March 9, 1945: The Firebombing of Tokyo

March 9, 1945: The U.S. Army Air Force launches Operation Meetinghouse, bombing raids on the Japanese capital of Tokyo. It is the most destructive bombing raid in human history.

A total of 334 B-29 bombers took off to raid, with 279 of them dropping 1,665 tons of bombs on Tokyo. The bombs were mostly the 500-pound E-46 cluster bomb, which released 38 napalm-carrying M-69 incendiary bomblets at an altitude of 2,000–2,500 feet. The M-69s punched through thin roofing material or landed on the ground. In either case, they ignited 3 to 5 seconds later, throwing out a jet of flaming napalm globs. A lesser number of M-47 incendiaries were also dropped. The M-47 was a 100-pound jelled-gasoline and white phosphorus bomb, which ignited upon impact.

The 1st B-29s to arrive dropped bombs in a large X pattern, centered in Tokyo's densely populated working-class district near the docks. Later aircraft simply aimed near this flaming X. The individual fires caused by the bombs joined to create a general conflagration, which would have been classified as a firestorm but for prevailing winds gusting at 17 to 28 mph.

Officially, it was known as Operation Meetinghouse. Its commanding officer, Major General Curtis LeMay, described it as follows: "The U.S. had finally stopped swatting at flies and gone after the manure pile." (That was for his official report. I suspect that, privately, he used a word other than "manure." The man known as "Old Iron Pants" eventually rose to become a full General, 4 stars.)

Approximately 16 square miles of the city were destroyed, killing an estimated 100,000 people, and leaving over 1 million homeless. Over half of the city's industrial capacity was said to be taken out. In contrast, 27 of the B-29s were lost: They were either shot down by Japanese air defenses, crashed due to mechanical failure, or were caught in updrafts caused by the fires.

For comparison's sake: The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 is believed to have killed about 150,000 people; the one on Nagasaki on August 9, 80,000. The implication of those was that, if Japan did not surrender, Tokyo would be the next target.

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March 9, 1945 was a Friday. Dennis Rader, the serial murderer known as the BTK Killer, was born on this day.

Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And no games were scheduled for the NHL. So there were no scores on this historic day.