ISU Library Shelley Collection: Box 8, Reel 10

from against Japan in terms of the size of groan we've watched plane after plane take off down the runway with its wide open and roared off into the skies on the first leg of the trip to Japan it's a remarkable sight in the thrilling sight the Westies b-29s take off and it's been the most impressive things I've ever seen that was another one just been taking off these frames each of them loaded with tons of gasoline and tons of them make a very tense and the very nerve-wracking impression on one though a few critical moments when they're running down this wrong strip the seems to be miles long waiting to get up enough speed and momentum to take off into the air it's a very exciting and a very tense and important moment because it's not easy to pick a plane this heavy off the air and it started out safely without written or the pen and the gasoline but this airborne strike with the started hitting brand from Bremen arrives bed and its takeoff phase or what seems to be almost an hour now and we'll have them all off the ground and then we'll come another period that has its engine deuce the period of waiting for the return and then another b-29 then going down the runway after they are left then we have a period a period of about 15 hours for the round trips to their targets in Japan and back i boiled around the ground crew azir's what about and a way to learn whether the men whom they sent off over four motors planes are going to come back safely from a trip to Japan for you listen to this wire recording of a broadcast direct from piss on Guam that greater wedding won't be very long it's a short time but at the end of 15 arrow for us here and Guam the Sun will be up it'll be money and we will be waiting here to see these men as they come back in and I hope send the trucks to some of the three members if it's hard and this latest right by the b-29 begins Japan and to get their story for you now that other b-29 on its way to Japan now we'll wait until those men come back and we can start talking to some of them and getting there exploring a very very slight way indicate for 1215 hours I spoke of last night have now passed we're speaking to you now from one of the bomb groups before return from this strike against Japan we know now because the official announcement that it was the biggest b-29 operation yet against Japanese teleplay with approximately 800 planes taking part from bases in the Mariana and with some expiring tons of fans being death already we have with it ready to talk to our w8o listeners one of the Iowa fliers who returned 15 hours in Japan he is sergeant Donald II of Charles City Iowa sergeant Semmelweis tomorrow there is the microphone and tell me how does it feel to get tracked the trip of that length feels pretty good to be back he's hired after being up all night the I was a right turn around 29 we were about the 17th ship was a target our particular target was North Tokyo fires were very good of course the reserves for hazards at the time but they did a very good job I'm sure and how many missions does it make for you this is my 24th mission you've got 11 more to do 11 more to go around what are their name Henry H mo heck and Jing and I know that they'd like to hear you say just a word about how you feel right now I feel pretty good right now I'm good and a couple of boys go off and I think for you 28:28 mission we've got about seven more to do they live in better neighbor mr. and mrs. ma 399 and how is this trip over Japan for you well this is pre easy mission I meant much anything and how do you feel on getting back at your tired shooting I'll bet you are but you want folks back there to know what you're feeling all right don't you that's right I'm doing perfect good well I know they'll hear this broadcast and I know they'll be mighty glad to hear from you by the way don't you have a wife somewhere back in the state school that's right she's in the Recon Royston bee sting I ran from the Marines well I don't know whether they should hear this broadcast but I hope she does thanks a lot for being happy this morning because he's just finished age 36 mission and completing this flight over to pass is lieutenant Robert em all a pilot from Centerville Iowa don't tell me how it feels to guess the tour is done and half that's 35th under your approach be pretty good well I never was gonna be happier I don't believe I'll bet you work and was this last wing particularly a rough one for you you know the last one wasn't any harder than the first at first when incidentally sometimes is pretty hard isn't it yes Savior in fact there instead of Ville don't say and you also have a wife weren't you all be living in Centerville I'm driving the Sun and the Sun good you expect thought you to be able to leave here pretty shortly and the heads back for Thunder Ville well the 20th Air Force says we leave within 48 hours within 48 hours in other words unless we move pretty fast and got this broadcast on the air from WH o you might come close to hearing it yourself is that right that's right you can because I know nothing in the world will be better for you than to be back there in front of you with your with your wife and we're mighty happy for you first lieutenant Robert em how of Centerville Iowa here's an MRI oh man who's just dropping back with just finished his interrogation and who has come up to the microphone now we're going to talk to him for a while sergeant Wendell W Woodall a gunner on Webster City sergeant what all how did you find this mission well this mission wasn't particularly rough compared to the first compared to the first but most everybody seems to find the thought the first one is the one they remember most of her by the way did you find any flights or any position oh they said they saw for a fiber supply but that was all real fighters whatsoever Oh beautiful live by John Webster do they do that if they do and what are their names mister missus Harold I would off 1814 Senecas be fine I know they're gonna be glad to hear from you would you like to tell them how you feel this morning now as you're biking this long trips and tell them also how many missions you have completed with this one well this is a twenty first mission I feel pretty good I had quite a bit of fact I'm a bit of fact that means you got some sleep on the plane coming back okay good well I know you're gonna get some more facts I'm probably pretty quick now so we'll let you go thanks a lot sergeant wendell w with all of Webster's it is now it's time to hear from tech sergeant Donald R Cline a gunner from Ida Grove Iowa sargans line how many missions have you completed with us what 29:29 mission how did you find this one over to plan fairly easy did you find any flax or any fighter opposition we've seen some off the target after we've left the target we didn't have any denominator all just by the way how does it looks when you're over there can you see the fires that have been set by the bombs or if there's no longer cast begin again the results from the plane is that right by an Ida Grove my parents are mr. and mrs. a decline alrighty cool and how would you like to tell their