Air raids on Osaka

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The air strikes on Osaka in the last nine months of the Second World War largely destroyed the Japanese city ​​of Osaka . From March to August 1945, the city was the target of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bomber units seven times .

Economic importance of the city

In 1944, Osaka was the most important industrial center on the main Japanese islands after Tokyo . It was also the traditional trade center of Japan and the administrative seat of Osaka Prefecture . At that time the city had around 2.8 million inhabitants and a population density of 45,000–130,000 inhabitants per km 2 . This made Osaka one of the three most densely populated cities in Japan. The urban area and the agglomeration covered an area of ​​around 155 km 2 .

The city had several large industrial districts with spacious factories. In addition, a large number of small businesses and home industries existed across the entire city area . A total of 16,155 companies were registered with the city administration. Osaka was an important location for the petrochemical and heavy industry . Various steel works and foundries for the civil and armaments industries were located in the city area. In the city there were various ammunition factories as well as various large arsenals for the army (army), the air force and the navy . In Osaka, especially the Osaka Arsenal , around 20% of the weapons for the Imperial Japanese Army were produced.

Osaka had one of the most important ports in Japan. The large deep-water port comprised spacious storage areas and several large shipyards. In these around 10% of the warships were built for the Imperial Japanese Navy . In addition, Osaka was the railway junction of six main lines and the junction of various trunk roads . This made the city one of the most important transportation hubs in the whole country.

Chronology of the air raids

The Namba district after the bombing

The primary aim of the air strikes was to destroy Osaka's industrial capacity. 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 population of the city. 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.

Osaka was less important than Nagoya and Tokyo 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 XXI 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 stipulated that incendiary attacks on the urban areas should begin as soon as sufficient B-29 Superfortress bombers and enough incendiary bombs enabled intensive bombing. Until then, the aircraft factories continued to be bombed from great heights, with little success.

At the beginning of November 1944 the Twentieth Air Force (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 the first area bombing of Tokyo , Nagoya and Kobe with this type of bomb, Osaka was on the target list of the XXI Bomber Command . Due to the prevailing construction and the weak civil defense, Osaka was at great risk from the use of incendiary bombs . The urban area was extremely densely populated and most of the buildings were made of easily inflammable materials such as wood or paper. In addition, industrial and military facilities were located in the middle of densely populated areas. In addition to the area bombing of residential areas , the Twentieth Air Force also flew precision attacks against individual factories and carrier-supported air strikes by the US Navy were also carried out .

March 13, 1945

With the mission 42 of the Twentieth Air Force (20th AF) is the first major nighttime area bombing in Osaka took place. At the operation Peachblow I to B-29 bombers involved the squadron 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings. The bombers were loaded with an average of 5,443 kilograms of AN-M47 incendiary bombs or M18 (E28) cluster bombs with 38 AN-M69 Napalm bombs each. After a B-29 crashed into the sea immediately after take-off, 94 of 110 aircraft launched on the Mariana Islands reached Osaka. 15 bombers had to break off the mission early due to technical problems and strong high-altitude winds . Shortly after midnight, nine bombers from the 314th Bombardment Wing flying ahead reached the target area under heavy cloud cover . These marked the city ​​center with radar assistance , south of Osaka Castle, with AN-M47 firebombs. The following formations then bombed the marked target area with AN-M69 Napalm bombs for around three hours . The attack took place from an altitude of 1,524-2,865 m. Five bombers could not make out the target area and dumped the bombs randomly over the city. During this mission, 50.8  tons of AN-M47 and 1,616.6 tons of AN-M69 fire bombs were dropped. Within a short period of time, these ignited extensive wildfires in the densely built-up city center. The overwhelmed fire brigade and the firebreak created beforehand could not prevent 21 km 2 of urban living space from completely burning down. 134,744 houses and 4,222 shops and businesses were destroyed by flames. Among them were 119 as the war effort classified industries . According to Japanese figures, the attack in the city left 3,696 dead, 8,466 injured and 678 missing. 500,404 people were left homeless in the attack . Another 425,343 people were evacuated or left the city after the attack. The attack met with weak Japanese resistance. During the air strike, the B-29 crews counted 40 attacks by Japanese fighters , which damaged 13 bombers, in addition to weak flak fire . After the attack, the Americans reported that a Japanese plane had been shot down. During this mission a B-29 was lost for unknown reasons.

