August 9, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 9 AUGUST 1945

USSR: After midnight, the Soviet Union launch "Operation August Storm" attacking Manchukuo (Manchuria) on three fronts including the Khingan–Mukden Offensive Operation (Lesser Khingan-Mukden), the Harbin–Kirin Offensive Operation (Harbin-Jilin) and the Sungari Offensive Operation.

Twentieth Air Force: B-29 "Enola Gay" 44-86292 piloted by Captain George Marquardt and crew B-10 took off on a weather reconnaissance over Kokura and reported clear skies. At 3:49am B-29 "Bockscar" 44-27297 piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney armed with plutonium bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" took off from North Field followed by observation plane B-29A "The Great Artiste" 44-27353 piloted by Captain Frederick C. Bock (who has exchanged planes with Sweeney for the mission) and B-29 "Big Stink" 44-27354 piloted by Major James I Hopkins as camera ship (who loses contact with the other two B-29s). The primary target, Kokura was obscured by bad weather and smoke. After three unsuccessful bomb runs diverted to the secondary target, Nagasaki. At 10:58am local time the "Fat Man" bomb was released from an altitude of 28,900' and about a minute later explodes as the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan. Japanese reports claim nearly 24,000 killed; US figures estimate about 35,000. In the blast, merchant tanker Tsuruoka Maru is damaged. The B-29s refuel on Okinawa then return to Tinian by 11:39pm. P-47s from 19th FS damage Japanese Transport No. 21 (T.21) off Tsuwa Jima, 33°59'N, 132°31'E that is run aground.

Mission 322: During the night of 9/10 Aug, 95 B-29s bomb the Nippon Oil Refinery at Amagasaki; 2 others hit alternate targets.

Tenth Air Force: HQ Tenth AF moves from Kunming to Liuchow, when the war ends, the deployment of Tenth AF units to China is still in progress; so, for the Tenth, war ends amidst a major reorganization.

Fourteenth Air Force: In China, 5 B-25s, with P-51 escort, damage the Puchi railroad bridge, and hit rail traffic N of Sinsiang; the P-51s strafe AA positions and targets of opportunity near the bridge; 4 other B-25s operating individually, attack truck convoys and targets of opportunity S of Changsha, S and N of Yoyang, and in the Siang Chiang Valley, and hit the S end of the town of Siangtan.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s over Kyushu bomb Kanoya Airfield, the town of Noma, shipping in Beppu Bay, bridges, factories, and oil storage at Tsurusaki, and shipping, coastal villages, and communications targets in the Tsushima Strait area; A-26s and A-20s hit Kanoya Airfield and the industrial areas of Kushikino, Minato, and Shimahira; B-24s over W Honshu Island bomb the airfield at Iwakuni; 200+ P-47s and P-51s hit numerous targets on Shikoku and Kyushu and in the Ryukyu Islands including airfields, barracks, harbor installations, bridges, shipping, vehicles, and various factories and storage facilities. B-24s bomb military stores at Matsuyama. On Luzon, B-25s and P-38s support ground forces in areas N of Baguio, SSE of Mankayan, S of Kabayan, SE of Cervantes, near Kiangan, and NW of Infanta. B-24s bomb Laha barracks on Ambon. Unit moves: HQ 3d Air Commando Group and 3d Fighter Squadrons (Commando) and 4th Fighter Squadrons (Commando) from Laoag to Ie Shima with P-51s; HQ from San Jose to Okinawa; and 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, from San Jose to Ie Shima with P-38s.

U.S. Navy: Carrier planes from Task Force 38 (TF 38) under Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. pound Japanese shipping and airfields, between northern Honshu and Hokkaido to the coast of Korea, sinking auxiliary submarine chasers Shintohoku Maru and 2 Kongo Maru and 6 Takunan Maru, minesweepers W.1 and W.33, and fleet tanker Juko Maru, and merchant cargo ship No.36 Banshu Maru off Hamada, 39°30'N, 142°04'E. Task Force 38 (TF 38) and British carrier aircraft from Task Force 37 (TF 37) sink escort vessels Amakusa and Inagi off Onagawa.

Off Honshu, retaliatory air strikes by Japanese planes result in friendly fire damage to destroyer USS John W. Weeks (DD-701), 35°00'N, 143°00'E; kamikaze damages destroyer USS Borie (DD-704) at 37°21'N, 143°45'E.

Task Unit 12.5.6 (TU 12.5.6) Battleship New Jersey (BB-62), light cruiser Biloxi (CL-80) and four destroyers conduct a shore bombardment of Wake Island while en route from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok.

Task Unit 34.8.1 (TU 34.8.1) including battleships and cruisers under Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth shells industrial targets at Kamaishi, Honshu. Two Royal Navy light cruisers also participate in the bombardment.

Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) shells Tambelan Island 230 miles east of Singapore, destroying Japanese radio station.

Destroyer escort Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360), carrying out an antisubmarine sweep on the convoy route between Leyte and Okinawa, sinks what may have been kaitens launched by I 58, known to have been in the area at that time.

B-25s on antishipping sweeps against Japanese shipping traffic off the coast of Korea sink auxiliary submarine chaser No.63 Hino Maru west of Koje-do, merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamabishi Maru off Tsushima, 35°09'N, 129°30'E, and army cargo ship Daito Maru, 15 miles off Chongjin, Korea.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Izu Maru is sunk by aircraft, Shiogama harbor.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamanami Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft, 25°15'N, 138°44'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Kagoshima Maru and [type unspecified] Toyoshima Maru are sunk by aircraft off Pusan, Korea.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Senko Maru is sunk by aircraft off Chongjin, Korea, Tensho Maru is damaged.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Ryuho Maru is sunk by aircraft off Utka.

Japanese merchant cargo ships Edamitsu Maru and Sotsu Go, tanker Empo Maru are sunk by aircraft off Najin, Korea. Japanese merchant cargo ship Rakusan Maru is damaged by aircraft.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Banshu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hamada, Japan.

Japanese destroyer Yanagi and minelayer Tokiwa are damaged by aircraft, Ominato, Japan.

Japanese escort vessel Yashiro and Coast Defense Vessel No.87, and army cargo ship Ryuwa Maru, and merchant cargo ship Meiyu Maru are damaged by aircraft off Unggi, Korea.

Japanese transport Choun Maru is damaged by aircraft, location unspecified.

Mines damage Japanese merchant cargo ships Enoshima Maru in Oguchi channel, Nanao; Genyo Maru, 35°51'N, 131°15'E; Shinri Go, 34°06'N, 131°19'E; and damage merchant vessel Okita Maru near Sumoto.

USMC: Marine aircraft fly their last bombing mission against Rabaul when PBJs from Marine Bombing Squadron 413 (VMB-413), Marine Bombing Squadron 423 (VMB-423), and Marine Bombing Squadron 443 (VMB-443) and Marine Aircraft Group 61 (MAG-61) headquarters raiding the area.

IJN: J7W1 Shinden Prototype No. 1 made a third short, successful test flight piloted by designer Captain Masaoki Tsuruno.

A6M7 Zero 82729 pilot Lt. Tsuneo Azuma ditched into Lake Biwa.