The vital B-29 Superfortress long-range bomber with its operational radius of 1,500 mi (2,400 km)
Quick History of WWII in ASIA & the PACIFIC. 3 Minutes.
Arguably, military aviation played the decisive role in victory with Japan. For the first time in military history, dominance of the sky became the determining factor for the outcome of a war. Aviation was involved in every major event, from the surprise aerial attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor to the US bombings of Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki that signaled the end of war.
US forces landing on Saipan Island
Acquiring Strategic Island Airbases
A major thrust of the conflict in the Pacific theater was all about airbases. Acquiring strategic airbases within heavy bomber range of the Japanese mainland became the focus of most sea battles as well. Destroying the main military equipment factories on the home islands was viewed as intrinsic in defeating the Japanese army that was spread across a vast Asian empire.
Many of these remote islands where much blood was shed, were unheard of before the war.
The idea of a strategic air force capable of bringing the war home to the emery's own territory was born during this period. This vision of a unified air command capable of defending the US mainland and provide cover for the other military service branches is still in place today. Until this time the US air forces were all under the command of the the various military services. The Air Force wasn't created until after WWII, in 1947. Later, land based ballistic missiles were also added to their defensive and combat responsibilities.
The battle in the Pacific followed two tracks.
1.) Acquire these vital island airbases,
2.) Bomb the Japanese home industries into submission, while the combined Allied Armed Forces whittle away at the weak and under supplied Japanese land and naval forces.
Several videos below show with gruesome accuracy the intense fighting both on land, sea and close air support required to secure these extremely isolated island air bases from Japanese control. Additionally, Clips of a very entertaining film made by Walt Disney with his own money, explains the shift in military thinking required to accept this new military doctrine of the dominance of air power (a complete 36 minute version is also included. )
Iconic music from the WWII period. Andrews Sisters - Medley - 13 minutes.
The US enters WWII after a surprise aerial attack on both Pearl Harbor and Manila.
The US enters WWII after a surprise aerial attack on both Pearl Harbor and Manila.
The US enters into WWII on Dec. 8th 1942 (which already been ranging for over two years) after a surprise aerial attack by the Japanese on both military installations in Hawaii and the Philippines. The US, England and the Free Dutch had stopped exporting oil to Japan in July 1941 after Japan began expansion in French Indochina. In turn the Japanese felt they had no alternative but proceeded with plans to overtake the oil-rich Dutch East Indies. In order to Invade the Indonesia, US Naval power had to first be eliminated and the Philippines occupied.
Aviation played central role in the opening event of the US war against Japan.
CAF Centex's Wing hosts a replica of a B5M Kate Torpedo Bomber that attacked the US Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Diagram of Attack on Pearl Harbor.
Ignored infrastructure targets: A: Oil storage tanks, B:CINCPAC headquarters building, C: Submarine base, D:Navy Yard.
The Land War in the Pacific and Asia, is viewed by military planners as secondary.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan). From the standpoint of the defenders, the attack commenced at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time.[13] The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.
CAF Centex's Wing maintains two of the planes used in the movie "Pearl Harbor" to represent the Japanese planes used in the attack.
The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. Two of these were later raised, and with the remaining four repaired, six battleships returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded. Important base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.The US Air Corps's "Doolittle Raid" takes a courageous B-25 response to the very home of the aggressors.
CAF Centex's Wing B-25. the "Yellow Rose" is the same type of aircraft that took place in that famous raid. We maintain the flight worthiness of our plane and offer rides to the public.
For a complete understanding of this Raid and its importance, visit our "Hank Potter-Doolittle Room" and view our blogs.
The first raid of WWII on Tokyo was the Doolittle Raid of 18 April 1942, when sixteen B-25 Mitchells were launched from USS Hornet to attack targets including Yokohama and Tokyo and then fly on to airfields in China. The raid was the retaliation against the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid did no damage to Japan's war capability but was a significant propaganda victory for the United States. Launched prematurely, none of the attacking aircraft reached the designated airfields, either crashing or ditching (except for one aircraft which landed in the Soviet Union, where the crew was officially interned and secretly repatriated). Two crews were captured by the Japanese in occupied China and later killed in violation of the Geneva Convention protocols for POWs.
Crew No. 1 in front of B-25 #40-2344 on the deck of the USS Hornet, 18 April 1942. From left to right: (front row) Lt. Col. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; (back row) Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Naval Aviation in the Pacific, for the first time in history, played the decisive role in all victories.
Naval Aviation in the Pacific, for the first time in history, played the decisive role in all victories.
World War II saw the emergence of naval aviation as a significant, often decisive, element in the war at sea.
In WWII the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the most powerful naval offensive weapons system as battles between fleets were increasingly fought out of gun range by aircraft. The Japanese Yamato, the most powerful battleship ever built, was first turned back by light escort carrier aircraft and later sunk lacking its own air cover.
