USAAF raid on wartime occupied Singapore ~ Omitted from By the Tale of the Dragonfly

The first B-29s of the United States Army Air Force arrived over Singapore Naval Base at 06:44hours. The bombing was highly accurate, with the lead aircraft putting a bomb within 50 ft (15 m) of the graving dock's caisson gate. The third B-29's bombs landed nearby, and other aircraft also scored direct hits on the graving dock, rendering it unserviceable for three months. The bombs which landed in and near the King George VI Graving Dock also damaged the 465 ft (142 m) freighter that was under repair in it at the time. Many of the civilian workers in and around the dock were unable to escape and were killed. The raiders also inflicted damage on other facilities in the naval base. Overall, 53 Super fortresses bombed Singapore Naval Base while seven attacked Pangkalanbrandan refinery. Few Japanese anti-aircraft guns or aircraft fired on the raiders. This raid was the longest daylight bombing operation to have been conducted up to that time.

For the citizens of our little island colony, the American long-range bombing represents freedom and the end of Jap domination in our region. They knew the end was near for Japanese occupation in the Pacific. The first raid on Singapore took place on 5 November 1944