June 1, 1945

A B-29 of the 6th Bomb Group (313th Bombardment Wing) over Osaka on June 1, 1945
P-51 Mustang of the 15th Fighter Group (VII Fighter Command) stationed in Iwo Jima as escort in June 1945

The Mission 187 of 20th AF was a daylight raid with a carpet bombing of Osaka. For this mission, the XXI Bomber Command gathered almost all available forces of the 58th, 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings. The 509 B-29s launched on the Mariana Islands were escorted from Iwojima by 108 P-51 Mustang fighters of the VII Fighter Command . When the formations between Iwojima and Japan flew through an unforeseen bad weather front, two B-29 bombers collided with each other and crashed. 33 more bombers had to abandon the mission. Also, 27 escort fighters crashed while they were flying through the thick clouds in severe turbulence. As a result, only 27 airmen from the escorts were able to accompany the bombers as far as Osaka. 458 B-29 reached the main Japanese islands in loose formation at an altitude of 5,486–8,687 m. The northern port district, in the region of the Yodo River, was marked with AN-M47 incendiary bombs by aircraft flying ahead. The main formations then bombed the marked area with incendiary and fragmentation bombs for around an hour . 16 bombers could not make out the target area and unloaded their bombs at random over the city area. In addition to the port facilities, the target area included various business and residential areas as well as a large number of solidly built factories and warehouses. Compared to the attack on March 13, the target area was less densely built up and more difficult to ignite. Although the attack was less concentrated and the bombs fell with a lower hit density, a further 8.5 km 2 of the urban area were burned down. Depending on the individual goals 1,222.9 tonnes were used in this AN-M47 -Brandbomben, 568.8 tons of AN-M50 - incendiary bombs , 674 tons of AN-M69 -Napalmbomben and 85.3 tonnes of AN-M26 -Splitterbomben dropped. 64,152 houses and 4,222 shops and factories were destroyed by flames. The attack left 3,960 dead, 10,035 injured and 877 missing in the city. 218,508 people were left homeless in the attack and 122,731 people were evacuated after the attack. During the mission, the B-29 crews counted 85 Japanese fighters, in addition to heavy flak fire, which flew 221 attacks on the bomber formation. After the attack, the Americans claimed 16 kills and nine probable kills. 24 other Japanese planes are said to have been damaged. The American losses were also high and ten B-29s were lost: two were lost in a collision on approach and two more B-29s crashed due to technical problems. The strong and precise anti-aircraft fire over the target resulted in the loss of five bombers and damaged four more. Another B-29 was lost for unknown reasons. Four bombers managed to make an emergency landing at sea . All but two of their crews were rescued. 81 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima during the mission.

