B-29s of the 29BG at North Field on Guam. The City of Muncie‘s call number was 6.
Boeing B-29-30-MO 42-65350 City of Muncie/Crow’s Nest
31 March 1945
Tachiarai Machine Works and airfields of Omura, Japan
6th Bomb Squadron, 29th Bomb Group, 314th Bomb Wing, XXI Bomber Command, Twentieth Air Force
Pilot: 1LT Frank A. Crowcroft, USAAF
Co-Pilot: 2LT Andrew F. Lueck, USAAF
Bombardier: 2LT Charles A. Henderson, USAAF
Navigator: 2LT Robert L. Smith, USAAF
Radar Operator: 2LT Elbert O. Acuff, USAAF
Engineer: TSGT Melvin L. Greene, USAAF
Radio Operator: TSGT Donald E. Combs, USAAF
Central Fire Controller: SSGT Douglas G. Blom, USAAF
Left Waist Gunner: SSGT Leroy Siegel, USAAF
Right Waist Gunner: SSGT William B. Price, USAAF
Tail Gunner: SSGT Boris B. Wolf, USAAF
Reporter: SSGT Hal Brown, USAAF
Transcript
For the next 10 minutes and 35 seconds don’t leave your radio. Listen as carefully as you can because you’re going to take part in an experience you’ve never had before and probably will never have again.
You are going to fly a B-29 mission over the mainland of Japan. Now, when you listen to this Army wire recording of what’s happening remember that this is the real thing. There was no rehearsal, no carefully planned script, no prearranged dialogue and sound effects, but a true report of exactly what took place. When the combat reporter speaks of flak you’ll know that at that very moment it was cutting the sky around him – real and hard and deadly. When he speaks of enemy fighters closing in, you’ll know he could look over his shoulder and see them circling for the kill.
The plane is the City of Muncie and the pilot LT Frank Crowcroft. The next voice you hear will be AAF combat reporter SSGT Hal Brown as the B-29 flies over the mainland of Japan, approaching its target.
While we are moving in on the target of Japan, I should like to say that this is a daylight mission, and the weather is crystal clear. Our bombardier, LT Charlie Henderson is all smiles with expectations. We are now two minutes to the bomb run. No fighters, no flak as yet. Weather remains crystal clear, a beautiful, sunny day.
We have observed some surface craft and some inland waterways here.
Through the right window I can observe a portion of the Japanese coastline. It’s a peaceful, pastoral scene.
One minute to our bomb run. No flak, no fighters as yet. Things are too peaceful and we are uneasy. Tension among the crew is high but everyone is calm.
We’re moving closer to our bomb run now. One unidentified plane at 2 o’clock low has just been reported by our tail gunner, SSGT Wolf. Our bombardier is getting ready now, everything has been cleared. Moving on the bomb run. He’s huddling over that intricate instrument in front of him. Now I can look out my compartment window and see that unidentified plane. We are by the way on the bomb run at the present time. The unidentified plane is some distance off, lower than our line of flight, however keeping up on a parallel speed with us. Probably using his plane as radio to radio our position, altitude, speed. We are now on the bomb run. As yet our bombbay doors have not opened.
Our giant bombbay doors have just yawned open. This is it, we’re starting in. Our aircraft commander, LT Frank Crowcroft, is holding her on course while our bombardier gets ready. Everyone is tense. Straight course into target. The unidentified plane, a fighter, is still tagging along parallel with us. Up ahead I can see puffs of ack-ack coming up. Black puffs of smoke straight ahead. We’re moving into it.
A fighter has been reported at 1 o’clock. We’re holding our course, on our bomb run. Another fighter has been reported at 2 o’clock high. Now he’s at 3 high. Our bombardier is crouching over his delicate instrument now. Everyone is holding course. To my right I can see puffs of ack-ack still coming up. Also straight ahead. We are running into a curtain of anti-aircraft fire at the present time and our ship is jocking now as we move into it. It’s getting a little rough. A fighter is coming in at 4. Bombs away.
Bombbay doors are closing. [*Gun Fire*] answering the fighters. There’s a fighter at 11 o’clock. If you hear this plane jar in our microphone it’s our gunners going after the fighters coming in. We are trying now to dodge the anti-aircraft [*Gun Fire*] Another burst from our guns. Another fighter 4 o’clock high. Our tail gunner is after him – I can feel the jar in the plane. Anti-aircraft fire is all around us now. A fighter is high at 3. Our bombardier has put his instrument away and is now manning guns and – a fighter is coming in at 4 o’clock high. I am reporting this as I hear it on the intercom.
[*Gun Fire*]
There’s another burst from our guns.
Fighter. A fighter coming in at 7 o’clock. A fighter. Not at 7 o’clock. 11. Our bombardier is getting his sight on him. We’re still riding it out. We’re over our target, we dropped our bombs, and we’re moving. Anti-aircraft fire is still around us. [*Gun Fire*] There’s, there’s another burst. A fighter at 11 o’clock, at 11 o’clock high, and our bombardier has moved around now.
[*Yelling*] [*Gun Fire*] We got him. There goes one, we got him. On that last burst we got a fighter. There’s a fighter at 9 –
Here comes a fighter at 1 o’clock. Fighter coming in at 4 o’clock low. We expected it on this one – we’re getting it. One at 4. One at 3. Tojo fighters reporting in. They’re holding off now, they’re not coming in. There’s one at 6 o’clock, right below us. [*Yelling*] He went right in front of us down here when he was out of range. Our aircraft gunners – [*Gun Fire*] There’s another burst at one that cut across in front of us. [*Yelling*] A fighter at 3 o’clock level.
