Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II

Allied naval bombardments of Japan
Part of the Pacific War, World War II
Color photo of a warship at sea. Smoke is rising from the bow of the ship, and land is visible in the background.
USS Indiana bombarding Kamaishi, Japan on 14 July 1945
DateJuly–August 1945
Location
Four Japanese cities and several military facilities and towns
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 United States
 United Kingdom
 New Zealand
 Japan
Casualties and losses
32 (POWs killed in the bombardments of Kamaishi) Up to 1,739 killed
Up to 1,497 wounded
Damage to industrial facilities
Damage to urban areas

During the last weeks of World War II, warships of the United States Navy, the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy bombarded industrial and military facilities in Japan. Most of these bombardments were conducted by battleships and cruisers, and caused heavy damage to several of the targeted factories, as well as nearby civilian areas. A major goal of the attacks was to provoke the Japanese military into committing some of its reserve force of aircraft into battle. However, the Japanese did not attempt to attack the Allied bombardment forces, and none of the involved warships suffered any damage.

The major bombardments began on 14 and 15 July 1945, when US Navy warships attacked the cities of Kamaishi and Muroran. The next attack was made by a joint American and British force against the city of Hitachi during the night of 17/18 July. Groups of cruisers and destroyers subsequently shelled the Nojima Saki area on 18 July, and Shionomisaki on the night of 24/25 July. On 29 July, American and British warships attacked Hamamatsu, and on the night of 30/31 several American destroyers shelled Shimizu. The final bombardment took place on 9 August, when Kamaishi was attacked again by American, British and New Zealand warships. Two US Navy submarines conducted small-scale attacks during June and July 1945; one of the submarines also landed a small raiding party.

The Allied naval bombardments disrupted industrial production in the cities targeted, and convinced many Japanese civilians that the war was lost. Up to 1,739 Japanese were killed in the attacks, and about 1,497 were wounded. The only Allied casualties were 32 Allied prisoners of war killed in the bombardments of Kamaishi.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne