War is always cruel. But the bombing of cities, in which strategically important objects alternate with residential buildings, is particularly cruel and cynical - often simply huge territories are destroyed. How much civilians, children and women are there, the generals are of little interest. The bombing of Tokyo was carried out in the same way, which most Japanese still remember.
When did the largest bombing take place?
The first bombing of Tokyo on April 18, 1942 was carried out by the Americans. True, here our allies could not boast of much success. 16 B-25 medium bombers took off on a combat mission. They could not boast of a significant flight range - a little more than 2000 kilometers. But it was the B-25, thanks to its small dimensions, that could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier, which was clearly beyond the capabilities of other bombers. However, the bombing of Tokyo was not very effective. Primarily due to the fact that bombs dropped from aircraft flying at normal altitude were subject to great dispersion and there was no need to talk about any targeted bombing. The ammunition simply fell in an approximate area with an error of several hundred meters.
In addition, the American losses turned out to be very impressive. The planes taking off from the Hornet aircraft carrier were supposed to complete the mission and then land at an airfield in China. None of them achieved their goal. Most were destroyed by Japanese aircraft and artillery, others crashed or sank. The crews of two aircraft were captured by the local military. Only one managed to reach the territory of the USSR, from where the crew was safely delivered to their homeland.
There were subsequent bombings, but the largest was the bombing of Tokyo in 1945. It was a terrible day that Japan is unlikely to ever forget.
Causes
By March 1945, the United States had already been at war against Japan for three and a half years (Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941). During this time, the Americans, although slowly and gradually, ousted the enemy from the small islands.
However, the situation in Tokyo was completely different. The capital, located on the island of Honshu (the largest in the Japanese archipelago), was reliably defended. It had its own anti-aircraft artillery, aviation and, most importantly, about four million soldiers who were ready to fight to the last. Therefore, a landing would be associated with huge losses- defending a city, besides knowing the terrain, is much easier than taking it while simultaneously studying the buildings and features of the terrain.
It was for this reason that US President Franklin Roosevelt decided to carry out heavy bombing. He decided in this way to force Japan to sign a peace treaty.
Technical solutions
Previous bombings did not bring desired result. The planes were actively shot down or crashed into the sea due to technical problems, the psychological blow to the Japanese turned out to be quite weak, and the targets were not hit.
American strategists understood this very well - the bombing of Tokyo in 1942 provided rich food for thought. It was necessary to radically change tactics and carry out technical re-equipment.
First of all, after the failure of 1942, the engineers were given a goal - to develop completely new aircraft. They became the B-29, nicknamed “Superfortress”. They could carry significantly more bombs than the B-25 and, more importantly, had a flight range of 6,000 kilometers - three times longer than their predecessors.
Experts also took into account the fact that the bombs scattered significantly when falling. Even a small wind was enough to blow them tens and even hundreds of meters away. Of course, there was no talk of any targeted strikes. Therefore, the M69 bombs, weighing just under 3 kilograms each (this was the reason for the huge dispersion), were placed in special cassettes - 38 pieces each. A hundredweight cassette dropped from a height of several kilometers fell to the indicated location with a slight error. At an altitude of 600 meters, the cassette opened, and the bombs fell very closely - the dispersion was reduced to zero, which was what the military needed to easily achieve the target.
Bombing tactics
To reduce the dispersion of bombs, it was decided to reduce the aircraft's altitude as much as possible. The target designators were at an extremely low altitude - only 1.5 kilometers. Their main task was to use special, especially powerful incendiary bombs to mark the bombing sites - a cross of flame broke out in the city at night.
The next echelon was the main force - 325 B-29s. The height ranged from 1.5 to 3 kilometers - depending on the type of bombs they carried. Their main goal There was an almost complete destruction of the city center - an area of approximately 4 x 6 kilometers.
The bombing was carried out as densely as possible - with the expectation that the bombs would fall at a distance of about 15 meters, leaving not the slightest chance for the enemy.
To further increase the ammunition supply, additional measures were taken. The military decided that the 1945 Tokyo bombing years will pass as unexpected as possible, and the planes will not meet resistance. In addition, the generals hoped that the Japanese simply would not expect an attack at such a low altitude, which reduced the risk of being hit by air defense guns. Also, the refusal to climb to a high altitude made it possible to reduce fuel consumption, which means it was possible to take even more ammunition.
