On October 27, Hansell personally led a tactical bombing strike against the once-formidable Truk Atoll, targeting Japanese submarine pens on Dublon Island. (The USAAF brass was normally barred from flying combat missions; to his chagrin, this was the last such flight that Hansell was cleared to lead.) Three more break-in missions against Truk followed, and two against Iwo Jima. Hundreds of tons of bombs were dropped during these raids. Those on the receiving end might have been surprised and disheartened to learn that they were only training runs.