June 7, 1945

With Mission 189 , the 20th AF carried out another daytime attack with an area bombing of Osaka. The destination was the northern urban area. In addition to residential quarters, this area was home to various railway systems, factories and arsenals (one of the largest in Japan). The B-29 bombers of the 58th, 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings received escort from 144 P-51 Mustang fighters of the VII Fighter Command from Iwojima . Of 449 bombers launched, 418 reached the city. 18 bombers had to cancel their flight early due to stormy weather and nine more bombers flew to the alternative destination. 409 bombers unloaded their bomb load using radar assistance from a height of 5,456–7,056 m above an almost compact cloud cover on their targets. Nine other bombers could not make their targets and dumped their bombs randomly over the city. The B-29s of the 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings dropped 962.5 tons of AN-M47 incendiary bombs, 520.7 tons of AN-M69 Napalm bombs, and 185 tons of AN-M74 Napalm bombs. The 58th Bombardment Wing's bombers dumped 729.4 tons of AN-M64 (500 pounds / 227 kg) and AN-M65 (1,000 pounds / 454 kg) explosive bombs over the arsenals. The badly decimated fire brigade could not prevent that another 5.9 km 2 of the city ​​area burned down and 54,287 residential houses and 1,022 factory buildings were destroyed. According to Japanese figures, the attack in the city left 1,408 dead, 5,454 injured and 260 missing. 195,682 people were left homeless in the attack and 156,330 people had to be evacuated after the attack. During this mission, the American aviators observed ten Japanese fighter planes that flew 30 attacks on the bomber formations and damaged four planes. The P-51 Mustangs reported the shooting down of three Japanese planes. Seven bombers were damaged by the anti-aircraft fire over the target. The Americans had no enemy casualties on this mission, but two B-29s and one P-51 were lost due to technical problems. 51 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima during this mission.

June 15, 1945

With the Mission 203 of 20th AF the last carpet bombing with incendiary bombs Osaka took place. The attack targeted various areas of the city that were still intact. Two target areas were the residential areas in the southern and south-eastern part of the city. In addition to residential buildings, these housed a large number of small businesses and home industries. A third target area was the large industrial district in the very north of the city. Another destination was the suburb of Amagasaki with the Awanishi factory, in which there were production lines for aircraft components. There were also refineries for synthetic oil , an important large power station and various other factories in the suburb . For this air strike, the XXI Bomber Command once again gathered all available forces from the 58th, 73rd, 313th and 314th Bombardment Wings. In the Mariana Islands, 511 B-29 bombers took off for this attack. Two bombers crashed immediately after takeoff. The remaining bombers received fighter protection from 100 P-51 Mustangs from the VII Fighter Command from Iwojima . When the formations got into a bad weather font, 40 bombers had to break off the mission due to violent turbulence. Likewise, all fighter pilots had to break off the mission and turn around. Arrived over Osaka, the bombardiers found the city under a closed cloud cover. 444 B-29s dumped their bombs with radar assistance from a height of 4,968–8,199 m. 25 more bombers flew to the alternative target. In this attack, 466.3 tons of AN-M47 incendiary bombs, 2,154.6 tons of AN-M50 stick bombs and 67.1 tons of AN-M69 Napalm bombs were dropped over Osaka . The wildfires that started destroyed a further 7 km 2 of the urban area and a further 50,135 residential buildings and 1,479 factories were destroyed by the flames. According to Japanese figures, the attack in Osaka (excluding Amagasaki) left 425 dead, 1,371 injured and 56 missing. 173,923 people were left homeless in the attack and 147,835 people were evacuated after the attack. In this attack, the Americans suffered no losses from enemy action, despite strong flak fire. 43 B-29s had to make an emergency landing in the context of the mission on Iwojima. After this mission, the 20th Air Force ended the area attacks against Osaka, as the city had ceased to exist as a strategic target. The other attacks were aimed at the still intact industrial plants.

June 26, 1945

That day, the Twentieth Air Force flew nine sorties against Akashi , Eitoku, Kagamigahara, Nagoya , Kawasaki and Osaka. The air strikes were aimed at various industrial plants and arsenals in the area and were carried out with fighter protection by P-51 Mustang from VII Fighter Command from Iwojima.

The Mission 223 of 20th AF had the Sumitomo Light Metal -Werk in Osaka to the goal. On the Mariana Islands, 71 B-29s of the 58th Bombardment Wing took off for this precision bombardment. 64 bombers unloaded their bomb load using radar assistance from a height of 5,974–7,711 m above a closed cloud cover. Seven other bombers could not make their targets and dumped their bombs randomly over the city. The B-29 dropped 346.5 tons of AN-M56 explosive bombs (4,000 pounds / 1,814 kg) on this mission . Since the target was not evaluated for the time being due to the bad weather, nothing was known about the damage caused. Later evaluations then showed that the bombs had only destroyed or damaged around 11% of the factory buildings. During this mission, the B-29 observed five Japanese fighter pilots who flew five attacks on the bomber formation. Moderate anti-aircraft fire was seen over the target, but no bomber was lost to Japanese defenses. Eight B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima during this mission.