benefits because I'm quite sure that they'll be listening how you feel and how is your practice in this mission who acted like what is that I've got to do and we're going to let you go to bed right now because you put in a mighty long day's work thanks very much technical sergeant Donald arc lines of Ida Grove the last man to be heard of this series of interviews is second lieutenant Joseph E rubber an instrument specialist of market Iowa lieutenant Weber how many missions does this make for you as makes 1919 was this one in any way no it's been a good deal like this run out lately been a good deal like the run of them lately does that mean that you and your plane didn't encounter much opposition that's right tell me I've been wondering about these night missions over Japan there were some 800 in this particular job the biggest one yet is it pretty crowded when you get over a target like that I wonder if you tell our listeners your parents name back there another forever I'm sure they're listening will you just give us a few words by our appeal on being back from this particular job well I'm sorry it's good to be back you bet it's good to be back imagine pretty tired aren't you that's right you're tired and we know you've brought mighty good reason for being tired so we're gonna let you go so wanna say thanks to you also expectant lieutenant Joseph E Weber of martha's Iowa and that completes our series of interviews here in this interrogation room of a b-29 bomber group on the island of Guam men who have completed their part of the biggest b-29 right yet against Japan we're mighty proud to have been able to talk to them and to have been able to bring their voices to you back there at home in Iowa this is Jack Shelly speaking Islam and returning you to WH o in Des Moines okay okay standing by this is Jack Shelley broadcasting once again from Tokyo Bay Japan whenever you had a stir an argument over here all you have to do is get a group of war correspondents or occupation groups together and that's from this question did the Japs really know their lick you can get almost as many answers to that query Japan and when a tumult and shouting of debate is over all the talk boils down to this we simply don't know yet was the people of new pond do feel in their heads that Japan has been well and thoroughly defeated in this war yet we must run the answer for this great Allied occupation which marks the first time in modern history that our means of a great coalition have landed on the shores of an enemy homeland and taken over control without the firing of a shot we've been saying for years the Japs are hard people to figure out what still comes as a surprise to find now that we have landed here just how true that is run the events that have occurred since we came ashore you can find plenty of evidence for either side of the argument as to whether the nips really feel they are beaten on the cool side there is the overwhelming fact of the peaceful way in which occupation and troops discuss it it's a good many days passed now but I don't think a single American who swarmed ashore from invasion boats with the 4th Marines will ever get over his other surprise at the way the Japs greeted us that day the Chiefs lined up with our arms and parade formation they've laid him out of saluting and bowing by the nips their willingness to obey orders and we still they feel as though it must be some kind of a dream well I'm a very correspondence of Donna we boarded Japanese train and travel with complete 50 wherever we want to go surrounded by a thousands of Japs - his only reaction is mingled curiosity and smiles we drive through little villages in our Jeep and many civilians wave or salute on a surprising number of children of all the land the V for victory fine of the up raise two fingers upon the fretful a burned-out wasteland of Tokyo and Yokohama why one might well expect to find bitter hatred by the millions whose homes have been destroyed and relative pure we encounter only the flame president and relief that the bombing is over general Clement commander of the 4th Marines told us a week after the occupation began there in all his dealings with the Japanese they've been very cooperative with the occupation I don't know whether it's merely on the surface he said but I believe it's sincere I think they're thoroughly defeated now that they know it Japanese police have disarmed their own troops and turned over the guns to us we have only a tell them the clear civilians out of a certain area the Marines once a year risk and they have got within 30 adores much quicker the general admitted and we could do it ourselves how these things make you think the Japanese I don't know if trying to make the best of a humiliating defeat and yes there are other things that make you wonder has been the studied way in which most Japanese officials have shied away from using the words of defeat and surrender in their utterances about the occupation in not one of his official statement Emperor Hirohito although we defeated that they left for war call the termination of hostilities and the new prime minister told the Japanese Barrett the other day at the end the war in Japan thanks to their generosity and our manners but if the u.s. didn't very strictly to the Japanese interpretation of the surrender terms we find ourselves sitting on a beehive one more thing there's been tremendous emphasis by the Japanese press and public officials in the days since the occupation began on the staggering power of the atomic bomb and the horrible effects it's rock and the two thirties word was dropped every day the official Japanese news agency domain prints some new report about more civilians dying in hajima from lingering effects of the bomb there are good many of us who feared the Japs are trying to build up in the public mind an idea that the only thing that defeated them was a weird new weapon a sort of a fluke that they didn't lose in a fair fight plan DOMA is been printing numerous stories of alleged mistreatment of individual Japanese by our occupation peace stories printed apparently without any allied censorship before there's been time to investigate the charges so there are indeed two sides of the question whether Japan knows she's late defied general Clements again he said his long experience in the Orient who's the Japanese do what they're told by their leaders to do years ago when Japan was trying to persuade America must've passed a law preventing Japs from becoming American citizens a short time afterward when Congress had passed the exclusion law it seemed that every Jap did all he could to be offensive to American visitors the Japs are disciplined people the general commented and when the word has been passed they obey orders but he admitted the same discipline which has given us such an easy plan so far in this occupation of Japan could be used to make plenty of trouble for us if the orders change it's up to us to make sure the Japs learn they are defeated and that the right word is faster than always if not we may wake up one day to find this area of sweetness and light is all over this is Jack Shelley in Tokyo Bay I return you to Des Moines