2nd Lt. James “Jim” William Jordan’s World War II Missions by James Pate Williams, Jr. BA, BS, MSwE, PhD

My uncle was James “Jim” William Jordan who was born on September 5, 1920 and died January 27, 1970 at the relatively young age of 49 years old. He was born in Randolph County Alabama to Charles Webster Jordan and Ida Jane Kenady Jordan. His dad was at the time of his birth a postal clerk and his mother was trained as a school teacher but was a stay at home mom.

In June 1945 my uncle was stationed at Murtha Strip, Mindoro in the Philippines Islands. He was a 2^nd Lt. regular bombardier in a Consolidated B-24M-15-FO Liberator heavy bomber. He was attached to Lt. Robert R. Ferguson’s plane Serial Number 44-50977 which had no Nose Art Name and was built under contract to Consolidated by the Ford Motor Company in Willow Run, Michigan. The plane was a Raven H2X radar bomb-sight plane meaning she also carried a radar bombardier in addition to a regular bombardier. My uncle was in Aircrew Number 86 in the 530^th Bombardment Squadron of the 380^th Bombardment Group of the 5^th Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

My uncle only flew in three missions which occurred on the days of June 9, 16, and 21 of 1945. What follows is terse chronicling of these missions using primarily USAAF documents which were provided to me by the historian Wei-Bin Chang of Taiwan (Formosa). Mr. Chang obtained these documents from the United States Air Force History Research Agency (AFHRA) which is based at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery Alabama. Mr. Chang is the author of a book written in Mandarin Chinese whose English title is Formosa Air Raid Chronology.

The Field Orders for June 9, 1945 mission 160-E-2 called for 18 B-24 Liberators to attack Labuan Island, Borneo. The Japanese had oil refining, oil storage, and port facilities on Labuan Island, so it was a high priority target of the USAAF. Each of the three squadrons: 539^th, 530^th, and 531^st were to contribute 6 aircraft and 6 aircrews to the strike. The takeoff was to be at 0745/I. The order of takeoff was to be 529^th, 530^th, and 531^st. The base altitude of the flight was to be 10,000 feet. The primary target was of course Labuan Island. The bombing altitudes were to be: 529^th 9,500 feet, 530^th 9,000 feet, and the 531^st 8,500 feet. The initial air speed was 160 mph. The bombing formation was to be squadron trail. The intervalometer setting was to be 50 feet. An intervalometer allows the bombardier to drop bombs at certain intervals measured in feet. The time to be over target was estimated to be 1215-1230/I. The group rendezvous over the field was to be by standard procedure. The first rendezvous on the way to the target was to occur at the following altitudes: 529^th 10,000 feet, 530^th 9,000 feet, and 531^st 8,000 feet. On the return trip the group was to assemble over Delian Island at an altitude of 6,000 feet.

Each plane would carry 2,700 gallons of aviation fuel. The bomb load was 52 x 100-pound Napalm bombs. Thus, each plane would carry a 5,200-pound bomb load. Each plane would also carry 250 pounds of oxygen. The ammo load was for daylight bombing. Each plane was responsible to take photos so that a preliminary bomb damage assessment could be performed upon mission return.

The daily call word was SHINGLE. The radio channel settings were: 529^th 11-16, 530^th 21-26, and 531^st 31-36. The estimated time of arrival was 1600/I. Colonel Brissey issued the orders.

The actual not too legible Field Orders document is given on the next page and the Mission Summary and Mission Board follows on separate pages.

Field Order 9 Jun 45 Mission Summary 9 Jun 45 Mission Board 9 Jun 45 The only information I have on my Uncle Jim’s second mission on June 16, 1945 is that 90 plus B-24s bombed Kiirun and the town of Takao on the island of Formosa which is now called Taiwan and the Mission Board shown below.

Mission Board 16 Jun 1945

The Field Orders, Mission Summary, and Mission Board for my Uncle Jim’s last mission of June 21, 1945 is given on the next three pages. [The final picture is an excerpt from the book The best in the Southwest: The 380th bombardment group (H) in World War II, Southwest Pacific Area by Glenn R. Horton. – Removed pending copyright permission.]

Field Orders 16 Jun 45 Field Orders 16 Jun 45 1 Mission Summary 16 Jun 1945 Mission Board 16 Jun 1945