A Brief History
On March 9, 1945, 324 B-29 bombers of the United States Army Air Force inflicted the deadliest and most destructive single bombing raid in history.
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find Japan reeling from numerous defeats, with American forces having taken island bases within range of Japan for their giant B-29 bombers, the largest and most technically advanced American bombers of World War II.
Previous bombing missions against mainland Japan from high altitude with conventional bombs had produced disappointing results. General Curtis LeMay ordered that the massive bombers be stripped of most of their heavy defensive armament and fly at low altitude, both factors which saved fuel and allowed more tons of bombs to be carried. Raids would be mounted at night to make interception difficult, and although that would necessarily hurt visibility for the bomber crews, accuracy would be enhanced by the low level flight.
The other critical decision was to equip the bombers with mostly incendiary bombs, hundreds of small firebombs instead of a few large conventional explosives. The construction of Japanese cities was largely of wood with many interior walls made of a type of paper, and those highly flammable cities became the targets of American bombers instead of individual factories or other pinpoint targets. World War II bombers found it far easier to carpet bomb entire cities instead of trying in vain to hit a much smaller target.
These techniques proved fiendishly successful, and in the first such raid a square mile of the capital city of Tokyo was burned to the ground. On the night of March 9-10, 1945 the massive number of planes combined with dry and windy conditions spelled disaster for Tokyo.
The most densely populated modern city in the world, Tokyo had a population density of over 100,000 per square mile. Note the word “had!” Sixteen square miles of Tokyo were completely burned to the ground that night, and something over 100,000 people died, most of them horribly. Many more people were injured, and another million were made homeless. The incredible carnage and damage set the model for further bombing raids on Japan until the dropping of the first 2 atom bombs ended the war.
This great Tokyo firebombing raid killed more Japanese outright than either atomic bomb, making it the deadliest single air raid of the war, and for that matter all of history. After the war the question of the legality and morality of conducting such a raid was fiercely debated, with American war planners accused of war crimes by Japanese and many other people around the world, including in the US!
Probably the most cracked aspect to this historical event was that many families of victims later sued the government of Japan in 2007 for failing to end the war earlier and failing to protect and care for them after the bombing! The suit was dismissed and the plaintiffs lost again on appeal.
Question for students (and subscribers): Is bombing civilians and causing massive loss of civilian life and property moral? Should it be allowed, or should it be considered a war crime? Tell us your opinion in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Edoin, Hoito. The Night Tokyo Burned. St. Martin’s Press, 1987.
Hoyt, Edwin P. Inferno: The Fire Bombing of Japan, March 9 – August 15, 1945. Madison Books, 2000.
The featured image in this article, a road passing through a part of Tokyo which was destroyed in the 10 March 1945 air raid, is in the public domain in Japan because its copyright has expired according to Article 23 of the 1899 Copyright Act of Japan (English translation) and Article 2 of Supplemental Provisions of Copyright Act of 1970. This is when the photograph meets one of the following conditions:
- It was published before January 1, 1957.
- It was photographed before January 1, 1947.
It is also in the public domain in the United States because its copyright in Japan expired by 1970 and was not restored by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1338 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1338">92 Comments
“!”. Words, facts, and story telling should compel the dramatics. I enjoy the historical facts everyday, but the continued overuse of ending a sentence with “!” keeps my mind from absorbing the info and instead wondering if I should be grading a middle school history essay.
Well said. It’s funny how a few exclamation marks can alter the message so heavily. Similar to bombs.
Necessary casualties of war, the Japanese have no business mentioning war crimes
Unfortunately, it’s normally civilians who suffer the most during wars, as was the case with this bombing.
There are always casualties in war that are innocent. Japan made themselves a target and America was intent on winning the war. It is very sad and disheartening.
The Japanese suffered only a tiny fraction of the number of civilians they massacred all over Asia and the Pacific. In China alone, MILLIONS of cilvilians were slaughtered. The fire bombings and atomic bombs were a slap on the wrist, in comparison. What goes around comes around.
Die, idiot, die.
