- 2 days ago
Why B-29 gunners kept fighting after being rammed twice during WW2 — and scored 14 aerial victories in a single mission. This World War 2 story reveals how one Superfortress crew achieved the highest single-mission kill count in the Pacific theater.
January 27, 1945. B-29 Superfortress A-Square-52, 497th Bombardment Group, climbed through twenty-eight thousand feet over the Pacific toward Tokyo. Japanese fighters scrambled to intercept. Two Ki-44 interceptors deliberately rammed the bomber, destroying both right-side engines and the number one engine on the left. Standard doctrine said a B-29 with three engines destroyed should abort immediately — or wouldn't survive at all. Every commander expected the crippled bomber to fall. Intelligence officers called it a combat loss.
They were all wrong.
What A-Square-52's gunners discovered that morning wasn't about superior firepower. It was about coordinated fire control in a way that contradicted everything crews had been taught about defensive gunnery after catastrophic damage. By the end of what became known as the "fourteen-kill mission," other B-29 crews started understanding that proper turret coordination could deliver lethal de
January 27, 1945. B-29 Superfortress A-Square-52, 497th Bombardment Group, climbed through twenty-eight thousand feet over the Pacific toward Tokyo. Japanese fighters scrambled to intercept. Two Ki-44 interceptors deliberately rammed the bomber, destroying both right-side engines and the number one engine on the left. Standard doctrine said a B-29 with three engines destroyed should abort immediately — or wouldn't survive at all. Every commander expected the crippled bomber to fall. Intelligence officers called it a combat loss.
They were all wrong.
What A-Square-52's gunners discovered that morning wasn't about superior firepower. It was about coordinated fire control in a way that contradicted everything crews had been taught about defensive gunnery after catastrophic damage. By the end of what became known as the "fourteen-kill mission," other B-29 crews started understanding that proper turret coordination could deliver lethal de
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00:00At 11.42 on the morning of January 27, 1945, Staff Sergeant Robert Chen crouched behind the Central Fire Control
00:08Station of B-29 Super Fortress A-Square-52, watching oxygen frost spread across the plexiglass as his formation climbed
00:18through 28,000 feet over the Pacific.
00:2022 years old, 11 combat missions over Japan, 0 confirmed kills. The Japanese had scrambled at least 40 fighters to
00:30intercept the morning strike on Tokyo.
00:32Chen was the youngest gunner in the 497th Bombardment Group. His hands were steady on the controls that connected him
00:39to four remote gun turrets mounted across the B-29's fuselage.
00:44Each turret held twin .50 caliber machine guns. He had fired them twice in anger over Nagoya and once over
00:52the Japanese coast. He had never seen a fighter fall.
00:55The 73rd Bombardment Wing had been flying missions from Saipan since November. The pattern was always the same.
01:03High-altitude precision bombing, 28,000 to 30,000 feet, temperatures 50 below zero, jet stream winds so violent that
01:12bombardiers could not compensate.
01:14And Japanese fighters climbing to meet them every single time. By mid-January, the wing had lost 31 B-29s
01:22to fighters and flak. That was 31 crews. 340 men.
01:28The worst losses came on January 14th over Nagoya, when five Super Fortresses went down in less than 20 minutes.
01:35German Panther and Tiger tanks had taught American tankers about inferior armor.
01:41Japanese interceptors were teaching B-29 crews about altitude limitations.
01:46The Nakajima Ki-44 could climb to 28,000 feet in under eight minutes.
01:52The fighter was called Tojo by American intelligence officers and Shoki by Japanese pilots.
01:59The translation was Devil Queller. The name fit.
02:02The Ki-44 carried four 12.7mm machine guns or two 20mm cannon.
02:10At high altitude, where the air was thin and the B-29's defensive gunners struggled with frozen mechanisms and oxygen
02:18deprivation,
02:18a single fighter could make multiple firing passes with relative impunity.
02:23Worse were the ramming attacks.
02:25Starting in August 1944, Japanese pilots had begun deliberately colliding with B-29s after expending their ammunition.
02:34This was not kamikaze doctrine.
02:36This was desperation mathematics.
02:39One fighter for one bomber was an acceptable exchange rate when the bomber cost $600,000 and carried 11 men
02:47trained for six months.
02:48The 47th Sentai, based at Narimasu Airfield near Tokyo, operated a special air superiority unit that practiced the tactic.
02:58American intelligence estimated the unit had destroyed at least three B-29s through ramming
03:03and damaged seven others badly enough to write them off after crash landings.
03:08A-Square-52 was carrying six tons of high-explosive bombs in her belly.
03:13The target was Tokyo's port facilities.
03:17Weather reconnaissance aircraft had reported clear skies over the primary target.
