Tactical Mission Report 43. XXI Bomber Command

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Название: Tactical Mission Report 43. XXI Bomber Command

Издательство: US Air Force

Страниц: 68

Формат: PDF

Размер: 22 Мб

Качество: Хорошее

Год: 1945

Язык: английский

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On March 16/17, 1945, 331 American B-29 bombers launched a firebombing attack against the city of Kobe, Japan. This raid was executed by all three wings of the XXI Bomber Command, namely the 73rd, 313th, and 314th bombardment wings. It was flown in honor of Brigadier General LaVerne Saunders, who was, at the time, recuperating in Walter Reed General Hospital from injuries he sustained during an aircraft accident. The raid targeted 4 key areas: the northwest corner of the city, the area south of the main railroad line, the area northwest of the main railroad station, and the area northeast of the third target. Of the city's residents, 8,841 were confirmed to have been killed in the resulting firestorms, which destroyed an area of three square miles and included 21% of Kobe's urban area. At the time, the city covered an area of 14 square miles (36 km²). More than 650,000 people had their homes destroyed, and the homes of another million people were damaged.

During the raid, 280 Japanese fighters were spotted, 96 of which engaged the B-29 bombers in 104 attacks; this constituted the highest proportion of fighters sighted to those attacking than previously experienced during a night raid. Despite this, no bombers were lost due to enemy defenses. Three bombers were lost during the raid, but the reason(s) for their losses are unknown.

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