The target of Mission 224 of 20th AF was the Osaka arsenals. These were located northeast of Osaka Castle and had already been bombed on June 7th with little success. Since the plant was a certain size, various storage and production halls remained undamaged. For the precision bombardment, 120 B-29s from the 73rd Bombardment Wing took off on the Mariana Islands. Since the pilots found the target area under a closed cloud cover, the bomb was dropped with radar assistance. 109 bombers dropped 687.6 tons of AN-M66 explosive bombs (2,000 pounds / 907 kg) on ​​the target area from a height of 5,306-9,022 m . Eleven bombers could not find the target and dropped their bombs at random. The bomber crews reported that individual squadron bombs hit several halls and triggered secondary explosions. The bombs of other squadrons are said to have missed the target by up to 1.8 km. Later evaluations showed that the attack did not cause any significant damage to the arsenal buildings. During the mission, the bomber crews observed twelve Japanese fighter pilots who flew seven attacks on the bomber formation. After the attack, the Americans claimed one kill and one more likely kill. During this mission one B-29 was lost for unknown reasons and 14 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima.

The two attacks destroyed 5,351 homes and 155 factories and warehouses. According to Japanese figures, the two attacks in the city left 373 dead, 702 injured and 51 missing. 40,782 people were left homeless in the attacks and 34,665 people were evacuated after the attack.

July 19, 1945

On the night of 19 to 20 July, the Twentieth Air Force flew with the Mission 281 an attack on the oil refinery of Amagasaki , a suburb of Osaka. This attack took place as part of the so-called Eagle Missions , which were aimed at facilities of mineral oil companies (oil refineries, tank farms, etc.) on the main Japanese islands. Of 84 B-29s of the 315th Bomb Wing launched in the Mariana Islands, 83 bombers reached the target area. Each bomber was loaded with over 8 tons of AN-M64 explosive bombs. With radar assistance, the bombers dropped around 702 tons of explosive bombs on the oil refinery from a height of 4,696-5,151 m. The refinery destroyed 12 of 14 buildings and 10 of 12 storage tanks . Despite heavy flak fire over the target, no bomber was damaged. A B-29 had to make an emergency landing on the return flight on Iwojima.

July 24, 1945

On that day, the Twentieth Air Force flew operations against industrial companies and arsenals Takarazuka , Kawana , Eitoku, Nagoya, Handa and Osaka. The missions were carried out with fighter protection by P-51 Mustang from VII Fighter Command .

The Mission 284 of 20th AF was again the Sumitomo light metal plant in Osaka to the target, as this was the last attack inadequate destroyed. Of the 90 B-29 bombers of the 58th Bombardment Wing launched on the Mariana Islands, 86 reached the target area at an altitude of 6,065-6,736 m. When visibility was good, 82 bombers dropped 422.7 tons of high-explosive bombs on the factories. Four other planes could not make out the target and dropped their bombs randomly. Of the 244 4,000-pound AN-M56 (4,000-pound / 1,184 kg) bombs dropped , 155 hit the factory premises. Evaluations showed that the factory was destroyed by the two attacks to 89.6%. The strong anti-aircraft fire over the target damaged 50 bombers. A B-29 was hit directly over the target by flak and broke apart, killing all eleven crew members. During this mission, 42 B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima.

