A Tinian-based B-29 dropping sea mines over Japanese home waters, 1944

Why big bombers kept missing

In World War II, America built the B-29 to cripple Japan's war industry. But early bombing often failed because much of that industry was not gathered in giant factories.

WWII Japan Air Raids: Why Precision Bombing Failed

A woman and her child outside their bombed home in Ebisu, Tokyo following the war

The factories were everywhere

A large share of Japan's military production happened in small workshops and private homes. So bombing one big plant often missed the scattered network that kept weapons and supplies moving.

WWII Japan Air Raids: Why Precision Bombing Failed

WWII Japan Air Raids: Why Precision Bombing Failed | DeepSwipe