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Black Snow

Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb

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Black Snow

By: James M. Scott
Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
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About this listen

Seven minutes past midnight on March 10, 1945, nearly 300 American B-29s thundered into the skies over Tokyo. Their payloads of incendiaries ignited a firestorm that reached up to 2,800 degrees, liquefying asphalt and vaporizing thousands; sixteen square miles of the city were flattened and more than 100,000 men, women, and children were killed.

Black Snow is the story of this devastating operation, orchestrated by Major General Curtis LeMay, who famously remarked: "If we lose the war, we'll be tried as war criminals." James M. Scott reconstructs in granular detail that horrific night, and describes the development of the B-29, the capture of the Marianas for use as airfields, and the change in strategy from high-altitude daylight "precision" bombing to low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing. Most importantly, the raid represented a significant moral shift for America, marking the first time commanders deliberately targeted civilians—which helped pave the way for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki five months later.

Drawing on first-person interviews with American pilots and bombardiers and Japanese survivors, air force archives, and oral histories never before published in English, Scott delivers a harrowing and gripping account, and his most important and compelling work to date.

©2022 James M. Scott (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Asia Japan Military War Air Force

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The story of the fire bombing of Japan is one that is rarely told in the West, and stands as one of the most dramatic and awful episodes in history. Scott tells it without pulling punches or sign posting the moral to his reader. 80 years after the end of the war, all of us should look back and then forward and do all we can to avoid repeating the horrors of 1934-1945

Engrossing, terrifying and moving

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A well told tale, narrated brilliantly. The understanding all sides’ perspectives is astounding. I now appreciate the perspectives of all of Hansell, LeMay and the Japanese,

Really food

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Horrific account of the firebombing of Tokyo and other Japanese cities. I felt sorry for the Japanese ... until I read Scott's other book Rampage, about the battle for Manilla.

I felt sorry for the Japanese

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Incredibly well researched, yet fast paced novel about the fire bombing of Japanese cities that proceeded the atomic bomb. Despite the death toll and destruction being way higher than Hiroshima this aspect of the war gets very little ink because it is overshadowed by the use of the atomic bomb.
This book does 3 things exceptionally well: explaining the brilliant buildup of the B17 bomber which absolutely changed the direction of the war, the controversial but single-minded strategy of bombing civilian areas and lastly contextualising those actions by explaining that the Japanese Imperial army were one of the most evil empires to walk the face of the Earth and needed to be destroyed.
However, the author does not shy from the pain, suffering and destruction on the ground, and pepper the the book with anecdotes from Japanese families and everyday life which I think is a deft touch and a very very important component in any war novel.
The spectacular resolve of the American military to eradicate this evil empire is clear and has echoes in other maniacal regimes today such as Iran and Hamas One one can clearly see the need to “take the gloves off” in those conflicts in the way that America did 1945 and saved the world from a tyranny. In today’s world of moral relativism, I wonder if the US people have the staying power to do the job that needs doing?? They certainly did in 1945. Ironically the modern, industrious and amazing society that is modern Japan are thankful today. Bravo !

Brutal battle wildly overlooked by historians

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