On this day in 1945, the United States Army Air Forces launches an unprecedented air raid on Tokyo, Japan. To date, it remains the single deadliest bombing raid in history—worse even than the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki later that year.
Unfortunately, the Japanese government still refused to surrender.
The U.S. 20th Air Force faced serious challenges in the early part of 1945. They’d been conducting high-level, precision bombing attacks over Japan, but nothing was going right. Bombers were coming in high, at 30,000 feet, then watching as their bombs got torn off course by high winds. Jet streams were not understood as they are today—and the frequent cloud cover in Japan simply made things worse.
The accuracy rate of American bombers was sitting at an abysmal 10 percent.
Something had to be done, and Major General Curtis LeMay knew it. He would no longer try (and fail) to take out high value targets with precision bombing. Instead, he would simply burn the city around them.
The first of LeMay’s incendiary raids began on the night of March 9–10 when more than 300 B-29 bombers took off toward Tokyo. They’d been stripped of non-essentials to make room for more bombs. The B-29s would fly in at 7,000 feet, dropping as many bombs as they could.
The scene was set for a firestorm, although the intensity of that firestorm surely surprised everyone.
The story continues here:
https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-air-raid-tokyo
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Happy Thanksgiving! Ronald Reagan's 1986 Proclamation has some interesting food for thought today, and it sort of goes along with the story I posted on Tuesday about Revolutionary War Thanksgivings. I hope everyone has a wonderful day with family and friends.
Ronald Reagan said:
"Perhaps no custom reveals our character as a Nation so clearly as our celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Rooted deeply in our Judeo-Christian heritage, the practice of offering thanksgiving underscores our unshakeable belief in God as the foundation of our Nation and our firm reliance upon Him from Whom all blessings flow. Both as individuals and as a people, we join with the Psalmist in song and praise: ``Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.''
One of the most inspiring portrayals of American history is that of George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge. That moving image personifies and testifies to our Founders' dependence upon Divine Providence during the darkest hours of our Revolutionary...
On this day in 1746, a future Patriot is born. Robert Livingston’s name is one that most Americans don’t recognize, but perhaps they should. He played a critical role in several founding events.
Did you know that he is the one standing next to George Washington in portraits of the first inauguration? Or did you know that Livingston obtained the territory that would become Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri—to say nothing of states such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska?
Livingston was an early supporter of the Patriot cause, opposing the Stamp Act as early as 1765. He was a well-regarded statesman, and he was soon representing New York in the Continental Congress. As a delegate, he was given at least one important task: He was asked to sit on a Committee of Five, charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-robert-livingston
At about this time in 1941, the fourth Thursday in November officially becomes a national holiday. You may know about modern Thanksgiving Day celebrations, but did you know that thanksgiving also played an important role in the American Revolution?
Indeed, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington fully supported public displays of gratitude as a vital part of a well-functioning army.
The events of October 1777 were a case in point. Americans won an important victory at Saratoga, and Washington promptly credited Divine Providence.
“Let every face brighten, and every heart expand with grateful Joy and praise to the supreme disposer of all events, who has granted us this signal success,” Washington’s General Orders of October 18 declared. “The Chaplains of the army are to prepare short discourses, suited to the joyful occasion . . . .”
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-thanksgiving-revolution
