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How did Curtis LeMay change the bombing campaign against Japan in March 1945?
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air warfare
Overview of aerial bombardment in Europe during World War II, with a detailed discussion of the Battle of Britain.
In January 1945, Major General Curtis LeMay was tasked with revitalizing the U.S. air campaign against Japan, which had been struggling with inaccurate results from high-altitude daylight attacks.12
In March 1945, LeMay fundamentally changed these tactics by abandoning precision bombing in favor of a comprehensive incendiary campaign. His new strategy included the following key adjustments:1
- Low-Altitude Night Attacks: Bombers shifted from high-altitude daylight operations to low-altitude night raids to evade Japanese air defenses.123
- Configuration Changes: To accommodate a significantly larger bomb load, the B-29 Superfortress bombers were stripped of their defensive guns and armor.12
- Incendiary Focus: Utilizing tactics pioneered by the RAF, LeMay employed pathfinder aircraft to mark targets with napalm, followed by massed formations dropping incendiaries on densely populated, highly flammable urban areas.12
This shift effectively eliminated the distinction between industrial, military, and civilian targets. The strategy was intended to destroy Japan's war-making capacity and force a surrender without the need for a massive ground invasion.124