George A. Simeral

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to George A. Simeral, Major (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-29 Very Heavy Bomber in the 52d Bombardment Squadron, 29th Bombardment Group (VH), TWENTIETH Air Force, while participating in a daring daylight incendiary assault on the key city of Kobe, Japan on 5 June 1945. Although enemy fighters were in the assembly area, Major Simeral assembled his formation with utmost skill. En route to the assembly point several enemy fighters attacked the formation without success while others flew along side out of reach of our guns. As the formation reached the initial point of the long bombing run, all the heavy guns of the heavily defended area opened fire, and having evidently received very accurate information from the trailing aircraft, the enemy gunners scored hits immediately on several aircraft in the formation. Major Simeral kept his aircraft and formation steady and level on the briefed axis of attack. As the formation continued on the twelve minute bombing run, the flak increased steadily in intensity and accuracy. No aircraft was spared flak damage. The deputy leader receiving a direct hit in the bomb bay, lost several thousand feet and continued on. Two minutes before the release point, Major Simeral’s air craft sustained a direct hit in No. 4 engine. Eight hundred gallons of gas gushed out of the hole, three feet in diameter, in the outer wing panel. A blazing wing fire broke out immediately. Since the deputy leader had already been shot down, Major Simeral rather than drop out of formation and take emergency procedures to save himself from the impending explosion, elected to stay in the lead position to insure accurate bombing results. By keeping power on the burning engine, Major Simeral heroically maintained his airspeed and altitude in the lead position with such unusual skill that the bombs of the entire formation bracketed the M.P.I. After bombs away Major Simeral feathered the burning engine and by necessity dropped out of formation. While he desperately fought to get the wing fire out, twelve Japanese fighters closed in for a kill on the lone aircraft. In a vicious aerial battle, Major Simeral’s crew destroyed three enemy fighters and damaged others. Near lands-end the fire was extinguished. A second group of fighters approached for an attack. Both the upper and aft turrets on his aircraft were out of ammunition. Two B-29 aircraft of the formation dropped back in time to ward off the fighters successfully. Major Simeral flew the badly damaged aircraft safely to Iwo Jima. This heroic achievement accounted for a highly successful mission against opposition which calculated to render our attacks ineffective. Major Simeral risking his own life to guarantee his success, has set himself apart from his comrades. His personal courage and devotion to duty on this occasion have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 20th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.