It was also decided to lighten the heavy bombers as much as possible. All armor was removed from them, as well as machine guns, leaving only the tail ones, which were to be actively used for combat with pursuing fighters during retreat.
What did they bomb with?
Since the bombing of Tokyo was carried out repeatedly during World War II, American experts carefully thought through the strategy.
They quickly realized that conventional high-explosive bombs were not as effective here as in European cities, where buildings are made of brick and stone. But incendiary shells could be used in full force. After all, houses, in fact, were built from bamboo and paper - light and highly flammable materials. But a high-explosive shell, having destroyed one house, left neighboring buildings untouched.
Experts even specially built standard Japanese houses to test the effectiveness different types shells and came to the conclusion that incendiary bombs would be the best solution.
To make the bombing of Tokyo in 1945 as effective as possible, it was decided to use several types of shells.
First of all, these are the M76 bombs, which received the ominous nickname “Neighborhood Burners.” Each weighed about 200 kilograms. They were typically used in war as target designators, allowing subsequent bombers to hit their targets as accurately as possible. But here they could be used as an important military weapon.
M74s were also used - each was equipped with three detonators. Therefore, they worked no matter how they fell - on their side, on their tail, or on their nose. When it fell, a jet of napalm about 50 meters long was thrown out, which made it possible to ignite several buildings at once.
Finally, it was planned to use the previously mentioned M69.
How many bombs were dropped on the city?
Thanks to the surviving records, it is possible to say quite accurately how many bombs were dropped on the city on that terrible night when the Americans bombed Tokyo.
In a matter of minutes, 325 aircraft dropped approximately 1,665 tons of bombs. The removed armor and weapons, as well as the reduced fuel supply, allowed each aircraft to carry almost 6 tons of ammunition.
Almost every bomb set something on fire, and the wind helped by fanning the flames. As a result, the fire engulfed an area significantly larger than planned by the strategists.
Victims on both sides
The consequences of the bombing were truly terrible. For clarity, it is worth noting that ten previous American raids had killed approximately 1,300 Japanese. Here, about 84 thousand people were killed in one night. A quarter of a million buildings (mostly residential) burned completely. Almost a million people were left homeless and lost everything they had acquired over several generations.
The psychological blow was also terrible. Many Japanese experts were confident that the Americans were unable to bomb Tokyo. In 1941, the emperor was even presented with a report during which he was assured that the United States would not be able to respond symmetrically to the air raid at Pearl Harbor. However, one night changed everything.
There were also casualties. Of the 325 aircraft, 14 were lost. Some were shot down, while others simply fell into the sea or crashed on landing.
Consequences
As stated above, the bombing was a heavy blow to the Japanese. They realized that even in the capital it was impossible to hide from death falling straight from the sky.
Some experts even believe that it was this bombing that led Japan to sign the act of surrender a few months later. But still this is a very strained version. Much more credible are the words of historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, who stated that the main reason for the surrender was the Soviet attack that followed the termination of the neutrality pact.
Expert assessment
Despite the fact that 73 years have passed since that terrible night, historians differ in their assessments. Some believe that the bombing was unjustified and extremely cruel - it was primarily civilians who suffered, and not the army or the Japanese military industry.
Others argue that it was able to slow down the war and saved hundreds of thousands of lives - both Americans and Japanese. Therefore, today it is quite difficult to say unambiguously whether the decision to bomb Tokyo was correct.
Memory of the bombing
In the capital of Japan there is a memorial complex built precisely so that subsequent generations remember that terrible night. Every year, photo exhibitions are held here, showing photographs depicting piles of charred bodies and destroyed areas of Tokyo.
So, in 2005, in honor of the 60th anniversary, a ceremony was held here in memory of those killed that night. 2,000 people were specially invited here to witness that terrible air raid with their own eyes. Also present was the grandson of Emperor Hirohito, Prince Akishino.
Conclusion
Of course, the bombing of Tokyo is one of the most terrible events that occurred during the confrontation between the United States and Japan. This event should be a lesson to posterity, reminding us how terrible a vice of humanity is war.
TOKYO, March 10 - RIA Novosti, Ksenia Naka. Japan is marking the 70th anniversary of the Great Bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945 by the US Air Force, which destroyed most of the city and claimed the lives of an estimated 84,000 to 100,000 residents.