The first few paragraphs of this horrific (humanity-wise) story would have been much more poignant without the exclamation marks. Much more.
No, it’s not moral. But sometimes its the only thing you can do to take a stand against another country and let them know its for real. If you asked people from the US, they would say that bombing other countries and their civilians shouldn’t be a war crime. If you asked the same people should it be a war crime against another country if they bombed us, the people would say yes. Double standards for days.
I do not think it is moral, but war is war and its always someone. Its a shame everyone just cant get along, inocent people are constantlly dieing
Very sad, but very interesting on how the whole process went about.
What a brutal attack. The number of deaths and people made homeless is sad.
It is unbelievable to think that 16 square miles of Tokyo burned to the ground. How do countries even plan the recovery of architecture post war?
This raid was completely unethical. It is sad that all those lives were lost.
The bomb raid was completely unethical. The number of innocent deaths and damage done is horrible.
It is despairing that the great Tokyo firebombing raid killed more Japanese than either atomic bomb.
The magnitude of this attack is almost too incredible to imagine. Its sad so many people were left homeless.
I believe that the number of innocents killed was terrible, but it is the price of war.
It’s sad to see all the innocent casualties, but unfortunately things like this can happen during war.
As evident with every bombing or attack, many innocent lives were lost. On the other hand, unfortunate events like these helped America win the war. I also thought it was interesting to read about how families of victims later sued the government of Japan in 2007 for failing to end the war earlier. This was 62 years later!
Incinerary bombs seem to be the most effective weapon of choice by aircraft instead of the nuclear bomb because the fire spreads and whipes out entire cities and taking the lives in its path. Many lives were lost and innocent lives but the country as a whole started the madness and the US ended it however they could.
Like Mikayla, I found it interesting that the families of these victims sued the Japanese Government for not ending the war sooner. In some ways, I can see why they did that. Japan did choose to attack the United States and it was the reason the United States came into the war in the first place. I think it was very sad that many innocent lives were lost, but I think the United States felt it was the only way to end the war.
With how effective the atomic bombs were, it is interesting but tragic that this bombing run managed to killed more Japanese than either atomic bomb runs. Sixteen square miles were burned to the ground, that is insane.
Americans modified their bombing techniques to best destroy Japanese cities and it worked! the bombers flew lower to the ground to save fuel and got rid of heavy bombs and excess equipment to save fuel as well. Because Japanese cities were made up mostly of wood and internal walls of paper material, fire bombs replaced standard bombs effectively burning Japanese cities to the ground.
It’s very hard to try and justify the brutal bombing campaigns that both sides undertook during the war. If the Allies had already decided to use such bombings in Europe (Dresden, etc.) then it makes sense that they would continue to do so in Japan. This simply just set the stage for the use of the Atomic bomb.
It seems as if when the war was winding down countries were willing to do almost anything to end what had become one of humanities most horrific wars. While there is never a reason to commit mass murder such as this there is a chance that in the long run it saved more lives.
On March 9, 1945 the deadliest bombing raid in history occurred. The american forces had slowly been taking back islands from Japan. The raid covered sixteen square miles and 100,000 people died. More than that became homeless.
As we have learned morality is lost sometime throughout all wars. There is no justification for it, but it just is. I never know about this bombing raid. I always assumed that the A bombs did the most damage of any bombing raids in WWII. Interesting how the most deadly raids were dropped by the US..
Good for the civilians of Japan for making a stand and suing their government for the war going on too long. I am surprised this is the first instance we hear about civilians saying something about all of the unnecessary deaths.
To this day I am still shocked that the Japanese refused to surrender sooner. This heavy bombing and subsequent fire of Tokyo just goes to show how resilient the Japanese leaders were.
The Japanese were very reluctant to surrender. I did not know that these bombing raids were worse than the two atomic bombs. This just shows the reluctance of the Japanese to surrender. You would think that this alone would cause them to rethink their war plans, but no. It took two atomic bombs to do that. That is insane.
In some sense, the firebombing pales in comparison to the crimes the Japanese committed.
This bombing pales in comparison to the war crimes committed by the Japanese. Is it just to fire back, no.
