The FReeper Foxhole Profiles "Operation Starvation" WWII - July 9th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

THE RESULTS



Over the course of the war, mine laying sank or damaged over 2 million tons of enemy shipping, a volume representing nearly one quarter of the prewar strength of the Japanese merchant marine. Prior to Operation STARVATION, a widespread mining campaign was conducted in the enemy’s Outer Zone. Submarines, surface vessels and aircraft laid nearly 13,000 mines in harbors and shipping lanes. No submarine or surface vessel was lost while minelaying and out of 3,231 aircraft mining sorties, only 40 aircraft failed to return.

Approximately 770,000 tons of shipping was sunk or damaged.



During Operation STARVATION, more than 1,250,000 tons of shipping was sunk or damaged during the last five months of the war. Approximately 12,000 mines were laid requiring only 5.7 percent of the Twenty-first Bomber Command’s total effort. Out of 1,529 B-29 mining sorties, only 15 aircraft failed to return. In the five months prior to the end of hostilities, mines sank or damaged more shipping than any other agent including submarines or direct air attack by both Army and Naval forces. The Shimonoseki Straits and all important industrial ports were almost completely blockaded. Hundreds of ships were delayed, sunk, or damaged and supplies vitally needed in industrial and populated sections were diverted to northern Honshu ports where much of it remained, waiting to be hauled over an already overloaded transportation system to its useful destination.




The following represents the consensus of all Japanese mine experts as presented by Captain Tamura at a USSBS Conference:

“We agree that the mine warfare conducted by American planes during the greater East Asia War produced a very great strategical effect… When B-29s began to use Saipan as a base for mine warfare against our main islands they first interrupted communications in the Inland Sea Area and then by closing the Japan Sea ports they cut our communications and our food and raw material artery to the continent. The mine warfare coupled with the bombing raids prevented our utilizing our war strength and completely nullified our plans to the extent of forcing us to abandon them… It was indeed a far-sighted policy.”

CONCLUSION

The decision to employ the B-29 in the mining campaign was made with an eye towards post-war roles and missions for the Air Force; but in the end, the operation was an excellent example of inter-service cooperation. The 313th Wing started late, mining for less than five months, but Operation Starvation was a great success that contributed to the surrender of Japan without the need for a costly invasion.

Admiral Nimitz had the last word, “The planning, operational, and technical execution of Twentieth Air Force aircraft mining on a scale never before attained, has accomplished phenomenal results and is a credit to all concerned.”

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:
www.web-birds.com/
http://research.airuniv.edu/papers/ay2002/awc/mason.pdf
www.usaaf.net/
www.9thbombgrouphistory.org

[snippy_about_it]

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"Thunderin' Loretta"of the 1st B.S. The two men pictured are Charles Siddens (left) and his brother, Wendy. Wendy Siddens was a Navy man who managed to visit Tinian and see his brother. Charles and his entire crew were lost on a mine laying mission in May of '45

[snippy_about_it]

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[snippy_about_it]

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~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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[SAMWolf]

One of the most effective operations conducted by B-29s was the systematic mining of Japan's waterways.

Progressing through five phases and involving 1,528 sorties 13,102 mines were laid by B-29 bombers with the loss of just 15 aircraft. March 27, 1945 marked the beginning of the campaign. The 313th Bomber Wing undertook these missions, usually at night with radar, a parachute slowing the fall of each mine.

The mines rested on the sea bottom and weighed either 1,000 or 2,000 pounds, the heavier type being effective in 25 fathoms of water, the lighter one was good up to 10 fathoms.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Sam. Goodnight.

[SAMWolf]

Good Night Snippy.

[GATOR NAVY]

The decision to employ the B-29 in the mining campaign was made with an eye towards post-war roles and missions for the Air Force...

