 The last mission over Japan | | | Days after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki one other city was bombed on August 14, 1945, which contradicts the official story of Second World War that states the end of it was with the dropping of two atomic bombs in August 1945 over Japan. However, this story was to justify the horror of the world's only use of atomic weapons to force Japan's surrender and the terrible destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After 1985, the US Government declassified military documents where it can be seen that six days after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki one more city was bombed by the US Air Force. This was also confirmed by discovered manuscripts.
In fact, it was this last mission over Japan that had persuaded Japan's military leaders to surrender. The reason is related with the mission target: a refinery.
In the last months of the war, Japan's war machine was almost totally paralyzed by lack of fuel. So, the target of the mission was the last working refinery on Japan: the Nippon Oil Refinery at Tsuchizaki near Akita, more than 480 kilometres north of Tokyo on the West Coast of Japan. The mission goal was to stop all oil production in Japan, provoking its surrender and avoiding the American assault of the Japanese mainland.
The mission was done with 1300 men and 134 B29's from the Pacific island base on Guam (Mariana Islands) and the Air Forces 315th Bomb Wing who flew 15 missions between June 25, 1945 and August 14, 1945. The first mission was accomplished over Utsube Oil Refinery at Yokkaichi, provoking 30% damage.
The Japanese never thought the Tsuchizaki refinery would be attacked from the American bases on Guam due to the long distance between both islands. However, after eight long hours in the air (it was midnight), the planes arrived over the target, attacked and the mission was a success, provoking 95% damage on the refinery.
By 9:00 am, President Truman made the announcement that the Japanese government had accepted the surrender conditions and the war was over. Joe Nau, co-pilot of the B-29 For the Luvva Mike, wrote in a manuscript: Five minutes after landing at nine o'clock, we heard of President Truman's announcement of the end of World War II, and as tired as the fellows were, they danced and jumped around slapping each other on the back. |
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