Massive air raids on Tokyo began in November 1944, but only after the capture of Guam and Saipan and the establishment of US bases on them did the bombers begin to attack large quantity bombs, reducing the amount of fuel. Raids like the March one continued until the end of the war, but on March 10, 1945, the most devastating blow was dealt to the Japanese capital. To this day, this bombing is considered the deadliest of all conventional weapons.
Bomb attacks were carried out from a low altitude of 1600 to 2200 meters, incendiary shells were dropped every 15 meters. 325 B-29 aircraft took part in the bombing. 381 thousand shells with a total weight of 1800 tons were dropped on the city. The bombing began at 00.07 on the tenth of March and ended two hours later.
As a result, 84 thousand people died, but this figure is considered incorrect, since it does not take into account the missing. The most commonly cited figure in Japan is 100 thousand people. The bodies of the dead were so burned that it was often impossible not only to identify them, but even to establish their gender. 40 thousand people were injured. About 1 million people were left homeless - 270 thousand residential buildings were completely burned down. In total, as a result of the bombing, an area of 41 square kilometers was burned - a third of Tokyo at that time.
During the bombing, the American military took into account the fact that the city consisted mainly of wooden houses, so the high accuracy of the falling shells led to the fact that in a short time Tokyo was engulfed in a fiery tornado. As eyewitnesses say, waves of hot air burst into the rare reinforced concrete buildings where surviving residents sought refuge, and literally burned them out from the inside. The bulk of the victims were burned alive and suffocated from carbon monoxide. Most of the dead were civilians: due to the fact that the factories in Tokyo were small - 20-30 people each - and located in residential areas, massive bombings were carried out indiscriminately on all objects. The city was literally bombarded with firebombs. This is what explains the modern appearance of Tokyo now: buildings that survived the war are rare in it.
Now, even among American scientists, there are few who believe that the bombing of civilians was justified and made sense from a military point of view. General Curtis LeMay, who commanded the operation, admitted that if the United States had lost the war, he would have been recognized as a war criminal.
REAL HOLOCAUST
Bombing of Tokyo - the bombing of the Japanese capital carried out Air Force USA on the night of March 9-10, 1945. The air raid involved 334 B-29 strategic bombers, each of which dropped several tons of incendiary bombs and napalm. As a result of the resulting fire tornado, fires quickly spread in residential areas built with wooden buildings. Over 100 thousand people died, mostly old people, women and children.
14 bombers were lost.
After the ineffective bombing of Japan in 1944, American General Curtis LeMay decided to use a new tactic, which consisted of conducting massive night bombings of Japanese cities with napalm incendiary bombs from low altitudes. The use of this tactic began in March 1945 and continued until the end of the war. 66 Japanese cities fell victim to this method of attack and were heavily damaged.
Tokyo was first subjected to such bombing on February 23, 1945 - 174 B-29 bombers destroyed about 2.56 square kilometers of the city.
| B-29 Superfortress bomber. |
And already on the night of March 9-10, 334 bombers in two hours of attacks created a fire tornado, similar to the tornado during the bombing of Dresden.
On the night of March 10, 334 B-29 strategic bombers took off from airfields in the Mariana Islands and headed for the capital of Japan. Their goal was to destroy civilian population, since they only carried napalm incendiary bombs on board.
Napalm is a mixture of naphthenic and palmitic acid that is added to gasoline as a thickener. This gives the effect of slow ignition but long burning. When burning, acrid black smoke is released, causing suffocation. Napalm is almost impossible to extinguish with water. This viscous liquid, almost jelly, is filled into sealed containers with fuses and dropped onto the target.
| Ashes, debris and burnt bodies of residents on the streets of Tokyo. March 10, 1945. |
On this day, the B-29's protective weapons and armor were removed to increase its payload capacity. Previous bombings of Tokyo in 1943, 1944, 1945 did not bring the desired effect. Dropping land mines from a great height only makes a lot of noise. Finally, General Curtis LeMay came up with the burnout tactic. The planes flew in three lines and carefully dropped incendiary bombs every 15 meters. The calculation was simple - the city is densely built up with old wooden buildings. When the distance increased to at least 30 meters, the tactics became ineffective. It was also necessary to observe the time regime; at night people usually sleep in their homes.
