B-29s of the 20th AF assembled on Baker runway, Saipan, Marianas Islands to load food and clothing to be dropped to PW Camps.
(Image above from fold3.com, their collection of images from the National Archives.)
The following TWX is from 315th BW Headquarters to the subordinate groups advising impending missions to obtain Prisoner of War (POW) supplies from Saipan and prepare for air drops of supplies to POW camps.
As stated on the subject line, the final instructions for the cargo lift from Saipan.
Tasking from the 20AF to identify which camps the 315th were to target for the supply drops.
As stated in the message from 20th AF, limits on altitude and drop speed for supply drops.
The "originator" and "to" lines are missing, but it seems this was a Field Order tasking message generated by
HQ 315th Bomb Wing and sent to the 331st and 502nd Bomb Groups for action.
The part of the above message, Field Order #3 that applies to the 502nd Bomb Wing.
The portion with the tasking for the 331st Bomb Group is missing.
Additional portions of Field Order #3
This is the communications annex to Field Order #3.
The next three images are mission boards for the POW Resupply Missons.
Times are listed as "K" time. That is the local time zone designator for Guam.
This time zone is 10 Hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)(known in military circles as Zulu or Z time.).
The following is a report on a POW Resupply mission to Northern Honshu island.
Part of a post drop report for missions on 31 Aug 45 and 1 Sep 45
Slicker was the call sign for aircraft of the 331st Bomb Group.
Temper was the call sign for the 502nd Bomb Group.
Prior to the end of the war, known prisoner camps were put on the Black List.
(There is an explanation, I'm sure, I just don't know what that is right now.)
Perhaps it meant these areas were off limits for bombing.
As part of the armistance agreements, the Japanese were required to provide a list of prisoner camps.
This list was far from complete and was termed the "Yellow List."
Images of the 20th AF summaries of total drops.
Report No. | Date Flown | Mission To | Coordinates | Field Order | |
| POW Report 10 | 30 Aug 45 | Tokyo - Yokohama area #15 | 3335N - 13945E | 315 POW M2 (Omori) | |
| POW Report 11 | 30 Aug 45 | Mukden Area 2 | 4149N - 12329E | 315 POW M2 | |
| POW Report 12 | 30 Aug 45 | Tokyo - Yokohama area #17 | 3530N - 13940E | 315 POW M2 | |
| POW Report 13 | 30 Aug 45 | Tokyo - Yokohama #270 | 3551N - 13940E | POW M2 (not clear if a 315th mission) | |
| POW REport 15 | 29,30 Aug 45 | Tokyo - Yokohama #13 | 3552N - 13939E | POW M1, M3 (photo ref indicates 315th) | |
| POW Report 16 | 30 Aug 45 | China Fort Bayard | 211130N - 1102200E | POW M2 | |
| POW Report 55 | 3 Sep 45 | Akita Area (No 281) | 4044N - 14056E | Mission No 315 POW M4 | |
| POW Report 56 | 4 Sep 45 | Narumi | 3404N - 13657E | Mission No 315 POW M4 | |
| POW Report 57 | 2 Sep 45 | Nagasaki | 3243N - 12950E | Mission No 315 POW M4 | |
| POW Report 70 | 1 Sep 45 | Iwataki City/Asono Lake | 3534N - 13513E | Mission No POW M3 315 Wing | |
| POW Report 71 | 1 Sep 45 | Ohaski | 3928N - 14143E | Mission No 315 POW M3 | |
| POW Report 72 | 1 Sep 45 | Ube | 3356N - 13111E | Mission No 315 POW M3 | |
| POW Report 110 | 1 Sep 45 | Osaka | 3436N - 13527E | Mission No 315 POW M3 (A/C 067) | |
| POW Report 111 | 1 Sep 45 | Iwaki | No Coords | Mission No 315 POW M3 | |
| POW Report 112 | 1 Sep 45 | Miskojima | 3423N - 13312E | Mission No 315 POW M3 | |
| POW Report 114 | 1 Sep 45 | 3916N - 14143E | Mission 315 POW M3 | ||
| POW Report 115 | 1 Sep 45 | Ube | 3344N - 13056E | Mission 315 POW M3 | |
| POW Report 116 | 1 Sep 45 | Niigata sub camp #5 | No Coord | Mission Mo 315 POW M-3 | |
| POW Report 117 | 1 Sep 45 | Fukushima | 3746N - 14028E | 315 POW M-3 | |
| POW Report 118 | 1 Sep 45 | Maizuru | 3532N - 13510E | 315 POW M-3 | |
| POW Report 119 | 1 Sep 45 | Maizuru | 3526N - 13517E | 315 POW M-3 | |
| POW Report 120 | 1 Sep 45 | Narumi (Nagoya) | 3404N - 13657E | 315 POW M-3 | |
| POW Report 121 | 2 Sep 45 | Iwaki | 315 POW M3 |
| Flown: 29-30 August 1945 |
| Group # 16 |
Camp #270
| A/C # 62 | T.O. 281932Z | Landed: 291035Z | Drop: 290240 | Pkgs: 32 |
Camp #276
| A/C # 34 | T.O. 281931Z | Landed: 291102Z | Drop: 290340 | Pkgs: 31 |
Unnamed Camp as alternate for Fukiyama Ward (35-36N 139-45E)
Camp #277
| Take Off: | First--281918 | Last---282220 |
| Drop: | First--290308 | Last---280605 |
| Landing: | First--291145 | Last---291447 |
| A/C # 9 | Pkgs: 32 | |
| A/C # 13 | Pkgs: 31 | |
| A/C # 30 | Pkgs: 33 |
Shikoku
| Take Off: | First--281855 | Last---282135 |
| Drop: | First--290200 | Last---280505 |
| Landing: | First--291030 | Last---291320 |
| A/C # 2 | Pkgs: 30 | |
| A/C # 26 | Pkgs: 33 | |
| A/C # 36 | Pkgs: 32 |
Mukden--Hoten Camp #2 (north)
| Take Off: | First--281849 | Last---290400 |
| Drop: | First--290850 | Last---300500 |
| Landing: | First--300300 | Last---020340 |
| A/C # 7 | Pkgs: 32 | |
| A/C # 8 | Pkgs: 31 | |
| A/C # 53 | Pkgs: 32 |
Mukden--Unnamed Camp
| Take Off: | First--281824 | Last---281959 |
| Drop: | First--290850 | Last---300415 |
| Landing: | First--292045 | Last---310341 |
| A/C # 3 | Pkgs: 33 | |
| A/C # 10 | Pkgs: 33 | |
| A/C # 14 | Pkgs: 32 | |
| A/C # 32 | Pkgs: 32 | |
| A/C # 59 | Pkgs: 31 | |
| A/C # 66 | Pkgs: 33 |
Source is 16th Bomb Group history for Sept 1945
Source is 16th Bomb Group history for Sept 1945