A Moment in Air Force History

Question: In terms of lives lost, what was the most destructive bomb raid in history?

A. Dresden, Germany, 1945
B. Tokyo, Japan, 1945
C. Hiroshima, Japan, 1945

***image1***Answer: B. From March 9 to 10, 1945, 320 B-29 Superfortresses from bases in the Marianas dropped 1,667 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo. More than 100,000 Japanese were killed and about another 100,000 were wounded. About one-quarter of the city was destroyed. Fourteen bombers were lost during the raid. Many of them damaged by the rising winds caused by the fire. In following attacks, 56 square miles of Tokyo were destroyed by 11,800 tons of bombs. (Courtesy of 435th Air Base Wing and 86th Airlift Wing Historian offices)

Did you know?
Dresden, Germany 1945 — From Feb. 13 to 15, Dresden was bombed by the Royal Air Force and U.S. Army Air Force with 3,907 tons of bombs. Based on German statistics, about 25,000 people were killed and another 30,000 wounded.
Hiroshima, Japan 1945 — On Aug. 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb, “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan. About 69,000 people died in the raid. By the end of the year, the death rate had risen to about 140,000.