Department film details the entire process of a similar tokyo Bombing Mission in the summer of 1945 showing planning, execution, and return after 3,000 miles of flight. Sxwlifrnlgts early in 1945, a b29s began full scale operations against japan. 1,500 miles to the targets and 1,500 miles back from bases in saipan, tinia and guam. Here the massive air power and planned the ultimate crushing defeat of japan down to last bochlt bomb. Here was the beginning of the end to the road to tokyo. After six months of reoccupation, there were few signs of war along the quiet summer shores of guam. The liberated people were back to their native villages, american citizens again, smiling and friendly and unaware that a miracle had happened around them. A miracle that moved mountains of material. Equipment and supplies across the pacific. That changed their dirt roads into broad highways, that manicured the jungles into acres of blacktopped airfields and near by new communities of american citizens had set up housekeeping with various types of selfservice. The latest labor saving devices, fuel laundry problems, and no modern inconveniences. By midsummer the 21st Bomber Command was in business, big business. Under general lemays power, they began punching power from saipan, the missions were to increase the bombing weight 10 in under two months. The part of the bomb was the planning. The lemay plan began on the ground with maintenance. Assembly line technique cut the engine change time from three days to less than half a day. In shops and stands, they worked day and night in blitzkriegs to keep more b29s on the line. It was a well commissioned and well oiled machine of destruction. This is a look at the cargo of the machine. 11 men and a bomber. While they wind up for action, lets find out where they are going, and some of the things that they are going to do and why and with what. How do they set up the longest, and toughest Bomber Mission in history. It began about 12 hours ago in war room at guam. With general lemay and the staff receiving a report on tomorrows weather in japan, and tomorrows forecast is typical. Nagoya with a cloud above, and tokyo is 0. 6 at 22,000, and 0. 3 at 42,000. And osaka and everything west is reported completely socked in. How will the general solve that one . His b29s are up against a blank wall except for a possible opening around tokyo. The old man considers every vital factor and makes a decision. Four wings will strike tokyo at 10 00 and go in under the weather and bomb at 12,000. Now it is a question of target selection. First priority in the tokyo area is number 573. Intelligence informs the general that 573 is already 3 4 destroyed. At the moment, number 574 untouched would seem more important. Operations checks the tactical plan for 574. General lemay is the required changes and okays the target and commits all of the executive details to the staff. Operations with the deputy chief of staff and project officer goes to work setting up the changes. In that plans fold serer is a mountain of intelligence. A thousand hours of research and colated facts and if ig figure integrated into 574. There will be smoke markers in one minute intervals to drop from that point. Each squad will carry m47 clusters. And also 1,000 gp bombs fused with a 3 4 tail and altitude of attack is 12,000 feet. Planes of the 314th wing will carry the capacity of approximately 7,300 gallons per plane and the calibrated speed of 210 Miles Per Hour will be flown by all aircraft on bombing run. The radar landfall is 134 north and 140 east will afford all planes to have a good water land contrast point. The navy is requested to furnish the following facilities for land and sea rescues. Proceed to position x and four submarines are assigned positions is at position y, and two dumbos at station z, and four b29s will orbit as super dumbos at the following locations. Each part of the plan is doublechecked. To supervise the aspects of planning is lieutenant catton who was brought over. This officers extensive combat experience now helps to iron out the operational kinks, and he is going to accompany this mission to observe the smoke signals. A field order is dispatched to the wings. The takeoff time is flashed to the controller who coordinates the vast network of communications gathered here at the heart and nerve center of command. Here in the control room status panels and emission board are maintained to show a glance of the up to the minute details the of all daily operations. Prior to takeoff, each mission is set up on the board tof aed for a visual progress of the flight from takeoff to target and return. Colored yarns, one for each wing are laid out the indicate the flight lines. And the paths are close the iwo jima, the halfway point. And proceed as specified to the proper target. And others are used to mark land sea rescues a. Timetable for each statistic is planned and flown on the highly reported status panel beginning with the takeoff time. To veteran crews, it is just another days work. One more 1,500 mile haul up and down the pacific. 