That's one way of looking at it. I've read the Air Force only took the mission to keep the Navy from having a reason to get its own heavy bombers. Despite the effectiveness of the mining campaign, the fliers still hated anything that took them away from strategic bombing.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[alfa6]

Overslept bump for the Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[StayAt HomeMother]

Can anyone tell me why dropping a couple of atomic bombs is considered by many to be so much worse than starving an entire nation? Even the name, "Operation Starvation," is horrifying.

Not mentioned in the above essay: If the whole nation of Japan were starving, prisoners would NOT have been well fed. [Quite the contrary. The first President Bush's "Flyboy" companions who were captured were subject to cannibalism.]

The Japanese had no respect for prisoners because of their own warrior code. Their prisoners suffered a horrendously high death rate: 35% of US soldiers died in Japanese captivity compared to less than one percent of those held by Germans. As former POW and later diplomat John Fletcher-Cooke wrote, “Few, if any POWs would have got out of Japan alive if the atomic bombs had not been dropped.”

To-the-death fanaticism was a major reason to use atomic bombs: to end the war with as few deaths as possible on both sides.

[The Mayor]

July 9, 2004

“Piggies”

Read: 1 Peter 5:5-7

[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. —1 Peter 5:7

Bible In One Year: Job 38-40; Acts 16:1-21

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I recall walking along a Texas creek many years ago with my brother-in-law Ed and his 3-year-old son David. David had been collecting smooth, round stones from the stream while we walked. He called them“ piggies,” because their rounded shape reminded him of little pigs.

David had stuffed a number of“ piggies” in his pockets, and after running out of pockets he began carrying them in his arms. After a while he began to stagger under the load and lag behind. It was obvious he would never make it back to the house without help, so Ed said,“Here, David, let me carry your piggies.”

Reluctance clouded David’s face for a moment, and then it lit up.“I know,”he said.“ You carry me and I’ll carry my piggies!”

I’ve often thought of that incident and my own childish insistence that I must carry my own load. Jesus offers to take all of my burdens but I resist out of stubbornness and pride.“ You carry me,”I say,“ but I ’ll carry my ‘piggies.’ ”

How foolish it is to try to carry all your burdens on your own when Jesus asks you to cast“all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”(1 Peter 5:7).

Have you put all of your“piggies”in Jesus’ strong arms today? —David Roper

I would tell the Lord my longings,
Roll on Him my every care,
Cast upon Him all my burdens,
Burdens that I cannot bear. —Weigle

God cares.

[GATOR NAVY]

Can anyone tell me why dropping a couple of atomic bombs is considered by many to be so much worse than starving an entire nation? Even the name, "Operation Starvation," is horrifying.

That is an interesting question, isn't it? And you're absolutely correct. If Japan hadn't surrendered in 1945, by 1946 hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people would have starved to death. The 1945 harvest was extremely poor. The mining paralyzed the coastal shipping that was Japan's main transportation system, and the Air Force's next target was going to be the rail system. Japan had no real highway network at that time. There would have been little food and no way to get it to the cities anyway.

As it was, even after Japan surrendered it was saved from mass starvation only by huge quantities of food supplied by the U.S. at the insistence of MacArthur.

But all that apperently would have been okay according to some because they would have died of "natural" causes and not radiation from the evil bomb.

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[Samwise]

Can anyone tell me why dropping a couple of atomic bombs is considered by many to be so much worse than starving an entire nation?

That one's easy. The answer is "because some people are idiots." ;^)

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone!

[Samwise]

G'morning. Cool pic.

I've been busy this week. Hobbit Lass is going to karate camp and the RC club had a picnic.

I'm learning to count in Japanese. Thankfully, Japanese is not my native language.

[Professional Engineer]

I'm learning to count in Japanese. Thankfully, Japanese is not my native language.

It is mine. We moved to Japan, while my dad worked on his masters' degree, when I was 6 weeks old. ESL teachers refuse to believe it, due to my non-accent.

How is the RC stuff going?

[CholeraJoe]

Despite the effectiveness of the mining campaign, the fliers still hated anything that took them away from strategic bombing.

I suspect you're right. We flyboys are pretty single-minded.