The March 10, 1945, Great Tokyo Air Raid was the most destructive air attack in history. Nearly 100,000 people lost their lives after approximately 300 B29 bombers attacked Tokyo's present-day Sumida, Koto and Taito wards. Some 1,700 tons of napalm and incendiary bombs created a firestorm that raged at speeds of up to 112 kph at temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius. The bombers' mission was to break enemy "morale" by killing as many civilians as possible.
Antiwar author Katsumoto Saotome was 12 years old and living in Mukojima Ward (present-day Sumida) during the early-morning raid. He rushed to escape with his parents and siblings as flames enveloped the area and bombs exploded around them.
"Breathing became incredibly painful," he wrote. "We were unable to see and ran practically groping about."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.