Air raids on Kobe
The air raids on Kobe in the last seven months of the Second World War destroyed the Japanese city of Kobe to over 55%. In the period from February to August 1945, the city was the target of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) five times .
Economic importance of the city
In 1944, Kobe was the sixth largest city on the main Japanese islands . At that time the city had 976,234 inhabitants and a population density of 77,700–155,400 inhabitants per km 2 . This made Kobe one of the most densely populated cities in Japan. The city stretched on a coastal strip between mountainous areas and the sea. In the northeast, the outskirts bordered Osaka . The urban area was around 16 km long and 1.6–4.0 km wide. The built-up urban area had an area of over 14 km 2 . Together with the agglomerations , the built-up area comprised around 36 km 2 .
The city was an important location for petrochemicals and heavy industry . Various steel works and foundries for the civil and armaments industries were located in the city area. In addition to heavy industry, there were various war-important engine factories, electronics factories, and railroad factories with locomotive factories in the city. The city was also home to the Kawanishi Aircraft Plant, the fourth largest Japanese aircraft manufacturer for fighter jets .
Kobe had a large deep-water port with a spacious warehouse area with large warehouses. In addition, two of the largest shipyards on the main Japanese islands were located in the port area. The port of Kobe was one of the largest and most important in Japan. The port area was connected to several railway lines, which also made the Kobe an important traffic junction .
Air strikes
A first early air raid on Kobe took place on April 18, 1942 as part of the Doolittle Raid . A B-25J Mitchell medium bomber dropped four 500 pound (227 kg) bombs on the industrial districts. The damage done was minor.
Further air strikes took place only after the first units of the XXIth Bomber Command of the Twentieth Air Force (20th AF) were stationed on the Marianas in October 1944 . This formation was equipped with the advanced B-29 Superfortress bomber . The B-29 was able to carry heavy bomb loads over long distances and at great heights. Kobe was less important than other cities in the strategic bombing of Japan and was not attacked for the time being. According to the target directive set by Henry H. Arnold for the XXIth Bomber Command , the cities with aircraft plants had the highest priority. This was followed by the other urban areas with industrial centers in the second highest priority. The directive also provided that incendiary attacks on urban areas should begin as soon as sufficient B-29 bombers and enough incendiary bombs allowed intensive bombing. Until then, the aircraft plants continued to be bombed from great heights with little success.
In early November 1944, the 20th AF under Brigadier General Curtis LeMay was supplied with the first batches of AN-M69 - napalm - cluster bombs . This type of incendiary bomb was specially developed to attack Japanese cities. After this type of bomb was used on a trial basis in an unsuccessful air raid on Nagoya on January 6, 1945 , LeMay wanted to fly another test attack against Kobe at the beginning of February 1945. Due to the prevailing construction and the weak civil defense, Kobe was endangered by the use of incendiary bombs . The urban area was densely populated and most of the buildings were made of easily flammable materials such as wood or paper. In addition, industrial and military facilities were located in the middle of densely populated areas. After this test attack, Kobe was spared further area bombing until March 1945. Only after the heavy incendiary bombing of the major cities of Tokyo , Nagoya and Osaka was Kobe on the target list of the XXIth Bomber Command again .
The primary aim of the air strikes was to destroy the industrial capacity of Kobe. The intent of these attacks was to weaken the Japanese armaments industry in order to limit and cut off supplies to the Imperial Japanese Army . The second target was the city's population. With the destruction of the workforce, the planners hoped for massive losses in industrial production. This should lead to supply shortages for the military and the civilian population. Furthermore, one wanted to weaken or break the morale (work ethic, perseverance, etc.) of the population.