03:21That meant visual bombing.
03:23That meant the formation would need to hold steady for the bomb run.
03:27That meant the fighters would have time to position for perfect firing angles.
03:31Chen had been briefed on the odds that morning at 0400.
03:3562 B-29s would participate in the strike.
03:38Intelligence predicted nine would not return.
03:41If you want to see how Chen and his crew survived what came next, please hit that like button.
03:47It helps us share more forgotten stories from World War II.
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03:52Back to Chen.
03:54The formation crossed the Japanese coast at 1158.
03:57Radar operators on Honshu tracked them immediately.
04:01Air raid sirens wailed across Tokyo.
04:04At Narimasu Airfield, pilots sprinted toward fighters that were already warming up on the flight line.
04:09At exactly noon, the first Ki-44s lifted off and turned southeast toward the incoming bomber stream.
04:1743 fighters.
04:19A-square-52 was about to face more enemy aircraft than any B-29 had encountered in a single mission.
04:27The first fighter appeared at 12,000 yards.
04:31Chen saw it through the optical sight as a dark speck, climbing almost vertically through scattered clouds.
04:36The speck grew larger.
04:38Wings became visible.
04:40Then the distinctive radial engine cowling of a Ki-44.
04:44The fighter rolled inverted at 27,000 feet and dove toward the formation's lead element.
04:51Three more fighters followed.
04:53Chen rotated his upper forward turret to track the diving attack.
04:56The remote control system allowed him to aim guns mounted 15 feet away from his position.
05:02A computer corrected for airspeed, altitude, and the B-29's forward motion.
05:08The technology was revolutionary.
05:10It was also temperamental at 50 below zero.
05:13The lead Ki-44 opened fire at 800 yards.
05:18Tracers arced toward the formation.
05:20Chen pressed his firing button.
05:22The turret hammered.
05:2450 caliber rounds streamed toward the fighter at 2,800 feet per second.
05:29The Ki-44 snap rolled left and disappeared beneath the formation.
05:34No hits.
05:35The fighter had broken off too quickly.
05:37By 12.07, the formation was fully engaged.
05:41Fighters attacked from all quadrants.
05:44The standard tactic was a high side pass from 11 o'clock,
05:47diving through the formation at 400 miles per hour,
05:51then breaking hard left or right to avoid the B-29's concentrated defensive fire.
05:57Individual fighters rarely pressed attacks to point-blank range.
06:01Ramming attacks were different.
06:03Chen's aircraft commander called out a fighter at 2 o'clock high.
06:07Chen swung the upper turret.
06:09A Ki-44 was positioning for a beam attack.
06:12Range, 700 yards.
06:14The fighter's nose was tracking A-square-52 precisely.
06:19Chen led the target and fired a three-second burst.
06:23The armor-piercing incendiary rounds walked across the fighter's flight path.
06:27The Ki-44's engine exploded.
06:30Black smoke erupted from the cowling.
06:33The fighter rolled inverted and fell away, trailing fire.
06:36First confirmed kill.
06:38Chen did not celebrate.
06:40Two more fighters were already maneuvering into attack position.
06:44The B-29's right blister gunner engaged one with his twin 50s.
06:49The tail gunner called out a fighter closing from 6 o'clock low.
06:52The central fire control system allowed Chen to slave the lower aft turret to his sight picture.
06:58He tracked the target.
07:00Fired.
07:01Missed.
07:02The tail gunner took over and stitched rounds across the Ki-44's wing route.
07:07The fighter shuddered.
07:09Pieces of aluminum skin peeled away.
07:11The aircraft went into a flat spin.
07:14Second kill credited to A-square-52.
07:17The formation reached the initial point for the bomb run at 1219.
07:21This was the moment of maximum vulnerability.
07:25The bombers would fly straight and level for six minutes while bombardiers synchronized their
07:30Norden bomb sites.
07:32Course changes were forbidden.
07:34Evasive maneuvers were impossible.
07:36The fighters knew this.
07:3814 Ki-44's formed up 3,000 feet above the bomber stream.
07:43They orbited once.
07:45Twice.
07:46Positioning for coordinated attacks that would overwhelm the B-29's defensive fire.
07:52At 1221, they rolled in.
07:55Chen counted them through his sight.
07:57One.
07:58Two.
07:59Three.
08:00Four fighters diving in pairs from 10 o'clock high and 2 o'clock high simultaneously.
08:06Textbook tactics.
08:08The formation's gunners would need to split their fire.
08:10Individual B-29's would face multiple attackers with degraded defensive coverage.
08:16The first pair opened fire at 1,000 yards.
08:20Chen engaged the lead fighter.
08:22His tracers converged with fire from two other B-29's in the formation.
08:27The Ki-44 flew directly into the stream of rounds.
