4.B29 article in SAKAUE town history/30 Mar.1990 issuance

B29 SODAME crash

US air force bomber B29 crashed to SODAME.
US air force ultra large bomber formation came flying on the mainland of Japan on the last stage, Nov 1944 of the Pacific War for the first time. And, Tokyo Met. air raid bombing they took decisive action. Even after that they bombed Japan every place. The B29, crashed in the forest of the SODAME MATSUDAIRA village around Jan 3 1945 1:30 p.m.

The huge dignified attitude of B29 was governing the command of the air of the Japanese up in the air completely. They pulled the contrails of 4 articles long to the sky of ultrahigh altitude and flew the sky with formation.

They invade the bombing of Nagoya-City from OMAEZAKI usually and the mainland up in the air flew the air route that reaches to a goal point toward the west.

For the war that continued many years especially 1945 of New Year entered upon lonesome New Year.
A youth, manhood in male almost went to a battlefield. It was a woman, old person, child, to defend the absence of a home. Of only the form that divides a little rice cake each other in New Year, in the war not only Bon Festival but also there was not New Year.

The Jan 3 day was the good weather of the doldrums with a clear sky. B29 of 7 machine formation faced the Nagoya-City up in the air to the east and was flying. That moment, the fighter 1 machine of the Japanese corps zooms up and took decisive action to 1 machine of B29 body crash. Light was emitted flashingly the moment. The fighter of Japan that did body crash threw up black smoke and crashed. Many persons see this instant and know. Even the huge form of B29 was not able to bear this body crash. B29 continued flight while doing a snake line while pulling the tail of black smoke.

Summarizing the news item in that time in Aich aviation history 117 wrote the moment of this body crash.
The MINORU SHIROTA aviation lieutenant of the 55th fleet of KOMAKI discovered B29 in the Nagoya-city up in the air. He turned the nose to the captain machine of the head. Shooting it from Front fire was spouted. Reversing, after it had done body crash to the right wing. B29 fell in theSODAME MATSUDAIRA village in that time. The SHIROTA lieutenant got off in the forest of Toyota-city north with a parachute. The fighter of this Japan says"Hien". The persons of the fall point helped him. As for the SHIROTA lieutenant the abdomen internal hemorrhage was violent. He died in Jan 4.

The elder of the village remembers well about this day. The B29 huge form was reverberating GOGO and large sound, in the sky of the Jan 3.1945 fine weather. And, it has approached the ground with black smoke. "Airplane falls!!!" "Airplane falls!!!" Everyone shouted that. That huge form started to fall. It is right above of a SHIMOYASHIKI SODAME MATSUDAIRA village. The sound that echoes in GOGO and valley is terrible. One of the propeller of B29 broke in the up in the air of SIMOYASHIKI and flew. B29, advance becomes an impossibility and the body began to crash, decline.

This propeller fell to the rice paddy on the east side of the HOUEI bridge and stuck a jab. The iron bar, that seems to be the axle of the propeller of the length of 40 cm, 15 cm diameter, thrust through the roof of the house of Mr. GINTAROU SUZUKAWA. The iron lump broke the beam (Pine material of the diameter of 40 cm) and stuck a jab in the earth floor. At this time the SUZUKAWA aged couple is in outside and was safe.

That B29 came to right above of SHIMOYASHIKI SODAME is thought as certainty by the fall thing. Seven houses that were in right under, if it fell as it is burnt down. And, it is thought that there were many fatalities. Blessedly, in the just before of the crash the body reversed largely. And, it fell in the forest of SODAME. Therefore there were not fatalities and there was little damage.

The huge form of B29 swung the valley with GOGO and large sound fully, the sky. Instantaneous, whoever thought that it might die. While lose the judgment and crying out something with the mouth, It will do how and let's do how! Person who runs to the right that and person who runs left. A woman took a child from a bed. The woman who held it conversely ran toward the air defense cave of the east. The person who shouldered a bedridden patient ran to the west.

The huge form of B29 that reversed drove it from the head to the SODAME forest. The huge form was able to rise sharply. Raising black smoke highly with a large sound it began to burn. And, 7 US air force soldiers become that they burn black and was in a machine. One person escaped from with a parachute in fall immediately before. He descended to the forest of the SHIMOYAMA village between Mt ROKUSHO and Mt HOUROKU. He was arrested by mountain hunting.

The people of SODAME and SIMOYASHIKI faced to the mountain of the crash scene while shouting that B29 fell and ran. The place where crashed was the mixture forest between the boundary nearby miscellaneous trees and bamboo of SODAME and SHIMOYASHIKI. Terrible black smoke, PHAN PHAN and big sound made and was fearful. Gunpowder and bamboo explode with fire heat. The person who rushed first was 5 or 6 people. Even the bomb would explode with was worried about. The force of fire has become strong and the forest fire likely to break out. The inhabitants of a village hurried and cut the fire way and try hard to fire prevention.
The heating power of B29 did not become weak. A number of persons has increased, but the water carriage is extremely bad. The person who gathered only watches of fire that becomes weak.