February 4, 1945
The Mission 26 of the 20th AF was a large-scale test attack with AN-M69-napalm cluster bombs. At the operation Middleman I to B-29 bombers of the 73rd and the 313th Bombardment Wing newly established parties. The aim of this mission was the industrial and harbor district in the southwest of Kobe. The bombers were loaded with AN-M41 fragmentation bombs and M18 (E28) cluster bombs with 38 AN-M69 Napalm bombs each. Of 110 aircraft that took off from the Mariana Islands , 99 reached the target area. Eleven bombers had to break off the attack because of violent high winds or flew to the alternative target Natsuzka. 69 airmen bombed the primary targets with radar assistance from a height of 7,468–8,230 m. 30 other bombers could not make the primary target because of the heavy cloud cover and unloaded their bombs at random over Kobe. Various bombers released their bombs too early, so that they fell into the sea. 151.5 tons of incendiary bombs and 14.7 tons of cluster bombs were dropped on Kobe within an hour. These burned down around 0.25 km 2 of the urban area. 1039 buildings, including 20 factories, were completely burned down. Twelve industrial companies classified as essential to the war effort were destroyed or seriously damaged by the attack. According to Japanese figures, the attack in the city left 38 dead and 150 injured. 4,350 people were left homeless in the attack . During the air raid, the B-29 crews counted 100 Japanese fighters, in addition to strong flak fire, which flew 273 attacks on the bomber formation. 35 B-29s were damaged by the Japanese defense. After the attack, the Americans claimed three kills and 20 probable kills. Another 39 fighters are said to have been damaged. Two B-29s were lost during this mission: one aircraft broke on landing and burned out. Another aircraft, the SN 42-24629 "Devil's Darlin" , was damaged by the defense over the target. During the return flight one after all four engines failed and the plane had around 95 km off Saipan ditch . Except for the pilot , all crew members were rescued.
March 16, 1945
With Mission 43 , the 20th AF flew an area attack with incendiary bombs on the southwestern residential and industrial district of Kobe on the night of March 16-17. At the operation Middleman II to B-29 bombers of the 73rd involved, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings. Of the 330 bombers launched, 306 reached the target area, the southeastern part of the city. 21 bombers had to abort the flight and three more flew to the alternative destination. Aircraft in front of the 314th BW dropped AN-M76 Napalm bombs to mark targets . Then, for a good two hours, 306 aircraft bombed the marked target area with incendiary bombs from a height of 1,402–2,743 m. Strong winds sparked a firestorm from the many large fires , which developed not only smoke but also violent thermal winds , so that many subsequent aircraft had to climb to a much greater height and drop their load of weapons from there. Individual bombers could not see their targets because of the smoke and the turbulence and dumped their bombs randomly over the city. The B-29 bomber invited on this night 319.3 tonnes of AN-M76 -Napalmbomben, 1,068.7 tonnes of AN-M50 - incendiary bombs , 630.5 tons of AN-M69 -Napalmbomben and 18.1 tons of 500-pound bombs ( 227 kg) via Kobe. The fire brigade and firebreaks created beforehand could not prevent the fire from spreading over a large area and the firestorm burned down 7.5 km 2 of urban area, which corresponded to around 20% of the city's area. According to Japanese sources, the attack burned 500 factories and warehouses and damaged 162 more. In addition, 65,951 apartments were destroyed by flames. The large Kawasaki shipyard was also almost completely burned down. The attack left 2,669 dead and missing and 11,289 injured on the ground. 242,468 people were left homeless as a result of the attack. After the attack, 97,867 residents left the city on their own initiative or were evacuated . During this attack, the bomber crews counted 93 attacks by Japanese fighters in addition to sporadic anti-aircraft fire. The Americans claimed a kill for themselves. Three B-29s were lost for unknown reasons, presumably due to the strong thermal winds caused by the firestorm. Five bombers had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima during this mission .
March 19, 1945
On these days, the US Navy carried out carrier-based air strikes on targets in the Kobe and Kure area . Task Force 58 (TF 58) planes attacked airfields and ships with bombs, missiles and on-board weapons.