08:31Its canopy shattered.
08:32The fighter snap-rolled right and collided with its wingmen.
08:36Both aircraft disintegrated.
08:38Third and fourth kills.
08:40But the second attacking pair had used the chaos as cover.
08:44Two Ki-44s were now inside 500 yards and closing fast.
08:50Their cannons were firing.
08:52Chen could see the muzzle flashes.
08:54He swung his sight to track the nearest fighter.
08:57The Ki-44 was not breaking off.
09:00It was not attempting evasive maneuvers.
09:02The pilot had committed to a ramming attack.
09:05Impact in four seconds.
09:09Chen kept firing.
09:11The upper forward turret poured rounds into the Ki-44's engine cowling.
09:15Hits sparkled across the fighter's nose.
09:18The range closed to 300 yards.
09:20200.
09:22The fighter was trailing smoke but still accelerating.
09:25100 yards.
09:26The Ki-44 struck A-Square-52's number three engine at 12.22pm.
09:33The impact sounded like a steel hammer hitting a locomotive boiler.
09:37The fighter's propeller chewed through the engine cowling.
09:40Metal shrieked.
09:41The B-29 yawed violently to the right as the number three propeller tore free and tumbled
09:47away into space.
09:48The fighter's wing sheared off.
09:51The fuselage cartwheeled over the B-29's back and disappeared.
09:55Pieces of aluminum and steel rained past the gun turrets.
09:59Chen felt the entire aircraft shudder.
10:02Warning lights blazed across the flight engineer's panel.
10:05Number three engine fire.
10:07Number four engine losing oil pressure.
10:09The aircraft commander shut down both right side engines and activated the fire suppression
10:15system.
10:16A-Square-52 was now flying on two engines.
10:19The bomber dropped out of formation, losing altitude at 300 feet per minute.
10:25Alone.
10:26Damaged.
10:27Perfect target.
10:29Three Ki-44's broke from their attack pattern and dove toward the crippled B-29.
10:35They had altitude advantage.
10:37They had speed advantage.
10:39Standard Doctrine called for damaged bombers to be finished quickly before they could jettison
10:44bombs and gain maneuverability.
10:46Chen rotated the upper turret to meet the first attacker.
10:50The fighter was diving from one o'clock high.
10:53Range.
10:541,000 yards and closing.
10:56Chen waited.
10:57The targeting computer needed three seconds to calculate a firing solution on a maneuvering
11:02target.
11:03He forced himself to hold fire.
11:05800 yards.
11:07The Ki-44's nose lit up with cannon fire.
11:10Rounds punched through A-Square-52's left wing.
11:14Hydraulic fluid sprayed from severed lines.
11:17600 yards.
11:18Chen fired.
11:19A four-second burst.
11:21The tracers connected.
11:23The Ki-44's canopy exploded.
11:26The fighter rolled left and went down trailing debris.
11:30Fifth kill.
11:31The second fighter attacked from five o'clock level.
11:34The tail gunner engaged first.
11:37His twin 50s hammered for six seconds.
11:40The Ki-44 flew through the tracer stream without apparent damage.
11:44It closed to 400 yards.
11:46The tail gunner's guns fell silent.
11:49Ammunition exhausted.
11:50Chen slaved the lower aft turret to his controls.
11:53The mechanical linkage was sluggish.
11:56Hydraulic pressure was dropping across all systems.
11:59He tracked the fighter manually.
12:01Led the target.
12:02Fired a two-second burst.
12:04The rounds hit the Ki-44's left wing root.
12:07The wing folded upward.
12:09Structural failure.
12:11The fighter tumbled end over end and broke apart at 12,000 feet.
12:16Sixth kill.
12:17But the third attacker had used the engagement as a diversion.
12:21A Ki-44 was now at three o'clock high, 300 yards out, wings level, nose pointed directly at A
12:29-square-52's cockpit.
12:31The fighter's guns were silent.
12:33The pilot had expended his ammunition.
12:36Second ramming attack.
12:37The right blister gunner opened fire.
12:40Rounds sparked off the Ki-44's engine.
12:43The fighter did not deviate.
12:45Chen swung the upper turret hard right.
12:48The mechanical stops screamed.
12:50He fired.
12:51The tracers missed high.
12:53Over-corrected.
12:54Fired again.
12:56Hits stitched across the fighter's fuselage.
12:59The Ki-44 shuddered but maintained course.
13:03Range.
13:04100 yards.
13:0550 yards.
13:06The fighter struck A-square-52's number one engine.
13:10The propeller disintegrated.
13:12Shrapnel tore through the wing.
13:14The number one fuel tank ruptured.
13:16Aviation gasoline sprayed into the slipstream.
