Bombing of Kōfu in World War II on:
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The was part of the air raids on Japan strategic bombing campaign waged by the United States against military and civilian targets and population centers of the Empire of Japan during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of the
330th Bomb Group Combat Mission LogsTarget Chart for Kofu Air Raid
{{Authority control World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre, Kofu World War II strategic bombing by populated place, Kofu 1945 in Japan, Kofu History of Yamanashi Prefecture Firebombings in Japan, Kofu Kōfu, Yamanashi
The was part of the air raids on Japan strategic bombing campaign waged by the United States against military and civilian targets and population centers of the Empire of Japan during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of the Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
in 1945.
Background
Kōfu is a medium-sized population center and the capital of rural Yamanashi Prefecture. Many residents had the illusion that its surrounding mountains would provide some protection, and that without any targets of significant military importance, Kōfu would be overlooked by the Americans. Numerous residents of Tokyo had relocated to Kōfu for safety. These included the noted authors Osamu Dazai and Masuji Ibuse. However, as Kōfu was located near Mount Fuji, which was a prominent landmark, once Strategic bombing, air raids on Japan became more frequent during the final stages of thePacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
, Kōfu residents became accustomed to the sight of American aircraft passing over the city at high altitude en route to targets in Tokyo and in Nagano Prefecture, and Kōfu occasionally became a secondary target for aircraft which missed their primary targets. Such bombings caused little damage, and civil defense efforts did not begin until around March 1945; however, the construction of air raid shelters was largely impossible due to the high groundwater level, and efforts were largely limited to training civilian ''tonarigumi'' associations on using bucket brigades for firefighting.
Air raid
The main air raid on Kōfu was a firebombing attack, which occurred during the night of 6 July 1945, beginning with a United States Army Air Forces, USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortress, B-29 Superfortress bomber dropping 13 incendiary bombs directly on the Kōfu city hospital. Carpet bombing of the city then commenced by 230 B-29 bombers of the USAAF 39th Air Base Wing, 39th Bombardment Group and 330th Bombardment Group (VH), 330th Bombardment Group. Due to cloud cover over the city, most planes released their payload of M47 bomb, M47 napalm bomb and E-46 incendiary Cluster munition, cluster bombs (the same as were used in the Bombing of Tokyo, Tokyo air raid) from an altitude of between 13,400 and 14,600 feet (4,084 and 4,450 meters) using radar. A year after the war, the United States Army Air Forces's Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific War) reported approximately 79% of the city’s urban area had been totally destroyed, with 740 civilians killed, and 1248 seriously wounded; with 35 people missing and 18,094 residences destroyed.Wainstock. ''The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb''. Page 9See also
* Air raids on Japan * Evacuations of civilians in Japan during World War IINotes
References
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330th Bomb Group Combat Mission Logs
{{Authority control World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre, Kofu World War II strategic bombing by populated place, Kofu 1945 in Japan, Kofu History of Yamanashi Prefecture Firebombings in Japan, Kofu Kōfu, Yamanashi