The Firebombing of Tokyo: Deadlier than the Atomic Bombings (REUPLOAD)

When it comes to moral dilemmas of the Second World War, nothing has been as controversial as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, regarded by some as a necessary action to force a surrender, ultimately saving lives in the long run, and viewed by others as a cruel and inexcusable use of the world's deadliest weapon.

The main critique of the atomic bombings is the horrific number of civilian casualties they created. A totally fair criticism, yet somehow these attacks seem to overshadow a separate operation carried out by the United States that resulted in even more civilian death and destruction, the far bombing of Tokyo in the early hours March the 10th 1945.

It must be said, however, that the incendiary bombing of Tokyo is not the first time the Americans had tried to strike Japan's largest city. In April 1942, the United States launched the Doolittle Raid, consisting of 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers. The bombers took off from an aircraft carrier and flew to Tokyo with no fighter escort.