13:20The Ki-44's fuselage broke in half.
13:23The tail section tumbled over the B-29's flight deck.
13:27The engine and cockpit section smashed into the left wing and ripped a six-foot hole in the leading edge.
13:33A-square-52 now had one functioning engine.
13:37Number two.
13:38The aircraft was falling through 18,000 feet.
13:42Air speed dropping below 160 miles per hour.
13:45The wing was leaking fuel.
13:47The hydraulic system was failing.
13:49And 12 more Japanese fighters were forming up for a third wave of attacks.
13:56Chen's hands were numb.
13:58The temperature inside the unpressurized gun station had dropped to 62 below zero.
14:03His oxygen mask had frozen to his face.
14:06Ice crystals covered the optical sight.
14:08He scraped them away with a gloved thumb and tracked the incoming fighters.
14:12The 12 Ki-44's had split into three groups of four.
14:17Classic wolf-pack tactics.
14:19One group would faint high.
14:21Another would attack low.
14:22The third would exploit whichever defensive gap opened first.
14:26The tactic worked against healthy B-29's with full crews and functional systems.
14:32Against a crippled bomber with failing hydraulics and partial gun coverage, it was execution.
14:38A-square-52 fell through 16,000 feet.
14:41The single operating engine could not maintain altitude, with the damaged wing creating massive drag.
14:47The aircraft commander ordered all non-essential equipment jettisoned.
14:51Ammunition cans, toolkits, survival gear.
14:54Every pound mattered.
14:56The first group of four fighters dove from 12 o'clock high.
15:00Chen engaged the lead aircraft at 900 yards.
15:03The upper turret responded sluggishly.
15:06Hydraulic pressure was down to 30%.
15:08He fired anyway.
15:09The recoil shook the entire gun mount.
15:12Tracers arced toward the diving fighter.
15:15The Ki-44 jinked right.
15:17Chen tracked.
15:18Fired again.
15:19The second burst caught the fighter's left wing.
15:22Fabric peeled away.
15:23Structural members became visible.
15:25The wing folded.
15:27The fighter snap-rolled and went down.
15:29Seventh kill.
15:30The remaining three fighters in the formation pressed their attack.
15:34They opened fire simultaneously at 600 yards.
15:37Cannon rounds and machine gun bullets converged on A-square-52 from three different angles.
15:43The bombardier's compartment took multiple hits.
15:46Plexiglass shattered.
15:48Frigid air screamed through the fuselage.
15:51The bombardier was killed instantly by a 20-millimeter explosive round.
15:55Chen ignored the impacts.
15:57He swung the turret to track the second fighter.
15:59The targeting computer was offline.
16:02Hydraulic failure had disabled the automatic compensation system.
16:06He aimed manually.
16:07Led the target based on instinct and 11 previous missions worth of experience.
16:12Fired.
16:13The burst hit low.
16:15Rounds sparked off the fighter's belly.
16:17The Ki-44 broke left hard and climbed away trailing smoke.
16:21Probable kill.
16:23Chen shifted to the third fighter.
16:25This one was closer.
16:26400 yards and diving nearly vertical.
16:29Chen fired a six-second burst.
16:32The gun barrels were overheating despite the sub-zero temperatures.
16:35Tracers walked across the sky.
16:38The Ki-44 flew directly through them.
16:41Hits peppered the engine cowling.
16:43The propeller stopped.
16:44Windmilling.
16:45The fighter's nose dropped.
16:47It fell past A-square-52's left wing at 200 miles per hour and disappeared into clouds below.
16:54Eighth confirmed kill.
16:55The fourth fighter in the group had used the Chaos to position for a beam attack.
17:00It came in from 9 o'clock level.
17:02Range 500 yards.
17:04The left blister gunner engaged with his twin 50s.
17:07The fighter jinked.
17:08Closed to 300 yards.
17:10Fired a long burst from its cannon.
17:12Rounds tore through A-square-52's left horizontal stabilizer.
17:17Control cable snapped.
17:19The aircraft yawed violently.
17:21The rudder jammed hard left.
17:23The aircraft commander fought the controls.
17:26Applied right aileron.
17:27Reduced power on the single functioning engine to stop the yaw.
17:31Chen tracked the attacking fighter as it passed beneath the fuselage.
17:35Slaved the lower turret.
17:37The mechanical linkage ground and stuttered.
17:39The turret rotated 15 degrees, then stopped.
17:43Hydraulic failure.
17:44The tail gunner took the shot.
17:46His guns were still functional.
17:48Mechanically operated.
17:50No hydraulics required.
17:51He fired a four-second burst as the KI-44 pulled up from its attack run.
17:56The rounds hit the fighter's tail.
17:59The rudder separated.
18:00The KI-44 went into an uncontrolled flat spin.
18:04Ninth kill credited to A-square-52's crew.
18:08The second wave of four fighters was already inbound.
18:11High side attack from 2 o'clock.
18:13A-square-52 was at 14,000 feet and descending.
18:17Airspeed 140 miles per hour.
18:20Critical slow.
18:21The bomber was approaching stall speed.
18:23One engine could not generate enough thrust to maintain controlled flight
18:27with the damaged wing and jammed rudder.
18:30Chen had 15 rounds remaining in the upper turret's ammunition belt.
18:34The lower turrets were offline.
18:36The blister positions were low on ammunition.
18:39The tail gunner had perhaps 60 rounds left.
18:41Four more fighters closing fast.
18:45The four KI-44s split into two pairs.
18:49Combat experience had taught Japanese pilots that damaged B-29s,
18:53still carried lethal defensive firepower.
18:56Coordinated attacks from multiple angles remained the safest approach.
19:00The first pair dove from 2 o'clock high.
19:02The second pair positioned for a follow-up attack from 4 o'clock level.
19:07Chen tracked the lead fighter in the first pair.
19:09Range, 800 yards.
19:11The upper turret responded to his controls, but movement was jerky.
19:16Hydraulic fluid was leaking from ruptured lines throughout the aircraft.
19:19He waited until 700 yards, centered the sight, fired his remaining 15 rounds in a single sustained burst.
19:27The tracers converged on the KI-44's engine.
19:30Hits sparkled across the cowling.
19:32The propeller disintegrated.
19:34Chunks of metal spun away.
19:36The engine seized.
19:37Smoke poured from the fighter as it rolled inverted and fell away.
19:41Tenth kill.
19:42The upper turret's guns clicked empty.
19:45Chen's primary defensive position was now useless.
19:48He scrambled aft through the connecting tunnel to the unpressurized rear section.
19:53The right blister gunner had taken shrapnel through his shoulder and could not operate his weapons.
19:58Chen took his position.
19:59The second fighter from the first pair was already in its attack dive.
20:03Range, 600 yards.
20:06Chen gripped the manual controls for the twin .50 caliber guns.
20:09No computer assistance.
20:11No hydraulic boost.
20:13Pure physical strength required to traverse the weapons and maintain aim.
20:17The KI-44 opened fire at 400 yards.
20:21Cannon rounds punched through A-square-52's right wing.
20:24Chen led the target.
20:26Squeezed the trigger.
20:27The recoil hammered his shoulders.
20:29Spent casings tumbled into the collection bag.
20:32The burst caught the fighter's cockpit.
20:34The canopy shattered.
20:36The KI-44 snap rolled left and fell away spinning.
20:39Eleventh kill.
20:41But the second pair of fighters was already committed to their attack run.
20:44They came in from 4 o'clock level, 300 yards apart, firing as they closed.
20:50One targeted the flight deck.
20:52The other aimed for the wing route where the fuel tanks were located.
20:55The tail gunner engaged the trailing fighter.
20:57His remaining ammunition hammered out in a five-second burst.
21:01Tracers walked across the KI-44's nose.
21:04The fighter's windscreen exploded.
21:06The aircraft pulled up hard and broke off the attack.
21:10Twelfth kill confirmed when the fighter was observed falling through clouds at 11,000 feet with no visible pilot.
21:16The lead fighter in the pair pressed its attack.
21:19Chen swung his guns, but the angle was wrong.
21:22The blister position could not traverse far enough forward to engage targets at 4 o'clock high.
21:28He was blind to the threat.
21:29The left blister gunner took the shot.
21:32His position had better forward coverage.
21:34He fired his last 30 rounds.
21:36The burst hit the KI-44's left wing route.
21:39Fuel sprayed from ruptured tanks.
21:42The fighter banked hard right to break off.
21:44The damaged wing could not handle the stress.
21:47Structural failure at the wingspar.
21:49The wing separated.
21:51The fighter tumbled.
21:52Thirteenth kill.
21:53A-square-52 had now shot down 13 Japanese fighters.
21:57One aircraft.
21:59One crew.
22:00Thirteen confirmed victories.
22:02But the count did not matter to Chen.
22:04The B-29 was at 12,000 feet and still descending.
22:08The jammed rudder made controlled flight nearly impossible.
22:11The damaged wing was losing structural integrity.
22:14And the third wave of four fighters was inbound.
22:17These were the last attackers.
22:19Japanese fighter pilots operated under strict fuel limitations.
22:23Combat radius for the KI-44 was approximately 200 miles at combat power settings.
22:28The fighters had been airborne for 40 minutes.
22:31They had perhaps 10 minutes of fuel remaining before they would need to break off and return to Narimasu.
22:3710 minutes was enough.
22:38The four KI-44s formed up in a line astern formation.
22:42Not a diving attack.
22:44Not a high side pass.
22:45They were positioning for sequential ramming attacks.
22:49Four fighters.
22:50Four deliberate collisions.
22:51The Japanese pilots had calculated that even if only one succeeded, A-square-52 would not survive.
22:58Chen watched them through the blister's small window.
23:00The fighters were at 14,000 feet, two miles behind the bomber, matching speed and altitude, preparing for their final
23:08run.
23:09He had no ammunition left.
23:11The tail gunner had no ammunition left.
23:13The upper turrets were offline.
23:15The lower turrets were offline.
23:17A-square-52's defensive armament was expended.
23:20Four fighters.
23:21Zero bullets.
23:2312,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean.
23:26The lead KI-44 in the ramming formation accelerated.
23:31Range.
23:31One mile.
23:32The fighter was diving slightly to build speed.
23:35Standard ramming doctrine called for impact velocity of at least 300 miles per hour to guarantee structural failure of the
23:42target.
23:42Slower collisions sometimes allowed bombers to survive with damage.
23:47Chen braced himself against the blister window frame.
23:50There was nothing he could do.
23:52No guns.
23:53No ammunition.
23:54No options.
23:56The aircraft commander was attempting evasive maneuvers, but the jammed rudder limited his control authority.
24:02The B-29 could bank gently left or right.
24:05It could not perform the violent jinking that might throw off a fighter's aim.
24:10The KI-44 closed to half a mile.
24:13Chen could see details now.
24:15The fighter's dark green camouflage.
24:17The red hinomaru circle on the fuselage.
24:20The propeller spinner painted yellow to identify it as part of the 47th Sentai.
24:26Quarter mile.
24:27The fighter's nose was centered on A-square-52's vertical stabilizer.
24:32Impact in 15 seconds.
24:34The KI-44's engine began trailing black smoke.
24:37Not battle damage from A-square-52.
24:41This was mechanical failure.
24:43Nakajima Ha-109 radial engines were temperamental at high power settings.
24:49Maximum combat power for extended periods caused cylinder head temperatures to exceed design limits.
24:55Seizure was common.
24:57The fighter's propeller stopped rotating.
25:00The engine had failed completely.
25:02Without thrust, the KI-44 could not maintain its intercept course.
25:06It began losing speed and altitude.
25:10The pilot attempted to restart the engine.
25:12Failed.
25:14The fighter fell away below A-square-52's tail, its ramming attack aborted by mechanical failure rather than defensive fire.
25:2314th kill credited to A-square-52.
25:26No bullets fired.
25:27No gunner claimed the victory.
25:29But the fighter was combat lost due to battle damage stress on an already strained engine.
25:36Intelligence officers would later confirm the KI-44 crashed into the Pacific 18 miles east of Tokyo.
25:43Pilot did not survive.
25:45Fourteen confirmed kills.
25:47One B-29.
25:49One mission.
25:50The highest single-mission total for any bomber in the Pacific theater.
25:55The remaining three fighters broke off their ramming attacks.
25:58Fuel state was critical.
26:00They turned northwest toward Nadi Masu and climbed away.
26:04The engagement was over.
26:05A-square-52 had survived.
26:08But survival at 12,000 feet over hostile territory with one engine was different from survival at sea level on
26:16Saipan.
26:17Chen climbed back through the connecting tunnel to assess damage with the flight engineer.
26:22The list was catastrophic.
26:23Number one engine destroyed by ramming attack.
26:27Number three engine destroyed by ramming attack.
26:30Number four engine shut down due to oil pressure failure.
26:34Number two engine running but showing elevated cylinder head temperatures.
26:38Left wing structural damage.
26:40Right wing fuel leak.
26:42Hydraulic system at 15% capacity.
26:45Rudder jammed.
26:46Bombardier dead.
26:47Right blister gunner critically wounded.
26:50Radio compass damaged.
26:51One life raft destroyed by fighter cannon fire.
26:55Distance to Saipan was 1,512 miles.
26:59Flight time at current airspeed would be approximately 11 hours.
27:03Fuel remaining was calculated at nine hours maximum if number two engine continued operating without failure.
27:10The numbers did not work.
27:12The flight engineer proposed a solution.
27:15Restart number four engine.
27:16The engine had been shut down due to low oil pressure after the first ramming attack.
27:22Not destroyed.
27:23Not damaged beyond function.
27:25Just precautionary shutdown.
27:27Running the engine without adequate oil would destroy it within 30 minutes.
27:32But 30 minutes of additional thrust might provide enough airspeed to reduce overall fuel consumption and extend range.
27:40The aircraft commander approved the restart.
27:43Number four engine coughed.
