Let us never forget...

What you are about to hear is an actual recording of a harrowing B-29 mission over the Empire of Japan. It was recorded and broadcast during WWII as part of a weekly radio program called "The Fighting AAF" for the civilians on the home front, which featured the stories and exploits of the Army Air Forces fighting around the world. The B-29 on which this recording was made was called the "City of Muncie," 42-65350 of the 29th Bomb Group, 6th Squadron - 314th Bomb Wing based on the Western Pacific island of Guam in the Marianas chain. Their target for this raid on March 31st, 1945 was the Omura Naval Air Station and installations in Omura, Japan.

On the recording you will hear the crew of the "City of Muncie" as they begin their bomb run, surrounded by bursts of flak and successfully dropping their bombs upon the Omura installations. After "bombs away," they are attacked by swarming fighters and a running battle ensues as they escape Japanese air space. You can clearly hear the Bombardier, Lt Charles Henderson firing his gun turrets at the attacking fighters, downing at least one of the three fighters credited to the crew on this mission. It was to be a mission lasting 17 grueling hours of flight time, spanning a distance of over 3,400 miles. Lt Henderson was expecting the birth of his first child in May, just a month away.

But Lt Henderson would never get to see his child.

Exactly seven days after the above recording was made, on April 7th, 1945 - their B-29 was rammed by a Japanese Ki-45 Fighter near Nagoya. The crew would not be able to recover from this devastating attack, which sheared off the left wing of the aircraft. The "City of Muncie," went down. Only three of it's crew were able to escape with their lives. Lt Henderson was not one of them. Nor was the pilot, Lt Frank Crowcroft. He would never get to see his new baby girl, who his wife so proudly spoke of near the end of the broadcast. The Navigator, Lt Robert Smith - who's mother was also heard on the broadcast, was able to bail out of the B-29 as it plummeted aflame and out of control to earth. But his parachute malfunctioned, and did not fully deploy. He perished, along with eight other men of his eleven man crew. It was just 17 days after Lt Smith's 20th birthday.

We as a Nation must never allow ourselves to forget the sacrifices of these brave men; or of the 2,406 B-29er's who are still listed as Missing In Action to this very day - they remain forever lost, somewhere in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean from whence they died in defense of the Country and freedoms they loved so much.

Let us never forget...

An unknown B-29 going down over Japan