WEDNESDAY, 15 AUGUST 1945
RAAF:
Beauforts from No. 100 Squadron fly the last bombing mission of the Pacific War in New Guinea only an hour before the announcement of the official surrender of Japan that ended hostilities.
Japan: At 1:00am the Kyūjō Jiken (Tokyo Imperial Palace Incident) began with an attempted coup d'état led by Major Kenji Hatanaka who served in the Military Affairs Section of the Japanese Ministry of War. When he failed to obtain the support of the War Minister, General Korechika Anami, Hatanaka organised other officers and succeeded in occupying the Tokyo Imperial Palace (Kyūjō) and Imperial Household Ministry. He murdered Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori, commander First Imperial Guards Division and attempted to counterfeit an order to the effect of permitting their occupation of the Kyūjō. They attempted to place Emperor Hirohito under house arrest and prevent him from surrendering and to locate and destroy the "Jewel Voice Broadcast" record. The leaders of the coup failed to convince the high command of the Imperial Japanese Army to move forward. Aroun 11:00am Major Hatanaka shot himself with his pistol. Lt Col Jirō Shiizaki stabbed himself with a dagger then shot himself.
At noon, a radio broadcast plays the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo followed by the playback of the record of Emperor Hirohito reading the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the Greater East Asia War. This recording was dubbed the "Jewel Voice Broadcast" (Gyokuon-hōsō) announcing to the people of Japan that the Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japan. Due to the poor quality of the broadcast and formality of the language most Japanese did not understand his words or the meaning. His remarks did not include the word "surrender" stating only that Japan would “accepts the provisions of their Joint Declaration.” (Potsdam Declaration). Afterwards, a NHK radio announcer clarified the Emperor's message meant Japan was surrendering.
CENTRAL PACIFIC [US Army Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF)]: Ends all offensive action against Japan.
CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater): Ends all offensive action against Japan.
Fourteenth Air Force: HQ 81st Fighter Group and 91st Fighter Squadron move from Fungwansham to Huhsien, China with P-47s.
WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: All offensive action against Japan ends. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur is notified that he is Supreme Commander for Allied powers and initiates communication with Tokyo using the War Department signal facilities, but when he receives no reply. Next, he used the Army Airways Communications System (AACS) Manila station call sign WXXU, to transmit his instructions using a frequency over which AACS had been broadcasting uncoded weather information. The first message to Japan read:
"From Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers To The Japanese Emperor, the Japanese Imperial Government, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters Message Number Z-500 I have been designated as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (the United States, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and empowered to arrange directly with the Japanese authorities for the cessation of hostilities at the earliest practicable date. It is desired that a radio station in the Tokyo area be officially designated for continuous use in handling radio communications between this headquarters and your headquarters. Your reply to this message should give the call signs, frequencies and station designation. It is desired that the radio communication with my headquarters in Manila be handled in English text. Pending designation by you of a station in the Tokyo area for use as above indicated, station JUM on frequency 13705 kilocycles will be used for this purpose and Manila will reply on 15965 kilocycles. Upon receipt of this message, acknowledge. Signed MacArthur."
In less than two hours, a reply from Tokyo was received, the first direct communication between the Allies and Japan.
Unit moves: HQ 22d Bombardment Group and 33d Bombardment Squadron from Clark
Field to Okinawa with B-24s; 66th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop
Carrier Group from Morotai to Dulag with C-46s; 160th Liaison Squadron, 3d Air Commando Group [attached to 5th Air Liaison Group (Provisional)], from Mabalacat to Ie Shima with UC-64s and L-5s; 321st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), from San Jose to Ie Shima with B-24s; 531st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) from San Jose to Okinawa with B-24s; and 674th Bombardment Squadron, 417th Bombardment Group from San Jose to Okinawa with A-20s.
USN: In the early morning, carrier planes took off on a strike against Japan. USS Yorktown (CV-10) launches eleven F6F Hellcats from Fighting Squadron 88 (VF-88) on a strike against the Shibaura Power Plant in Tokyo. As the formation approached the target, the Navy radioed that Japan had officially surrendered and the strike was ordered to salvo their ordnance and return to the carrier. As the Hellcats were turning to return, intercepted by Japanese fighters and a dog fight began that resulted in four Hellcats were shot down including F6F Hellcat 78065 pilot Lt(jg) Joseph G. Sahloff (MIA), F6F Hellcat 77458 pilot Ensign Mandeberg (MIA), F6F Hellcat 79592 pilot Lt(jg) H. Harrison (MIA) and F6F Hellcat 78244 pilot Ensign W. Hobbs (MIA).
At 6:35am Admiral William F. Halsey sent a message
to his forces announcing the end of hostilities and ordering the cessation
of offensive air operations, the first carrier strike of the day had already
hit Tokyo and the second was approaching the coastline as it was recalled.
