Perhaps more so than any other war, World War 2 and bombing go together. The bombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10 of 1945 is one of many bombing campaigns from that war. Although overshadowed by the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, in terms of immediate body count, the bombing of Tokyo was the more devastating attack against Japan.

Let that sink in for a minute. The bombing of Tokyo killed more people than died at Hiroshima or Nagasaki. And it used no atomic weapons. Just thousands of incendiary bombs, including napalm and white phosphorus. Let’s dig in to the gruesome details a bit.

First Bombing of Tokyo

March of 1945 was not the first time American bombers had struck Japan’s capital. That took place in 1942, an event known as the Doolittle Raid. Understandably, American morale was low following Japan’s surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. The Doolittle Raid caused little damage to Tokyo—it consisted of only sixteen aircraft. (If you saw the movie Pearl Harbor, the second part of that movie centered around the Doolittle Raid.)

It did serve two purposes, however. One, it helped prop up American morale. It also showed the people of Japan that American airpower could threaten their home islands.

However, the raid was of little military importance. American airpower didn’t have the range to consistently reach Japan and do much harm in 1942. But by 1944, that had changed. That is when the B-29 Superfortress bombers became available. In addition, by that time, the American Navy had won some major naval battles against Japan. This allowed American forces more avenues of attack.

Please Subscribe to My Blog Here!

Why Did the Firebombing of Tokyo Happen?

Because the bombs dropped on Tokyo were incendiary, many refer to the attack as a firebombing. The reason was clear enough. Not only was Tokyo an industrial center, it was also Japan’s capital city. Striking Tokyo, therefore, would both damage Japanese morale and manufacturing.

One thing that made the bombing of Tokyo particularly destructive was the tactics employed in the attack. Many earlier American bombing raids on Japan had been daylight attacks from high altitude. Bombing in daylight made the planes more visible, but it also allowed them to attack military targets with greater precision. But Japan’s air defenses shot down many planes, and wind made targeting less precise.

So, for the bombing of Tokyo in March of 1945, the Americans chose a different plan. They would bomb at night and from low altitude. This made hitting precise targets nearly impossible. This plan practically guaranteed that civilian casualties would be enormous.

Get Your Free Copy of One of Rob’s Ebooks Here!

The Results of the Bombing of Tokyo

On March 9, a fleet of 334 B-29s took off from the Mariana Islands. The purpose was destruction—American commanders had ordered the bombers stripped of armor, so they could carry more bombs.

In all, the bombers dropped more than 3 million pounds of explosives on Tokyo that night. Apparently, conditions were dry. This added to the destruction caused by incendiary bombs. Wind made it even worse, spreading the flames. About sixteen square miles of Tokyo burned to the ground.

Conservative estimates of the casualties are between 80,000 and 100,000 deaths. This makes the bombing of Tokyo one of the most destructive single acts of war in history.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to scroll down and subscribe to my blog before you go.

Please Subscribe!

If you enjoyed this blog, please sign up to follow it by scrolling down or clicking here, and recommending it to your friends. I’d love to have you aboard! You can also join the more than 1,000 members of my Readers Club for Rob Bauer Books by clicking here or like me on Facebook and Instagram. Please check out my historical fiction novels, too. If you find this information valuable, supporting me helps keep this blog going.

As always, I welcome constructive and polite discussion in the comments section. Thank you!