I do not understand why the Japanese did not surrender sooner. I cannot believe this was the deadliest single raid of the war and of history! I would have thought the two atomic bombs would have been worse than this.
The most devastating bombing occurred in Tokyo, but all the coverage seems to be on the two atomic bombs. The United States resorted to questionable tactics to win the war against Japan. Maybe the United States should have been accused of war crimes such as this bombing.
War affects a lot of innocent civilians. In this case, the bombing on Tokyo caused around 100,000 people their lives and millions their homes. It is tragic when innocent civilians lose their lives in war.
When I think of bombing of Japan I think of the Nukes dropped. I have never really heard about this bombing until now. It is crazy that more people were killed in this then the atomic bombs dropped later. Its just sad that so many civilian lives were lost during this war.
Interesting to see the victims of these attacks sued their own government for not ending the war earlier. And it was in 2007, well past the war!
It’s stories like these, with such high casualty rates, that make me wonder why only certain attacks are the ones that go down in history and are known by practically everybody all over the world. For instance, I’ve never heard of this attack on Tokyo, even though it was such a brutal attack with casualties so high!
I am shocked that I have not heard of this bombing before reading this article. It is hard to imagine how the Japanese went back to normal day life after these attacks were made. Having one million more homeless people to hopefully house and feed must have been a very difficult task for the government to face.
First time really hearing about this bombing, cannot imagine having a group of 1 million homeless and carrying on with life.
Japan was very persistent and were not ready to surrender, even after the death of 100,000 civilians. Good for the Japanese people to attempt to sue the Japanese government for prolonging the war and lack of protection.
I think it is beyond hysterical that Japanese families sued over not ending the war earlier! I do not believe the bombing of civilians is moral and I wish something further was done for the families that lost loved ones or other belongings.
I do not think bombing citizens and causing massive loss of civilian life and property is moral at all! I feel that it is cowardly. I think man to man and face to face combat is a just way to settle war business.
I couldn’t imagine being one of those victims.
Tokyo goes from 100,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet in one night of the land being burned to the ground. That is crazy that this happened. With 100,000 civilians dead and millions injured is a massacre.
I do not understand why the US bomb raided civilians and their homes when victory was already certain. I know that the Japanese committed horrible acts against humanity beforehand, but that does not mean we should sink to their level.
I never knew we bombed Tokyo before the dropping of the atomic bombs. It was interesting that families of victims later sued the government of Japan in 2007 for failing to end the war earlier. I do agree with them though. Japan should have surrendered before this had happened.
I did not know that Tokyo was bombed prior to the two atomic bombs being dropped.
How terribly sad. The US was responsible for nearly 100,000 per square mile. Bombing was responsible for so many innocent deaths.
I think civilian areas should be avoided as much as possible. War isn’t pretty and sometimes the very innocent get hurt. Japan paid a heavy price as well as other countries.
The casualties from bombings are perhaps some of the largest that history has ever heard of.
So sad to read about how many people were killed from this attack. Bombing in my opinion seem to cause the deadliest casualties.
I think that the amount of area that was bombed was unnecessary and they should have targeted military bases to avoid civilian casualties. Bombing may be an effective tactic during war, but causes more destruction than necessary.
As crazy as it sounds a U.S. airstrike killed more people than the two nuclear bombs. No wonder the airstrike is the deadliest strike of all time!
I found it interesting the the Japanese families tried to sue the government for not ending the war sooner. I can’t believe that so many lives were lost that day.
I found it ironic that families sued the Japanese government in 2007. I do not see much problem in suing the government considering the lack of care and morality during the bombing.
With all of the advances in technology it is amazing to think that in 1945 the most deadly bombing to date took place.
Although bombings have helped in defeat, especially defeat by America, I think any mass killing is on the side of immoral.
When you are a citizen of a country and you declare war you are apart of the war effort of that country. It hurts when civilians are harmed but they are the ones who provide the tax dollars and labor force to fund a war.
I cannot believe that the deadliest attack was back in 1945 by air strike, rather than other attacks sooner in the time period where we have more advanced technology.