As for in Japan devil American English was a password during the war it is at that time. And there were few persons who hold hostility. There was not the person who whips it to this corpse. The back of huge militarys shoe faced this and felt strange. A corps person concerned came nearly in the evening and did the survey. The disaster prevention member of a party of local was related to the duties of guard. The person of the great numbers visited from far and near from next morning. The name of SODAME was known widely.

As for the treatment of copse of these 7 American soldier disaster prevention member of a party Mr KANICHI NAKANE of SODAME became a representative. They did to break two Straw mat and made it a stretcher. Corpse carried to the crematory of the SODAME village and cremated it. Cremation feared an air raid and did only to daytime and at night put out fire, and at night put out fire. The corpse, became a bone in 3 days and then was buried in the same graveyard.

The military authorities dismantled the wreckage of this B29 at the later time and carried with a human power to the HOUEI bridge. The propeller that fell to the rice paddy was displayed in the present MATSUDAIRA junior high school. However, a little later, the representative sent in it to the Allied Forces after the war. And, it was confiscated.

Sequel of the B-29 crash

It became the defeat of Aug15.1945 Japan. And, the Allied Forces landed. And, the various occupation policies were done. In October of the same year an American soldier comes and load Mr KANICHI NAKANE to the jeep and took away. Mr KANICHI NAKANE was the representative who is the disaster prevention member of a party of a SODAME community and cremated the corpse of the American soldier of B29. He was hauled due to the survey. The inhabitants of a village and family were afraid of it that he would be executed. However, he could return home with an easy investigation.

2 American soldier who got on a jeep to the public office of an Aug 1946 MATSUDAIRA village visited. And, they say that they investigate it about the crash point of B29. The TOUICHI TERASAWA secretary who worked in the public office at that time becomes a guide and rode together in the jeep. With the American soldier of the black man of the victorious country, terrible, journey did not talk one word. We climbed which with the jeep from the entrance neighborhood of YANAYAMA to SODAME community. And we walked to the crash point of B29 after. Midway they enter into the leek field. They drew out the leek from the root and began to eat the part of the white root of the leek with GARIGARI. The Terasawa secretary was surprised.

We searched the remains into the grass that is location and grew to the baking site, but it could not to find even what. Although go even to the crematory and investigated there was not a remainder bone. But, they say OK and the survey ended safe.

As for the present crash point the tree is big. It is the situation that impossible to to search the place, if the visit person does not know about that time. It could the road where passes the under later several years after the crash. The guidance board is standing in the roadside of the B29 crash point.

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5.Interview to Mrs. MITSUE NAKANE that witnessed with the short distance(Apr 21, 2000)

I received introduce crash eye witness Mrs. MITSUE NAKANE of B29 from the Matsudaira town community center.
This Photo is the NAKAME house of SODAME SAKAUE-town. The left neighbour is the residence of Mr. KANICHI NAKANE of the deceased with the disaster prevention member of a party in that time who cremated an American soldier right away.

Mrs. MITSUE NAKANE was 20 years old at that time and was married to NAKANE Family and was New Year of 2 years later. She experienced the crash event before the eye of B29 when her husband was out in a battlefield. All the persons who concerned with B29 directly at that time are said to have died. Also, even the survivor of witnessing are said to there are only the 2 present. However, the row of house of the SODAME hardly is said to change with that time also in the present of 55 years later. The NAKANE house is the short distance of the west of 150 m from the crash point.

This Photo is the view from the garden of the NAKANE house. The central bamboo grove of this Photo is a crash point. It is the scenery of the village of a very peaceful mountain. While looking at the crash point in the veranda of the NAKANE family I heard the situation in that time. And, I could do the action of the inhabitants of a village at the time of the crash of 55 years ago an image.

The husband of Mrs. MITSUE NAKANE returned safely after an end of the war. The present is living happily together the son married couple and grandchild. Last, Mrs. MITSUE be, while imagining the fear of the B29 crash, can spend it safely after that, and it was said pensively that she thinks that the talk of B29 could like this today very happily.

Talk of Mrs. MITSUE NAKANE

This neighborhood was always facing from the east through the direction to the up in the air of Nagoya in the path of B29. Even the day the large formation of B29 faces to the east and, I saw in the garden it, one instantaneous machine missed that, spouting fire on the head it has fallen. I started to be about to upset. And, it fell in the bamboo grove of the before where it ran about 10 m. Anyway, terrible sound and bamboo such sound that explodes was violent. I think that the house burns and enter into the house and tried to search the valuables it could not at all in panic condition.

