The 6th Bomb Group

This was a night incendiary mission involving 33 planes from the 6th Bomb Group:

Two mornings later, in conjunction with the Wing's other bomb groups, Nagoya was visited again for a pre-dawn strike. Thirty-three Sixth Superforts were effective over the urban area with both visual and radar bombing. No personnel casualties were suffered and only one plane was damaged. Fires were rekindled in another section of Japan's third industrial city. Reconnaissance photographs indicated Nagoya could be crossed off the list of incendiary targets although a few industrial targets within that area might need precision attacks with GP bombs to complete their destruction.

[Pirate's Log, p. 43]

20th AF Mission 176

Date:  16 May 1945
Code Name:  Microscope #5
Target:  South Nagoya Urban Area  (197)
Participating Units:  58th, 73rd, 313th, and 314th Wings
Number A/C Airborne:  516
% A/C Bombing Primary:  79%  (457 primary and 11 opportunity)
Time Over Primary:  170305K  - 170558K
Altitude of Attack:  6,600  - 18,340
Weather Over Target:  3/10  - 9/10
Total A/C Lost:  3
Resume of Mission:  Crews reported fair results.  Limited photo coverage showed fires in north section of city.  Clouds and smoke caused A/C to bomb by radar.  3609.2 tons of bombs were dropped on primary Target.  Forty-eight A/C were non-effective.  Twenty EA sighted made 11 attacks.  Claims:  2-0-0.  E/AA damaged 14 B-29’s.  Sixteen A/C landed at Iwo Jima.  Average Bomb Load:  14,966 lbs.  Average Fuel Reserve:  802 gallons.