| Notes |
Born October 6, 1918 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Floyd moved with his family to Long Beach, California in 1923 and graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1936. Floyd then went on to graduate with the Class of 1940 at the University of California, Berkeley with an Engineering Degree.
On November 18, 1942 Floyd enlisted in the Army Air Forces. He would later be selected for the B-29 Superfortress program graduating from the Fight Engineer school and commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
Floyd was then transferred to Fairmont Army Air Field located near Geneva, Nebraska. He was assigned as Flight Engineer to the aircraft commander Lt Col Thomas Classen (also squadron commander) crew which was assigned to the 393rd Squadron, 504th Bomb Group a B-29 outfit preparing for deployment to the Pacific. Training was slow going as few B-29s were available for training purposes so B-17s were used initially. Eventually some B-29s arrived with proper training advancing. During training the 393rd Squadron was considered by many to be the best in the group.
Unexpectedly on September 10, 1944 Special Order No. 254 was issued by Fairmont Army Air Field Headquarters. This order detached the 393rd Squadron from the 504th Bomb Group, and transferred all personnel (without equipment) to Wendover Field, Utah without explanation. Unknown to the 393rd cadre the squadron had been selected to become the atomic strike force of the yet to be formed 509th Composite Group.
At Wendover Field the training again got off to a slow start with the lack of B-29 availability. This situation improved rapidly as the first batch of new B-29s arrived for all 15 crews. These B-29s were the first of the Silverplate variant capable of delivering atomic bombs. As a 7,000 lb. weight savings all four gun turrets and their fire control system was removed except for the twin 50 caliber tail guns.
At Wendover Floyd and the Tom Classen crew were designated as Crew A-5 with the same crew that had been formed at Fairmont Field. The training at Wendover, which included several weeks temporary duty in Cuba during January 1945 for over water training, lasted into June 1945. On 19 June 1945 Floyd and the Classen crew A-5 including ground crew departed Wendover Field for their new base of operations at North Field, Tinian, Mariana Islands.
The Silverplate, i.e.(nuclear capable) B-29 assigned to Crew A-5 was 44-27354 (Big Stink), Victor No. 90. After arriving on Tinian on about 24 June 1945, Crew A-5 flew 2 training missions and 2 practice bombing missions with Classen as the Airplane Commander. This crew was also used in 3 Little Boy test missions in July with Tibbets as the Airplane Commander (one mission used 44-27354 and two missions were flown with 44-27303. Crew A-5 was credited with three combat missions, as shown below. 44-27354 was used on each mission except where noted. Classen was the Aircraft Commander on the first two missions; Elbert E. Smith was the Airplane Commander on the third mission.
20 Jul 45 Per Operations Order 20, dropped a pumpkin bomb on the assigned primary
target (the Tsugami-Atagi Manufacturing Company in the Nagaoka area),
using radar bombing. The results were recorded as “unobserved.”
26 Jul 45 Per Operations Order 27, dropped a pumpkin bomb on a target of
opportunity (a copper refinery in the Hitachi area), using visual bombing.
The results were recorded as “good.”
29 Jul 45 Per Operations Order 30, dropped a pumpkin bomb on a secondary target
(an oil refinery in the Wakayama area), using visual bombing. The results
were recorded as “unobserved.” Aircraft 44-27304 was used on this
mission.
Note: Per Operations Order 41, Crew A-5 and its associated ground crew departed Tinian for Wendover on 9 August 1945. Classen was the Airplane Commander and aircraft 44-86346 was used. The purpose of the mission was to be positioned at Wendover if the need arose to transport another Fat Man unit to Tinian.
Floyd made the move to the new home base of the 509th Composite Group at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico. He was honorably released from the Army Air Forces December 26, 1945.
After the war Floyd worked for an American firm with postings in Ontario Canada with family for a couple of years and an extended overseas posting later during the 1960's for several years living (with family) in Paris, France.
Floyd died March 2, 1983 survived by his wife Joan(nee Violette) two daughters Susan and Nancy, and a son Paul.
SURNAME: Also shown as Kemner
GIVEN NAMES: Also shown as Floyd
|
1918 - 1983 (64 years)
