The on 14 August 1945, was part of the

strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systemati ...

campaign waged by the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Background

Although the Japanese government had already agreed to accept the terms of the

Potsdam Declaration The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, U ...

and unconditionally surrender to the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

on 14 August, the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

had already launched another bombing mission against the Japanese cities of

Isesaki, Gunma is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 213,303 in 91,789 households, and a population density of 1500 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Isesaki is located in the nort ...

and

Kumagaya, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumagaya is one of the largest ...

, and would not call off the raid as the surrender has not yet been officially accepted by the United States government. The crews of the 314th Bombardment Wing were aware that the war was all but over, and in the words of

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

correspondent

Homer Bigart Homer William Bigart (October 25, 1907 – April 16, 1991) was an American reporter who worked for the ''New York Herald Tribune'' from 1929 to 1955 (later known as the '' International Herald Tribune'') and for ''The New York Times'' from 1955 to ...

, no one wanted to die over a target that was "a pathetically small city of little obvious importance". At the time, the city of Kumagaya lacked major targets of military significance, except for some aircraft components manufacturing for

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufac ...

and the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

’s Kumagaya Air Academy. Per the 1940 census, the city had an estimated population of 45,000.

Air raids

On 14 August 1945, 77

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...

bombers of the 314th Bombardment Wing and 16 B-29s of the 313th Bombardment Squadron launched from bases in

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

The lead aircraft carried six 1,000 lb high explosive bombs rigged for an air burst over the city. The plan was that the inhabitants of the city would seek shelter underground, whereby the remaining aircraft would attack in a box-pattern from all sides to incinerate the trapped civilians. In addition, it was hoped that the noise of the explosion would be so great that the Japanese authorities would believe that the city had been annihilated by a nuclear weapon. Four aircraft were forced to abort due to mechanical issues, and the remaining 89 aircraft arrived over target at 0023 on 15 August in clear weather. Bombing continued to 0139 AM, from an altitude of 14,000 to 17,000 feet with 356 M17, 1372 M19 and 6321 M47 incendiary bombs dropped. The total amount of bombs dropped was thus 96,833 tons of bombs per square mile, or over three times the average amount dropped on other Japanese cities during the war. The Japanese made no resistance, and all attacking aircraft returned safely, with five aircraft diverting to

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

due to mechanical issues. The resultant

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 and wildfires. Although the term has been us ...

destroyed most of Kumagaya, with 74% of the city area destroyed.Wainstock. The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Page 9 This included 3630 structures, or 40% of the buildings in the city. Casualties included 266 civilian deaths, and over 3000 injured, or approximately 28% of the city population. The Emperor’s

Gyokuon-hōsō The was a radio broadcast of surrender given by Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa) on August 15, 1945. It announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender ...

confirming Allied acceptance of the surrender of Japan was made on noon of 15 August, Japan time.

References

Bibliography

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External links

67 Japanese Cities Firebombed in World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumagaya Kumagaya World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre Japan in World War II Japan campaign Firebombings World War II strategic bombing of Japan 1945 in Japan History of Saitama Prefecture Firebombings in Japan

Background

Air raids

See also

References

Bibliography

External links