DiscoverThe John Batchelor ShowS8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B
S8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B

S8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B

Update: 2025-12-14
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The Suicide Mission BriefingJames M. ScottScott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay'sbriefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B-29 bombers to maximize incendiary weapon payload capacity, thereby eliminating defensive capabilities against anticipated Japanese fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft fire. Scott documents that aircrew members view this operational decision as tantamount to a "suicide mission," with legitimate anticipatory fear regarding being shot down without defensive weapons, accompanied by military predictions estimating potential casualty rates exceeding 70% of participating aircraft. Scott details that the operational plan involves 325 bombers executing precisely coordinated incendiary drops designed to create overlapping "density of fire" patterns that will eventually merge into a self-sustaining firestorm phenomenon. Scott specifies that LeMay targets a 12-square-mile geographic area of Tokyo containing population density exceeding 100,000 residents per square mile, thereby concentrating firebombing destruction against maximum civilian population concentration.



1930 TOKYO




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S8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B

S8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B

John Batchelor