May 11, 1945
The Mission 172 of 20th AF had the Kawanishi aircraft factory in Kobe to the goal. In this the fighter aircraft Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden ("George") and the medium bomber P1Y Ginga ("Frances") were produced. At the operation leafstalk I to B-29 bombers of the 58th participating, 73rd, and 314th Bombardment Wings. Of 102 aircraft that took off from the Mariana Islands, 92 reached the target area in the Mikage district as of 10:30 am Guam time . Nine other bombers broke off the attack early. The attack took place under heavy cloud cover, with radar assistance from a height of 4,785–6,096 m. Within around 10 minutes, the bombers dropped 417.6 tons of high-explosive bombs on the factory premises. These devastated 35–39% of the factory area and around 70% of the production halls as well as 11 other factory buildings. In addition, around 70% of a naval academy next to the aircraft factory and 0.4 km 2 of adjacent residential area were destroyed. According to Japanese figures, the attack left 405 dead and 503 injured in the city. 20,351 people were left homeless in the attack. During the mission, the bomber crews counted 41 Japanese fighter planes, in addition to strong flak fire, which flew 88 attacks on the bomber formation. Five B-29s were damaged in the process. After the attack, the Americans claimed four kills and 18 probable kills. Nine other fighters are said to have been damaged. After a flight time of 13 to 15 hours , all bombers landed back on the Mariana Islands. During this mission, the XXI Bomber Command suffered no losses from enemy action. A B-29 crashed into the sea immediately after takeoff, killing all eleven crew members.
June 5, 1945
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/American_bombs_falling_on_Kobe.jpg/220px-American_bombs_falling_on_Kobe.jpg)
With Mission 188 of the 20th AF, there was another area attack with incendiary bombs on the residential areas of Kobe. For this mission, the XXI Bomber Command gathered almost all available forces of the 58th, 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings. The 523 B-29s launched on the Mariana Islands were escorted from Iwojima by VII Fighter Command P-51 Mustang fighters . The B-29 reached the city at an altitude of 4,161-5,730 m, which is low for a daytime attack. 473 bombers dropped their bombs over the city center and the eastern and western parts of the city within 90 minutes. Eight other bombers could not find their target areas and dump their bombs at random. The B-29 unloaded 1,040.3 tons of AN-M47 incendiary bombs, 911 tons of AN-M69 Napalm bombs, 780 tons of AN-M50 stick bombs and 74 tons of AN-M41 fragmentation bombs over Kobe. The attack burned a further 11.4 km 2 of urban area and destroyed not only various residential areas but also 17 other war-essential factories. The widespread wildfire could only be extinguished by the severely decimated fire brigade after two days. After that, around half of the city's area was in ruins. According to Japanese figures, the attack left 3,192 dead and 10,064 injured on the ground. The attack left another 179,890 people homeless. After the attack, an additional 73,343 residents voluntarily left or were evacuated. The attack met with heavy resistance from the Japanese and American losses were high. 125 Japanese fighters intercepted the formation. In the ensuing aerial battles, three American bombers were shot down and another 82 damaged. The pilots of the P-51 subsequently reported 42 aerial victories and the B-29 crews reported another 44 enemy kills. The strong anti-aircraft fire over the target led to the loss of three bombers and damaged another 72. In addition, four more bombers were lost over the target for unknown reasons. Another bomber crash-landed on Iwojima on the return flight and had to be written off. 43 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on the way back to Iwojima. The surviving crew members of the bombers shot down over Japan were executed that same day .
25.-28. July
On these days, the US Navy carried out carrier-based air strikes on targets in the Kobe and Osaka area . Aircraft of the type TBF Avenger , SB2C Helldiver and F6F Hellcat of Task Force 37 (TF 37) took part in the attack . The planes, which had previously started on aircraft carriers , attacked airfields , power plants , railroad facilities and ships with bombs, missiles and on-board weapons.
July 30, 1945
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/45th_Fighter_Squadron_-_P-51_Mustangs.jpg/220px-45th_Fighter_Squadron_-_P-51_Mustangs.jpg)
On that day, fighter-bombers from VII Fighter Command from Iwojima attacked railways and airfields in the greater Osaka and Kobe area.
