'Eerie' sky, charred bodies: 80 years since Tokyo WWII firestorm

There's no doubt the civilians were a deliberate target," he said.

That doesn't make sense. The USAAF dropped huge numbers of warning leaflets in Feburary on Tokyo warning civlilians of a destructive attacks, and explaing that they were NOT the targets, and for them to evacuate the cities. In fact, the USAAF dropped the leaflets throughout Japan during the war. No other country did. The Japanese police punished anyone caught reading the warnings.

"By burning them down, you would kill workers, de-house them. You would destroy small factories scattered around the domestic residential zones.  And that this would contribute in some way to undermining the Japanese war economy."

OK, now he's contradicting himself. The objective WAS to destory factories and Japan's industrial capacity. Like all modern revisionists, his argument is riddled with contradictions and falsehoods.

The US dropped leaflets, but there was nowhere for the people to run, and they were stopped by the military.

Never forget how world war 2 started in Europe and how Japan entered the war.

Wars are the products of of the DVILS amongst us.

Some of us were brought into this world for Peace and Harmony, others were brought to promote the devils work.

Good to know that as a species we have learned from the utter folly of war and created a better, more tolerant....

oh wait.

Attacking a military base is an act of war. Bombing civilian noncombatants indiscriminately is not. As the British historian said, civilians were a deliberate target. The Americans dropped incendiary bombs encircling the targeted area, trapping the residents inside the circle of fire. Then they burned them all by repeated fire bombings. Holocaust in the true sense of the word.

The hard facts are that they tried precision bombing and it didn't work, so the resorted to a 'We'll just burn everything' approach that was indiscriminate and carried out on a very densely populated civilian city mostly made of wood. Thy dropped a type of bomb that was filled with Napalm, opened at altitude and scattered bomblets randomly and widely to burn everything in as wide a field as possible.

Killed 100,000 people in a single night.

Stonewall war crime and one of the worst, if not THE worst single example of humans killing humans en-masse in all of history.

Absolutely shameful.

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JeffLeeToday  07:12 am JST

There's no doubt the civilians were a deliberate target," he said.

That doesn't make sense. The USAAF dropped huge numbers of warning leaflets in Feburary on Tokyo warning civlilians of a destructive attacks, and explaing that they were NOT the targets, and for them to evacuate the cities. In fact, the USAAF dropped the leaflets throughout Japan during the war. No other country did. The Japanese police punished anyone caught reading the warnings. 

"By burning them down, you would kill workers, de-house them. You would destroy small factories scattered around the domestic residential zones. And that this would contribute in some way to undermining the Japanese war economy."

OK, now he's contradicting himself. The objective WAS to destory factories and Japan's industrial capacity. Like all modern revisionists, his argument is riddled with contradictions and falsehoods

It is one thing to be warned it is another to know where to go.

when the firebombing attack was over, lemay bragged to the crews that they had killed more people in the least amount of time than any time in history.

they flew at low level and dropped incendiary bombs on people trying to get to the rivers for safety.

i knew a woman who was horrifically burned then.

it was gruesome. lemay went on after the war to urge truman to stockpile 50 nuclear bombs, and he would plan a sneak attack on 50 cities in russia.

the man loved killing people.

The sad truth is that the victor writes the history of the war. The victor decides who started it. The victor decides if war crimes were committed and against whom.

That is why this was not a war crime, Dresden was not a war crime. But if the rolls were reversed they of course would have been.

Machine shops next to homes, next to mom and pop shops, next to small clothing factories. There are countless small 2 story industrial workshops fitted with a large industrial shop cranes with a home for the owner’s family built right above it as if on stilts.  

The small machine shop around the corner from us makes custom replacement parts for large industrial machines in large, big name factories.  Playgrounds, single family homes, apartments and shops are scattered between.  

It would have been hard to target these areas without hitting masses of civilians.  

This is slowly being replaced by cohesive neighborhoods with homes only and large shopping malls in the suburbs.

