RogerJNeilson -> RE: Is my memory playing tricks with me? (11/20/2019 5:50:26 AM)
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By January 1945, most of the 509th Group had moved to Cuba for two months as part of a plan to train the unit as a completely self-sustaining entity capable of moving by itself over a long distance. There, crews were also able to practice radar bombing over water areas as preparation for the eventual move to the Pacific. Craig, William. The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific . Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. The nightmare intensified as the plane came near Nagasaki. The two-tenths cloud cover reported by the weather plane at 7:48 A.M. had changed by now to an apparent nine-tenths. In the past three hours a front had moved in across the East China Sea and nearly blanketed the city. Sweeney called for Ashworth and came right to the point: “We have enough gas for one pass over Nagasaki. Just one pass. Otherwise we won’t make it to Okinawa. How about dropping it by radar?” It was a question Ashworth had been dreading. He was under explicit orders from Washington not to unleash the bomb unless the bombardier could actually see the target through the cross hairs. Because of that directive, Kermit Beahan had three times refrained from dropping the Fat Man over Kokura. Now Chuck Sweeney was mentioning the unmentionable. Ashworth hesitated, then said firmly, “No.” Sweeney kept talking. “I’ll guarantee we come within a thousand feet of the target, and that’s better than dropping it in the ocean. I’m sure the radar will work right.” Craig, William. The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific . Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. Van Pelt and Buckley went to work on the radar. Nagasaki already showed on the scope as a light blue center surrounded by a darker background, with the water and the mountains around the city showing still darker. It was a difficult area to track and pinpoint. They asked Ashworth to verify their reading. He checked the scope and confirmed that it was, in fact, the outline of Nagasaki. Craig, William. The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific . Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. Ok so these were specifically about the A-bomb planes, but the references don't suggest these were specifically installed into these for the specific mission.... Roger
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