All of the major sea engagements in the Pacific during WWII involved naval aviation which included:
- At the start of the Pacific War in 1941, Japanese carrier-based aircraft sank many US warships at Pearl Harbor and land-based aircraft sank two large British warships. Engagements between Japanese and American naval fleets were then conducted largely or entirely by aircraft - examples include the battles of Coral Sea, Midway, Bismarck Sea and Philippine Sea.
- Battle of Leyte Gulf, with the first appearance of kamikazes, perhaps the largest naval battle in history. Japan's last carriers and pilots are deliberately sacrificed, a battleship is sunk by aircraft.
- Operation Ten-Go demonstrated U.S. air supremacy in the Pacific theater by this stage in the war and the vulnerability of surface ships without air cover to aerial attack.
US Navy in World War II: "Sea Power in the Pacific" 1946 US Navy- 14 Minutes.
The War in the Pacific finally hinges on the Battle for the Saipan air field.
US Navy in World War II: "Sea Power in the Pacific" 1946 US Navy- 14 Minutes.
This map shows the strategic importance of Saipan and Tinian Islands.
In many ways the the Battle for Saipan marked the turning point in the war. If it had not been for the introduction of the top secret atom bombs, the conduct of the war would have depended on Saipan being in American hands. Not only was it of great strategic value, but it also represented the first piece of Japanese home territory (it had been annexed in1922) to be occupied by US forces.
In many ways the the Battle for Saipan marked the turning point in the war. If it had not been for the introduction of the top secret atom bombs, the conduct of the war would have depended on Saipan being in American hands. Not only was it of great strategic value, but it also represented the first piece of Japanese home territory (it had been annexed in1922) to be occupied by US forces.
Stinson L5 medevac in the Pacific.
CAF Centex's resident Stinson L5 actually participated in the conquest of Saipan
Link to short film clips of medical evacuation with the L5.
It had always been the intention of the American planners to bypass the Carolines and Palaus and to seize Saipan in the Marianas and Taiwan. From these latter bases communications between the Japanese homeland and Japanese forces to the south and west could be cut. In addition, from the Marianas Japan would be well within the range of an air offensive relying on the new B-29 Superfortress long-range bomber with its operational radius of 1,500 mi (2,400 km).
The Land War in the Pacific and Asia, is viewed by military planners as secondary.
While not part of the original American plan, Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Southwest Pacific Area command, obtained authorization to advance through New Guinea and Morotai toward the Philippines. This allowed MacArthur to keep his personal pledge, made in his "I shall return" speech, to liberate the Philippines, and also allowed the active use of the large forces built up in the southwest Pacific theatre. The Japanese, expecting an attack somewhere on their perimeter, thought an attack on the Caroline Islands most likely. To reinforce and supply their garrisons, they needed naval and air superiority, so Operation A-Go, a major carrier attack, was prepared for June 1944.
US thrust against Saipan is a complete tactical surprise.
The invasion surprised the Japanese high command, which had been expecting an attack further south. Admiral Toyoda Soemu, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy, saw an opportunity to use the A-Go force to attack the U.S. Navy forces around Saipan. On 15 June, he gave the order to attack. But the resulting battle of the Philippine Sea was a disaster for the Imperial Japanese Navy, which lost three aircraft carriers and hundreds of planes. As a result the Japanese garrisons on the Marianas would now have no hope of resupply or reinforcement.
WWII color film of the decisive Battle for Saipan.-10 minutes.
With the capture of Saipan, the American military was now only 1,300 mi (1,100 nmi; 2,100 km) away from the home islands of Japan. The victory would prove to be one of the most important strategic moments during the war in the Pacific Theater because the Japanese mainland was now within striking distance of United States'bombers. From this point on, Saipan, would become the launch base for retaking other islands in the Mariana chain and the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944. Four months after capture, more than a 100 B-29s from Saipan were regularly attacking the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands and the Japan mainland. In response, Japanese aircraft attacked Saipan and Tinian on several occasions between November 1944 and January 1945. The US capture of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) ended further Japanese air attacks.
The loss of Saipan was a heavy blow for both the Japanese military and civilian government of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō. According to one Japanese admiral: "Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan." US Marine Corps General Holland Smith said: "It was the decisive battle of the Pacific offensive [...] it opened the way to the Japanese home islands." Shortly after Saipan, a meeting at the Imperial General Headquarters decided that a symbolic change of leadership should be made. Tōjō would step aside and Emperor Hirohito would have less involvement in day-to-day military affairs; even though he was defined as both Head of State and the Generalissimo of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces according to the Meiji Constitution of 1889. The general staff believed it was now time to distance theImperial family from blame as the tide of war turned against the Japanese.