There's nothing "revisionist" about this. Curtis LeMay himself knew what he was doing, it was unhumanely and devastatingly effective and he brought both Germany and Japan to their knees.

Major General Curtis LeMay famously said, “If we lose, we'll be tried as war criminals” in reference to the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II.

Instead of wasting time trying to justify something that LeMay himself recognized could be a "war crime" we need to focus on stopping present day bombings of civilians, as in Ukraine and Gaza.

As Japan nears the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, there will undoubtedly be numerous accounts highlighting the horrors of war and the suffering of innocent civilians, often casting the Japanese as victims. However, there will likely be far fewer stories addressing the atrocities committed by the Japanese military, the war criminals who escaped accountability, and their role in shaping post-war Japan.

how Japan entered the war.

Yes, by a false flag attack by Japanese themselves in Manchuria. The "Incident" seems to have been two officers' idea, not authorized by the army, to say nothing of entire military (there was big rivalry with the navy) or the government, but only happened because Japan had troops there in the first place. From 1928 or whenever it was.

The humane response to this anniversary would be recognize how terrible bombing is and stop the bombing of Gaza.

This will not happen, because the people in charge are not humane.

What comes around goes around. This also apply for the Plaza Accord.

Major General Curtis LeMay famously said, “If we lose, we'll be tried as war criminals” in reference to the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II.

McNamara, who did USAF management and logistics, was happy enough to admit the same direct to camera in The Fog of War documentary. This will probably be downvoted like the above comment, because some people don't like the truth.

That’s what War IS; “Eerie Skies and Charred Bodies”

Best to avoid it

Mr KiplingToday 08:53 am JST

The sad truth is that the victor writes the history of the war. The victor decides who started it. The victor decides if war crimes were committed and against whom.

And what "truths" would Nazi Germany have written after the war had they won? Along with, who was allied with them lets seeeee If I actually say the truth my comment will be moderated. Hint, whoever it was killed 3 million Chinese civilians.

80 years is a long time, but to some or even most who experienced this living hell, probably still feels like yesterday.

The sad truth is that the victor writes the history of the war.

"Truth"? Ha, good one. The Vietnam War has come almost exclusively to us through the lens of the loser, and postwar Germans did much to chronicle the horrors of the Holocaust. There are other cases as well.

But hey, it's a cliche that sounds nice and assuring. Which is why the revisionists like it so much. Who cares if it isn't true.

And yet still Japan didn't surrender.

With the absolute horror of firebombing reducing homes and people to charred lumps in the Capital, near the Imperial Palace, the crazed elites decided that sacrificing more innocents was the only order of the day.

The savagery of the bombing was equally matched, or even more so, by the IJA throwing it's citizens before the lions, starting in Okinawa and finishing in Nagasaki.

All beyond belief.

The US "dropped leaflet "....these could be used to protect yourself ?

The USA embarked on a racially driven extermination of the Japanese people...no other words for it.

Historical revisionism by the guilty wont wash away the blood and ash.

Bloody shameful disproportionate response that killed innocents more than war making facilities.

Makes me want to vomit.

Gurumick

The USA embarked on a racially driven extermination of the Japanese people...no other words for it.

If that's the case, then the USA did a pretty flimsy job of it. Around 36 million were killed in the war Japan started. Japanese soldiers accounted for around 2 million, about 5.5% percent of the total. Japanese civlians, 1 million, or 2.8 percent. This includes many not killed by Americans but in China. In a nation of 73 million, the total number is relatively small.

Gotta love the racial argument. The war's biggest victims were Soviets, who were largely blonded haired and blue-eyed white people. Quite a few were subjects of Japan's gruesome biological experiments, aimed ultimately at, you got it....extermination of those deemed as inferior!

Bloody shameful disproportionate response that killed innocents more than war making facilities.

No, in fact, the "response" and others like it did a really good job of destroying Japan's war making facilities, which had all become obliterated by the time of surrender.

