Famous Axis and Allied Air Raids of World War II

To strike from the air became a big part of both the Japanese and Allied strategy in the Pacific. The effectiveness of large-scale airstrikes in wiping out naval fleets had already been highlighted at Taranto in 1940, and with aircraft carriers, various coastal targets could be reached by the IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) and the U.S. Navy. In the Pacific, there were a few famous air raids.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. Pacific Fleet was anchored at the Pearl Harbor base in 1941. It was here that the IJN targeted a large-scale air raid, with their aircraft carriers, which would wipe out much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The U.S. Pacific Fleet included eight battleships of Battleship Row, alongside four aircraft carriers, and it was these that the Japanese carrier fleet was supposed to take out at Pearl Harbor, alongside U.S. aircraft stationed at the surrounding airfield.

The air raid itself was supposed to have three waves. On the 7th December, 1941, the first of these waves struck with precision around the Pearl Harbor airfields. There was no time for the U.S. aircraft to get off the ground as the airfields and hundreds of planes were soon shattered by bombs. Then the warships themselves were bombarded by swarms of Japanese aircraft. Most of the battleships stationed there were temporarily lost, with repairs and salvaging required to return them to action. Some, such as the Arizona, were not salvaged.

But the U.S. aircraft were not at Pearl Harbor during the raid. Nor was the U.S. fuel storage targeted by the Japanese, as the potential third wave never took off. The Japanese carrier fleet had begun a war in the Pacific in which the Allies had a notable numerical and economic advantage, and that would become more evident as the war dragged on.

Doolittle Raid

After their setbacks in 1942, the Allies required something to celebrate. As such, they planned a bold air raid over Japanese cities in 1942 with a small squadron of B-25 bomber aircraft. These aircraft were not supposed to take off from aircraft carriers, and could certainly not land on them. Only Chinese airbases could provide suitable landing spots for the U.S. aircraft.

Regardless, the raid went ahead in April. 16-25 planes took off from their aircraft carrier and flew towards Japanese cities. With only a small number of aircraft, the actual raid could only drop a relatively small number of bombs. Some of the pilots who bailed out after the raid were also captured by the Japanese. But the raid did prove that Allied aircraft could reach and bomb Japan.

Truk Raid

Truk included a notable Japanese naval base, which became a target of the U.S. Navy in 1944. In early 1944, a large assortment of five fleet carriers and eight battleships was sent to Truk, which transported hundreds of aircraft. When they arrived, a small assortment of Japanese aircraft intercepted the fleet, but anti-aircraft fire provided suitable cover for the U.S. warships.

During the raid, their aircraft wiped out hundreds of Japanese planes on the ground. Approximately 270 Japanese aircraft were lost at Truk. In addition to this, Japanese cruisers and destroyers in anchorage at the naval base were also wiped out during the raid. However, Japan had previously evacuated aircraft carriers and battleships stationed at Truk before the raid, and so they remained intact for further naval battles later in 1944.

These were three famous air raids of the Pacific War. There were also a number of other raids that involved hundreds of aircraft targeting military bases, factories, ports, and cities. Even though they were not always entirely accurate, air raids nevertheless wiped out many warships and aircraft during this war.