Bombing of Numazu in World War II
Encyclopedia
The was part of the strategic bombing
campaign waged by the United States of America against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign
in the closing states of World War II
.
was not a major population center, it had a number of targets of military significance centered around its port facility, including a ship repair yard, and a number of small and medium sized factories suppling military equipment and munitions. The Tōkaidō Main Line
railway connecting Tokyo
with Osaka
also ran through the city. Numazu also had the was located at the base of Mount Fuji
, a prominent landmark used by bombed in route to Tokyo or Nagoya from the Mariana Islands
, and thus often served as a secondary target by bombers unable to complete their primary mission assignment.
bombers of the USAAF 20th Air Force, 58th Bombardment Wing dropped a total of 1039 tons of Incendiary bombs on the city, resulting in a firestorm
which destroyed most of the city. The estimated civilian casualties were 274 people killed, and 9523 homes destroyed in this raid; however, total casualties came to 322 killed, 634 severely injured, and 11,883 homes destroyed over the course of the war.
A year after the war, the United States Army Air Forces
's Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific War)
reported that 89.5 percent of the city had been totally destroyed.
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
campaign waged by the United States of America against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign
Japan campaign
The Japan Campaign was a series of battles and engagements in and around the Japanese Home Islands, between Allied forces and the forces of Imperial Japan during the last stages of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The Japan Campaign lasted from around June 1944 to August 1945.-Air war:Periodic...
in the closing states of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
Although the city of NumazuNumazu, Shizuoka
is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 205,636 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 187.11 km².- Geography:...
was not a major population center, it had a number of targets of military significance centered around its port facility, including a ship repair yard, and a number of small and medium sized factories suppling military equipment and munitions. The Tōkaidō Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
railway connecting Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
with Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
also ran through the city. Numazu also had the was located at the base of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, a prominent landmark used by bombed in route to Tokyo or Nagoya from the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, and thus often served as a secondary target by bombers unable to complete their primary mission assignment.
Air raids
Numazu was bombed eight times during World War II, the largest air raid occurring on the night of July 17, 1945. During this attack, 130 B-29 SuperfortressB-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bombers of the USAAF 20th Air Force, 58th Bombardment Wing dropped a total of 1039 tons of Incendiary bombs on the city, resulting in a firestorm
Firestorm
A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires, forest fires, and wildfires...
which destroyed most of the city. The estimated civilian casualties were 274 people killed, and 9523 homes destroyed in this raid; however, total casualties came to 322 killed, 634 severely injured, and 11,883 homes destroyed over the course of the war.
A year after the war, the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
's Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific War)
Strategic bombing survey (Pacific War)
The "Strategic bombing survey " was a United States Army Air Forces report on the impact of strategic bombing in World War II in the Pacific Campaign.A separate report was made for the atomic attacks.- External links :* *...
reported that 89.5 percent of the city had been totally destroyed.