It is horrible to hear that over 100,000 people died during one-night attack. Even though Japanese did a big sin in Asia, especially in China, the innocent Japanese people should not be punished to deprive their lives.
I do not feel that killing civilians or destroying cities is moral. What is gained by the destruction and death of innocent people? By definition these acts are not considered war crimes and are acceptable acts of war.
How do the Japan government think that over 100,000 people lost their life. So, why they attacked Pearl Harbor? Everything should be pay off.
I do not feel that killing innocent civilians is moral. How could this even be considered moral? The number of casualties in just one night is unfathomable.
I never knew that the victims of the attack sued the government.
A mass killing will never be right to me. Killing so many people in that way should be beyond illegal.
This topic of ethics and morality was a discussion in Christian Ethics class. There is a very fine line when it comes to the bombing of civilians. Advances in technology have helped in this matter but is is definitely debatable. Wars have to be determined just along with the battles involved.
I am not saying that this was not deserved but I find it tragic how so many innocent lives are taken.
After the final counts of the death tolls were in place, Japan had no purpose spouting off about war crimes.
I am shocked that the victims families sued in 2007 even though this happened in the 1940’s! I do not think killing this many people is moral.
100,000 people is a lot to be just wiped off the planet, this war sure did bring out the barbaric side in all of the world.
So many civilian lives lost.
It is scary to think about how easy it is for a bomb to have that big of an affect on peoples lives.
The civilian lives were again a cost for effectiveness. The wearing down of the people and their leadership had to be rough and it was unfortunately through inhumane methods.
Bombing appears to be the deadliest weapon.
I found it interesting that the Japanese sued their own government for not ending the war, and although they lost, I think that this was a pretty bold move at the time.
The mass killings of civilians is hard to swallow, whether is is by their own government or not.
This story shows how little the Japanese cared for their own people. Horrible that a government and military would subject their citizens to such brutality. As for our country’s culpability, I find it to be a war crime to knowingly kill innocents.
I hate war and the loss of life during this time of war. How ever what happened to the U.S in 1941 so our get back was the fire bombing in 1945. This is where Japan probably wished they wouldn’t have messed with us. They always say don’t poke a bear, well that is what they did and they lost.
Although disturbing, the acts committed against Pearl Harbor justify the retaliation we afforded Japan. It also set the precedence of American might and military strength. I would have been nervous being part of the crew with so much stripped from the bombers.
Along with millions of other lives lost these are more casualties of war. I find it interesting that the Japanese are complaining of war crimes.
The most interesting fact that I found in this article is that the families sued the government for not ending the war sooner. Even though they lost the actions speak for themselves about how the people of Japan felt about their governments part in this war.
It’s apparent after reading this that the Japanese government really didn’t care much about their people.I thought it was interesting how the victims sued the government decades later for failure to protect and care for its citizens after the bombing.
I understand that war is hell, and there are what some call “necessary casualties of war”. But I can’t help to think about how people in America read newspapers, or watched newsreels at the cinema about this and most likely cheered. Innocent civilians should not be held responsible for the actions of their military. Can you imagine if every country we bombed got revenge by bombing American citizens?
If you really think about it, how shocking is it that the Tokyo firebombing raid killed more Japanese outright than either atomic bomb. When you think about WWII the thought that most people have is President Truman dropping the atomic bomb to end the war. No one thinks of all the carnage that both governments inflicted on innocent people in the name of war. It really makes you question humanity sometimes.
Mass killings are something I find hard to accept. Whether its done by the government,a civilian, or a group what are they actually trying to prove?
It’s incredibly funny that the Japanese are complaining about war crimes, and the fact that they sued their own government for not ending the war.
Of course it is not moral but neither is war.
I though the atomic bomb was the most devastating, I guess I was wrong. This was much more devastating, even though it was multiple small bombs.
Progress in weapons is often the fastest in wartime, and its destructive nature makes it impossible to believe, as for 324 B-29
B-29 was effectively beating the Japanese. The 2 atom bombs was one of the main thing ended the war.