Inferno

The Firebombing of Japan, March 9–August 15, 1945

Edwin P. Hoyt

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English

Rowman and Littlefield
01 March 2025

History; Military history; Second World War

Series: Lyons Press Library of WWII

Did the bombing of Japan's cities—culminating in the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—hasten the end of World War II? Edwin Hoyt, World War II scholar and author, argues against the U.S. justification of the bombing. In Inferno, Hoyt shows how the United States bombed without discrimination, hurting Japanese civilians far more than the Japanese military. Hoyt accuses Major General Curtis LeMay, the Air Force leader who helped plan the destruction of Dresden, of committing a war crime through his plan to burn Japan's major cities to the ground.

The firebombing raids conducted by LeMay's squadrons caused far more death than the two atomic blasts. Throughout cities built largely from wood, incendiary bombs started raging fires that consumed houses and killed hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children. The survivors of the raids recount their stories in Inferno, remembering their terror as they fled to shelter through burning cities, escaping smoke, panicked crowds, and collapsing buildings.

Hoyt's descriptions of the widespread death and destruction of Japan depicts a war machine operating without restraint. Inferno offers a provocative look at what may have been America's most brutal policy during the years of World War II.

By: Edwin P. Hoyt
Imprint: Rowman and Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 245g
ISBN: 9781493086443
ISBN 10: 1493086448
Series: Lyons Press Library of WWII
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 01 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Edwin P. Hoyt was an independent historian and the author of more than 150 books, mostly in the area of military history, including The Last Kamikaze and Hirohito. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Hoyt turned his attention to journalism after service in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He wrote for the Denver Post, Collier's Magazine, and American Heritage, as well as for CBS News.

Reviews for Inferno: The Firebombing of Japan, March 9–August 15, 1945

Inferno takes a provocative and indeed controversial stand on the firebombing of Japan's cities.... Fast-moving, dramatic, and exciting, Inferno is a must for all those interested in World War II in the Far East.--Charles Whiting, Author of Hunters from the Sky: The German Parachute Corps, 1940-1945