August 6, 1945
With the Mission 314 of the Twentieth Air Force an area attack was carried out on three suburbs of Kobe. The attack was aimed at the agglomeration areas of Nishinomiya, Ashiya and Mikage, which were largely spared during the previous area bombing. The 73rd and 314th Bombardment Wings launched on the Mariana Islands for the night raid. Of 261 bombers launched, eight had to abort the flight, so that 253 aircraft reached the city. 17 B-29s of the 314th Bombardment Wing first marked three target areas with AN-M47 incendiary bombs. Then the main formations bombed the target areas with 233 bombers from a height of 3,840–4,876 m. Three other bombers could not make their targets and dumped the bombs randomly over the city area. During this attack, 1,744.3 tons of incendiary bombs of the type AN-M47 , AN-M50 , AN-M69 as well as 73.63 tons of AN-M41 fragmentation bombs ( 9.1 kg) and AN-M64 explosive bombs (227 kg) were dropped within 90 minutes . The wildfires and large fires that had started burned down 7.3 km 2 of urban area in the three outer districts . The fires destroyed 18,240 buildings in the outskirts and 2,283 in Kobe. Eight other war-important industrial plants were destroyed or severely damaged. According to Japanese figures, the attack in Kobe (excluding the outskirts) left 81 dead, 285 injured and a further 9,430 people homeless. During the mission, the B-29 crews observed 25-30 Japanese fighters that made eight attacks on the bomber formation. The anti-aircraft fire and the fighters damaged five B-29s. A bomber had to make an emergency landing on the return flight after two engines failed. Another 23 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima. Thereafter, the 20th Air Force ended the attacks on Kobe, as the city had ceased to exist as a strategic target. Likewise, there were no longer any industrial companies worth bombing.
Effects
The two goals set by the USAAF to decimate and wear down the industrial districts and the population were successfully achieved according to the evaluations of the USSBS . The area attacks with incendiary bombs caused enormous damage and claimed thousands of casualties among the civilian population. The precision bombing of the Kawanishi aircraft plant was also rated a success. With the help of the advanced AN / APQ-7 Eagle radar systems installed in the bombers , the single target could be bombed with the required precision. From the end of May 1945, the Japanese armed forces were also hardly able to provide effective defense. Much of Kobe's industrial capacity was destroyed by the air raids, which led to a sharp decline in industrial and armaments production.
A total of 7,250.3 tons of bombs were dropped on Kobe by the Twentieth Air Force . Of these, 6,710.4 tons were incendiary bombs and 539.9 tons were explosive and fragmentation bombs. Around 94% of the bomb load was dropped in area bombing. 18.6–22.8 km 2 of the city area was burned down by the attacks . 55.7% of the urban area was completely destroyed or badly damaged.
The bombs destroyed 138,476 buildings and damaged another 5,707. According to Japanese figures, the attacks left 6,297 dead, 15,796 injured and 452,059 residents homeless on the ground. Another 174,921 people left the city on their own initiative or were evacuated. In mid-August 1945, only 41% of the people living in Kobe at the beginning of the bombing were still in the city.
The repeated heavy attacks on land led to an increasing degeneration of social community life. As a result of the attacks, the water and electricity supply in the city largely collapsed and, despite the opening of the still intact food depots, food soon became scarce. The rescue and supply of the survivors as well as the clean-up work in the largely destroyed city turned out to be extremely difficult and time-consuming for the badly decimated auxiliary workers. The attacks on civilians were the strongest factor in convincing the population that the war was lost, according to a post-war survey by the USSBS.
Literary processing
The novella The Tomb of the Fireflies ( Hotaru no Haka ) by Akiyuki Nosaka vividly depicts the desperate struggle of the fourteen-year-old boy Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko for bare survival in the burned down city of Kobe. Eventually both children leave the city and Setsuko later dies of war-related malnutrition . The book was awarded the prestigious Naoki Prize in 1963 and then became known outside of Japan. In 1988, it was implemented as an anime under the German title The Last Glow Worms .
literature
- FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. Turner Publishing Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1999, ISBN 1-56311-483-6 .
- Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology, 1941-1945. Center for Air Force History, Washington, DC 1991.
- Clayton KS Chun: The Doolittle Raid 1942: America's first strike back at Japan. Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2006, ISBN 1-84176-918-5 .
- Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. (PDF; 21.4 MB) (= The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume V). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1953, OCLC 256469807 .
- Richard B. Frank: Downfall. The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. Penguin Books, New York City 1999, ISBN 0-14-100146-1 .
- R. Cargill Hall: Case Studies in Strategic Bombardment. Air Force History and Museums Program. 1998, Washington, ISBN 0-16-049781-7 .
- Joint Target Group: Study of Incendiary Bombings for Employment by the United States Army Air Forces. NARA-M1655, Washington DC October 1944.
- E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. Donald I. Fine Inc., New York City 1991, ISBN 1-55611-301-3 .
- Curtis LeMay and Bill Yenne: Superfortress: The Boeing B-29 and American airpower in World War II. Westholme Publishing, Yardley, Pennsylvania 2007, ISBN 1-59416-039-2 .
- National Defense Research Committee (NDRC): Summary Technical Report of Division 11, Volume 3: Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers. Washington DC 1946.
- Samuel Eliot Morison : Victory in the Pacific. In: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. University of Illinois, Champaign 2002, ISBN 0-252-07065-8 .
- United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Medical Division (Ed.): The Effects of Bombing on Health and Medical Services in Japan. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, 1947, OCLC 13475684 .
- United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Moral Division (Ed.): The Effecits of Strategic Bombing on Japanese Morale. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, 1947, OCLC 9941656 .
- United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, 1947.
Web links
- Aerial photos of the destroyed Kobe (English / Japanese)
- History Learning Site - The Fire raids on Japan (English.)
- Firebombing of Japanese cities (Engl.)
Remarks
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 569.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, pp. 149-156.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 149.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 149.
- ^ Clayton KS Chun: The Doolittle Raid 1942: America's First Strike Back at Japan, 2006.
- Jump up ↑ Curtis LeMay and Bill Yenne: Superfortress: The Boeing B-29 and American airpower in World War II., 2007.
- ^ E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. 1991, pp. 145-146.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, pp. 559-560.
- ^ A b c d National Defense Research Committee (NDRC): Summary Technical Report of Division 11, Volume 3: Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers , Washington DC 1946.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, pp. 610 and 623.
- ^ Richard B. Frank: Downfall. The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. 1999, p. 48.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Summary Report (Pacific War) , p. 18.
- ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 38.
- ^ National Defense Research Committee (NDRC): Summary Technical Report of Division 11, Volume 3: Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers, 1946, p. 21.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 162.
- ^ R. Cargill Hall: Case Studies in Strategic Bombardment . 1998. p. 314.
- ↑ a b B-29 Superfortress Then and Now. Accessed February 17, 2015.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, pp. 568-570.
- ↑ Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 613.
- ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 33.
- ↑ a b c d e Twentieth Air Force Association. Accessed February 17, 2015.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 621.
- ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 35.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 622.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 162.
- ↑ Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 648.
- ↑ a b The 6th Bomb Group - The Missions. Accessed February 17, 2015.
- ^ Samuel Eliot Morison: Victory in the Pacific. 1960, pp. 94-95.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 162.
- ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, pp. 16-17.
- ↑ Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 698.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
- ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, pp. 37-38.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 162.
- ↑ Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 709.
- ↑ Incendiaries Fall On Kobe Accessed February 17, 2015.
- ^ Samuel Eliot Morison: Victory in the Pacific. 1960, pp. 22-25.
- ^ Richard B. Frank: Downfall. The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. 1999.
- ↑ Kit C. Carter and Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 733.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 159.
- ^ E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. 1991, pp. 278-279.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 11
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 156.
- ↑ Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate (Eds.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 159.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 159.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 162.
- ^ E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. 1991, p. 282.
- ↑ United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Moral Division: The Effecits of Strategic Bombing on Japanese Morale 1947.
- ^ E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. 1991, p. 282.