Bombing of Yawata (June 1944)
| Bombing of Yawata | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Pacific War, World War II | |||||
 B-29 Superfortress bombers photographed shortly before they participated in the 15/16 June 1944 raid on Yawata |
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| Belligerents | |||||
 United States
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 Empire of Japan
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| Strength | |||||
| 75 heavy bombers | 24 fighters Anti-aircraft artillery |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 57 aircrew, 1 journalist 7 heavy bombers |
Light damage | ||||
The Bombing of Yawata on the night of 15/16 June 1944 was the first air raid on the Japanese home islands conducted by United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) strategic bombers during World War II. The raid was undertaken by 75 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers staging from bases in China. Only 47 of these aircraft bombed the raid's primary target, the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata in northern Kyūshū, and little damage was caused. Five B-29s were lost in accidents during the operation and two were destroyed by Japanese aircraft.
While the raid did not achieve its aims, it had other effects. It raised Japanese civilians' awareness that their country was being defeated and received unduly positive media coverage in the United States. Intelligence gathered by the B-29s also revealed weaknesses in Japan's air defenses and the raid was the first of many on Japan. Yawata was attacked again by B-29s operating from China on 20 August 1944 and much of the city was destroyed in a fire bombing raid conducted by B-29s based in the Mariana Islands on 8 August 1945.
The first United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) raid on Japan took place on 18 April 1942 when 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers flying from an aircraft carrier attacked several cities during the Doolittle Raid. Although this raid caused little damage, it boosted morale in the United States. The Japanese government responded to the attack by both increasing the number of fighter units based in the home islands and conducting an offensive in the Pacific Ocean which ended in defeat during the Battle of Midway. The USAAF was not able to mount further attacks on the Japanese home islands after this raid, however, as none of its combat aircraft had sufficient range to reach this area from bases in China or the Pacific until the B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber was ready for combat.
The B-29 Superfortress had a difficult introduction into service. Work began on designing the bomber in early 1940 and the first prototype flew on 21 September 1942. The Superfortress was the largest combat aircraft of World War II and boasted a heavy maximum bomb load, long range and powerful defensive armament. The B-29 also incorporated a number of new features such as a pressurized cabin and remote-controlled turrets. While 1,664 B-29s had been ordered by the USAAF before the aircraft first flew, its development was set back by several months after the second prototype crashed on 18 February 1943 and problems with the design were gradually solved. The 58th Bombardment Wing was formed in June 1943 to operate the USAAF's first B-29s but it did not begin receiving these aircraft until October. The slow delivery of B-29s and mechanical problems with the aircraft meant that the wing lagged behind its training schedule, and only became capable of deployment in March 1944 after the so-called "Battle of Kansas" program began to produce combat-ready aircraft.
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