Now, let's watch my facts get downvoted yet again. While emotional outbursts based on mythology get the upvotes. Every wonder why Japan can't move beyond its past?

Americans cannot defend this. It was a genocidal action pure and simple, carried out by a people who had been doing that since 1619.

War was conducted very differently up until the end of the Vietnam war. Civilians were considered targets: Germany bombed London not for it's military capabilities, but to weaken the resolve of the civilians, etc.

The viewing of the past with the values of today is called presentism and assumes that today's values, methods and morals with regards to the conduct of war should have or existed in history.

Can't say that humanity isn't (won't) back-sliding into the civilians as targets mentality, but looking at "then" cannot be done without understanding that "then" was a different time in humanity's social evolution.

Japanese were not blond....did that have to be pointed out.

They were considered a racially inferior group...witness the racist cartoons and the words of US Commanders

At PNG,a soldier asked "what should we do sir ?

US General replied "Kill Japanese " he said it three times and did not use the word "Japanese "

You Americans have a lot to answer for in the way you conduct war, post WW2 as well.

Statistics cant erase the incendiary bombing of Japanese homes, not factories.

dbsaiya - well spoken up, and I’m sorry you’ve been downvoted

Japan did not start a war with the USA. Their attack on the Military Navy port was a pre -empt due to the USA attempt at blockading energy for Japan. This would harm Japan citizens. Japan never attack citizen of the USA only their Military. The bombing of T , H and N is testament of just out to kill as many Japanese citizen as possible. China and other countries had the right to bomb Japanese Citizens the USA did not.

It's a fair John-San but unrealistic, as war's never anything but chaos and destruction, the fog of war etc.

John-SanToday  02:53 pm JST

Japan did not start a war with the USA. Their attack on the Military Navy port was a pre -empt due to the USA attempt at blockading energy for Japan. This would harm Japan citizens. Japan never attack citizen of the USA only their Military. The bombing of T , H and N is testament of just out to kill as many Japanese citizen as possible. 

We did the same to the German civilians and Germany never attacked American civilians either. Furthermore they were caucasians.

But as has been pointed out, that was war back then. Although only the evils of the Axis powers were taught, the truth is that both the allied and axis powers did horrible things. Most nations have evolved from those days, and now seek to eliminate enemy targets with "minimal collateral damage".

But what's truly horrible is that there are nations still doing it today....Russia and Israel.

To read the memoirs of J family, of a time now inconceivable to modern Japan 2025.

A time of a culture devoted to a strict form of Imperialism, that demanded sacrifice.

A people's devotion so committed to an unquestioning imperialist loyalty.

"By burning them down, you would kill workers, de-house them. You would destroy small factories scattered around the domestic residential zones. And that this would contribute in some way to undermining the Japanese war economy."

Because of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, followed the following month by Japan's surrender, the firebombing of Tokyo is often overlooked.

Punishment, many would suggest unspeakable?

Yet to this day what has been learnt by Japan despot dictatorship neighbours?

Russia, China, North korea?

It is a gross insult, a travesty of justice, not to the fully account for the countless documented atrocities, of brutality inflicted mercilessly on captured prisoners of war, occupied neighbours, Korea, China.

Today Japan its people is a country unrecognisable to the past Imperialist regimen.

It is time also, to openly commemorate such change for the next generations.

The then "Great Japan Empire" military regime had forced the general public to put out the fires despite almost impossible to put out napalm-fires with water, and delayed evacuation, more increased victims.

> Mr KiplingToday 08:53 am JST

The sad truth is that the victor writes the history of the war. The victor decides who started it. The victor decides if war crimes were committed and against whom.

> That is why this was not a war crime, Dresden was not a war crime. But if the rolls were reversed they of course would have been.

