Air Raid against Cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama

 
  1. Introduction
  2. Citizens at War
  3. Air raid against Kawasaki and Yokohama
  4. Photos from Tokyo Air Raid and Other Operations
  5. US Occupation of Japan

1. Introduction

Welcome to this page! This photo gallery is a part of the "Air Raid against Cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama," the collection of citizens' memories of B29 bombing operation at the final stage of the Pacific War.

The cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama, located just south of Tokyo, suffered great loss of lives by the massive B29 bombing operation as the surrender of Imperial Japan approaching closely at hand.

Following a massive carpet-bombing at Tokyo, March 10, 1945, Kawasaki City was in flame by low altitude night attack on April 15, and Yokohama City was made a moonscape on May 29 by high altitude daylight attack of more than 500 B29s.

All people know how the Pacific War had started, how the war was fought, and how the war was ended. The purpose of this page is not to accuse any people or any country as we often do when we launch into such historical issues, but to accuse WAR, the war itself, the most malignant nature of humans, as General McArthur had called on the Battleship Missouri, the site of surrender of Japan actually took place at the Tokyo Bay.

It is recommended for those who could read Japanese to take a look at the Homepage at the following address:

Citizens' Memories of the B29 Bombing at Cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama
http://history.independence.co.jp/ww2/
(Be sure that your OS supports Japanese language and set your browser to read Japanese.)

It is also recommended to visit the following website which is hosted by US Air Force veterans of the war.
B29 Superfortress Then and Now http://b-29.org/

No doubt, as you see, Japan and US had engaged one of the cruelest wars in human history, and soldiers on the sky and citizens under the bombing were all participants of the final chapter of the tragic killing field on the long road to Tokyo. This should not repeat again in any part of the grove, ever.

November 2, 2000
Toshiaki Haginoya
Yokohama City, Japan
 


 

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge photos.

2. Citizens at War
In 1937, Airplane Jinpu(Devine Wind) of Asahi Newspaper Company accomplished the first air flight between Tokyo and London, by an airplane in which all parts were produced in Japan. People of Isezaki-Cho, at the commercial center of Yokohama City, celebrate the pilots as they welcome to the parade.
As the war approaches to the end and US land invasion anticipated, all students are in military drill.
This photo was taken in 1933 on top of the Matsuya department store, which is still there on the street of Isezaki-Cho Commercial Street.
Odeon Building before the war. The place of music shows and recitals.
Uniform of Militia Patrols
Uniform of Militia Patrols
Gas Mask and its Container Bag
"Anti-Fire" Cap and Cloth for Women 
Fire Slapper so called, to extinguish fire.
Drill for fire raids
Model bunker for anticipated air raid. Japanese military, let alone citizens, did not know what firepower would come on them. All they knew, or thought they know, is probably to engage in a kind of shooting spree as they did on Chinese Front. Children who fled back from Pacific Front to mainland laughed at grown-ups as they dig these sub-earth structures. Not many concrete structures are made because of acute material shortage.
Papers sprayed from American fighter planes and bombers. This note states Japanese are losing the battle, despite continued military propaganda that Japan is winning the war, and urges Japanese citizens to rise up against the government for early end of the war. However, those who picked up the notes were regarded as traitors by the provost army patrols and sent to jail. These kinds of notes are not remained to this day, as people were afraid of such treatment.
Notes sprayed from the sky. This paper urges people to evacuate from all cities immediately, as US will attack Japan with a special bomb which equals to the attacks by two thousand B29s.
Left part of the note above.

