Operation Meetinghouse | |||||
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Part of World War II | |||||
| |||||
Belligerents | |||||
United States | Japan | ||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||
Curtis Lemay | Shizuichi Tanaka | ||||
Units involved | |||||
21st USAAF Bomber Command |
Around 638 antiaircraft guns 90 fighter planes Tokyo firefighters | ||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
14 aircraft destroyed 96 aircrew killed or missing |
90,000 to 100,000 killed (most common estimates) Over one million without homes 267,171 buildings destroyed |
Operation Meetinghouse was a bombing attack by the United States against Japan on the night between the 9th and 10th of March 1945.[1] American bombers dropped firebombs without a specific target on the Japanese city of Tokyo. These firebombs created a huge firestorm which killed over 100,000 people and destroyed the homes of about 1 million more people. It is notable for being the most deadly attack from the air in world history. The attack was a change in strategy for the United States, which had previously only attacked from the air during the day, focusing on specific buildings.[2]
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