Episode Details

On March 9, 1945, LeMay orders his wing commanders to strip the B-29s of guns and ammunition to maximize their bomb loads, a decision many airmen view as "suicide." Despite warnings from artillery officers that he could lose 70% of his force, LeMay sends over 300 bombers singly at night into the heart of Tokyo. He targets Asakusa, the city's densest residential ward, where over 135,000 people live per square mile. LeMay's goal is to ignite a firestorm, a self-sustaining weather system with hurricane-force winds that devours all oxygen and everything in its path. Acting independently while Hap Arnold recovers from a heart attack, LeMay gambles his entire career on this one night. He acknowledges the moral gravity of the mission, telling his staff that if the United States loses the war, they will all likely be tried as war criminals for the mass civilian casualties they are about to inflict. 5/8
1951