The Japanese Government went through a period of great and dysfunctional conflict. The powerful Prime Minster Tōjō submitted his resignation. His entire cabinet resigned with him.[21] Former IJA General Kuniaki Koiso became Prime Minister. However due to the legacy of Saipan, Koiso was nothing more than a titular Prime Minister who was prevented by the Imperial General Headquarters to participate in any military decisions. The war was clearly lost.
The B-29 and Strategic 1944-1945 bombing of Japan.
The most destructive bombing of the war The 1945 raid on Tokyo.- 10 minutes
While the United States had developed plans for an air campaign against Japan prior to the Pacific War, the capture of Allied bases in the western Pacific in the first weeks of the conflict meant that this offensive did not begin until mid-1944 when the long-ranged Boeing B-29 Superfortress became ready for use in combat. Operation Matterhorn involved India-based B-29s staging through bases around Chengdu in China to make a series of raids on strategic targets in Japan between June 1944 and January 1945Operation Ichi-Go), and the extreme range required to reach key Japanese cities.
USAAF Brigadier General Haywood S. Hansell determined that Guam, Tinian and Saipan in the Mariana Islands would better serve as B-29 bases, but they were in Japanese hands. Strategies were shifted to accommodate the air war, and the islands were captured between June and August 1944. Air bases were developed, and B-29 operations commenced from the Marianas in November 1944, greatly expanding the scope of the strategic bombing campaign against Japan. More importantly, these bases were safe from Japanese attacks and easily resupplied by cargo ships. The XXI Bomber Command, commanded by Haywood S. Hansell, began missions against Japan in October 1944. The early attempts to bomb Japan from the Marianas proved just as ineffective as the China based B-29s had been. Hansell continued the practice of conducting so-called high-altitude precision bombing even after these tactics had not produced acceptable results. These efforts proved unsuccessful due to logistical difficulties with the remote location, technical problems with the new and advanced aircraft, unfavorable weather conditions, and ultimately enemy action.[20] Hansell had "poor intelligence about Japanese industry and lacked maps."
The Final stage of WWII.
Photo of the destruction of Tokyo after the March 1945 bombing
The bombing of Tokyo, often referred to as a "firebombing", was conducted as part of the air raids on Japan by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. The U.S. mounted a small-scale raid on Tokyo in April 1942, with large effects on morale. Strategic bombing and urban area bombing began in 1944 after the long-range B-29 Superfortress bomber entered service, first deployed from China and thereafter the Mariana Islands. B-29 raids from those islands began on 17 November 1944 and lasted until 15 August 1945, the day Japan capitulated. The Operation Meetinghouse air raid of 9–10 March 1945 was later estimated to be the single most destructive bombing raid in history.
The bombing of Tokyo, often referred to as a "firebombing", was conducted as part of the air raids on Japan by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. The U.S. mounted a small-scale raid on Tokyo in April 1942, with large effects on morale. Strategic bombing and urban area bombing began in 1944 after the long-range B-29 Superfortress bomber entered service, first deployed from China and thereafter the Mariana Islands. B-29 raids from those islands began on 17 November 1944 and lasted until 15 August 1945, the day Japan capitulated. The Operation Meetinghouse air raid of 9–10 March 1945 was later estimated to be the single most destructive bombing raid in history.
The importance of the introduction of the B-29
The key development for the bombing of Japan was the B-29 bomber plane, which had an operational range of 3,250 nautical miles (6,019 km) and was capable of attacking at high altitude above 30,000 feet (9 km) where enemy defenses were very weak. Almost 90% of the bombs dropped on the home islands of Japan were delivered by this type of bomber.
Once Allied ground forces had captured islands sufficiently close to Japan, airfields were built on those islands (particularly Saipan and Tinian) and B-29s could reach Japan for bombing missions.
Once Allied ground forces had captured islands sufficiently close to Japan, airfields were built on those islands (particularly Saipan and Tinian) and B-29s could reach Japan for bombing missions.
The length of the 141-foot (43 m) wing span of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress can be seen in this photo.
Photo of the interior of the B-29 cockpit
The high altitude bombing attacks using general purpose bombs were observed to be ineffective by USAAF leaders. Changing their tactics to expand the coverage and increase the damage, Curtis LeMay ordered the bombers to fly lower (4,500–8,000 ft, 1,400–2,400 m) and drop incendiary bombs to burn Japan's vulnerable wood-and-paper buildings. The first such raid was in February 1945 when 174 B-29s destroyed around one square mile (3 km²) of Tokyo. The next month, 334 B-29s took off to raid on the night of 9–10 March ("Operation Meetinghouse"), with 279 of them dropping around 1,700 tons of bombs. Fourteen B-29s were lost.[8] Approximately 16 square miles (41 km2) of the city were destroyed and some 100,000 people are estimated to have died in the resulting firestorm, more immediate deaths than either of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The US Strategic Bombing Survey later estimated that nearly 88,000 people died in this one raid, 41,000 were injured, and over a million residents lost their homes. The Tokyo Fire Department estimated a higher toll: 97,000 killed and 125,000 wounded. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department established a figure of 124,711 casualties including both killed and wounded and 286,358 buildings and homes destroyed. Richard Rhodes, historian, put deaths at over 100,000, injuries at a million and homeless residents at a million. These casualty and damage figures could be low; Mark Selden wrote in Japan Focus:
Photo taken during one of the B-29 raids.
