September 19-20

The courageous actions of the U.S. submariners and B-29 pilots during the final months of the Pacific war will be the exciting focus of this year’s symposium, “Siege and Bombardment: War of Attrition Against Japan Led by Submarines and B-29s.

The Symposium is open to the public.

Place:  Fredericksburg High School Auditorium
             Highway 16 South at Milam, Fredericksburg, Texas
Date:   19 and 20 September 2009
Time:   9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day
Cost:    $45 per person for Admiral Nimitz Foundation members
             $55 per person for non-members

Box lunches are available for an additional $10 each day. Attendees may have dinner with the panelists Saturday evening in the Admiral Nimitz Museum Ballroom for $40 per person. The Symposium is FREE for Students (with appropriate ID) (not including meals) and students are encouraged to attend, but they MUST REGISTER. Please provide Age, Grade and School. Participants may register at this website or they may call the Admiral Nimitz Foundation at 830-997-8600.

In summing up the significance of the fall Symposium, eminent historian Richard Frank stated that savage fighting characterized the final months of WWII in the Pacific as American forces pushed hard for Japanese capitulation. The B-29s and Submarine Service brought to a crescendo the alternative strategy to invasion: blockade and bombardment. B-29 mine-laying joined to three years of submarine depredations brought Japanese overseas and domestic shipping near to collapse – with dire implications for Japan’s food situation. Ever more massive raids by B-29s devastated 66 Japanese cities by fire and two with atomic bombs, killing approximately 410,000. Of the 3,895 B-29s built, 414 were lost from all causes with 2,148 aircrews killed. The “Silent Service” lost 52 submarines in the war with 3,506 crewmen killed – the highest fatality rate (22%) in a combat service.

For accommodation and other information about Fredericksburg, please contact the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau at 888-997-3600, or check their website: www.fredericksburg-texas.com. The symposium’s headquarters are: The Inn on Baron’s Creek, 308 South Washington St., telephone 866-990-0202.

Sponsors include the Admiral Nimitz Foundation, Texas Historical Commission, U.S. Naval Institute, Fredericksburg Independent School District, Texas Tech University and St. Edwards University.

SCHEDULE

Friday Evening, 18 September
“Run Silent, Run Deep” starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, will be shown at 7:00 p.m. at the Fredericksburg Stagecoach Theater on Highway 87S. This classic movie depicts the grim reality of WWII submarine warfare. Free to Symposium attendees (please show name tag or identify yourself as a Symposium attendee).

Saturday, 19 September
Submarine Operations in the Pacific
Historian, Kelly Crager will serve as Moderator

Overview: Execute Against Japan by Richard Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire and other books on the Pacific Theater

Subjects Include: Intelligence Gathering – Reconnaissance; Dumbo Duty – the Rescue of Downed Pilots by Submarines; Elimination of Japanese Military and Transport Ships; Submarine Personalities – Recollections of Skippers and Shipmates by Veterans

Speakers Include: Carl LaVo, author of Galloping Ghost: The Extraordinary Life of Submarine Captain Eugene Fluckey, and Slade Cutter: Submarine Warrior; Mark Parillo, author of The Japanese Merchant Marine in WWII, and veterans: Mike Rindskopf (USS Barb), Max Duncan (USS Barb), and John Alden (USS Lamprey).

Sunday, 20 September
B-29s and the Bombing of Japan
Historian, Kelly Crager will serve as Moderator

Overview: Reaping the Whirlwind by Richard Frank

Subjects Include: Early Strikes Against Japan; Fire Bombing/Mining Missions; Colorful Personalities, including General Curtis LeMay and General Henry “Hap” Arnold; Final Assault - Go With Everything We`ve Got, by Richard Frank

Speakers Include: Kevin Werrell, author; Barrett Tillman, author of LeMay and other Pacific War books, and veterans Dave Braden, Travis Budlong and Lyle Bradley, Corsair Pilot from the USS Bennington.