Operation Meetinghouse
| Operation Meetinghouse | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| United States | Japan | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Curtis Lemay | Shizuichi Tanaka | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| 21st USAAF Bomber Command |
Around 638 antiaircraft guns 90 fighter planes Tokyo firefighters | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
14 aircraft destroyed 96 aircrew killed or missing |
90,000 to 100,000 killed (most common estimates) Over one million without homes 267,171 buildings destroyed | ||||
Operation Meetinghouse was a bombing attack by the United States against Japan on the night between the 9th and 10th of March 1945.[1] American bombers dropped firebombs without a specific target on the Japanese city of Tokyo. These firebombs created a huge firestorm which killed over 100,000 people and destroyed the homes of about 1 million more people. It is notable for being the most deadly attack from the air in world history. The attack was a change in strategy for the United States, which had previously only attacked from the air during the day, focusing on specific buildings.[2]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Legacy of the Great Tokyo Air Raid". The Japan Times. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ↑ "English – 東京大空襲・戦災資料センター" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-09-13.
