The men from NHK are setting up for the Emperor's peace recording in The Household Ministry Building. The Boomerang has reached Iwo Jima enroute to Akita. The Emperor signs the Rescript (surrender) and the Imperial Seal is affixed. The Boomerang and the 315th Wing take off for Akita.
Major Hatanaka sets the revolt in motion. We are ordered to restart engines and fly the mission to Akita.
We are ordered to start engines, then ordered to shut engines down and stand by. Wing assemble on Northwest Field, and prepare to fly the last mission. ( 3:49 Guam time-53 minutes before we takeoff to bomb Akita). radio operator on Okinawa picks up a message from the Domei News Agency informing the Allies that the Japanese surrender is imminent In this event the 315th would be required to salvo bombs and return to base. That word, sent in international morse code, will signal an enroute mission termination.
#Enola gay crew killing himself code#
The code word "Apple" is given to the radio operators at briefing. The enroute target course will take us almost directly over Tokyo. The 315th, in the middle of their end-of-the-war celebration, is shocked as the Wing is ordered to fly a last mission to Akita (the longest mission from the Marianas and the longest mission ever attempted with a "max" bomb load and without bomb bay tanks). The Japanese, dedicated to fight to the death, could only be stopped by words from the Emperor. The recording by the Emperor had become the key to war or peace.
The objectives of the coup are to kidnap the Emperor, confiscate his recordings of peace and keep the war going. Principally: Colonel Arao, Lieutenant Colonel Takeshita (brother-in-law to General Anami), Lieutenant Inaba, and Major Hatanaka. Japanese Coup d' Etat is hatched by War Minister General Anami's military staff. The 315th is spared from the flying this mission and so we double our celebration efforts believing that the war is over. The 315th Wing had begun to celebrate victory on 10 August, but an unexpected "last" show-of-force missions are ordered to strike Japan. Solid rumors of the Japanese surrender sweep the 20th Air Force. A bombing moratorium is ordered for the 315th Wing. Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation is sent, in International Morse Code, to a San Francisco radio station.ī. The 315th.Wing bombs Amagasaki at Midnight (we received a Distinguished Unit Citation for this mission).Īmagasaki Japan bombed by 315th Wing at MidnightĪ. 315th Bomb Wing is ordered to bomb the Amagasaki Oil Fields. The "Sack Rat" radio show emanating from Guam is interrupted to bring a special bulletin reporting the decimation of Hiroshima after it was struck with one "Super" bomb.Ĭ. The Boomerang Crew has been debriefed and is back in the barracks getting ready for sleep. At dawn, on our way back to Guam, we see three lone B-29 flying North bound (Later we determined that one of the lone B-29s was the Enola Gay and the other airplanes were either weather or supporting aircraft for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.) (We received a Distinguished Unit Citation for sinking our target).ī. We of the 315th Wing bomb Ube Liquefaction Plant located 72 miles south of Hiroshima. The Bottom Of The Aircraft Was Painted Black To Avoid Searchlights.Ī. T he 315th Bomb Wing Was The First Stealth Bomb Wing. (The idea of stripping the ships was to achieve more range with heavier bomb loads.) Note: All 315th Missions were flown at night by B-29B Aircraft that had been stripped of all armament except for two 50 caliber machine guns in the tail. I had been a former flying cadet caught in the pilot surplus classification closure, and subsequently was re-assigned as a B-29 radio operator. My 10 man crew was attached to the 315th Bomb Wing and flew a B-29B named The Boomerang.