but accurate.

Five aircraft were lost. Of these it was confirmed that one was lost to enemy fighters and a second ditched on the return trip.

Additional Resources

  • Read the complete journal kept by the Star Duster's right gunner, Joe Caner Swann.
  • Resume of 20th Air Force Missions, (see book information on the books resources page).
  • Mission resumes are also available on the Twentieth Air Force Association web site. This site is built with frames. To view the mission resumes click the "Missions" link in the top menu on the site's home page. This is mission 17.

Mission List

Footnotes
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