 
 
3. Air Raid against Kawasaki and Yokohama
B29 Superforts
B29 at loading of bombs.
Bombing Operation
Bombing Operation
A Grumman fighter plane roaming on the sky of Japan.  Grummans are most feared as B29s. They strafe every target, regardless of olds and younger ones, men or women, as they please. After Iwo-jima Island fell to the hand of US, all cities turned to be a war zone.
Bombing Operation
Incendiary bombs falling to the city of Yokohama
In agony of the fire raid, Yokohama fumes in smoke.
Casement of incendiary materials.  These bombs are dropped in a way as being contained in a larger cluster bomb, Parent Bomb as Japanese called. Cluster bombs separate to "children" while still on the sky. Once hit on the ground, "children" jumps all around spraying sticky materials that soon catch fire and will burn everything near to it.
Running away but nowhere to take refuge. They say falling bombs sounded like heavy rainfall, then dark clouds of smoke quickly covered the sky. No one could believe it was still in morning hours.
All communications were soon ruptured. They are pushing away the trolley bus to prevent it from catching fire. Witness reports say glass windows melt away during fire raid.
Fleeing brothers.
After the raid.
Charred body
Charred body
Charred bodies
Charred bodies near the Kogane Cho Station. When news of the fire raid reached the conductor of the train, all passengers were told to take off at the nearest station. But immediately after they took refuge under the concrete overhead structure of the station, braze of fire came from all directions, causing a strong wind that is spinning around like a tornado, furling everything. As they were so desperate to flee from the heat to get to open air, they trampled on others as they run on steps, resulting in two or three layers of hundreds of charred human bodies.
The same place as above. The Kogane Cho Station was one of the places bodies were collected for burial before they rot and emit diseases in the climate of approaching summer. No one could say who they were as charred bodies had scarcely had any identification. The 16 year-old Mr.Sakai identified his father with a half-burnt name card, however, and asked me (the writer of this site) in my interview with him the same question he repeated more than 50 years, that is where the army had brought his father's body for burial. Who knows? He is one of the victims whose loved ones were loaded on the trucks like timbers and taken away to nowhere.
Isezaki Cho after the fire raid.
Noge area.
Motomachi area
Central Yokohama seen from the Yamate Hill
Central Yokohama seen from the Yamate Hill
Central Yokohama seen from the Yamate Hill
Central Yokohama seen from the Yamate Hill
Sakuragi Cho after the raid
Anzen Industrial Area in Tsurumi-Ku. As Imperial Japan concentrates all its energy for military production, those areas became first priority for bombardment.
Kawasaki city after the raid
Kawasaki city after the raid
Kawasaki city after the raid
Kawasaki city after the raid
Kawasaki city after the raid
A Japanese soldier, probably a provost army soldier, puts a note on the power pole. It reads, "The enemy is right before us! Rise up immediately and make revenge of this!"

 
 
4. Photos from Tokyo Air Raid and Other Operations
Tokyo Air Raid
Tokyo Air Raid
Tokyo Air Raid

In their desperate escape from fire and intense heat, many jumped in nearby rivers. But not many were successful to live through, as they had no choice of either being drowned or burned to death while smolder of fire scaffle across the surface of the river.

Raid against an industrial city
Raid against an industrial city
Hiroshima A-Bomb Attack

This human shadow is printed at the steps, when he(or she) took the flash of radiation.
Hiroshima A-Bomb Attack

Another human shadow as printed on the wall while he(or she) took the heat of radiation.
Hiroshima A-Bomb Attack

The former commercial convention hall is now preserved as "A-Bomb Dome"

 
 
5. US Occupation of Japan
Kannai, the center area of Yokohama, was confiscated for the car pool. You can see the city hall at the left corner. The building stands as it is still now. Citizens were amazed at the bulldozers and US troops were amazed at the "rikisha" being pulled by human power.
East Entrance of Yokohama Station

Many US troops were debarked on the port of Yokohama, and sent to various camp sites for occupation from this station.

A small airfield was created at the flattened place of Isezaki Cho. This may be the first prototype of helicopters appeared at the end of the war.
The Odeon Building was confiscated as Commanding Office of US Army
US troops parade on the bridge of Yoshida Bridge.
The river below was dried up during the period of economic growth for construction of sub-surface highway.

T.Haginoya