What did General Curtis LeMay do?

General LeMay organized and trained the 305th Bombardment Group in 1942 and led that organization to combat in the European Theater. He developed formation procedures and bombing techniques that were used by B-17 bomber units throughout the European Theater of Operations.

Why did General Curtis LeMay implement the use of firebombing against Japan?

They were under lock and key of the Atomic Energy Commission.” LeMay wanted bombs ready to be loaded into the hatches of his bombardment crews at any time. Dropping nuclear bombs on major North Korean cities was also LeMay’s idea to force an end to the Korean War at its inception.

What did Curtis LeMay order strategic bombers to do against Japan?

For this first attack, LeMay ordered the defensive guns removed from 325 B-29s, loaded each plane with Model M-47 incendiary clusters, magnesium bombs, white phosphorus bombs, and napalm, and ordered the bombers to fly in streams at 5,000 to 9,000 feet (1,500 to 2,700 m) over Tokyo.

How were the Allies able to reach Tokyo?

The arrival of B-29 Superfortress bombers in 1944 gave the Americans the range to reach Japanese cities, first from bases in China and then from Pacific islands.

How many missions did Curtis LeMay fly?

five combat missions
As part of the 8th Air Force, it was one of the first U.S. air bombardment units to enter combat. LeMay flew five combat missions over Europe, winning the Air Medal and the Silver Star.

How many deaths was Curtis LeMay responsible for?

In his firebombing campaign over Japan, LeMay ordered the deaths of more civilians than any other military officer in American history—well over 300,000 and perhaps as many as half a million.

How many combat missions did Curtis LeMay fly?

LeMay flew five combat missions over Europe, winning the Air Medal and the Silver Star. In addition to leading the raid over Saint Nazaire to establish his rule against zigzag bombing runs, “Old Iron Pants” also led the Aug.

How did US firebomb Japan?

On the night of March 9, 1945, U.S. warplanes launch a new bombing offensive against Japan, dropping 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo over the course of the next 48 hours.

What strategy did the Allies use in the war in the Pacific What were some of the challenges that came with this strategy?

Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea is to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to capture every island in sequence en route to a final target.

What is island hopping How did it help the US defeat the Japanese?

Island hopping: A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Axis powers (most notably Japan) during World War II. It entailed taking over an island and establishing a military base there. The base was in turn used as a launching point for the attack and takeover of another island.

How many bombs dropped in North Korea?

The U.S. dropped a total of 635,000 tons of bombs, including 32,557 tons of napalm, on Korea. By comparison, the U.S. dropped 1.6 million tons in the European theater and 500,000 tons in the Pacific theater during all of World War II (including 160,000 on Japan).

How did George Lemay become a bomber pilot?

LeMay became a pursuit pilot with his first duty station at Selfridge Field with the 27th Pursuit Squadron. After having served in various assignments in fighter operations, LeMay transferred to bomber aircraft in 1937.

What did LeMay do in the Berlin Airlift?

LeMay piloted a B-29 on a record-breaking flight from Guam to Washington, D.C., just before the war ended. When the Air Force became an independent service in 1947, he was assigned to command U.S. forces in Europe, where he headed the 1948 Berlin Airlift to break the Soviet blockade.

What happened to General LeMay?

LeMay died at 8:08 a.m. in the 22nd Strategic Hospital at March Air Force Base near Riverside, an Air Force spokesman said. He would have been 84 on Nov. 15. Since 1989, LeMay had been living in Air Force Village West, a retirement community for Air Force officers near the air base.

Were B-29s surprised that bombs dropped from high altitude scattered before landing?

U.S. B-29 pilots, unaware of the jet stream, were surprised that bombs dropped from high altitudes scattered before reaching the ground. (Loomis Dean/NARA (a-68025ac))