Bombing of Utsunomiya during World War II
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The on July 12, 1945, was part of the
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campaign waged by the
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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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.


Background

Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
was a major garrison location for 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 o ...
(home base for the
IJA 14th Division The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the , and its military symbol was 14D. The 14th Division was one of four new infantry divisions raised by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in the closing ...
and
IJA 51st Division The was an infantry Division (military unit), division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the . It was formed on 10 July 1940 at Utsunomiya, Tochigi, simultaneously with 52nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army), 52nd, 54th Division (I ...
, and regional command center) and the location of numerous war industries, including a factory 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 manufactur ...
. It was also a regional commercial and transportation hub on the Tohoku Main Line railway connecting
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
with northern Honshu. However, in the early stages of the American bombing campaign it was untouched as strategic planners concentrated on major civilian population centers in southern and western Japan. This situation changed in July 1945 and Utsunomiya was attacked five times between July 10, 1945, and the end of the war.


Air raids

Utsunomiya was first attacked on July 10, 1945, by carrier-based fighter aircraft, which strafed a farmhouse on the southern outskirts of the city, killing five civilians. The major attack on Utsunomiya came on the night of July 12, 1945. A total of 133
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 ...
es from 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 ...
58th Bombardment Wing launched from
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, and arrived over Utsunomiya in several waves starting from 2319 hours. The weather over the target was overcast with rain. Using the Utsunomiya Central Elementary School as the target point, the aircraft dropped 802.9 tons of bombs, including 10,500 E46 incendiary cluster bombs (the same as were used in the
Bombing of Tokyo The was a series of firebombing air raids by the United States Army Air Force during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. Operation Meetinghouse, which was conducted on the night of 9–10 March 1945, is the single most destructive bombin ...
), and 2204 M47 napalm bombs. 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 used ...
destroyed much of the city center, including the Utsunomiya City Hall, Tochigi Prefectural Hall, and Utsunomiya Station. However, with poor visibility, many bombers released their payloads blindly (one crew reported that they released bombs when the smell of the burning city was strongest), and damage occurred over a wide area, including many farming villages surrounding the city. The Americans lost one aircraft en route back to Tinian with two casualties due to mechanical failure. As a result of the bombing, the Japanese suffered 628 killed, 1150 severely injured, with 9490 buildings destroyed and 47,976 people rendered homeless. A year after the war, the
United States Army Air Forces 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 ...
's
Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific War) The United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) was a written report created by a board of experts assembled to produce an impartial assessment of the effects of the Anglo-American strategic bombing of Nazi Germany during the European theatre o ...
reported that 43.6 percent of the city had been totally destroyed. Utsunomiya was attacked again by Iwo Jima-based fighter aircraft on July 28, 1945, with minor damage and five people killed in an industrial park. However, another 30 civilians were killed when an American aircraft strafed a train at Koganei Station. Shimotsuke City official home page Fighter aircraft strafed Utsunomiya again on July 30, 1945, and August 13, 1945, killing around ten civilians in each attack.


See also

* Strategic bombing during World War II


References

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Notes


External links


67 Japanese Cities Firebombed in World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Utsunomiya History of Tochigi Prefecture Shizuoka Japan in World War II
Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its '' gyoza' ...
1945 in Japan Firebombings in Japan Japan–United States military relations