17, 1944, and a young, energetic Army Air Corps officer named Col.
The 509th Bomb Group was activated on Dec. had another idea in the works to prevent this catastrophic loss of life. gone through with a full-scale invasion of Japan. losses at 400,000-800,000 killed in action and 5-10 million Japanese killed, had the U.S. Projected casualties vary but estimates created by the war department, based off of experiences at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, put U.S.
Japan prepared more than 8,000 suicide aircraft and prepared the civilian population for a fanatical, last-stand defense of the homeland. It would occur in two phases: the invasion of Kyushu, called Operation Olympic, and the invasion of the large island of Honshu, called Operation Coronet. Thousands of Japanese civilians killed their families or committed suicide by jumping off cliffs into the sea rather than suffer the dishonor of surrender.Īfter Okinawa, plans were drawn up for Operation Downfall, which would be the invasion of the home islands of Japan. The bloody struggle for this minute piece of land led to the deaths of 12,510 U.S. For comparison, New York City is 468 square miles.
The situation grew even more grave at the battle of Okinawa, where from April 1 to June 22, 1945, a battle raged over an island consisting of 464 square miles. Marines and Navy sailors were killed fighting over this tiny piece of land. In February 1945, the battle of Iwo Jima raged on a tiny, pork chop-shaped island no more than a few miles long. While Wendover AAF thrived, the situation in the Pacific was grim. This oasis in the desert consisted of more than 20,000 military personnel and civilians, 668 buildings, seven large aircraft hangars and three 8,100-foot-long concrete runways. This is the tale of the 509th Bomb Group that trained, outfitted and deployed from Wendover in 1945.īy the fall of 1944, Wendover Army Airfield was a hotbed of activity. While the sacrifice and heroism are amazing, even more significant contributions to the eventual surrender of the Empire of Japan were made at Wendover. the moths are attacking my headlamp, ohh working on suspending one form in the hangar.In last week’s article, we explored the incredible contribution Wendover and the Greatest Generation made to bring Nazi Germany to its knees via strategic bombing. My lantern is shooting flames and it is my only source of light, trusting in the lord to watch over me. This place is creepy, there are bullets scattered all over the ground for miles out here usting in the lord I am all alone out here for a while till this guy Steve from Simparch returns. Once the war was over every one left this once populated town. Sitting about a half mile visible is the Enola Gay hangar that housed the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb during world war two. Clui leases this building from the county of wendover UT. I am sitting at south base in an abandoned military hangar, completely out of my comfort zone. Population: West Wendover, Nevada 4,721 / Wendover, Utah, 1,537 Wendover / Center For Land Use InterpretationĮcological niche: Great Basin salt-desert scrubland