August 14, 1945
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

TUESDAY, 14 AUGUST 1945

Japan: Emperor Hirohito assembles Imperial Council and decides to accept the Potsdam Declaration that called for the unconditional surrender of Japan. At 11:25pm in a bunker below the Imperial Household Ministry, Emperor Hirohito was recorded onto a phonograph record by NHK sound technicians reading the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the Greater East Asia War. During the first recording, his voice was too soft and the NHK technicians offered to make another recording with the first version saved as a backup. During the second attempt, his voice was deemed to be too high pitched with occasional skips but this recording was marked as the official recording.

Twentieth Air Force: 752 B-29s fly seven missions against Japan without loss. These missions are the last B-29 missions against Japan in WWII. The following 3 missions were flown during the day:
Mission 325: 157 B-29s bomb the naval arsenal at Hikari; 4 others hit alternate targets.
Mission 326: 145 B-29s bomb the Osaka Army Arsenal and 2 hit alternate targets; 160+ P-51 escort the B-29s and attack airfields in the Nagoya area; 1 P-51 is lost.
Mission 327: 108 B-29s bomb the railroad yards at Marifu; 2 others hit alternate targets. The following 4 missions were flown during the night of 14/15 Aug:
Mission 328: In the longest nonstop unstaged B-29 mission from the Mariana Islands, 3,650 miles (5,874 km), 132 B-29s bomb the Nippon Oil Company at Tsuchizakiminato. Mission 329: 81 B-29s drop incendiaries on the Kumagaya urban area destroying 0.27 sq mi (0.7 sq km), 45% of the city area.
Mission 330: 86 B-29s drop incendiaries on the Isezaki urban area destroying 0.166 sq mi (0.43 sq km), 17% of the city area.
Mission 331: 39 B-29s mine the waters at Nanao, Shimonoseki, Miyazu, and Hamada. Before the last B-29s returns, U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Japan. Immediately thereafter, the 11th Airborne Division are flown from the Philippines to Okinawa, where it goes on standby to become the initial occupation force for Japan.

WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-25s, P-47s, and P-51s attack shipping in Korea and Kyushu waters, claiming several vessels destroyed and damaged. P-47s over the Osaka-Nagoya area claim several Japanese aircraft shot down. The 19th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 22d Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Clark Field to Okinawa with B-24s.

RAAF: Lost is B-25D Mitchell A47-37 (MIA) presumed lost en route to Biak.