Unless otherwise noted, the documents in these pages
are from the 73rd Bomb Wing
and 497th Bomb Group Mission Reports.
These were scanned at the National Archives, College
Park, Maryland
by Jim Bowman
during 2012 and 2013
The target for 73rd Bomb Wing Mission # 65 was Kure
and was flown 5 May 1945.
The 1st Lt Joe McSpadden crew was flying on A-56 ( 497th Bomb Group
), Serial Number 44-69899 .
The first two documents on this page are tracking charts showing
the routes assigned by XXI Bomber Command.
In red on the first chart
are coordinates for 135 and 136 East and 34 degrees north.
This is my edit.
A-56 was shot down and crashed 50-60 miles southeast
of Osaka at coordinates 34 00 N - 135 45 East.
In some of the maps and reports in this section
you will find references to A-56 being lost over the island of Shikoku.
In the second chart you will see a green line looping North of one
of the Assembly Points at Shingu ( red circle ).
The other tracks turn sharp left and head towards the Departure Point
at south eastern Shikoku.
This green line is the 497th Bomb Group.
The B-29s flew individually to this spot and then assembled into assigned
formations.
This mission required that the 12 squadrons of the 73rd Bomb Wing
fly in a formation of columns.
The 497th Bomb Group lead B-29 was A - 51 flown by Capt Geyer with
Col Arnold Johnson, 497th Bomb Group Commander, in the right seat.
In some reports you will see comments that
three formations failed to follow the briefed route.
These three were from the 497th Bomb Group.
The first sketch shows the track of the first formation of
the 497th Bomb Group ( 871st Bomb Squadron )
flying across north east Shikoku
towards Kure in the upper left corner.
The second sketch shows the location where A-56 was shot down.
This was about 50 miles south and east of Osaka.
The final document is a report from the 73rd Bomb Wing titled
Enemy Fighter Reaction
In addition to noting the above failure to follow the briefed route
are
descriptions of the attacks on two B29s.
With help from another B-29, one was able to escape and made its way
to Iwo Jima.
At the bottom is a Google map with the incorrect coordinates
where A-56 crashed.