| Mother and child burned by American incendiary bombs in Tokyo |
As a result, a real fiery hell reigned in Tokyo. The city was on fire, and clouds of smoke covered all residential areas, so it was impossible to escape. The huge area of the city eliminated the possibility of mistakes. The carpet of “lighters” was laid out precisely, despite the night hours. The Sumida River flowing through the city was silver in the moonlight, and visibility was excellent. The Americans were flying low, just two kilometers above the ground, and the pilots could distinguish every house. If the Japanese had gasoline for fighters or shells for anti-aircraft guns, they would have had to pay for such impudence. But the defenders of the Tokyo sky had neither one nor the other; the city was defenseless.
The houses in the city were densely packed, the napalm burned hot. That is why the fiery beds left by the bomb streams quickly merged into a single sea of fire. Air turbulence spurred the elements, creating a huge fire tornado.
By noon, when the smoke cleared, the Americans photographed from the air a terrifying picture of how the city was practically burned to the ground. 330 thousand houses on an area of 40 square meters were destroyed. km. In total, 41 square kilometers of the city, which was inhabited by about 10 million people, burned out, and 40% of the total housing stock (330 thousand houses) was destroyed.
Those who were lucky said that the water in Sumida was boiling, and the steel bridge thrown over it melted, dropping drops of metal into the water. The Americans, embarrassed, estimate the losses of that night at 100 thousand people. Japanese sources, without showing exact figures, believe that closer to the truth would be 300 thousand burned. Another one and a half million were left homeless. American losses did not exceed 4% of the vehicles participating in the raid. Moreover, their main reason was the inability of the pilots of the end machines to cope with air currents that appeared over the dying city.
Yesterday in Tallinn they commemorated the victims of the Soviet bombing of the city on March 9, 1944 - funeral services were held, funeral prayers were read, funeral candles were lit, requiem concerts were held, bells were rung in Tallinn churches.
On this day, March 9, 1944 at 19:15, the first bomb attack hit the city and its civilians. The bombing on March 9 was not the only one. On March 6, 1944, Narva was almost completely bombed, after which, three days later and on the night of March 10, an even larger bombing hit the Estonian capital. According to historical data, at 19:15 and 03:06, Soviet planes dropped 1,725 explosive and 1,300 incendiary bombs on Tallinn.
As a result of the air raid, 554 people were killed, including 50 German soldiers and 121 prisoners of war, and 650 people were wounded.
He was badly damaged during the bombing Old city, mainly in the vicinity of Harju Street. The building of the Estonia Theater burned down. The fire damaged the Niguliste Church and the Tallinn City Archives. In total, 3,350 buildings were damaged by air raids, and 1,549 buildings were destroyed. According to historical information, about 20,000 townspeople were left homeless.
See also:
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima was not something out of the ordinary (except for the use of a new type of weapon) and certainly did not break the “record” for the number of civilians killed.
The Japanese civilian population was systematically destroyed by the Americans. News constantly came about the disappearance of one or another city (along with its inhabitants) from the face of the earth. It has become commonplace. Strategic bombers simply flew in and rained down several hundred tons of death. Japanese air defense could not fight this.
However, American General Curtis LeMay believed that things were not going too well - not enough Japanese were dying. Previous bombings of Tokyo in 1943, 1944, 1945 did not bring the desired effect. Dropping land mines from a great height only makes a lot of noise. LeMay began to come up with various new technologies to more effectively exterminate the population.
And I came up with it. The planes had to fly in three lines and carefully dropped incendiary bombs every 15 meters. The calculation was simple: the city is densely built up with old wooden buildings. When the distance increased to at least 30 meters, the tactics became ineffective. It was also necessary to observe the time regime; at night people usually sleep in their homes. It was also necessary to take into account air pressure and wind direction.
All this, according to calculations, should cause a fire tornado and burn sufficient quantity citizens.
And so it happened - the calculations turned out to be correct.
Napalm is a mixture of naphthenic and palmitic acid that is added to gasoline as a thickener. This gives the effect of slow ignition but long burning. When burning, acrid black smoke is released, causing suffocation. Napalm is almost impossible to extinguish with water. This viscous liquid, almost jelly, is filled into sealed containers with fuses and dropped onto the target. The houses in the city were densely packed, the napalm burned hot. That is why the fiery beds left by the bomb streams quickly merged into a single sea of fire. Air turbulence spurred the elements, creating a huge fire tornado.
