Operation Meetinghouse

E14092

Operation Meetinghouse was the devastating March 1945 U.S. firebombing raid on Tokyo, which became one of the most destructive air attacks in history.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf aerial bombing
firebombing raid
military operation
aircraftType heavy bomber
aircraftUsed B-29 Superfortress
airForceUnit Twentieth Air Force
altitudeProfile low-level attack
areaDestroyed over 15 square miles of Tokyo
over 40 square kilometers of Tokyo
belligerent Empire of Japan
United States
bombLoad primarily incendiary munitions
city Tokyo
codename Meetinghouse
commander Curtis LeMay
conductedBy United States Army Air Forces
XXI Bomber Command
conflict World War II
country Japan
countryTargeted Japan
date 1945-03-09
1945-03-10
estimatedDeaths approximately 100,000 people
over 80,000 people
estimatedHomeless over 1,000,000 people
followedBy subsequent incendiary raids on Japanese cities
historicalSignificance key event in the air campaign against Japan in 1945
major escalation in strategic bombing of Japan
location Tokyo
militaryBranch United States Army Air Forces
notableAs deadliest single air raid of World War II by conventional bombing
one of the most destructive air raids in history
objective to destroy Tokyo’s urban industrial and residential areas
partOf Pacific War
precededBy high-altitude precision bombing of Japan
result devastating firestorm in Tokyo
massive urban destruction
very high civilian casualties
strategy area bombing
low-altitude night bombing
targetCityDistrict eastern Tokyo
targetType civilian area
urban area
theater Pacific Theater of World War II
timePeriod night of 9–10 March 1945
weaponType incendiary bombs
napalm-based incendiaries
year 1945

Referenced by (3)

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