The figure of roughly 100,000 deaths, provided by Japanese and American authorities, both of whom may have had reasons of their own for minimizing the death toll, seems to me arguably low in light of population density, wind conditions, and survivors' accounts. With an average of 103,000 inhabitants per square mile (396 people per hectare) and peak levels as high as 135,000 per square mile (521 people per hectare), the highest density of any industrial city in the world, and with firefighting measures ludicrously inadequate to the task, 15.8 square miles (41 km2) of Tokyo were destroyed on a night when fierce winds whipped the flames and walls of fire blocked tens of thousands fleeing for their lives. An estimated 1.5 million people lived in the burned out areas.
The destruction and damage were greatest in the parts of the city to the east of the Imperial Palace. Over 50% of Tokyo was destroyed by the end of World War II. The Operation Meetinghouse firebombing of Tokyo on the night of 9/10 March 1945 was the single deadliest air raid of World War II; greater than Dresden, Hiroshima, or Nagasaki as single events.
The final ultimatum to Japan.
On 26 July, 1945 Allied leaders issued the Potsdam Declaration outlining terms of surrender for Japan. It was presented as an ultimatum and stated that without a surrender, the Allies would attack Japan, resulting in "the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland". The atomic bomb was not mentioned in the communiqué. On 28 July Japanese papers reported that the declaration had been rejected by the Japanese government. That afternoon, Prime Minister Suzuki Kantarō declared at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration was no more than a rehash (yakinaoshi) of the Cairo Declaration and that the government intended to ignore it (mokusatsu, "kill by silence"). The statement was taken by both Japanese and foreign papers as a clear rejection of the declaration. Emperor Hirohito, who was waiting for a Soviet reply to non-committal Japanese peace feelers, made no move to change the government position.
The Atomic bombs and VE-Day.
On 26 July, 1945 Allied leaders issued the Potsdam Declaration outlining terms of surrender for Japan. It was presented as an ultimatum and stated that without a surrender, the Allies would attack Japan, resulting in "the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland". The atomic bomb was not mentioned in the communiqué. On 28 July Japanese papers reported that the declaration had been rejected by the Japanese government. That afternoon, Prime Minister Suzuki Kantarō declared at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration was no more than a rehash (yakinaoshi) of the Cairo Declaration and that the government intended to ignore it (mokusatsu, "kill by silence"). The statement was taken by both Japanese and foreign papers as a clear rejection of the declaration. Emperor Hirohito, who was waiting for a Soviet reply to non-committal Japanese peace feelers, made no move to change the government position.
The Atomic bombs and VE-Day.
The Enola Gay and its crew, The B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb in war.
The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. The two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.
The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. The two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.
In 1945, the Pacific War between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II had entered its fourth year. World War II was not winding down. Instead, the fighting was being prosecuted with ever-increasing fury. Of the 1.25 million battle casualties incurred by the United States in World War II, including both soldiers killed in action and wounded in action, nearly one million occurred in the twelve-month period from June 1944 to June 1945. December 1944 saw American battle casualties hit an all-time monthly high of 88,000 as a result of the German Ardennes Offensive.
In the Pacific during this period, the Allies captured the Mariana and Palau Islands, returned to the Philippines, and invaded Borneo. The policy of bypassing Japanese forces was abandoned. In order to free troops for use elsewhere, offensives were undertaken to reduce the Japanese forces remaining in Bougainville, New Guinea and the Philippines. In April 1945, American forces had landed on Okinawa, where heavy fighting would continue until June. Along the way, the ratio of Japanese to American casualties dropped from 5 to 1 in the Philippines to 2 to 1 on Okinawa.
Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese cities, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of Japan. The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on 8 May, but the Pacific War continued. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945, threatening Japan with "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum, and the United States deployed two nuclear weapons developed by the Manhattan Project. American airmen dropped Little Boy on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, followed by Fat Man over Nagasaki on 9 August.
Walt Disney's film on the dominance of air power "Victory Through Air Power" - part 8 - 6 minutes.
A film feature that Walt Disney himself made to send a message during World War II giving ideas on how to get directly to Japan to bomb it. Remember this is not how it all happened.
Victory Through Air Power (1943) Full movie 36 minutes.
For More in formation on The Central Texas Wing of The Commemorative Air Force
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