Crew 14

The entire crew of the B-29 received a Certificate of Commendation from Colonel Carl R. Storrie for their successful bombing mission against Oita Airfield on May 4, 1945. Colonel Storrie praised their contribution, stating, "The members of this B-29 crew merit the Certificate of Commendation for their contribution to the successful bombing attack on Oita Airfield. They are highly commended for their skill, devotion to duty, and courage, which greatly contributed to the accurate bombing of their target and the overall success of the mission. Their performance reflects great credit on themselves and their organization and is a source of pride to this headquarters." An excerpt from Lt. Jennemann's diary recounts the crew's seventh mission to Oita: "We were alerted at noon on Thursday, May 3. Pre-mission chow was served at 2100, with briefing at 2200, and takeoff at 0100. Major Carpenter rode in the co-pilot's seat as Command Pilot. We flew at 7,100 feet for most of the trip, with a course detour to Iwo Jima before reaching our assembly point near Shikoku, Japan. As the lead plane, we assembled our squadron at 17,500 feet and proceeded to the target, Oita Naval Air Base on Kyushu's northeastern coast. We dropped twenty general-purpose bombs at 10:06 AM Guam time, making a good hit on the target. During and after the bombing run, we encountered several fighter attacks and flak bursts. The formation, consisting of eleven planes from our squadron and the 61st and 62nd Squadrons, returned to Guam with 580 gallons of fuel, logging 15 hours and 45 minutes of Form One Time. After debriefing, we enjoyed a good supper."

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