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To: daniel1212
On the night of 9–10 March ("Operation Meetinghouse"), 334 B-29s took off to raid with 279 of them dropping 1,665 tons of bombs on Tokyo. The bombs were mostly the 500-pound (230 kg) E-46 cluster bomb which released 38 napalm-carrying M-69 incendiary bomblets at an altitude of 2,000–2,500 ft (610–760 m). The M-69s punched through thin roofing material or landed on the ground; in either case they ignited 3–5 seconds later, throwing out a jet of flaming napalm globs. A lesser number of M-47 incendiaries was also dropped: the M-47 was a 100-pound (45 kg) jelled-gasoline and white phosphorus bomb which ignited upon impact. In the first two hours of the raid, 226 of the attacking aircraft unloaded their bombs to overwhelm the city's fire defenses. The first B-29s to arrive dropped bombs in a large X pattern centered in Tokyo's densely populated working class district near the docks in both Koto and Chuo city wards on the water; later aircraft simply aimed near this flaming X. Fourteen B-29s were lost. 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 (27 to 45 km/h). Approximately 15.8 square miles (4,090 ha) of the city was destroyed and some 100,000 people are estimated to have died.

This was in early March, 1945. More people were killed than at either Hiroshima [70,000–80,000 dead] or Nagasaki [22,000 to 75,000 dead] - but the Japanese refused to quit.

The single bombs got their minds right. The revisionists need to STIPH (Shut Their Ignorant Pie Holes).

126 posted on 03/13/2015 11:24:52 AM PDT by kiryandil (making the jests that some FReepers aren't allowed to...)
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To: kiryandil
This was in early March, 1945. More people were killed than at either Hiroshima [70,000–80,000 dead] or Nagasaki [22,000 to 75,000 dead] - but the Japanese refused to quit.

Another worthy addition. This thread should be a reference for all future debates (not that there was one here) on the issue. In addition,

334 B-29s took off

The numbers alone are astounding. And on the night of May 30th, 1942 1,047 bombers took part in Operation Millennium that attacked Cologne, Germany. In addition to the bombers attacking Cologne, 113 other aircraft on "Intruder" raids harassed German night-fighter airfields - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Cologne_in_World_War_II

And that was just the RAF!

128 posted on 03/13/2015 2:18:58 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
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To: kiryandil

“...the Japanese were ready to surrender and it wasn’t necessary to hit them with that awful thing.”

Eisenhower 1963

I could see him possibly making that statement in August ‘45 when he didn’t really understand the full scope of what happened in Asia. But by 1963 you’d think he would have figured it out.


129 posted on 03/13/2015 2:26:07 PM PDT by nascarnation (Impeach, convict, deport)
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