It's possible you may be right about the role reversal but one big thing to remember is that there were several evil regimes which needed defeating. Also, the Japanese did their own share of brutality. The Bataan Death March, the Rape of Nanking and the Unit 731 experiments are some examples. The world is not a great place now but had the Allies not won, the world would have Hitler, Mussolini and General Tojo at its mercy; there wouldn't be a democracy in sight and it would be a much worse place without a doubt. War crimes were committed on all sides but the right side won.

Intentionally killing any civilians should never be done, anywhere, at any time.

That said, I read somewhere that more Chinese civilians were killed by Japanese bombs than Japanese civilians by American bombs, including the two atomic bombs. As another example, about 40,000 Dutch civilians were intentionally starved to death by the IJA in Sumatra, because the IJA wanted to convert the Indonesian islands from a Dutch colony into a Japanese colony, and the Dutch civilians were in the way.

It is my opinion that whenever there is an article describing the horrors suffered by Japanese civilians during the war, it should be paired with an article about the horrors suffered by non-Japanese civilians at the direction of the IJA. The bombing of Japanese civilians, as terrible as it was, did not happen in a vacuum.

A great reminder of the atrocities of unnecessary wars.

Intentionally killing any civilians should never be done, anywhere, at any time.

Of course. Sorry. It is. People..The worst.

Intentionally killing any civilians should never be done, anywhere, at any time.

That said, I read somewhere that more Chinese civilians were killed by Japanese bombs than Japanese civilians by American bombs, including the two atomic bombs. As another example, about 40,000 Dutch civilians were intentionally starved to death by the IJA in Sumatra, because the IJA wanted to convert the Indonesian islands from a Dutch colony into a Japanese colony, and the Dutch civilians were in the way.

It is my opinion that whenever there is an article describing the horrors suffered by Japanese civilians during the war, it should be paired with an article about the horrors suffered by non-Japanese civilians at the direction of the IJA. The bombing of Japanese civilians, as terrible as it was, did not happen in a vacuum.

-4( +0 / -4 )

Too worthy, mate..

"firestorm" is like flame vortex.

It was caused also at Japan's Kanto mega earthquake 1923, it burned and killed tens thousands evacuees.

Fight war not wars.

Everything is paid in life..

The genocide committed by US military are paid in fentanyl overdoses and gun violence..

Never forget how world war 2 started in Europe and how Japan entered the war.

And you never forget that nothing justifies to evaporate two Japanese cities full of innocent civilians..

Americans cannot defend this. It was a genocidal action pure and simple, carried out by a people who had been doing that since 1619.

The whole truth..

Like it or not

Ego Sum Lux MundiMar. 8 12:27 pm JST

Americans cannot defend this. It was a genocidal action pure and simple, carried out by a people who had been doing that since 1619.

And yet we didn't bump off 10 million in China. Go figure.

TokyoLiving Today 04:23 am JST

Everything is paid in life..

The genocide committed by US military are paid in fentanyl overdoses and gun violence..

Japan is behind fentanyl and gun violence? Fascinating.

More than 50,000,000 killed in the war, most of them civilians, and most of those Chinese and Soviets. If there was ever an example of why having dictators lead nations causes wars and deaths, WW II is that example.

Dictators tend to be narcissistic megalomaniacs who think they know better than anyone else, and who think they can't lose in a war.

Firebombing was done by everybody during WW2 - it was part of warring back then

So was seashore bombarding from battleship guns - that's just firebombing by another name

Nobody had precision bombing back then

People forget that this would had happened if the US mounted an invasion of the Japanese mainland. Whether they'd died by nuclear bombing or firebombing, a lot of Japanese would still die either way. Japan should never had entered WW2 - that's on the Japanese leadership

Jefflee

 The USAAF dropped huge numbers of warning leaflets in Feburary on Tokyo warning civlilians of a destructive attacks, and explaing that they were NOT the targets, and for them to evacuate the cities.

And how do civilians evacuate a giant city if they have no transportation, no place to go, and would not even be allowed to leave by the authorities anyway? Fact is, firebombing a civilian population is what it is. No excuse.