Latest news with #B-29Superfortress
Irish Examiner
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Will we ever learn from history?
In a little over a month, we will mark the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the first nuclear bomb by the Americans on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, destroying it and killing 100,000 of its citizens. It was August 6, 1945, when the B-29 Superfortress bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the bomb. Just nine days previously, then US president Harry Truman, speaking in Potsdam in conquered Germany, warned Japan to either surrender unconditionally or face 'prompt and utter destruction'. Japan did not surrender and Truman kept his promise. The president's words came eerily to mind last weekend when the current holder of the office demanded pretty much the same thing of Iran. When Tehran failed to comply, a phalanx of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers was dispatched by the White House to strike at Iran's nascent nuclear capability. The two events, although 80 years apart, were both unexpected and had dramatically altered the course of a conflict that had been going on for years. In the case of Japan, the Hiroshima raid presaged the dropping of a second bomb on Nagasaki three days later and capitulation followed. With Iran launching missiles at US bases in Qatar last night, we are on an increasingly unpredictable path with no clear idea of how it might end. Whether or not that will provoke Trump's Oval Office into using its nuclear weaponry remains to be seen. Humankind, we know, learns little from history, but the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have kept us in fear of our darker impulses for each and every one of the 80 years since. Although both Russia and North Korea have explicitly threatened tactical nuclear strikes, and there are nine countries with nuclear weapons (including Iran's rival Israel, which has a policy of neither confirming nor denying it), nobody has used an atomic weapon in anger since 1945. That a war has broken out over widespread concern of Iran's nuclear capability raises fears of an unprecedented global nuclear holocaust once more, and potentially puts our Earth and it peoples in grave jeopardy. History has many lessons to teach us. Will we listen? Challenges for the pub trade There was a time when being an Irish publican was regarded as one of the most solid and profitable jobs in the country. While times change and occupations evolve, the Irish pub trade is going through a sea change few would have ever predicted, having hit an economic black spot. Soberingly, property experts in Cork reckon that, of the 50 pubs for sale in the city and country, roughly 20% are non-viable as pubs because of location, ageing, and demographics. The disappearance hugely popular city bars such as the Swan and Cygnet, Nancy Spains, and The Western Star — as well as the recent closure of The Evergreen in Turner's Cross — have highlighted how great the generational span in the trade has become. Villages and towns across the county — not to mention countrywide — are witnessing a similar trend. Amid a nationwide housing crisis, it is perhaps no surprise that so many traditional watering holes are now being transitioned into residential buildings. Things certainly ain't what they used to be. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Scandal in Spain While there has been little focus on Spain in recent days for obvious reasons, the country's socialist government is locked in a battle for survival and its prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has seen his reputation as a scourge of corruption shredded. The EU's last centre-left leader is fighting for his political life as events over the past seven days have intensified a national argument that has been ongoing for nearly 12 months about his, and his party's, suitability for government. The dapper 53-year-old and his Spanish Socialist Worker's party (PSOE), who lead the country's minority government, are fighting allegations of grift and corruption. Sánchez's right-hand man, Santos Cerdán, resigned last week after a supreme court judge found 'firm evidence' linking him to kickbacks from public construction contracts. Cerdán, who is also the organisational secretary of the PSOE, is linked with two men — former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and his former aide Koldo García — who were involved in a 2021 scandal involving taking payment for facilitating mask contracts during the covid crisis. Both denied any wrongdoing, but the legacy of the scandal has dogged Sánchez since. The situation worsened last week when leaked evidence handed to the Guardia Civil's anti-corruption unit purported to show Cerdán discussing illegal payments with Ábalos and García, as well as the merits of certain sex workers. If this wasn't bad enough for Sánchez and his government, grift allegations against his wife, Begoña Gómez, and brother, David Sánchez, are also being investigated. The prime minister has dismissed the allegations as a 'fit-up' driven by the far-right groups behind them. Like all senior politicians, Sánchez will be used to the hurly-burly of life in high office, but it appears he is slowly being swamped and if his partners in government, a cabal of small Catalan and Basque nationalist parties, were to decide he and his party are too toxic, the show might be over. Sadly, there is a growing sense that the days of what was once lauded as one of Europe's last beacons of social democracy may be coming to an ignominious conclusion. Read More Irish Examiner view: Cork crime series sheds light on our criminal justice system
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Dayton Air Show 2025: Main attractions, what's on display and key restrictions to know
The CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show kicked off in Ohio on Saturday. Held at Dayton International Airport on June 21-22, the show will feature an array of aircraft such as the Air Force Thunderbirds and the B-29 Superfortress. The Goodyear blimp will make its first appearance at the show in close to 20 years, Dayton Daily News reported. The Dayton Air Show is expected to see a huge turnout, based on attendance over the past few years. Taking place at Dayton International Airport on June 21-22, the Dayton Air Show features several impressive aircraft.(@DaytonAirShow/X) The show will feature displays such as the Dover Air Force Base's massive C-5 Galaxy and the C-17 from the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Golden Knights, the official demonstration team of the US Army, will perform at the event. Known as America's Ambassadors in Blue, the Thunderbirds will take to the skies as well. The B-29 Superfortress Doc, one of only two B-29s still flying, will also feature at the Dayton Air Show this year. The Third Strike bi-plane wing-walkers will also be showcased at the event. The Red Bull Air Force demonstration will feature skydivers and aerobatic pilot Kevin Coleman. Visitors can also enjoy a ride on an AH-1F Cobra Attack Helicopter or a UH-1 Huey. They need to pay $100 as a donation to go on a ride aboard the chopper. Also read: Midwest and Central US face scorching heat wave: How to stay safe as temperatures rise over 100 degrees Dayton Air Show 2025: Restrictions As per the official website of the event, several items are banned from the venue. This includes cans, coolers, loose ice, weapons, firearms, alcohol and skateboards. For the detailed list, visitors must check the Dayton Air Show website. Visitors need to be prepared for warm weather this weekend if they are in Dayton. The National Weather Service predicted that the maximum temperature would be around 92 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday. Sunday is expected to be hotter. FAQs What are the dates for the Dayton Air Show? The Dayton Air Show will be held on June 21-22. Can you bring food into the Dayton Air Show? As per the official website, bringing food is not prohibited. The items must be wrapped in clear wrapping. How much is a helicopter ride at the Dayton Air Show? The ride costs $100. What is the biggest airshow in the USA? The EAA AirVenture event at Wisconsin's Oshkosh is the biggest airshow in the US.
