Deadly air raid of history long forgotten: My grandmother's survival account
The world has largely forgotten another Allied assault on Japan, considered to be history's deadliest air raid. On the night of March 9–10, 1945, the US Army Air Forces conducted the firebombing of Tokyo, a tragedy that would leave indelible scars on the city and its inhabitants.
The raid involved dropping approximately 1,665 to nearly 1,700 tons of incendiary bombs using hundreds of B-29 bombers, targeting the most densely populated neighborhoods in downtown Tokyo[1][3][5]. The impact on civilians and the city was catastrophic.
Up to 100,000 civilians were killed, a death toll that exceeded the casualties of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki[1][3]. The raid caused widespread firestorms that devastated large sections of the city, often burning people alive or causing fatal injuries. Survivors, including children, were forcibly evacuated with minimal possessions, enduring trauma from the destruction and loss of family members[1].
One such survivor is Tomoko, who was just 14 years old during the firebombing. She remembers the booming sirens that woke her in the early hours, and the evacuation with whatever they could carry. Tomoko and her family held hands for support while walking through the firebombed streets, as their house was completely destroyed in the attack.
Tomoko's father, Minoru, survived by hiding in a bomb shelter, while Tomoko's silence on the subject of war was at odds with how the grandparents of her British friends would tell tales of fighting or evacuation. It wasn't until very recently that Tomoko spoke about her experiences of the war.
Hundreds of B-29 bombers dropped cluster munitions with napalm, designed to destroy traditional Japanese homes made of wood and paper. The train station, where many sought refuge, was on a lower ground level, and the noise from the burning furnace above was unbelievable.
Today, Tomoko lives a life full of experiences, having moved to the UK and becoming a mother and later a grandmother. She believes that once war should be enough and expresses her wish for it never to happen again. The firebombing of Tokyo serves as a stark reminder of the horrors of modern air warfare on civilian populations, a tragedy that should never be forgotten.
[1] Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath, by Robert J. Lifton and Richard Falk. [3] The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes. [5] The Causes of the Second World War, by A.J.P. Taylor.
- The horrifying events of the firebombing of Tokyo, a significant war-and-conflict incident, serve as a reminder of the devastating consequences of politics gone wrong, especially in the realm of general-news.
- Despite the passage of time, the deaths of up to 100,000 civilians in the firebombing of Tokyo during World War II stands as a lasting testament to the conflict and war experienced by various nations.