Since the previous attack on the Osaka arsenals had not been hit precisely, the 20th AF flew another attack on these facilities with mission 286 . 170 B-29s from the 73rd Bombardment Wing took off on the Mariana Islands for the mission. Arrived via Osaka, the destination was covered by haze and only partially visible. 154 bombers dropped 916 tons of AN-M66 explosive bombs (2,000 pounds / 907 kg) on ​​the target area from a height of 6,065–7,010 m . Nine other B-29s dropped 53.5 tons of high explosive bombs on the alternative target Kuwana . Of the 216 bombs dropped on the primary target, only 28 hit the arsenal site. Later evaluations showed that the two attacks on the target had destroyed the arsenals by 18.1%. The strong anti-aircraft fire over the target damaged 46 bombers, but resulted in no losses. 39 B-29s had to make an emergency landing in the context of the mission on Iwojima.

The attacks that day destroyed 417 homes and 15 factories and warehouses in Osaka. According to Japanese figures, the two attacks in the city left 201 dead, 466 injured and 191 missing. 2,969 people were left homeless as a result of the attacks and 2,522 people had to be evacuated after the attack.

25.-28. July

On these days, the US Navy carried out carrier-based air strikes on targets in the Osaka and Kobe 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 that had previously started on aircraft carriers attacked airfields , power plants , railways and ships with bombs, missiles and on-board weapons.

July 30, 1945

On that day, fighter-bombers from VII Fighter Command from Iwojima attacked railways and airfields in the greater Osaka and Kobe area .

August 1, 1945

On that day, 30 P-51 Mustang from VII Fighter Command from Iwojima attacked railways and airfields in the greater Osaka and Nagoya area .

August 8, 1945

On that day, over 100 fighter-bombers from the VII Fighter Command from Iwojima attacked railways, airfields and other targets in the greater Osaka area.

August 9, 1945

The Mission 322 of the 20th AF had again the oil refinery Amagasaki in suburban Osaka destination. This attack took place again as part of the so-called Eagle Missions . On the night of August 9-10, 107 B-29 bombers took off from the 315th Bomb Wing in the Mariana Islands. 95 B-29s then threw 918 tons of AN-M64 explosive bombs at the oil refinery from a height of 4,633-5,273 m with radar assistance. After this attack, the Nippon refinery in Amagasaki was completely destroyed. The 315th Bomb Wing suffered no losses in this attack, but 14 bombers had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima.

August 14, 1945

Kyobashi Station in June, 1946 (ten months after the bombing)

One day before the Tennō Hirohito announced the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Empire in a national radio address , the last air raid on Osaka took place. With the 328 mission , the Twentieth Air Force flew another attack on the Osaka arsenal . The two previous air raids were unsuccessful and could not permanently destroy the arsenals. Another 161 B-29s from the 73rd Bombardment Wing took off from the Mariana Islands, loaded with 1,000-pound AN-M65 and 2,000-pound AN-M66 (907 kg) explosive bombs. The mission is done with fighter protection from P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang of the VII Fighter Command . 147 bombers reached the city in good visibility, at an altitude of 6,736–7,650 m. 145 bombers dropped 640.9 tons of high explosive bombs on the arsenals. Of the 843 bombs dropped, 650 hit the target area and destroyed a further 44.5% of the arsenal buildings. Ten other bombers could not make out the target area and dumped their bombs randomly over the city. Four AN-M66 bombs from a B-29 hit Kyōbashi Station, which was overcrowded with people waiting to be evacuated from the city. The bombs hit two fully occupied trains and a platform with people waiting. It has never been possible to determine how many people were killed by these bomb hits. In addition, the escort's fighters also attacked ground targets with on-board weapons . The last air strike on Osaka destroyed another 1,009 residential buildings and nine factories. According to Japanese figures, the attack in the city left 396 dead, 122 injured and over 500 missing (excluding the victims from Kyōbashi station). 2,284 people were left homeless in the attack and 1,921 were evacuated. The heavy anti-aircraft fire over the target damaged 26 bombers, but resulted in no losses. Four B-29s had to make an emergency landing on Iwojima on the return flight. Even before the last bombers had landed on the Mariana Islands, US President Harry S. Truman announced the end of the fighting.