NZ Herald
17-06-2025
- NZ Herald
Book of the day: Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Horishima and the Surrender of Japan by Richard Overy
The large-scale use of mass bombing – a core tactic in the European theatre – was only possible against Japan in the last two years of World War II. This was when B-29 Superfortress bombers came within range of the mainland from sites across the northeast Pacific in the summer
Asahi Shimbun
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Hidden motive to honor LeMay, who ordered air raids on Japan
Tokyo lies in ruins after the U.S. firebombing on March 10, 1945. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) In under two decades, U.S. Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay went from being called a "brute" in Japan for his actions during World War II to being honored by the Japanese government for his post-war efforts. More than 60 years later, LeMay is back in the news, with a citizens' activist group calling for revocation of his Japanese medal. U.S. Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay (From the U.S. Air Force website) LeMay orchestrated the series of massive indiscriminate bombings of Japanese cities near the end of the war. The deadliest was the March 10, 1945, firebombing on Tokyo that claimed an estimated more than 100,000 civilian lives. But LeMay, who was demonized by Japanese media during the war, was awarded a top medal by the Japanese government only 19 years later. Ironically, the reason was for his role in developing Japan's postwar Air Self-Defense Force. DERIDED AS 'BRUTE' LEMAY LeMay was assigned to take charge of the strategic bombing campaign against Japan in January 1945 after he had led bomber missions over German cities. He initially continued with the high-altitude, daytime precision bombing runs targeting mainly military-related targets, including munitions manufacturing facilities, as his predecessor did. But he soon realized that these missions were ineffective due in part to the strong jet stream and poor weather conditions over Japanese islands, carrying bombs away from their intended targets. LeMay switched to indiscriminate low-altitude night bombings by choosing densely populated areas of major cities as targets, causing large numbers of civilian deaths as a consequence. In justifying the massive firebombings, LeMay told his commanders that no war would be winnable without causing deaths among civilian populations, a former U.S. military member who worked for him wrote in a memoir. LeMay, the memoir continued, also said that Japanese civilians working at munitions production facilities were part of their country's war machine. In the Great Tokyo Air Raid, a fleet of some 300 B-29 Superfortress bombers were deployed for the attack that began in the early hours of March 10, raining down a variety of incendiaries on the Japanese capital. Under LeMay's command, his bombers also decimated Osaka, Nagoya and other major cities until Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945. The overall death toll of civilians from these air raids is estimated at 500,000, including those who perished in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9. Robert McNamara, who served under LeMay during the bombing campaign against Japan and later became U.S. secretary of defense during the Vietnam War, said LeMay's conviction was that a war must be won no matter the cost. In the 2003 documentary 'The Fog of War,' McNamara quoted LeMay as telling his crews following the Tokyo air raid, 'If we'd lost the war, we'd all have been prosecuted as war criminals.' LeMay became a household name among the Japanese population as being the villainous mastermind behind the air raids. 'Brute LeMay, Japanese will not be intimidated by massive bombings' blared the headline of a front-page story on the Tokyo air raid in The Asahi Shimbun's March 13, 1945, edition. In the story, the newspaper called the general a 'man of abnormal character.' In a June 7 article, the Asahi, running his mug shot, said LeMay 'must be licking his lips and be in a frenzy of ecstasy as Tokyo is in flames.' HONORED IN MIDST OF VIETNAM WAR After the war, he rose to chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, the top position of the military branch. Maintaining his hard-line approach in the Vietnam War, LeMay also pushed for a sustained strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. His decoration by the Japanese government came when he visited Japan in December 1964, two months before his retirement from the military. He was presented the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun at the ASDF's Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture on Dec. 7, 1964. Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's Cabinet approved honoring LeMay three days earlier. According to media reports from the time, Minoru Genda, a member of the Upper House, spearheaded efforts to officially recognize his postwar achievement. Before turning to politics, Genda was a prominent presence in Japan's armed forces. As an Imperial Japanese Navy pilot, he helped plan the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequently became chief of staff of the ASDF. Senior officials with the then Defense Agency acknowledged LeMay's contributions in terms of the transfer of radar sites and fighter aircraft to Japan after the U.S. occupation ended in 1952. The officials defended the government gesture by citing similar examples of praise, such as for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander for the Allied Powers who presided over the occupation forces in Japan, and