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It was March 9, 1945. The island nation of Japan, its judgment clouded by pride and ancient traditions, continued to defy the Allies and refused to surrender. Little did they know a storm of overwhelming proportions was inbound to the very heart of Japan.
From the far-flung Mariana Islands, a dark armada took to the skies. Thundering engines roared as 300 B-29 Superfortress bombers climbed into the heavens, their bellies brimming with over half a million napalm and petroleum jelly canisters. The mission, code-named "Operation Meetinghouse," marked a significant shift away from the careful targeting of precision bombing.
This came after months of surgical strikes by the United States Twentieth Air Force on military targets within Japan had yielded little. The decision was made to change tactics. Careful consideration would give way to sheer, overwhelming force - a strategy that had brought both Hamburg and Dresden to their knees.
As the sun set, a stiff wind spread across the archipelago. Despite their stubbornness, the Japanese had actually little left in the way of defenses. Their air force was a shadow of its former self, and their anti-aircraft measures were not ready for the torrent of flames about to be unleashed.
The night sky was covered by the spreading wings of the American bombers, and a storm of fire was unleashed upon the city. Entire neighborhoods were lit aflame, the sky turned black as night, and the snow began to fall - but this was no ordinary snow. They were the black ashes of war.
Tokyo, with its many wooden and bamboo structures, was particularly vulnerable. Over 16 square miles of the heart of Tokyo were enveloped by the firestorm. The unnerving event, which would come to be known as The Night of the Black Snow, would make the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki pale in comparison to the destructive power unleashed that day. Even now, it is regarded as the single most destructive bombing raid in human history…
