Kobe (March 16, 1945)

There is no mention of this mission in my father's journal. In his entry for the March 9 mission to Tokyo he mentions that two gunners were left behind. It is possible he was left behind for this one. This was done to save weight and carry more bombs.

On this mission 330 aircraft were sent to bomb the Kobe urban area. The city was attack in the early morning (3:40-5:45 am) from low altitude (4,600-9,000 feet). The planes carried about 15,000 lbs. of bombs and about 3 square miles of the target was destroyed.

There was heavy but unaggressive fighter opposition (93 attacks) and antiaircraft fire. Three aircraft did not return.

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 43.

Mission List

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