15 hours, 7,000 gallons, four engines, 11 guys. Knock wood. A water jump close to 20 degrees of the globe, a continent of ocean, destination, tokyo. It is like taking off in mexico for targets in canada. The 314th is airborne, and 145 planes, one minutep a part, 67 tons each. A part, 67 tons each. A part, 67 tons each. Part, 67 tons each. Those b29 takeoffs are a tough sweat. The first long moment is the worst. Some swear it takes luck like a wifes stocking to beat it. At 100 miles north, two more b29 wings prepare for takeoff. 134 aircraft from the 58th wing. 100 more from the 313th wing. At saipan a few minutes later the veteran 73rd wing lines up for takeoff. 153 more bombers are added to the mission striking force. The last b29 is airborne at 1540. The tower at saipan relays the information to the controller back at guam. First and last takeoff times of each wing are recorded here. And they go to make up the first of a series of tabulated mission reports. Copies of these reports are dispatched to Headquarters Washington and posted on the control room report board. During that first hour, the b29s have settled down for the big grind and saving precious gas and cruising 1,000 feet off of the water. Ability, experience, confidence ride in each plane. A plan of action for 11 men trained and tested to function as one. The navigator sets the course, and logging island and checkpoints as they climb past the northern marianos, and pagan, assumption, morgue, the pajores, and after four hours of flight, the bombers pass closer to iwo jima, the hot rock, a black gritty pork chop halfway to honshu, and eight square miles bought and paid for by our marines. We made some quick changes. Cutting away that sulfurous blacktop. Three big airstrips now launch our p51s for bomber escorts over japan. General moore and the staff the 7th fighter command run the show and direct all land air sea collaborations. And a lastminute briefing check just to make sure that todays fighter escort knows all of the air sea rescue position. Out on the line, general moores b51s are warming up for the longest flight on record. Seven hours on one engine and extra belly tanks and extra nerve and stamina in the cockpit. About the time that our bomber wings are passing iwo jima, the pea shooters are taking off, and scheduled to join them 3 1 2 hours later off of the shores of japan. After a rendezvous, the b51s head for Assembly Point led by b29s designated as navigator ships and farther west, the bomber wings grind ahead to the last lap on the empire, and the reports to the controller give the flight position which is kept up to the hour on the mission board. Still at low altitude the b29s are approaching the bad weather belt where unreported storms and cold fronts appear suddenly on the bomber course. Pilot the crew. We are going to start our climb. Check oxygen equipment. Tell buck he needs to get back to doghouse. As they start the slow climb to altitude they prepare for the task ahead. Until they get off target and come home, it is all business. The central fire control system has warmed up. Super human brain power at the flick of a switch. Each gunnar flexes his sights and tries a few controls with a few short bursts to clear the guns. After pushing up to altitude the bomber arrives at Assembly Point. Air in the pressurized cabin is comparable to 8,000 feet, but the oxygen masks are adjusted and ready for instant use. From the southeast, the fighter escort appears with the navigator ships which now turn off to wait for the fighters return at rally point. The mustangs climb into formation to take position above the b29s. Lead bomber begin to circle. Dropping the new smoke markers for assembly. The project officer observes this part of the tactical plan in action. From various zone positions, the groups separate. And form on the lead ships of 9 to 11 plane waves which head for initial point, and the big parade is on. Landfall is picked up. Along with the first flack burst from the coastal batteries. Fujiyama, the familiar white beacon marks the return for the official point. It is more heavier and more accurate. And now the first jap snoopers appear, diving headon into be the formations. Some are suicide fighters trying to ram our bombers, and other jap fighters drop phosphorous bombs set to explode in front of the on coming b29s. Our b51s go after them, and know they are tangling with the experts. The b51s job is to protect the b29s, but some of the jap fighters make it through and meet the blast of the bomber guns. The tail gunner pleads for the fighter to come in a little closer. From the turn at the point they continue on and get ready for business. Flak and fighters fall off, but the clouds are beginning to close in, and it looks worse ahead. Then just east of hasiosi, they began to get a bombing swarm, and they sit tight. Here is where we pay off. Two jap aircraft plants and an air drone 12,000 feet below are about to receive 4,000 tons of destruction. The first wave of b29s have already found their objective. Succeeding bomber groups add to their devastation with the smoking targets. Tactical plan 5741 now an accomplished fact. 1 now an accomplished fact. I1 now an accomplished fact. S1 now an accomplished fact. Now an accomplished fact. Now an accomplished fact. Now an accomplished fact. The bombers go downwind across the burnt acres of tokyo. Closeup cameras show the scars of those spectacular fire strikes last march. 