On the afternoon of July 8th, 86 B-29 Superfortresses took off from Tinian. As they flew Northwest, they were spotted by the famished Japanese garrison on Aguijan, whose radio transmitter continued to function despite the island being turned into an imprompt bombing range by training bomber crews. The message was passed up the chain of islands occupied by lonely garrisons, reaching Japan 150 minutes ahead of the aircraft. An hour later, a picket boat off Kyushu gave more a precise bearig. The Japanese correctly identified Nagasaki as the target.
12 Bombers either got lost or had to abort due to mechanical issues, three of which were lost or crashed on return. As Sasebo Naval Arsenal was also nearby, the Navy would primarily lead the cities defense. While nearly 200 aircraft were scrambled that night, only half would actually find the enemy and take part. The first attack caught the attackers off guard, as 36 Gekko heavy fighters met them while they were still 50 miles out to sea. The planes were equipped with an older airborne radar, good enough at least to find the bombers.
The night fighters again surprised the superforts with their method of attack. Each of them carried three 20mm upward firing cannons, which allowed them to aim at the bombers despite being 500m below them. Panic and profanity filled the radios as the bombers swerved to avoid them, with little success. Ventral gunners landed several hits, but the twin engined planes could take more punishment than a Zero. The fighters were too slow at altitude to catch the bombers again, but the continued to shadow them to report their position and harrass stragglers.
Minutes later, the bombers reached the blacked out city, full of civilians who anxiously huddled in shelters. Nagasaki didn't have a single heavy flak gun, those having been reserved for Tokyo and the other largest cities. The lighter flak was little more than an aid in finding the dark city, as the bombers prepared their run. Each plane released 4,000 pounds of high explosive bombs, which plunged into the darkness below. Sasebo was also hit by a portion of the bombers. As the bombers began the long floght home, more trouble appeared.
62 Shiden interceptors from a few local Kōkūtai appeared. Without radar they usually would have been of little help, but the clear sky and nearly full moon made the bombers easier to spot. A furious running battle lasted several minutes, the Shidens maneuvering recklessly between the formation, casuing some collisions. The gunners fought back, inflicting many losses on the fighters and forcing more to fall back. Among the pilots was famous ace Saburō Sakai, the one eyed lieutenant managing to down three B-29's on this night despite being wounded again. As they flew out over south Kyushu, the bombers faced another pass by the Irvings, who targeted the most damaged bombers.
71 bombers would return to Tinian, more than half damaged to some degree. A follow up recon mission that morning revealed dissapointing results. Most factories had not been hit, some bombs seemed to miss by miles doing little more than shredding cattle. Sasebo was even worse, not a single target being hit. The best results of the raid were the destruction of 23 Japanese fighters and the loss of 16 pilots, including many well trained Shiden pilots. Both sides would reevaluate their startegies after the raid.