Effects

Bomb damage to the Japanese cities of Kobe, Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya

After the Twentieth Air Force bombers systematically burned the city from one end to the other within three months, Osaka was no longer a strategic target. The two goals set by the USAAF, the destruction of the industrial district as well as to decimate and wear down the population, were 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. However, only 25% of the industrial plants in the city were destroyed by the area bombing. The precision bombing of the industrial plants and the arsenals were only rated as a partial success. Only after repeated attacks could the individual targets be permanently destroyed. Even so, the air strikes resulted in a massive reduction in Osaka's industrial capacity, resulting in a sharp decline in industrial and arms production. For example, the city's electricity consumption fell from 50 million kWh in April 1945 to 7 million kWh in July 1945.

A total of 9,316.8 tons of bombs were dropped on Osaka by the Twentieth Air Force (excluding suburbs). 92% of them were incendiary bombs. Almost 40 km 2 of the city area was burned down by the attacks . 35% of the urban area was completely destroyed. The bombs destroyed 310,095 residential buildings and damaged another 11,582. An additional 8,531 industrial buildings were destroyed. According to Japanese figures, the attacks left 12,620 dead and missing on the ground, 23,037 injured and 1,134,552 residents homeless. Another 891,347 people left the city on their own initiative or were evacuated. In mid-August 1945, of the population living in Osaka at the beginning of the bombing, only 30% were still in the city.

The American losses were minimal compared to the Japanese; only 14 B-29s were lost to enemy action.

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 salvage, supply of the survivors and the clean-up work in the largely destroyed city turned out to be 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.

literature

  • FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. Turner Publishing Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1999, ISBN 1-56311-483-6 .
  • Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology, 1941–1945. Center for Air Force History, Washington, DC 1991.
  • 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 .
  • 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 .
  • 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, 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

Commons : Bombing of Osaka  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, pp. 9-15.
  2. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, pp. 9-10.
  3. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 619.
  4. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 619.
  5. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, pp. 9-15.
  6. United States Strategic Bombing Survey, Summary Report (Pacific War) , p. 18.
  7. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 38.
  8. ^ E. Bartlett Kerr: Flames Over Tokyo: The US Army Air Force's Incendiary Campaign Against Japan 1944–1945. 1991, pp. 145-146.
  9. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, pp. 559-560.
  10. a b c d e National Defense Research Committee (NDRC): Summary Technical Report of Division 11, Volume 3: Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers. 1946.
  11. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, pp. 610 and 623.
  12. ^ Richard B. Frank: Downfall. The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. 1999, p. 48.
  13. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Twentieth Air Force Association. Accessed February 25, 2015.
  14. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 35.
  15. ^ A b National Defense Research Committee (NDRC): Summary Technical Report of Division 11, Volume 3: Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers. 1946, p. 21.
  16. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 30.
  17. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 620.
  18. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 36.
  19. B-29 Superfortress Then and Now. Accessed February 25, 2015.
  20. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, pp. 645-646.
  21. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 37.
  22. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
  23. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  24. a b c d The 6th Bomb Group - The Missions. Accessed February 25, 2015.
  25. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  26. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 30.
  27. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 36.
  28. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
  29. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 707.
  30. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  31. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
  32. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 38.
  33. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 641.
  34. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 31.
  35. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 36.
  36. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 710.
  37. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 38.
  38. Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate (Ed.): The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. 1953, p. 642.
  39. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 710.
  40. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 31.
  41. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 36.
  42. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 18.
  43. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 718.
  44. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 18.
  45. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  46. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  47. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 718.
  48. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  49. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  50. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 24.
  51. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  52. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 718.
  53. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 32.
  54. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of Air Attack on Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. 1947, p. 36.
  55. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 19.
  56. ^ FJ Bradley: No Strategic Targets Left. 1999, p. 18.
  57. Kit C. Carter, Robert Mueller: US Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology 1941-1945. 1991, p. 730.
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