War's End
Guam · August–September 1945
August began with parties at the officers’ club, details, and practice flights with new crews. On the 6th he logged his thirtieth mission. Three days later the radio carried news of the atomic bomb; Russia had declared war on Japan; he had been “over here also last nite.” By the 13th the field was standing by to see if the war was over. Their last mission, he wrote, had been Friday the 11th.
Dear folks, What's everyone? Suppose you're all excited about the new Atomic Bomb! We were over here also last nite. And Russia has declared war on the Japs also. Looks like the presence of this new bomb there no effect on our missions tho. […] This should shorten The war lots. […] Pardon the scribbling, Guess we're just kinda mad because they don't go ahead & use more Atomic Bombs instead of sending us out again. Love to All Austin
Dear Mother & Sis, How's everything today? Over here we're just standing by to see if the War is over. We went on our last mission Friday the 11th. If it's still on tomorrow we'll start bombing again I suppose. Everyone over here is sure hoping its over. […] Love to all, Austin
Historical note — August 1945An atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and another on Nagasaki on 9 August. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on 8–9 August and invaded Manchuria. Austin’s letters register those headlines as he heard them on Guam — without technical detail he did not have. XXI Bomber Command missions continued until Japan’s acceptance of surrender terms.
On 15 August the letter needed only two words at the top of the thought: War’s over. Happiness on Guam matched what he imagined at home; how soon anyone would leave was still unknown. Mail caught up — ten letters in a morning — and the necklace and Air Medal he had mailed were acknowledged from Cherry. Shows, swimming, rain, and waiting filled the rest of August while the surrender documents were prepared.
Dear Mother and Sis, War's over! And what a happy bunch of people over here on Guam. I suppose the people in the states are just as happy. Don't know exactly what the deal will do for coming home but whatever it is I'll probably be among the 1st bunch to get back from Guam. I got 32 missions in and I think the ones over 30 missions will get back first. However transportation will be another thing. And we might come back by boat. Which would take a month I suppose. Our planes were out bombing again last nite. We were scheduled also but were taken off at the last minute. […] Love to all, Austin
Historical note — surrenderEmperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender broadcast reached the Japanese public on 15 August 1945 (14 August in the United States). The formal surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September. Between those dates, Marianas crews lived in a limbo of canceled combat, rumors, and slow shipping and flying schedules home.
September was rain, mud “as the Miss. bottom gumbo,” restlessness, and flying-safety lectures. Capt. Handwerker left for home early in the month. On the 8th Austin wrote of a huge baseball crowd on Guam—major-league players in Army uniforms packing the field. He also tried to work the complicated process of getting back to the States, mailed small things ahead, and chased rumors of morning processing. On the 27th he was on ATC orders — almost sure to leave by plane. On the 30th he was back in the United States.
Dear Mother and Sister, Today I was lucky to get two letters from you. Also got a couple others. One from Jack. Things are about the same around here. Except it didn't rain much today. Only a shower late in the afternoon. We had a big Base Ball. Game here today! The players are all Major League Ball players that have been drafted into the Army. That's all they do now is play ball, I guess. They are all the way from Pvts. to one Major. There will be another game tomorrow. I never did see such a crowd as attended the game today. The whole field was surrounded with spectators - All the way around. We had a little bad news today. They had intended sending all crews with 31 missions or over home in a few days but it all fell thru today. Due to be tie-up in transportation facilities on Saipan. […] Love, Austin
Historical note — major-league baseball on GuamIn August and September 1945 the Army Air Forces staged exhibition games in the Marianas with clubs drawn from B-29 bombardment wings and stocked with professional players then in uniform. A surviving program for a Guam game on 7 September 1945 lists the 58th Bomb Wing “Wingmen” against the 313th Bomb Wing “Flyers” (final score 13–10). Austin’s letter of the 8th describes a packed field that day and another game set for the next—fitting that late-summer series rather than a single isolated contest.
Among the major leaguers named on that Guam program were Joe “Flash” Gordon (Yankees), Enos “Country” Slaughter and Howie Pollet (Cardinals), Birdie Tebbetts and Major Billy Hitchcock (Tigers)—the Major matches Austin’s note that ranks ran from private to one major—Tex Hughson (Red Sox), Sid Hudson (Senators), Johnny Sturm (Yankees), and Brooklyn Dodgers Lew Riggs, Stan Rojek, and Chet Kehn, together with other big-league and high-minor names. These were service exhibitions for the troops, not official Major League Baseball games (the 1945 MLB All-Star Game in the States had already been canceled for wartime travel restrictions).
DEAR FOLKS, CAN YOU IMAGINE THEM STILL KEEPING ME HERE ON GUAM ALL THIS LONG? I HAVE BEEN PUT ON ATC ORDERS THO SO THAT MEANS THAT I AM ALMOST SURE TO LEAVE HERE BY PLANE. THE SOONER THE BETTER. […] YOU SAID YOU HADN'T HEARD WHERE HANDWERKER HAD GOTTEN HOME YET. WELL HE ISN'T. WE HEARD TODAY THAT HE IS STILL ON SAIPAN WAITING FOR A BOAT. SO MABY I'LL GET HOME FIRST AFTER ALL. […] I'LL CALL YOU WHEN I GET TO SAN FRANCISCO. LOVE TO ALL, AUSTIN
Dear Folks, I'm back in the good ole U.S.A. Came by plane from Guam. Sent you a telegram this morning instead of telephoning as it takes so long to make connections by phone. Well here's the dope. I reported to the Port of Embarkation (sp ?) at Hamilton Field, Calif. They will have our orders ready Oct. 4th sending me to some Redistribution Center in Western Ark. I don't remember the name even. So they said we didn't have anything to do until the 4th so we came into San Francisco for the Nite. I'll get a leave from this camp in ARK So I'll probably be around 10 days before I get home. […] Love, Austin
Historical note — ATC and the flight homeATC was the Air Transport Command, which moved passengers and cargo worldwide. Combat crews going home by air often traveled on ATC orders rather than waiting for a ship. Austin’s September letters show the wait first — rain, rumors, Handwerker leaving ahead of him — then the sudden shift to stateside paper once the airplane landed in the United States.