USAAF Nose Art Research Project

City of Arcadia
B-29A-15-BN 42-93925

29th Bomb Group, 43rd Bomb Squadron

This aircraft was also known as
No Balls Atoll

Photo credit : Trisha Young

Assigned to the crew of Capt Charles Hawks after whom it was almost certainly named due his birth place having been Los Angeles county. There was already a City of Los Angeles in the 29BG. Interestingly, two of his crew members appear to have been twin brothers born in Ohio with the surname Miksch. It was rare for two family members to be allowed to serve in the same crew and interestingly Donald Miksch had served in the Regular Army Reserves as an officer and seems to have taken a demotion to get into the USAAF. Any clarification on this would be greatly appreciated.

Although Hawks' crew were assigned to this long serving B29 it is not yet confirmed if they flew all of the missions listed.

City of Arcadia suffered a taxi accident on 26th June 1945 at North Field, Guam, but was repaired and returned to combat service. After returning to the USA after the war ended, this B29 was based at March AFB in California. In September 1951 it flew to England on temporary duty but after returning to the USA it crashlanded on 5th April 1953 at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and was scrapped a year later.

Known Mission List

Date	Pilot	Target	Notes
9 Mar 1945	?	Tokyo	?
11 Mar 1945	?	Nagoya docks	Aborted
13 Mar 1945	?	Osaka	?
16 Mar 1945	?	Kobe	?
18 Mar 1945	?	Nagoya docks	?
24 Mar 1945	?	Nagoya	Mitsubishi factory
27 Mar 1945	?	Omura	?
3 Apr 1945	?	Shizuock	?
6 Apr 1945	?	Nagoya	Mitsubishi factory
11 Apr 1945	?	Koriyama	?
13 Apr 1945	?	Tokyo Arsenal	?
15 Apr 1945	?	Kawasaki	Aborted
16 Apr 1945	?	Kanoya	?
20 Apr 1945	?	Kushira	?
21 Apr 1945	?	Miyazaki	?
25 Apr 1945	?	Miyazaki	?
3 May 1945	?	Tachiari airfield	?
4 May 1945	?	Oita Arsenal	?
9 May 1945	?	Otake & Tokuyama	?
13 May 1945	?	Nagoya	?
16 May 1945	?	Nagoya	Mitsubishi factory
18 May 1945	?	Hamamatsu	?
23 May 1945	?	Tokyo	?
28 May 1945	?	Yokohama	?
9 Jun 1945	?	Tachikawa	?
14 Jun 1945	?	Osaki	?
19 Jun 1945	?	Shizuocka	?
21 Jun 1945	?	Tamashima	?
25 Jun 1945	?	Nagoya Arsenal	?
28 Jun 1945	?	Nobeoka	?
6 Jul 1945	?	Kafu	?
9 Jul 1945	?	Gifu area	?
16 Jul 1945	?	Hiratsuka