Marvin Demanzuk, Radar, P-2 recalls: We had been practicing for about 20 days since our arrival on Guam when a maximum effort practice mission was announced for April 10, 1945. Every aircraft would be involved. The target was the Maug Islands at the northernmost part of the Marianas about 250 miles north of Saipan.
It was the full dress rehearsal for our entry into combat, involving rendezvous, reforming, the bomb run and return. On completing the mission we were alerted for the 39th's first mission against Koriyama. We were briefed at 11PM on the 11th and the first plane roared down the runway at 3:09AM on the 12th. Our war was officially on.
On the Maug strike we suffered our first overseas loss, that of 1st Lt. Joe Connolly of crew P4. His was the only loss. The remaining members of Tim Gray's crew parachuted to safety and were picked up by a friendly convoy.
On November 28, 1944, this crew became the 60th Squadron's first accident.
Things went fairly normal until their 6th mission - Yokohama. Flak was intense and it was then that this crew's problems began to happen. A large hole was blown open just ahead of the tail position causing them to lose control and fall out of their formation.
This crew flew approximately 8 missions as "Crew 1".
Crew personnel change took place after combat missions ended. AC Major Ewell K. Nold returned to the States and 1st Lt. Gordon B. Perkins followed on emergency leave. 2nd Lt Richard D. Harrison replaced Nold as AC and Christ-Janner replaced Perkins as Bombardier. This crew flew POW missions with Harrison as AC of Crew 1.
B-29 # 42-65367 "City of Miami" "Battlin Bitch II" - With two motors gone, too damaged to reach base, we headed for Iwo Jima.
Just before reaching the initial point (IP) on the Gifu mission, B-29 #44-69799 "Wedding Belle" was targeted by a blue searchlight. After two passes, the light locked onto their plane, and others followed. The intense light made visibility impossible, as if someone was shining a flashlight directly into their eyes, leaving the gunners unable to see anything.
B-29 # 42-65368; On 10 April, the 60th Squadron had its first serious overseas accident; they went on to at least 12 missions and was stateside at Lead Crew School at the end of the war.
B-29 # 44-69914, known as "City of Eagle Rock" or "Lord's Prayer," faced one of Crew 5's toughest missions on May 25, when they targeted Tokyo. During this fifth mission, the crew encountered severe challenges including heavy flak, numerous enemy fighters, malfunctioning engines, and bomb bay doors that wouldn’t close. The situation was further exacerbated by violent turbulence from intense fires below.
The original Crew 6 was ready 19 May 1945 to make a daylight formation attack on Tachikawa. The 39th Group was alerted but it was an unfortunate one for this crew.
The 1st Replacement Crew 6 (Brinck Crew) flew 3 missions.
The 2nd Replacement Crew, known as the Tapp Crew, was officially assigned to the 60th Squadron on July 1, 1945, and their names are listed on GO-25, which awarded them the Battle Participation Medal on August 16, 1945. This recognition highlights their crucial role and successful execution of combat missions over Japan during World War II.
Members were assigned to the crew in mid 1944 while at Smoky Hill Army Air Field in Salina, Kansas. They trained there and at Batista Field in Havana, Cuba until March of 1945.
For the Otake mission, 10 May 1945, the 39th Bomb Group was chosen to lead the entire 314th Bomb Wing with P-8 acting as lead aircraft. Bombing results were spectacular.
Original crew 9: B-29 # 44-69907 was lost on their 2nd mission.
Replacement crew 9: B-29 # 44-61524 "City Of Youngstown" aka "The Confederate Soldier" flew 22 missions.
On 26 June, Crew 10 of the 60th Squadron established a record for the longest combat mission flown. Commanded by Lt Thomas A. Bell, the reconnaissance flight had taken them to the northernmost Japanese Island of Hokkaido
The Original Crew 11 went down reportedly off the coast of Guam during their initial arrival to the island.
Replacement Crew 11: flew 27 combat missions and 3 POW Supply Missions.
"The Bald Eagle"; Flew 20 missions 17 combat and 3 search missions.
Original Crew: "City Of Galveston" B-29 # 44-69785; On 26 June 1945, Miranda was leading his element on a daylight strategic attack on an arsenal complex at Nagoya. This was the Group's 32nd mission. Accompanying Capt. Miranda that day as Colonel George W. Mundy, 39th Bomb Group CO, flying as command pilot. Formation was made at the assembly point just off the coast of Japan. P-13 fired the signal flare and Miranda turned the "City of Galveston" into Nagoya Bay toward the I.P. A group of five enemy "Tonys" suddenly appeared and with guns blazing attacked our element.
Replacement Crew 13: "USS Pintado"
B-29 # 44-69769 "City of Scotland Neck" aka "Southern Drawl" - Ours was lead plane in the group and we assembled our squadron at 17,500 feet. From there our group flew to the target, the Oita Naval Air Base on the northeastern coast of the island of Kyushu. The bombing run was made at 17,000 feet. The bomb load was twenty general-purpose bombs. Time of "bombs away" was 1006 Friday morning Guam time. WE MADE A GOOD HIT ON TARGET.
B-29 # 44-69763; It took a crew of eleven men to man the B-29, the plane built especially to fly the long bombing missions from Guam to the Japanese targets some 1500 miles away then back to Guam.
Original Crew 16: "City Of Cooperstown" - On May 4 over Oita, we had some damage to the right wing, close to the fuselage; it was probably from a phosphorous shell. Fire started coming through the radio operator's compartment.
Replacement Crew 16 crew photo and roster
B-29 #44-69910 "City Of Spokane" "Betty Marian "; Kushira mission on 27 April added more spice to their lives. Flak was meager but they were met with 25 fighter planes that use every possible method to knock them down. They were met with air-to-air phosphorous bombs as well as cannon and guns. Another engine lost from a 20 mm shell hitting the wing flap of Number 4. They four confirmed kills and several damaged on this one.
B-29 # 44-69986 "Many Happy Returns"; Crew 18 was formed and trained at the Rattlesnake Bomber Base in beautiful Pyote, Texas. We were with the 6th Bomb Group (VH) out of Grand Island, Nebraska and were scheduled for Tinian Island. We were reassigned to the 39th Bomb Group (VH) as a replacement crew.
"Old Eighty One"; During the bomb run on this mission, 12 searchlights were focused on P-19. They were nearly as frightened as the extremely heavy flak. After bombs away, Capt. Wren put the plane into a diving turn left, with flak exploding behind them
We entered a column of intense heat and smoke. We shot upward from 18,000 feet to 21,000 feet in a seemingly split second. The momentum picked Rio up and threw him to the floor, knocking him unconscious!
The men of this crew were part of the 8th Air Force attached to the 39th BG as a replacement crew in order to absorb experience which they could later pass on to their fellow crews.