27:45Caught.
27:46Began running rough but producing thrust.
27:49A-square 52 accelerated to 170 miles per hour.
27:53Still well below normal cruise speed but sufficient to slow the rate of descent.
27:57The bomber leveled off at 10,000 feet.
28:01The formation had continued to Tokyo without them.
28:04The mission had been completed.
28:06Bombs had been dropped.
28:08Other B-29s were already turning south for the return flight to Saipan.
28:13A-square 52 was alone over the Pacific with two damaged engines, failing systems, and insufficient fuel.
28:21Chen moved the wounded blister gunner to a more comfortable position and applied pressure bandages to the shrapnel wounds.
28:27The morphine Surettes in the first aid kit had frozen solid.
28:31Pain management was impossible.
28:33The gunner remained conscious but was losing blood.
28:3611 hours to Saipan.
28:38If they made it at all.
28:41Number four engine failed at 1420 hours, exactly 28 minutes after restart.
28:47The cylinder heads had overheated beyond tolerance.
28:50Internal components seized.
28:52The propeller windmilled for six seconds, then stopped completely.
28:55The aircraft commander feathered the propeller to reduce drag and shut down fuel flow.
29:01A-square 52 was back to one engine.
29:03Altitude began dropping immediately.
29:0610,000 feet.
29:079,500.
29:099,000.
29:10The single, Curtis Wright radial engine on the number two position was now solely responsible for keeping 32 tons of
29:17damaged bomber airborne.
29:18The navigator calculated a new fuel estimate, seven hours of flight time remaining.
29:24Distance to Saipan was still 900 miles.
29:26The mathematics remained impossible.
29:29The flight engineer proposed dumping the Bombay fuel tanks.
29:32These auxiliary tanks had been installed to extend the B-29's range for long missions over Japan.
29:38They were now empty, but still carried the weight of the tank structures themselves, approximately 400 pounds of dead weight,
29:45serving no purpose.
29:46The tanks were jettisoned at 1445.
29:49The B-29 climbed slightly, gained back 100 feet of altitude.
29:54The fuel consumption calculation improved by six minutes.
29:58Still not enough.
29:59Chen remained at the right blister position with the wounded gunner.
30:02The shrapnel wounds had stopped bleeding, but the man was going into shock.
30:06Core body temperature was dropping in the unpressurized fuselage.
30:11Chen removed his own heated flight suit liner and wrapped it around the gunner.
30:15The liner's electrical heating elements were still functioning, battery-powered, independent of the aircraft's failing systems.
30:21At 1,500 hours, the navigator identified a potential solution, Iwo Jima.
30:27The island was 640 miles from their current position.
30:30Marine forces had not yet invaded.
30:33The island was still held by Japanese forces, but American submarines occasionally surfaced near Iwo Jima to rescue downed B
30:40-29 crews.
30:42If A-Square-52 could reach the waters near Iwo Jima and ditch successfully, a submarine might pick them up.
30:48The aircraft commander rejected the plan.
30:51Ditching a B-29 in open ocean had a survival rate of approximately 40 percent.
30:56Ditching a B-29 with structural damage to both wings and a jammed rudder would be significantly worse.
31:03The bomber would likely break apart on impact.
31:06Even if the crew survived the ditching, they would be in the water in a combat zone with limited survival
31:11equipment.
31:11The decision was made to continue toward Saipan.
31:14At 1,600 hours, A-Square-52 crossed the international dateline.
31:19The navigator marked their position.
31:21700 miles to Saipan.
31:24Fuel for 5 hours and 40 minutes of flight.
31:26The gap was closing, but still favored running out of fuel before reaching the island.
31:31The flight engineer began shutting down non-essential electrical systems, navigation lights, cockpit instruments, heating elements, interior lighting.
31:40Every system required power from generators driven by the functioning engine.
31:44Less electrical load meant less drag on the engine.
31:47Less drag meant better fuel economy.
31:49The temperature inside the aircraft dropped to minus 40 degrees.
31:53At 1730, the formation of B-29s that had completed the Tokyo mission passed overhead.
31:59They were at 18,000 feet, flying in tight formation, all engines operating normally.
32:05They were making 270 miles per hour.
32:08They would reach Saipan in approximately 4 hours.
32:11A-Square-52 was making 160 miles per hour at 8,000 feet.
32:16Estimated time to Saipan was 7 hours.
32:19Fuel exhaustion was predicted in 4 hours and 50 minutes.
32:22The right blister gunner lost consciousness at 1,800 hours.
32:26His breathing was shallow.
32:27Pulse was weak.
32:28Chen monitored him continuously but had no medical supplies beyond the frozen morphine Surrettes and pressure bandages already applied.
