Firebombing of Tokyo 10th March 1945

[Picard]

Firebombing of Tokyo 10th March 1945

Bombing of Tokyo in 1945. is given far less attention than some objectively less deadly attacks (London Blitz, attack on Pearl Harbor, or bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki). Yet it is important to u…

historyandwar.org

Bombing of Tokyo in 1945. is given far less attention than some objectively less deadly attacks (London Blitz, attack on Pearl Harbor, or bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki). Yet it is important to understand why it happened, how it was so deadly, and why the memory of the attack is so negligible.

While conventional bombardment of Japan is given far less attention than the atomic bombs that succeeded it, it was overall far more deadly. Just in Tokyo, some 100 000 people were killed.

Background
US involvement into the Second World War began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941. Until then, United States had maintained official neutrality as outlined by the US President Franklin Roosevelt in his 1937 “Quarantene Speech”, though by 1941. this neutrality was a dead letter on paper. In 1939., president Roosevelt sharply criticized the bombardment of civilians carried out in Europe, declaring that:

The ruthless bombing from the air of civilians in unfortified centers of population during the course of the hostilities which have raged in various quarters of the earth during the past few years, which has resulted in the maiming and in the death of thousands of defenseless men, women and children, has sickened the hearts of every civilized man and woman, and has profoundly shocked the conscience of humanity.

If resort is had to this form of inhuman barbarism during the period of the tragic conflagration with which the world is now confronted, hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings who have no responsibility for, and who are not even remotely participating in, the hostilities which have now broken out, will lose their lives. I am therefore addressing this urgent appeal to every Government which may be engaged in hostilities publicly to affirm its determination that its armed forces shall in no event, and under no circumstances, undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations or of unfortified cities, upon the understanding that these same rules of warfare will be scrupulously observed by all of their opponents. I request an immediate reply.

US began pushing Japan back following victories in battles of Coral Sea and Midway. Part of the US strategy was so-called “island hopping”, where US forces would attack and seize only those islands that had or could support an acceptable air strip. Nevertheless, the fighting was heavy on both the sea and the land.

 

[DumbPilot]

Firebombing of Tokyo 10th March 1945

Bombing of Tokyo in 1945. is given far less attention than some objectively less deadly attacks (London Blitz, attack on Pearl Harbor, or bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki). Yet it is important to u…

historyandwar.org

Bombing of Tokyo in 1945. is given far less attention than some objectively less deadly attacks (London Blitz, attack on Pearl Harbor, or bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki). Yet it is important to understand why it happened, how it was so deadly, and why the memory of the attack is so negligible.

While conventional bombardment of Japan is given far less attention than the atomic bombs that succeeded it, it was overall far more deadly. Just in Tokyo, some 100 000 people were killed.

Background
US involvement into the Second World War began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941. Until then, United States had maintained official neutrality as outlined by the US President Franklin Roosevelt in his 1937 “Quarantene Speech”, though by 1941. this neutrality was a dead letter on paper. In 1939., president Roosevelt sharply criticized the bombardment of civilians carried out in Europe, declaring that:

The ruthless bombing from the air of civilians in unfortified centers of population during the course of the hostilities which have raged in various quarters of the earth during the past few years, which has resulted in the maiming and in the death of thousands of defenseless men, women and children, has sickened the hearts of every civilized man and woman, and has profoundly shocked the conscience of humanity.

If resort is had to this form of inhuman barbarism during the period of the tragic conflagration with which the world is now confronted, hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings who have no responsibility for, and who are not even remotely participating in, the hostilities which have now broken out, will lose their lives. I am therefore addressing this urgent appeal to every Government which may be engaged in hostilities publicly to affirm its determination that its armed forces shall in no event, and under no circumstances, undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations or of unfortified cities, upon the understanding that these same rules of warfare will be scrupulously observed by all of their opponents. I request an immediate reply.

US began pushing Japan back following victories in battles of Coral Sea and Midway. Part of the US strategy was so-called “island hopping”, where US forces would attack and seize only those islands that had or could support an acceptable air strip. Nevertheless, the fighting was heavy on both the sea and the land.

 

[Love Charger]