During Operation House of Prayer, in one night (March 10, 1945), Tokyo burned alive: according to American post-war data - about 100,000 people, according to Japanese - at least 300,000 (mostly old people, women and children) . Another one and a half million were left homeless. Those who were lucky said that the water in Sumida was boiling, and the steel bridge thrown over it melted, dropping drops of metal into the water.
In total, 41 square kilometers of the city, which was inhabited by about 10 million people, burned out, and 40% of the total housing stock (330 thousand houses) was destroyed.
The Americans also suffered losses - 14 B-29 strategists (out of 334 participating in the operation) did not return to base. It’s just that the fiery napalm hell created such turbulence that the pilots flying in the last wave of bombers lost control. These tragic shortcomings were subsequently eliminated, and tactics were improved. From March 1945 until the end of the war, several dozen Japanese cities were subjected to this method of destruction.
General Curtis LeMay later stated, “I think if we had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal.”
The Japanese civilian population was systematically destroyed by the Americans. News constantly came about the disappearance of one or another city (along with its inhabitants) from the face of the earth. It has become commonplace. Strategic bombers simply flew in and rained down several hundred tons of death. Japanese air defense could not fight this.
However, American General Curtis LeMay believed that things were not going too well - not enough Japanese were dying. Previous bombings of Tokyo in 1943, 1944, 1945 did not bring the desired effect. Dropping land mines from a great height only makes a lot of noise. LeMay began to come up with various new technologies to more effectively exterminate the population.
And I came up with it. The planes had to fly in three lines and carefully dropped incendiary bombs every 15 meters. The calculation was simple: the city is densely built up with old wooden buildings. When the distance increased to at least 30 meters, the tactics became ineffective. It was also necessary to observe the time regime; at night people usually sleep in their homes. It was also necessary to take into account air pressure and wind direction.
All this, according to calculations, should cause a fire tornado and burn a sufficient number of citizens.
Napalm is a mixture of naphthenic and palmitic acid that is added to gasoline as a thickener. This gives the effect of slow ignition but long burning. When burning, acrid black smoke is released, causing suffocation. Napalm is almost impossible to extinguish with water. This viscous liquid, almost jelly, is filled into sealed containers with fuses and dropped onto the target. The houses in the city were densely packed, the napalm burned hot. That is why the fiery beds left by the bomb streams quickly merged into a single sea of fire. Air turbulence spurred the elements, creating a huge fire tornado.
During Operation House of Prayer, in one night (March 10, 1945), Tokyo burned alive: according to American post-war data - about 100,000 people, according to Japanese - at least 300,000 (mostly old people, women and children) . Another one and a half million were left homeless. Those who were lucky said that the water in Sumida was boiling, and the steel bridge thrown over it melted, dropping drops of metal into the water.
In total, 41 square kilometers of the city, which was inhabited by about 10 million people, burned out, and 40% of the total housing stock (330 thousand houses) was destroyed.
The Americans also suffered losses - 14 B-29 strategists (out of 334 participating in the operation) did not return to base. It’s just that the fiery napalm hell created such turbulence that the pilots flying in the last wave of bombers lost control. These tragic shortcomings were subsequently eliminated, and tactics were improved. From March 1945 until the end of the war, several dozen Japanese cities were subjected to this method of destruction.
General Curtis LeMay later stated: “I think if we had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal.”
but the amers are sincerely confident that apart from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no cities were damaged at all. One of them proved this to me with foam at the mouth. I suggested that he at least familiarize himself with the data of the English-language Wiki, where it is written in black and white “The strategic bombing campaign against Japan was carried out by the US Air Force from 1942 to 1945. During the last 7 months of the campaign, the emphasis was placed on firebombing, which led to significant destruction of 67 Japanese cities, led to the death of about 500,000 Japanese and made about 5 million people homeless."
After this quote, the Amer’s pattern apparently burst and his fart exploded, because... He sent nothing but swear words in response.
And there were also bombings of Cologne, Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz...
as someone correctly noted - terror in Anglo-Saxon style
