The first B-29 raid on Tokyo, 67 years ago today...

[B29Gunner]

I posted this newsreel on my book's Facebook page, and thought I would share it here too! Some excellent footage, but I've never heard a -3350 sound quite like that before, ha! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiSPRULHheU


Maj Bob Morgan and Gen "Rosie" O'Donnell prepare to lead the first B-29 raid on Tokyo in "Dauntless Dotty," 67 years ago today..

[The Inspector]

Flyover sounds provided by the MOVIETONE Air Force The footage probably had no sound with it so the Director had some airyplain sounds added in the lab and the average movie patron wouldn't know a 3350 from a 35 Hudson. It's no better today, I see stuff on TV and as the airplane taxis by the sound track is a 2 cylinder John Deere tractor pockata pockata pocakta

[PbyCat-Guy]

I wonder if my granduncle and his crew participated on that historic first mission, they were in the same bomb group at the same time as Col. Morgan.

[APG85]

A few years back, there was talk of trying to find "Dotty". Don't think anything ever came of it though...

[B29Gunner]

I wonder if my granduncle and his crew participated on that historic first mission, they were in the same bomb group at the same time as Col. Morgan.

Do you have any of your Uncle's paperwork from the war? The easiest way to determine which missions he flew is to find his "individual combat record." These appeared in a couple of different forms (and names) between the Bomb Groups, but all will list the missions, dates, flying time etc. Below is an example of one from a Radar Observer from the 499th BG; you can see he flew the first Tokyo mission on 24 Nov and logged 13 hours and 5 minutes. (Note the 3 aborts listed, including the 12 April mission where #3 blew a jug!)



The other thing you can look for are his "individual flight records," which were a month to month tabulation of his flying time. Below is an example of one that belonged to the Flight Engineer on the crew of the Tail Gunner I'm writing my book about (I found a bunch of his paperwork on eBay, believe it or not!!)

[PbyCat-Guy]

I dont have any of his information as far as missions. His B-29 was shot down on 1-27-45, but Im not sure what missions he went on. His was "Were Wolf" A square 28.

[B29Gunner]

I dont have any of his information as far as missions. His B-29 was shot down on 1-27-45, but Im not sure what missions he went on. His was "Were Wolf" A square 28.

Robert Mann shows 42-63423 arriving at Saipan on 16 Oct, so I would say it's almost assured your Uncle was on the first Tokyo raid? Have you tried contacting the 73rd BW Association?

[B29Gunner]

His was "Were Wolf" A square 28.

Well as luck would have it, I was looking through an old Brief magazine last night (Brief was like the Yank magazine of the PTO) and your Uncle's B-29 was specifically mentioned in an article about the first Tokyo raid! Here's the excerpt below:

[B29Gunner]

A few years back, there was talk of trying to find "Dotty". Don't think anything ever came of it though...

From talking with Linda Morgan, the project basically died on the vine due to lack of funding.