1Lt Murel W Hardgrave (unknown-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial

December 1942, Class 42-X of the 47th Basic Training Flying Squadron at Randolph Army Air Field "West Point of the Air" near San Antonio, Texas

NOTE: When General LeMay took command of XXI Bomber Command, he changed the tactics from high-altitude fragmentation bombing to low-altitude incendiary bombings. During the night of 9-10 March 1945, a total of 334 B-29 bombers took off for Operation MEETINGHOUSE to fire-bomb Tokyo. Fifteen square miles of the Tokyo urban area are burned out; an estimated 83,793 Japanese are killed and 40,918 wounded. "B-29-55-BW #42-24875" nicknamed "Lil’ Iodine" was one of the fourteen B-29 Superforts lost. 1Lt Murel W. Hardgrave crew is rescued.

MACR 13448

(Mission 45) During the night of 24-25 March, 223 XXI Bomber Command B-29 Superforts are dispatched to attack the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya, Japan. B-29 #44-69748 is one of five B-29 bombers lost.

APC Pilot (left seat): O-668447Murel W Hardgrave 1Lt OK 25-MARCH-1945 B-29-60-BW #44-69748

B-29A-60-BW (Boeing Wichita) Superfortress serial #44-69748, nicknamed "Lil' Iodine II" call sign Victor-7, assigned to the 1st Bomber Squadron, 9th Bombardment Group (VH), 313th Bomb Wing, XXI Bomber Command, 20th Air Force stationed at North Field near Ushi Point on the northern tip of Tinian in the Mariana Islands, Pacific Theatre of Operations.

~~A report by Yaichiro Hayashi indicated #748 exploded in mid-air after being hit by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) flak, and crashed in Nagoya City.

NOTE: North Field on Tinian is sometimes confused with two other U.S. airfields named "North Field" in the Mariana Islands: Marpi Point Airfield (North Field) on Saipan and North Field (Andersen AFB) on Guam.