32:36At 1845, No. 2 engine began running rough.
32:40Cylinder head temperature was climbing into the red zone.
32:43Oil pressure was fluctuating.
32:45The engine had been operating at maximum continuous power for nearly 7 hours.
32:49Curtis Wright R-3350 radials were rated for maximum continuous power operation for 4 hours maximum under normal conditions.
32:58These were not normal conditions.
33:01The flight engineer reduced power slightly to preserve the engine.
33:04Air speed dropped to 150 miles per hour.
33:07Fuel consumption improved.
33:09But time to destination increased.
33:11At 1,900 hours, the navigator calculated they were 400 miles from Saipan.
33:17Fuel remaining was estimated at 3 hours and 20 minutes.
33:20The mathematics still did not work, but the gap was narrowing.
33:25At 20,000 hours, the right blister gunner stopped breathing.
33:30Chen attempted resuscitation.
33:31The frozen air made chest compressions nearly impossible through the heavy flight suit.
33:37After 4 minutes, the flight engineer called time of death.
33:41The gunner's body was left in place.
33:44Moving it served no purpose and consumed energy the crew needed to survive.
33:49No. 2 engine continued running.
33:51Cylinder head temperature remained in the red zone, but the engine did not seize.
33:56Oil pressure fluctuated between 40 and 60 pounds per square inch.
34:00Minimum acceptable pressure was 50.
34:03The engine was operating on the edge of catastrophic failure.
34:07At 2,100 hours, the navigator spotted navigation lights.
34:12A Navy destroyer was visible 20 miles to the east, running a patrol pattern south of Iwo Jima.
34:18The destroyer could not help them.
34:20It could not come alongside a flying aircraft.
34:23It could not provide fuel.
34:25But its position confirmed the navigator's calculations were accurate.
34:28At 21.45, fuel quantity gauges read 30 minutes remaining.
34:34Distance to Saipan was 120 miles.
34:37Time to destination at current airspeed was 48 minutes.
34:41The gap had not closed enough.
34:43The flight engineer transferred all remaining fuel from wing tanks to the No. 2 engine's dedicated tank.
34:50Fuel pumps, cross-feed valves, emergency systems.
34:54Every drop of aviation gasoline in the aircraft was routed to the one functioning engine.
34:59At 2,200 hours, A-square-52 was 60 miles from Saipan.
35:05Fuel gauges read 15 minutes.
35:08The navigator could see Isley Field's runway lights on the southern end of the island.
35:12Distance, 8 miles.
35:14The bomber was at 4,000 feet and descending.
35:17No. 2 engine coughed.
35:20Fuel starvation.
35:21The engine caught again.
35:23Ran smooth for 20 seconds.
35:25Coughed again.
35:26The propeller windmilled.
35:28The engine restarted.
35:29Power fluctuated.
35:313 miles from the runway.
35:332,000 feet altitude.
35:34The tower at Isley Field cleared A-square-52 for emergency landing.
35:40Crash crews were standing by.
35:42Ambulances were positioned along the runway.
35:44The landing gear would not extend.
35:46Hydraulic system failure.
35:48The flight engineer attempted manual extension using the emergency hand crank.
35:53The nose gear deployed.
35:55The left main gear deployed.
35:57The right main gear remained retracted.
35:59Damaged in the fighter attacks.
36:011 mile from the runway.
36:021,000 feet.
36:04No. 2 engine quit completely.
36:06Fuel exhaustion.
36:08The propeller stopped.
36:09A-square-52 became a glider.
36:1132 tons of aluminum and steel with no power and asymmetric landing gear.
36:16The aircraft commander aimed for the runway.
36:20Airspeed.
36:20130 miles per hour.
36:23Descent rate.
36:23800 feet per minute.
36:25Too fast.
36:26Too steep.
36:26The B-29 crossed the runway threshold at 300 feet.
36:31Still too high.
36:32The bomber touched down halfway down the runway at 110 miles per hour.
36:37The left main gear collapsed immediately.
36:40The aircraft slewed left.
36:41The left wing struck the runway surface.
36:44Metal screamed.
36:45Sparks erupted.
36:46A-square-52 skidded 1,500 feet and came to rest in the dirt alongside the runway.
36:53All surviving crew members evacuated through the rear escape hatch.
36:57Ten men.
36:58The bombardier and right blister gunner had not survived.
37:01The aircraft was declared a total loss.
37:04Structural damage was too severe for repair.
37:07A-square-52 had flown 1,512 miles on one engine.
37:12Had shot down 14 Japanese fighters in one mission.
37:15Had survived two ramming attacks.
37:18Had brought 10 men home.
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37:36Stories about gunners and crews who fought with .50 caliber guns and determination.
37:41Real people.
37:42Real heroism.
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