other U.S. military senior leaders involved in Japanese affairs. The Japanese media and the Japanese public were largely silent about the matter of honoring LeMay. But the opposition party raised the subject in the Diet. On the very day he was decorated, Hiroichi Tsujihara, a member of the Japan Socialist Party, took the floor of the Lower House Budget Committee to question the government's motives. '(LeMay) was in charge and directly responsible for air raids against our country,' he said. Tsujihara also said LeMay also commanded the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 'What is the reason for honoring him, although it runs counter to Japanese people's vehement opposition to nuclear and hydrogen bombs?' he said. In response, Sato remarked: 'The past is the past. It is now natural to leave it behind and recognize his accomplishment in a new situation.' Junya Koizumi, director-general of the Defense Agency, weighed in with support for Sato. 'It is meant to give credit to a host of remarkable contributions he made in the postwar years to the ASDF,' said Koizumi, father of future Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. 'This should be separated from the war-related issues.' The defense chief continued: 'LeMay did not have direct oversight for forces dropping the atomic bombs as he was assigned to a new task prior to the atomic bombings.' LeMay died at the age of 83 in 1990. CENSORSHIP LESSENED PUBLIC OUTRAGE Against the backdrop of the government's controversial award is that in the postwar years, both Tokyo and Washington had tried to gloss over the atrocities committed by the U.S. military against Japanese civilians, according to Nobuo Kamioka, professor of American literature at Gakushuin University. Kamioka published a biography on LeMay, 'Tokyo Daikushu wo Shikishita Otoko Curtis LeMay,' (Curtis LeMay, the man who orchestrated the Great Tokyo Air Raid), in February. The General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers imposed a press code during its seven-year occupation. Japanese news media were strictly forbidden to print or broadcast reports critical of the U.S. authorities and other allied powers, as well as the U.S. military's brutalities. The heavy censorship, as a result, took survivors of the wartime horrors many years to become fully aware of the Japanese government's responsibility for the destruction and suffering and translate their anger into a crusade calling for state compensation and relief measures. Hibakusha formed the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Suffers Organizations as late as in 1956 after the horror of nuclear weapons was thrust into public consciousness anew by the tragedy of the Japanese No. 5 Lucky Dragon tuna boat. The boat, with 23 fishermen aboard, was exposed to the radioactive fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test conducted at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in March 1954. One crew member died of radiation sickness six months later while others were admitted to hospitals to treat symptoms of acute radiation syndrome. The confederation, known as Nihon Hidankyo, received the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. More than a quarter-century after they were victimized, firebomb survivors set up the Japan air raid victim liaison committee to press for state compensation in 1972. While LeMay directed and implemented the incendiary attacks against Japanese cities, his role in the nuclear attacks was simply to see the bombing forces take off to the targeted cities. LeMay, however, was condemned in Japan as the mastermind of the atomic bombing rather than the air raids. It is partly because Japanese at the time did not realize the full extent of the devastation caused by the firebombings. 'In consequence, since the air raids did not spark a huge controversy in Japan, it enabled the U.S. military to launch heavy aerial bombing campaigns in the Korean War and Vietnam War,' Kamioka said. He said decorating LeMay may have sent the wrong message to the world. 'It could have been taken by the international community that Japan accepted his wartime actions and is grateful,' he said. But the question of honoring LeMay was revisited recently by a peace advocacy group. The group, called Gamafuya, submitted to the government a petition calling for revocation of the honor on March 10, the 80th anniversary of the Great Tokyo Air Raid. 'Decorating LeMay by the Japanese government is tantamount to endorsing the massacre of its own people,' said a representative of the group, which is based in Okinawa Prefecture. An official with the Cabinet Office, which has jurisdiction over laws related to the selection of honorees, replied that the official record cites LeMay's contributions to the ASDF and nothing else. 'Unless new facts emerge to challenge the basis for the citation, there will be no further debate on the issue,' the official said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
B-29 DOC arrival delayed in Evansville
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The arrival of the B-29 Superfortress at the Evansville Regional Airport has been delayed by 24 hours. The airplane, nicknamed DOC, will arrive in Evansville on May 29 at approximately 3:30 p.m.. The plane will be transported to the Evansville Wartime Museum throughout the weekend, with ground and cockpit tours available as well as rides. The plane was built in 1945, but sat in the Mojave Desert for 42 years and was used as a target for the navy. Restoration began in 2000 and the plane returned to the skies in 2016. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
