B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

Greeting all,
Seeking any record of B-29 bombing missions on the most northern island of the Empire.
There was this photo recon mission flown from Guam on 26 June 45 which is of interest.
https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0410mission/
I thought that I'd read that this was followed up by B-29 strike force missions to Sapporo and a couple other large cities but I can find nothing in my XXI BC Tactical Missions Report file documenting any missions to Hokkaido.
Hoping someone here might have more complete records for XXI BC and Hokkaido. I appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

These claim there were raids on Hokkaido on July 14 and 15.

https://www.city.sapporo.jp.e.ain.hp..._21/index.html

https://pacificwrecks.com/date/1945/07/14.html

https://pacificwrecks.com/date/1945/07/15.html

https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/japan_sapporo.html

On this last link

"Wartime History
On July 14, 1945 and July 15, 1945 thirty B-29 Superfortress bombers dropped 889 tons of E-46 500 lbs incendiary cluster bombs and 500 lbs T4E4 fragmentation cluster bombs into Sapporo at midday during two separate air raids. In the resulting firestorm 190 civilians were killed, 6,788 were injured, 78,000 others remained homeless, and many structures burned. A total of 17.5 percent of Sapporo was destroyed during the Pacific War."

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

Thank you, Rolland.
I'll see if I can find anything further on these 14/15 1945 B-29 missions to Sapporo.

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

Well, still having difficulty determining which Wing and Bomb Group was responsible for these 14/15 45 missions to Sapporo.
Here is the 20th AF web site and their mission chronology.
https://www.20thaf.org/
Unless I'm missing something there is no record here of these Sapporo missions, odd, given the great ordnance detail offered by Pacific Wrecks used during these missions. Even if flown from Saipan this would have been one of the longest distance missions of the Pacific War, so it's surprising some Bomb Group is not eager to take credit for these missions. The hunt continues.

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

On July 14, 1945 and July 15, 1945 thirty B-29 Superfortress bombers dropped 889 tons of E-46 500 lbs incendiary cluster bombs and 500 lbs T4E4 fragmentation cluster bombs into Sapporo at midday during two separate air raids. In the resulting firestorm 190 civilians were killed, 6,788 were injured, 78,000 others remained homeless, and many structures burned. A total of 17.5 percent of Sapporo was destroyed during the Pacific War.


Something does not add up. 30 B-29s drop 889 tons of bombs = 30 tons each if it is a single raid by 30 aircraft or 15 tons each if two separate raids by 30 aircraft. 15 tons each on the longest raid of the war?

30 aircraft do not create a firestorm anywhere and are unlikely to render 78000 people homeless, even in a Japanese city of that period

See https://www.city.sapporo.jp.e.ain.hp..._21/index.html


Martin

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

There were a series of raids by the Pacific Fleet on July 14 and July 15 on Hokkaido, both shore bombardment and carrier plane strikes.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105225558/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105225722/

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

The USN 1945 Chronology confirms this activity noted by Rolland. Search Hokkaido here
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/...hron-1945.html

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

On the subject of attacks on Northern Japan at this time there is a pertinent comment in Richard Frank's book "Downfall" concerning Halsey's attacks on the Honshu-Hokkaido railroad ferries, on July 14 and 15:

"This blow by carrier planes ranks as the most devastating single strategic bombing success of all the campaigns against Japan".

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/...hron-1945.html
[22] The sinking of the seven train ferries on the 14th and one the following day, together with the damage inflicted upon three additional vessels of this type, is deemed a severe blow to transportation facilities between Hokkaido and the main island of Honshu, virtually cutting off important agricultural and mineral supplies of the northern island.

Re: B-29 bombing missions to Hokkaido Island
 

https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/japan_sapporo.html
It appears the only source for these two B-29 missions to Sapporo on 14 & 15 July 1945 is Pacific Wrecks, normally a reliable source. However they ‘Pacific Wrecks’ do not site their source(s) so this content is little better than uncorroborated hearsay. If anyone here has contact with Pacific Wrecks perhaps a source citing could be requested for this content, or failure of that a retraction this Sapporo content altogether on their web site.