51 square miles of lemex treatment. This is fighter country. With the big bombers homeward bound, the p51s go down for the runs. With the big bombers homeward bound, our p51s drop down for strafing runs, concentrating on definite objectives from here to the enemy coast. Skimming along at maximum speed, the fighters pair off and go to work cutting vital jap lifelines, blasting away at communications, radio installations, power lines. Swooping down on enemy transportation, railyards, small suburban factories. And airfields. Then on to shipping targets, frighters, fishermen, trawlers, harbor, coastal craft, destroyer or lugger, its the same enemy. After strafing, our fighters climb back to rally point and the waiting b29 navigator planes. With the first sight of the target, fuel gauges are down close to empty. But fighter spirits begin to rise. They wind up and finish with a kick. They come in at whiplash speed and zoom into the victory rolls. Once over for each jap killed. After the last fighter groups are in, all hands sweat in the first limping b29s. That runway is a beautiful sight. As they let down with engines out, low in gas, all beat up by flak and fighters. In three months nearly 2,000 crippled or gas shy b29s havened at iwo. You can understand why those four fan boys bless those marines. And even name their planes after them. The lucky ones are fueled and depart for home bases in an hour. But iwo still has its hazards. Weather can turn this station into a hopeless daymare. Fog and quick overcast often blacks out the airstrip during these crucial periods. That means orders to bail out. Or with luck a b29 might drop in for a copy book pitchin. From here you can see how the cloud coverup there smothers the runway and realize what one pilot went through. Sometimes a battlescarred bomber staggers back to iwo only to flatten out at the last heartbreaking second. [ sirens ] the whole crew got away to safety before gas enveloped them. Firefighters risked their lives to save the ship. This, too, takes courage beyond the line of duty. Far to the south, most of the wings are nearing their bases. Waiting out the last endless hour. Where time seems to stop. The position is radioed in. And the controller gets word of the approaching flight. At last they appear on the horizon. The bombers fly across guam and turn into the landing pattern. 15 hours ago they left the other end of that runway. Its a pleasure to be back. A pleasure to roll on solid familiar blacktop. Its good to feel a sudden humid heat, to be among the living, swapping details with the ground crew. Flak, fighters, the close call, the one that got away. But some of those b29 crews wont be able to talk it over today. 11 men and a bomber that didnt quite make it. [ sirens ] the rescue squads tear away the hot metal. Somehow one man lived to feel the eager, gallant hands. One life saved and ten lost. Thats part of todays toll. And there were many other days and nights that took their toll of Young American lives in the service of our relentless expanding air power. By the end of july our b29s had all but obliterated the enemys ability to make war. 1,000 plane missions were going to hit japan with twice the monthly tonnage that ever fell on germany. The question was, how much longer would a beaten japan hold out . In august, we made a test that was never applied to germany. Forces gathered for the last invasion. Our b29s dropped two atomic bombs. Which hastened the surrender of japan and saved untold thousands of american lives. So the mission of our air forces, which began nearly four years ago, was accomplished. Youre watching a special edition of American History tv. Airing weekdays. Tonight, beginning at 8 00 p. M. , programs on the anniversary of v. E. Or victory in europe day. 75 years ago on may 8th, 1945, the allies accepted germanys surrender, bringing an end to hostility and world war iis european theater. American history tv and washington journal marked the anniversary with a look at the leadup to the surrender and its meaning for europe and the rest of the world. American history tv, now and over the weekend, on cspan 3. Lectures in history. Why do you know who Lizzie Borden is . The deepest cause, where well find the true meaning of the revolution, we find the transformation that took place in the minds of the american people. Were going toe ta talk aboue tools and techniques of slave owner power, and tools and techniques of power that were practiced by enslaved people. Watch history professors with topics like the American Revolution and september 11th. Lectures in history is also available as a podcast, find it where you listen to podcasts. Next, dermot turing, with breaking the enigma code. He chronicles how spies and mathematicians were able to decipher the german enigma code during world war ii. The International Spy museum in washington, d. C. , hosted this event. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the International Spy museum. Im chris tosca, the executive director. Im very excited to introduce the program with author dermot turing. He is the author of a number of books including allen turing and the bomb breakthrough