The 6th Bomb Group

This was a night incendiary mission involving 36 planes from the 6th Bomb Group:

The next incendiary mission was flown on 6 July. Takeoff was in the late afternoon and the target: Shimizu. Thirty-six planes were scheduled, thirty-six were airborne and thirty-six bombed the primary target, dropping 6616 bombs. Fifty-two percent of the Shimuzu's total area was destroyed. No opposition encountered; no aircraft experienced trouble; all returned safely. Performance of the Sixth on this mission neared perfection.

[Pirate's Log, p. 49]

20th AF Mission 253

Date: 6/7 July 1945
Target: Shimizu Urban Area
Participating Units: 313th BW
Number of A/C Airborne: 136
% A/C Bombing Primary: 97.09% (133 A/C)
Type of Bombs and Fuzes: AN-M47A2, 100# incendiary bomb with instantaneous nose and AN-M17, 500# incendiary cluster with nose set to open 3,000 feet above target.
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 1,029.6 tons
Time Over Primary: 070133K - 070310K
Altitude of Attack: 7,100 - 8,300
Weather Over Target: 4/10 - 10/10
Total A/C Lost: 1
Resume of Mission: Crews that were able to observe through breaks in the clouds said the entire city was ablaze to the water- front. Severe thermals were encountered. Reconnaissance indicated 47% (.67 sq. mi.) of the Shimizu Urban area, 60% of the docks and 30% of the Honan Oil Plant were damaged or destroy- ed. Flak consisted of heavy, medium and AW fire, meager to moderate and generally inaccurate. Two B-29s were damaged by flak. Ground rockets were reported, some in groups of six. Twelve E/A sighted made 4 attacks. Twenty-five A/C bombed visually and 108 by radar. Three A/C were non-effective. Two B-29s landed at Iwo Jima. The A/C lost ran off the runway be- cause of brake failure. Average bomb load: 15,053 lbs. Average fuel reserve: 1,103 gallons.