Before and After: Bombing the Nakajima Musashino Plant

In this set of before and after photographs, taken by the crew of the bomber itself, the Musashino plant is visible as the series of closely grouped buildings set just to the right of the curve in the road. The bombers’ flimsy provides further details of the mission on the manufacturing plant, located on the outskirts of Tokyo. Carrying a single 2,000 pound general purpose bomb, the raid came just two days after the first atomic bomb had been dropped. A sign to the Japanese that surrender was the only option, the column of smoke rising in the second photograph suggests that Lt. Vyhnanek was successful in hitting his target.

Charles W. Vann (Vyhnanek) Collection