View attachment 196230

Well well well, I find this topic rather interesting
B 29 bombers flew from Tinian, in pacific from which distance to tokyo was just 2000 kilometres so they could fly nonstop without landing anywhere in between to refuel.
Now B 29 was a rushed design.
It's engine was prone to burn out and it had a significant oil not fuel but oil leakage problem from the propellers.
Now it was also very prone to electrical failiures.
More than 400 B 29 were lost over Japan.
Out of which, 300 were due to technical reason.
The japs tried to raid and destroy the B 29 base at Tinian from iwo jima thus convincing USA to invade Iwo jima also.
The japnese planes, were not capable of reaching this altitude. Nor were they strongly built, rather just 5 bullets could down a zeke 52 or A6m zero.
The "Dainippon Teikoku Rikigun Kokubutai " Or the imperial japnese army air services.
And the much better " Dainippon Teikoku kaigun kokutai " Or the imperial japnese navy air service were hostile to one another and thus had many troubles to mount a common defense of the home islands.
The information of raids by B 29 was given by japnese army observation positions at Bonin islands 1 hour before but there were significant technical issues, lack of fuel and a general animosity towards cooperation between IJA and IJN.
The IJN operated the much famous zero but they were not enough and were obsolete.
Thus several new fighters, again with improved versions of NAKAJIMA sakae radial engines were quickly moved from drawing board into production.
Like KAWANISHI N1K2 J SHIDEN KAI.
today kawanishi is the shinmaywa aircraft company.
The kawanishi specilized in floatplane the shinmaywa too has expertise in floatplane design.
Then Mitsubishi A7M
Then J 2 raiden made specifically for downing B 29 and armed only with around four ,20 mm guns.
Nakajima k i - 84 hayate, a plane with agility of ki 43 hayate but lot better security, armor and also equipped with better engiens and powerful armament
Then heian k 61 , again armed with 6 machine guns of 7.7 mm
These new planes were by no means as admitted by americans themselves , in any manner inferior to allied hellcats Or mustangs.
Rather many were even better than these.
But lack of good fuel, experienced pilots, destruction of industries when USA adopted a general fire bombing campaign instead of precison bombing, destruction of japnese merchant fleet and little to opposition to american submarines wrote imperial japans death warrant even before an American fat man and an American little boy visited Japan soon after.
@Lonewolf
@Tactical Doge
@FalconSlayers panditji

 

[Love Charger]

Ki 84 hayate was improvement over ki 43 hayabusa
Please note that
@DumbPilot bhai
@Angel of War rudy Bhai

 

[DumbPilot]

Ki 84 hayate was improvement over ki 43 hayabusa
Please note that
@DumbPilot bhai
@Angel of War rudy Bhai

I'm guessing that the Ki 84 was supposed to be improvement over the Ki 43 but it got rolled out prematurely? Late war Axis nations didn't really have the industry to build out quality products, tbh

From what I know the Ki84 was the equivalent of the Spitfire for the Japanese, high turn rates and a bigger combat range to boot, but poor quality of steel and poor quality of pilots hindered it(unlike the US, Japanese got all of their aces killed in combat instead of sending them back to train recruits)

 

[Love Charger]

I'm guessing that the Ki 84 was supposed to be improvement over the Ki 43 but it got rolled out prematurely? Late war Axis nations didn't really have the industry to build out quality products, tbh

From what I know the Ki84 was the equivalent of the Spitfire for the Japanese, high turn rates and a bigger combat range to boot, but poor quality of steel and poor quality of pilots hindered it(unlike the US, Japanese got all of their aces killed in combat instead of sending them back to train recruits)

See, I agree it was too little
Just 3000 approx were built , too little of a number
The real reason was not that they had no industry, but the failure of their navy.
The American sub's, they literally could destroy japnese merchant marine at will.
Thus things from Korea and china could not reach to mainland Japan. Even then it is said the japnese were just 90 days behind from testing their own Nuke and when bombing started they shifted thier research to Korea anyway
Even after fire bombing campaigns, they could and did make fighters. Some how
Actually ki 84 was capable and did bring down the B 29 bombers plus as you all too well, if you were really dumb you could be pilot in imperial Japan, why?
If you exhaust your ammo you become the ammo.
So yes many times, b29 were shot down by japnese pilots ramming their planes in the bombers.
The hayate was flown by the army Air force not the navy airforce, the navy after it's losses at midway was sitting at yokosuka and kure naval bases. Seldom venturing out to fight.
The hayate had protection levels better than western fighters, it had good climb and dive speeds.
Took 6 minutes to reach 16000 feet and also had turbocharger in its engine m
It also had a self sealing fuel tank, better cockpit visibility.
It was in all aspects better than any jap plane produced before and had Japan started with this instead of that zero, yes it's range was less. But it could and did take some blows and survived.
The poor quality of steel was around late 1944 and 1945
Hayate took first flight in 1943 in early months.

 

[Love Charger]

I'm guessing that the Ki 84 was supposed to be improvement over the Ki 43 but it got rolled out prematurely? Late war Axis nations didn't really have the industry to build out quality products, tbh

From what I know the Ki84 was the equivalent of the Spitfire for the Japanese, high turn rates and a bigger combat range to boot, but poor quality of steel and poor quality of pilots hindered it(unlike the US, Japanese got all of their aces killed in combat instead of sending them back to train recruits)

The aces for most part were in IJN not IJA.
It was made for IJA.
And i told you about inter service rivalry it was so intense that yamamoto didn't leave yamato ship because he was afraid that army will kill him if he remained in Tokyo.
So IJN pilots training IJA pilots, hahahahaha
It's a foolish thought you baka

 

[DumbPilot]

The aces for most part were in IJN not IJA.
It was made for IJA.
And i told you about inter service rivalry it was so intense that yamamoto didn't leave yamato ship because he was afraid that army will kill him if he remained in Tokyo.
So IJN pilots training IJA pilots, hahahahaha
It's a foolish thought you baka

I meant in both IJA/IJN. They sent out their aces to be killed by 1943-44, so no one withe experience was left to train the recruits