Blankets of Fire - US Bombers over Japan During WWII

Author: Kennrth Werrrell
Publisher: Smithsonion Inst Press WA
Edition: First
Cover: Hardcover w/Dust Cover
ISBN: 1-56098-665-4
Pacific / Bomb

More Reference Books

Synopsis: Kenneth Werrell's systematic analysis of the American strategic bombing campaign against Japan provides comprehensive examination of tactics, technology, and effectiveness during the final phase of World War II. The title "Blankets of Fire" refers to the devastating incendiary attacks that characterized the campaign's final months, when American bombers created massive firestorms that destroyed large portions of Japanese urban areas. Werrell's work combines operational history with strategic analysis, examining how the bombing campaign evolved from precision attacks against specific targets to area bombardment designed to destroy Japan's dispersed manufacturing capacity and civilian morale. The narrative begins with the development of American strategic bombing doctrine, examining how pre-war theories about air power's decisive potential influenced planning for operations against Japan while acknowledging the significant modifications required by Pacific geography and Japanese defensive capabilities. The author documents the technological challenges of conducting very long-range bombing operations, examining how the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was specifically designed to overcome the distance limitations that had constrained earlier bombing efforts against Japanese territory. Werrell provides detailed analysis of target selection and bombing accuracy, examining how American planners identified specific industrial facilities, transportation networks, and urban areas while documenting the technical difficulties of achieving precision attacks from extreme altitudes under challenging weather conditions. The work includes comprehensive examination of the transition from precision to area bombing, analyzing how operational experience and strategic considerations led to the controversial decision to employ incendiary weapons against Japanese urban areas containing both military facilities and civilian residences. Central to the narrative is the detailed analysis of specific bombing campaigns, including attacks against aircraft manufacturing facilities, oil refineries, transportation systems, and the major urban centers that contained dispersed war production facilities integrated into residential neighborhoods. The author addresses the effectiveness debate surrounding strategic bombing, examining evidence for and against claims that air attacks significantly shortened the war while acknowledging the difficulty of measuring bombing's psychological and economic impact on Japanese willingness to continue fighting. Werrell documents Japanese defensive responses to American bombing, examining how enemy fighters, anti-aircraft artillery, radar systems, and civil defense measures evolved to counter increasingly intensive attacks throughout the campaign. The work includes detailed analysis of the climactic incendiary raids against major Japanese cities, examining how the March 9-10, 1945 Tokyo attack established tactics that were subsequently applied to other urban targets with devastating effectiveness. The narrative addresses the moral and legal questions raised by area bombing, examining contemporary justifications while acknowledging the civilian casualties that resulted from attacks against urban areas containing both military and non-military targets. The author provides balanced assessment of bombing campaign results, examining physical destruction of Japanese industrial capacity while analyzing the psychological impact on civilian populations and military leadership. Werrell documents the role of atomic weapons in the bombing campaign, examining how these attacks represented both the culmination of strategic bombing and a fundamental transformation in warfare's destructive potential. The work addresses the post-war effectiveness studies that attempted to measure bombing's contribution to Japanese surrender, examining how these analyses influenced Cold War strategic planning and nuclear doctrine development. The narrative concludes with analysis of how the Japan bombing campaign influenced post-war air power doctrine, examining how lessons learned during World War II shaped strategic bombing concepts throughout the nuclear age. This authoritative study serves as both operational history and strategic analysis, providing essential insights into strategic bombing's development and employment while addressing the continuing debate over air power's role in achieving political objectives through military force.

Blankets of Fire - US Bombers over Japan During WWII, is one of the many primary source materials in the Army Air Corps Museum collection.