What was the single most devastating bombing campaign of WWII? (in lives lost at the time)
Of all the sorties over Tokyo, the raid of 9-10 March 1945, codenamed Operation Meetinghouse, was the most significant, and indeed is considered the single most destructive bombing ever. Around 1,700 tons of bombs fell on the city, destroying an estimated 286,358 buildings – made largely of wood and paper – and killing an estimated 100,000 citizens or more in the resulting firestorms. When the 1,000,000 injured and made homeless respectively are added to this figure, one begins to get a small sense of the sheer scale of destruction witnessed on those terrible nights of 1945.
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What are your thoughts on this subject?
120 Comments
James Boyster
The question asks which is "the single most devistating bombing". Operation Meetinghouse took place over two days and involved hundreds of individual sorties, it wasn't a singular bombing, it was a campaign. As worded Hiroshima is a more accurate answer. Adding the word campaign to the question would resolve the issue.
Llovejusbnme
I didn't have a problem with the question, but then again, I was in the military and understand the theory behind the question. All should be correct just in the way of the devastating amount and the way lives were lost.......one life is as precious as 2 million....but the truth is, war is such a waste of life.......period. jus an opinion.....jus sayin....
edelbill
James Boyster, Che Karega, That question's wording is horrible, in multiple ways. "Single bombing" could mean a single bombing run on a given day, a single bombing mission on a single day, or a single bombing campaign conducted over several days. "At the time" should mean how many lives were lost due to the shock wave, heat, and destruction from the bombing itself, but also could mean how many lives were lost due to these factors and consequently (secondary to the explosion) in the fires resulting from the heat of the explosion, blunt-force trauma due to collapsing building materials, and inability to reach those buried alive in the rubble who died but could have been saved if reached in time; each of these definitions could be used to differentiate between these effects of conventional bombing and , or how many lives were lost due to those factors and both tertiary effects from radiation poisoning and fallout. The question is very poorly worded.
Che Karega
The question is misleading " at the time" Dresden was first
billyboy915
Estimates for loss of life on the Tokyo bombing were approximately 100,000 people. For Hiroshima, estimates are approximately 150,000.
Che Karega
I want my points
recordpete
James Boyster, I agree with you. Hiroshima is correct.
Larry Jones
As others have stated, for the answer expected, the question is poorly worded. As to most destructive, I think billyboy915 gives us a good answer. It is unimaginable to me that of those who died, many of them were simply vaporized. (a retired Army guy)
Bill Coe
James Boyster, i dont believe "single" referred to a single bombing run. Take out the word single and the question would be clear.
Bill Coe
The 100,000 killed in Tokyo died in prolonged bombing from November 1944 to August 1945.
Sanjay Kumar
There again …..another wrong answer.
Matt Wells
Oddly worded . . .
Devendra Kumar Sangal
I had answered Hiroshima, because that killed the largest number by a single bomb. I did not pay attention to the phrase,"bombing campaign".
tbear
Single bombing to me meant one bomb. So I said Hiroshima! I agree with you, James Boyster!
jimsclads
Hiroshima or Nagasaki
foxron
James Boyster is correct. You are wrong again
vonlora
james, campaign is in the question. would have thought it was wessel, but not an option, so toyko was my next guess
Raymond Blondin
I answer Hiroshima.
Suraya Choudhury
I put Hiroshima !
Lynne Zeman
I agree with all of the others. The wording was poor.
mybabygirl
Well Jerry Edwards , then these quizzes should have accurate answers , and an accurate explanation of their answers to prove it .... quizz for fun or not this is what they should do regarding their quizzes......
George N. Martin
James Boyster, The word CAMPAIGN IS in the question.
Kenneth Jacobs
I thought the question was not well worded. The phrase "in lives lost at the time," creates confusion. In Operation Meetinghouse an estimated 100,000 lives were lost while Hiroshima was estimated at 90,000-146,000 people. In my view if you consider of overall destruction it is clearly Operation Meetinghouse, but in terms of lives lost, I believe that there is not a clear distinction between Hiroshima and Operation Meetinghouse. I selected Hiroshima because of the overall estimated loss of life, 146,000 souls.
Chris Braid
James, the question asks 'which was the single most devastating bombing CAMPAIGN'. Nowhere is an individual sortie mentioned, mate.
Jerry Edwards
Why all the criticisms. I enjoy doing this purely for fun. I'm not paid to answer these questions so am, therefore, not professional. Back off guys. It's a quiz! Not a matter of life or death!