Скачать или смотреть STRATEGIC BOMBING EPISODE 6 FIRE FROM THE SKIES OVER JAPAN

Tiger Hobbies Limited Present Episode 6 of our history of Strategic Bombing, this time we look briefly at the massive B-29 Superfortress operating over Japan, and we also introduce General Curtis LeMay.

LeMay one of the youngest Generals of the war at only 37 when he was promoted and placed in charge of the 3rd Air Division of the 8TH Air Force 8TH Bomber Command, in 1943. He led this Division with an Iron fist through its toughest missions, before been moved to China to take over the B-29 Force in Mid-1944. Problems with the XXI Bomber Command in the Marianas, in late 1944 early 1945, with bombing from 30,000 feet not been effective due to the Jetstream above Japan, which caused bombing inaccuracy. General Hansell, did not favour a switch to lower-level night bombing with incendiaries, but Le-May had not such reservations, so in early 1945 Le-May was moved to XXI Bomber Command.

Here the switch to lower-level Incendiary bombing proved devastating to the Japanese cities, with over 70 major cities targeted for destruction, including operation Meetinghouse the Tokyo mission in March 1945, that killed more than the two combined atomic attacks later in August 1945.

We also look at the little-known B-29 mine laying operation, that was coldly called Operation Starvation, that sunk over 750 Japanese ships or 1.25 million tons, more than the allied Submarine campaign in the Pacific.

Finally, we will briefly look at the forgotten US Bomber of WW2 the B-32 Dominator, the standby bomber just in case the B-29 failed to enter operations. Reduced to one 100 units built, it was one of the last aircraft to see combat in WW2 with the last US air casualty after the dropping of the Atomic Bombs and Japan officially stopped fighting.