There’s a fighter smoking off to our right. We don’t know whether we got him or not, or who got him but he’s smoking. That [*Gun Fire*] I spoke about a little while [*Gun Fire*] is tagging along, parallel [*Gun Fire*] That was our bombardier. That was our bombardier in front on a burst. Fighter just made a pass at us, directly ahead but turned away before he got in range. There’s some up here at 9 o’clock reported by our gunners. A squadron of fighters. Here comes one turning in. No, he decided to turn away. We’re still over Japanese territory.
There goes a fighter to our right, spiraling down smoking.
About 28 fighters have been reported by our waist gunner at 9 o’clock. They haven’t as yet come in. Our left waist gunner, SGT Siegel, says that flight, those three flights of fighters, are still hanging on. Three flights of fighters are still hanging on our wingtip to the left. We’re still waiting. They haven’t as yet come in although they look like they’re coming. That flight of about 30 Jap bombers are, Jap fighters rather, are still hanging on. About 30. We’re just passing over the Japanese coastline again and out to the open sea. And that water looks awfully good. We want to put miles and miles between us and the Japanese islands right now.
Those fighters off to our left I talked to you about a moment ago are not coming in. We’re passing away. We can see these waves lapping up on the shores down below us and we are heading out to the open sea. Those planes we saw a moment ago that we thought was a fighter element [*Coughing*] turned out to be some of our own 29s, and how welcome, and how welcome they look. We are now putting miles between us and the Japanese coastline. Our 29 is functioning beautifully, smoothly as we streak away toward the Marianas. [*Talking*] And that’s our mission, completed. This is your AAF combat reporter returning you now to the United States.
[*Music*]
You have just listened to one of our B-29s actually bombing Japan. It may now be told that the gunners on that plane, the City of Muncie, personally accounted for three of the Jap planes you heard shot down. That mission covered a distance of 3,400 miles and took 17 hours to fly. Their bombs fell squarely on industrial Japanese targets and then the Superfortress and all its crew returned safely to their base in the Marianas.
Listening to this historic broadcast with you in the Blue Network studios in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are some of the wives and mothers of the City of Muncie’s crew. Here in the Los Angeles studio is Mrs. E. F. Da Vessie, mother of LT Robert Smith, the navigator who put the City Of Muncie on its course and held it there.
What did you think that mission you just heard, Mrs. Da Vessie?
Well really, I was so thrilled I don’t know what to say.
Well, just tell us something about your son. Is he married?
No, Bob is still single. I suppose he hasn’t thought much about marriage because he’s so young.
Young? How old is he?
He was 20 on the 21st of March.
Well, that must make him just about the youngest member of the crew.
Yes, he’s probably the baby. He won’t admit it, but I think he is.
Tell us, when did you last see Bob?
He was home on leave last Christmas just a little more than three months ago, but it seems a great deal longer.
Yes, I’ll bet it does. Have you ever met the other crew members or their families, Mrs. Da Vessie?
Yes, just one. But I wish I could meet all of them. They’re a part of Bob’s family now.
Well, in a way you’re about to meet two of them. Mrs. Sarah Siegel, the wife of the tail gunner, Leroy Siegel, is in our New York studio, and Mrs. Frank Crowcroft is in the San Francisco studio. They’ve been listening to you and now we’ll bring them in. First, Mrs. Siegel in New York.
This is New York and Mrs. Siegel is sitting here beside me. What phase of the mission excited you most?
Those Jap planes being shot down. I know Pig must have got at least one of them. And it sounded as though Doug Blom got one of them, too.
Have you met many of the other boys?
Yes, all of them and most of their wives when we were back in Kansas. I’m glad we’re going to hear from Mrs. Crowcroft, I want to congratulate them.
On the way her husband handled the plane?
No, on the baby she had last month.
Say, that is wonderful news.
And that’s not all. Charlie Henderson’s wife – he’s the bombardier – is expecting one in May and Lt Mel Green’s wife is expecting one any day.
Congratulations seem to be in order all around. We’re going to switch to Mrs. Crowcroft in San Francisco now. Is there anything you’d like to say to her?
Could I?
Sure, go right ahead.
Hello Mike, how’s the baby?
Alright, San Francisco!
The baby’s fine, Sarah. She looks more like Frank every day.
And now a few questions for Ms., Mrs. Crowcroft. Did you find the mission exciting?
I certainly did. It was just like being with Frank every minute of the way.
He did a great job of taking the City of Muncie and brining it back.
He always does a great job. He’s so good that some day I might trust him to take Susan out in her carriage.
Susan is the baby?
Yes, but at the rate she’s growing she won’t be a baby long. She weighs 10 pounds, 4 ounces.
How much did she weigh when she was born?
8 pounds and 7 ounces.
Yes, she certainly is growing up.
Well, thank you Mrs. Crowcroft and our thanks as well to the other ladies who spoke to us.
Now its hats off to that gallant B-29 and her crew. The AAF Orchestra & Singing Voices say, “well done.”
[*Music*]
Once again, AAF reporters have put you in direct contact with your Army Air Forces around the globe. These combat teams are operating in every battlefield in the world. And in the air fronts beyond the battlefields to bring you firsthand news of our war in the air.
The fighting AAF is an official military operation of the United States Army Air Forces and will be brought to you each week at this time in short wave to our troops overseas until our objective, victory, has been attained.
This program has come to you in cooperation with the Blue Network of the American Broadcasting Company.