I did it to become next morning and see. It is 2 people that there was a figure with the charred bodies of the American soldier and there were arranged it. Besides it is awful and was burning blackly. I think that. The charred bodies tied it with a rope. I saw that carries to it with 2 people through a bamboo pole and the alley before my house is carried to the crematory of a village.

The officer who pierced 2 Japanese sword soon after the crash came to the survey of B29. I accommodated them in my house many times. Arranged the wreckage of B29 in a nearby field. It could a several mountain. After the crash for one month as for the place the procession of a/the spectator kept on the alley before my house. It looked like the festival of KOUBOUSANN entirely.

B29 has come to come well even after that. There is a shelling from a warship from this at the time of the air raid of Nagoya, and there was the canard that the enemy will attack. I am dreadful the chin was not able to stop rattle and shake. I thought that Japan is defeated, but, it was not said to be loss. Therefore I was becoming silent patiently.

I heard the news after that of the American soldier that descended with a parachute 4 years ago. When it was doing a job in the small field next to the B29 crash point Mrs. KANI of my friend that came in an OHTAKI mountain villa has visited it. It becomes the talk of B29 with her. She says that the American soldier who descended with the parachute lives in America which at present is fine. He was hiding that in the charcoal making hut, in that time, Japanese rice cake I gave which, even delicious water received it, he said that the gratitude wants to say.

P. S. Confirmation of Mrs. KANI information

I confirmed to Mrs. KANI by phone later. Then, Mrs. KANI said. I heard from Mr. SABUROU NAKAYAMA of THOSHIN-town Toyota-city. He appears a good source of information with the chairman of the Aichi boy flight meeting of the organization of an ex army boy flight soldier school. Thereupon, I confirm and do to Mr. SABUROU NAKAYAMA by phone. However, he had already died. Concrete information does not hear even his son. I tried to hear to the ex friend of Mr. SABUROU NAKAYA. However, the information was not able to confirm.

In addition to this, the American soldier in the postwar visits to the gratitude. And I heard even the information that the chief priest of the temple of ASUKE-Town interpreted. However, actually the relation is not confirmed yet. It has been thought with because there is a method even the voluminous documents of the Department of Defense of U.S. are investigated, to confirm the truth of this information probably. And, the day of what time in or good news be looking forward to possible confirm.

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6.Visit postscript

Juvenile memory

I visited SODAME and could understand that my juvenile memory is extremely uncertain. As for my memory, thought the B29 crash to be the event in summer. It be, as it expressed in the clause of first, With the event that the pilot of an American air force touched down with a parachute on the south side of the woods of the village shrine of Okazaki City which I lived. It mistakes it with the legend of the B29 crash that was told again and again after I evacuate to Mar 1945 and seem to have been remembered.

I reconfirmed the question of POW that I saw to an uncle. It was the pilot of P51 who came flying like every day at that time. As for the P51 the Okazaki air fleet shot down it. He asserted the crash that confirm and the machine type is P-51. At this time the pilot who became POW was executed directly allegedly. However, I do not understand truth.

P-51 Mustang

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7. Chapter 1 summary

I visited the crash point and could confirm the following information.
I want to inspect the recollection of B-29 following the support of a HP visit person on the basis of these information, from now on.

1.Time and Crash point

About 3PM 3 Jan 1945

Sodame Sakaue town Toyota City

2.Shooting down situation

Seven machine formation flew the Toyota-shi south up in the air to the way home of Nagoya Port area bombing.
Hien did to the body hit from under of the leadership machine in the time and shot down.
The body crashes while throw up smoke and circling the Mt Murazumi up in the air the left.
Many persons witnessed it with the fine in the day.

3.Arrest of the American soldier that escaped from with a parachute from B29

It touched down nearly the charcoal making hut of the Houroku piedmont of the east of Toyota City. It is thought that arrest situation was rescued without being ill-treated judging from various episodes.

4.Assignment and body NO etc

American air force XXIBC-73BW-500BG-882BS/Saipan airfield departure
Corps distinction symbol " Z-Square-22"
Body NO-4,224,766
Captain name: Hurldutt
Nick name: Leading Lady

5.Damage

Japan: fighter 1 machine. pilot 1 person . mountainous region destruction by fire,
U. S.: B-29 1 machine.10 people death in a fire.POW 1 person.

6.News of B-29 POW

Indistinct(There was the rumor of a return)

7.POW that I saw

Pilot of P-51 who came flying from Iwo Island.
News of the P-51 pilot (There was the rumor of execution.)

8. Reference data

I omitted it in the English version.edition, but it described to the Japanese edition.

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I am gratitude to your visit.
"Truth of B-29"was edited in the next page.
I would appreciate the offer of your visit and information.

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