Firebombing of Tokyo
Hell visited Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945. American B-29s dropped 1,665 tons of incendiaries, creating a perfect firestorm among the capital’s wooden buildings. Temperatures reached 1,800°F in some areas, melting asphalt and cooking people seeking refuge in canals. Nearly 100,000 died that night—more than would initially perish at Hiroshima. Over a million lost their homes. Tokyo’s destruction exceeded damage from the devastating 1923 earthquake, shocking military leaders who couldn’t protect their capital.
