450 B-29s were down over Japan in 1944-45

The number of the B-29s which were lost during the bombing against Japan had been unknown.
Not many people were interested in it after the war.
The damage was great and the recovery was first priority in Japan. In the United State there would be new problems by communists one by one.

I tryed to figure out them at the Japanese Defence Agency Museum, counting the figures from the day by day records of the combats. They could not over count the results because many people watched the combats from the ground.

In late 1944, the Untied States Airforce operated the bombing to North Kyushu Industrial Area from the deep China.
Japanese Forces in China could inform to Ozuki Army Ariforce Base in Yamaguchi prefecture which defended western area of Japan. From Ozuki, twin engins "Toryu" night fighter which had a 37mm canon , semi automatic with only 15rounds , were waiting B-29 over northern Kyushu.
From the ground the searchlights were catching the American bombers.
This defence system was effective and the U.S. lost many plains during this period.
Recently I found the book by one of the Toryu pilots.
He is the one on Toryu downed 70 B-29s from Ozuki.
After the war he was back as a farmer and never told his stroy until recent.

The U.S. took pasific islands as bases of B-29 in 1945 and operated the flights from there against Japanese Metoropolitan industrial areas.
In daytime bobming the U.S. did not take high altitude to seek the accuracy.
Japanese single engine fighters could not clime to 30000feet but at low alltitude they fought
to crash themselves against B-29s.
Consequencely until the end of the war the U.S. AIR Forces had lost total 450 B-29s over the Japanese soil excluding which returned to the bases but be destroyed by crach landing.

It is a huger figure than I thought.
What did happend the crews? The U.S. should lost about 5000 crews.
I saw recently an American photographer's pictures of graves of the American crews who died
over Japan.
They were simple with a pole on it written " An American Flyer Sleeps Here".

see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com