Firebombing of Tokyo was the most lethal single act of war in human history

The March 9-10, 1945 , firebombing of Tokyo was the most lethal single act of war in human history.

Gen. LeMay was confident that by putting every Japanese city to the torch, his B-29s could compel Japan to surrender without ever having to invade or drop an atomic bomb.

LeMay 's low-level nighttime fire bombings would be LeMay ’s template going forward.

Some in the military did question the ethics of such indiscriminate killing of non-combatants.

But when it comes to the bombing of Japan especially, there are two factors to consider before handing down judgement ex post facto.

By March 1945 the war was barely six months away from concluding, but U.S. planners back then certainly could not know this.

Brad Schaeffer : Of all the factors that led to Japan ’s ultimate surrender, it was the firebombing that weighed most heavily in Hirohito 's decision to compel his nation to “bear the unbearable, and “endure the unendurable” He says it is conceivable to imagine eventual U.S. victory over Japan through “slaughter bombing” alone.

At the time, the U.K. government had a solemn obligation to the American people to do whatever was necessary to end the costliest war in human history.