fc84 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 3-13-05 - Harvard Universityfc84/Lecture_Slides...campaigns against...
Transcript of fc84 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 3-13-05 - Harvard Universityfc84/Lecture_Slides...campaigns against...
3/10/04 1
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo
in memorium
March 10, 1945
FC 84
3/10/04 2
Thirty Seconds Over TokyoThe Doolittle Raid
The Air War
3/10/04 3
• April 18, 1942 – Doolittle raiders bomb Tokyo, taking off from USS Hornet, approximately 700 miles off the Japanese coast
• Led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle
• A little “shock and awe” air campaign
3/10/04 4
3/10/04 5
3/10/04 6
3/10/04 7
3/10/04 8
Doolittle pilots in China
3/10/04 9
3/10/04 10
3/10/04 11
Air power
Allied forces developed doctrines of urban aerial bombardment as key to waging total war
British General “Bomber” Harris – planned the fire bombing of Dresden
U.S. Gen. Curtis LeMay – planned aerial campaigns against Tokyo, went on to head the Strategic Air Command
3/10/04 12
US Air campaign
Bombing started in earnest in 1944Needed Pacific island bases for bombers Mockups of Japanese cities built in the US
southwest for bombing practices Invention of napalm – intended for burning
wooden cities
3/10/04 13
3/10/04 14
American bombings 1944-45• Over 130 Japanese cities intensively bombed
• Massive evacuations of urban civilian population
• Culminated in the fire bombing of Tokyo March 10, 1945
• Casualty estimates run as high as 150,000 people in a single night
• Raids planned to maximize damage and terror to civilian population
3/10/04 15
Kanto region
3/10/04 16
March 10 raids
3/10/04 17
Aftermath of March 10 raids
3/10/04 18
Aftermath of March 10 raids
3/10/04 19
up to 150,000 casualties
3/10/04 20
The Ultimate Shock and Awe
Hiroshima, Aug 6
Nagasaki, Aug 9
V-J Day, Aug 15