Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 (The Pacific War Trilogy Book 3)

by Ian W. Toll

In the heavily industrialized Tokai region, southwest of Tokyo, a major earthquake (magnitude 8.1) and tsunami struck on December 7, 1944. The natural disaster killed 1,223 people and destroyed almost 30,000 homes. The Mitsubishi Aircraft Engine Works, a giant airframe production center east of Nagoya Harbor, was severely damaged. As Mitsubishi struggled to get its production lines up and running, three large B-29 raids struck on December 13, 18, and 22. The weather was clear, and the bombing more accurate than usual. An assembly shop and seven auxiliary buildings were destroyed. The raids persuaded Mitsubishi and the government to shut down production at the site, and to attempt to disperse the assembly lines to underground sites and outlying locations. Meanwhile, the Americans attacked the psychological foundations of the Japanese war effort by dropping leaflets over Nagoya, asking, “What shall we offer you next, after the earthquake?”