Bombing of Utsunomiya during World War II

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The Bombing of Utsunomiya in World War II (宇都宮空襲, Utsunomiya kūshū) on July 12, 1945, was part of the strategic bombing campaign waged by the United States against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of World War II.[1]

Bombing of Utsonomiya
Part of the air raids on Japan during the Pacific War
Date1945
Location
Utsunomiya, Japan
Result American victory
Belligerents
 United States  Japan
Strength
133 bombers
Casualties and losses
1 628 civilians killed (most common estimates)
47,976 homeless
9,190 buildings destroyed

Background

Tohoku Main Line railway connecting Tokyo 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.[2]

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

cluster bombs (the same as were used in the Bombing of Tokyo), and 2204 M47 napalm bombs. The resultant firestorm 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),[3] 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.[4]

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

Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific War) reported that 43.6 percent of the city had been totally destroyed.[5]

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.[6]

Fighter aircraft strafed Utsunomiya again on July 30, 1945, and August 13, 1945, killing around ten civilians in each attack.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Hoyt. Inferno: The Fire Bombing of Japan, March 9 – August 15, 1945
  2. ^ United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Summary Report(Pacific War) July 1, 1946
  3. ^ [1] Records of the 40th Bomb Group
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Records of the 468th Bombardment Group
  5. ^ Wainstock. The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Page 9
  6. ^ "下野市 - 平和のおもいを次世代へつなぐ「平和の礎」追悼". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-22. Shimotsuke City official home page

External links

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