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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1656.PDF
AUGUST 23RD, 1945 193 THE END OF IT ALL., The smoke column rising above Nagasaki three minutesafter the atomic bomb had exploded on August 9th. fe Ocean Air Force) proceeded to sink shipping wholesale in the Gulf of Siam. The weather proved a worse enemy than the Japanese; but from the first Admiral Mountbatten gave orders to "THE Allies conceded Japan's stipu- lation that the authority of the Emperor should remain. It seemed the easiest way of ensuring that all Japan- ese forces should immediately lay down their arms. Nevertheless, when some Fortresses flew over Japan a few days later they were attacked by Japanese fighters, and blood was shed on both sides. The question remains : was this treachery or were the Em- peror's orders of less effect than had been anticipated? * * • Likewise the Japanese forces in Manchuria continued to resist the Rus- sians for several days after the order to fight on and fly on through the mon- soon. This was done, and it proved a horrid surprise to the enemy. One great risk was taken, when the trans- port aircraft had pretty well to double their flying hours; but the aircrews POST SCRIPTUM cease fire had been issued from Tokyo. Again we wonder whether communica- tions had broken down or whether the local commanders had disregarded the orders of the Emperor. Gen. Mac Arthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allies in dealing with the surrender of Japan. He ordered some official representa- tives, bearing with them the written authority of the Emperor, to fly to Manila to settle detailed terms. They were to start on a certain day, from named airfields, in specified types of- aircraft. Actually they did not set off WAR ACAJ^T JAPAN rose nobly to/rfhe occasion and sur- passedthiifprevious efforts. It was a gjyjjiM'ewhich came off. Meanwhile in the ring rapidly clos- ing in on the Japanese home islands, the enemy also gave up the dispute for air superiority. They confined their efforts to despatching suicide bombers against the Allied fleets. These did some damage but lost very heavily. Tokyo- announced that the rest of the Air Force was being reserved to meet the expected invasion. As a result thousands of aircraft were destroyed on the ground by the fighters and bombers from the Carriers in the 3rd Fleet of Admiral Halsey. Finally came the atomic bombs dropped from the air, and then Japan expressed willingness to surrender on terms. Outstanding1 Successes While everyone and every weapon has played its part against Japan, the outstanding feature of this war has been the success of air supply and of the aircraft carrier. In the Mediter- ranean the British learnt that this type of warship, when well supplied with protective fighters, is not nearly so vulnerable to air attack as had been feared. Actually the submarine proved a worse menace. In the Paci- fic both Americans and Japanese have lost carriers; but on the other hand carriers have won naval actions on their own. The idea that carrier-borne machines must be inferior to land- based ones has been largely dis- counted. Certainly the heaviest bombers cannot yet take off from the flight deck of a ship—but then the advent of the atomic bomb raises the question whether very heavy bombers will be needed in the future. The lighter classes of carrier-borne machine, though they must be equipped with hooks and have folding wings, do not seem to be much handi- capped by the extra weight in doing their work. The Pacific war had to be fought mainly by carriers, and they have done all that was asked of them. till a couple of days later, and Tokyo then informed the Supreme Com- mander that they had left from other airfields and in different types of air- craft from those laid down. That was typically Japanese behaviour. The American Fleet lying off Japan was approached by a number of Japanese bombers, apparently with hostile intentions. The fleet shot down 16 of them. However, after all these incidents, it seems that the details of the Japanese surrender are now being arranged in a normal way.
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