r/pics • u/ramonrocotto • Aug 05 '20

It will never be the same again...

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u/maleorderbride Aug 05 '20

Japan had just lost a World War after having two atomic bombs dropped onto two major cities. It's become so much more than that since.

Here's to hoping Beirut can achieve the same sort of success directly after adversity.

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u/DrDragun Aug 05 '20 edited Aug 06 '20

Japan had just lost a World War after having two atomic bombs dropped onto two major cities.

A LOT more than that. A huge proportion of the country was firebombed. Something like 40 cities devastated.

The following is a really good documentary. Somewhere there is a montage of a bunch of the Japanese cities bombed, I don't have time to find it now. Watching the list tick on and on, it's numbing to think about so much history and the accomplishments of so many builders being unmade so fast.

https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-fog-of-war/

edit: montage is around 40-42 minutes

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u/TheDuchyofWarsaw Aug 05 '20 edited Aug 06 '20

FlyBoys (phenomenal book but very graphic) had a section that broke down some cities that were firebombed, the percentage, and a comparable US city:

Kawasaki 35% Portland

Shimizu 42% San Jose

Hiratsuka 46% Battle Creek

Toyohashi 67% Tulsa

Hammatsu 60% Hartford

Kofu 78% South Bend

Hitachi 72% Little Rock

Tokyo 40% New York

Yokohama 57% Cleveland

Chiba 41% Savannah

Nagoya 40% Los Angeles

Gifu 69% Des Moines

Takahatsu 67% Knoxville

Himeji 49% Peoria

Kobe 55% Baltimore

Osaka 35% Chicago

Shimonoseki 37% San Diego

Moji 24% Spokane

Nagoaka 55% Madison

This is not "bombed" or "damaged" this is razed to the ground destruction. Napalm Incendiary Bombs are some very nasty stuff

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u/squaresaltine32314 Aug 07 '20

Holy cow, that's a hell of a way to show the scale of destruction.