Kobe Air Raid Site

The bombing of Kobe (神戸大空襲) was a series of devastating strategic bombing raids carried out by the United States Army Air Forces against the city of Kobe during World War II. Kobe, located on the northern shore of Osaka Bay in Hyogo Prefecture, was Japan's sixth-largest city with a population of approximately one million. As one of the country's most important port cities and a major center for shipbuilding and heavy industry — including the Kawasaki and Mitsubishi shipyards — Kobe was a prime strategic target.

The first significant raid came on February 4, 1945, when General Curtis LeMay ordered B-29 Superfortress bombers to conduct an experimental incendiary carpet bombing attack on the city. However, the most catastrophic raid occurred on the night of March 16-17, 1945, when 331 B-29 bombers launched a massive firebombing assault. The bombers targeted four key areas of the city, dropping thousands of M-69 incendiary bombs that ignited firestorms across the predominantly wooden urban landscape. The resulting conflagration destroyed approximately 7.77 square kilometers (3 square miles), representing 21% of the built-up area. The raid devastated the western half of the city, centred on Hyōgo, Hayashida and Fukiai wards.

The second great raid struck on June 5, 1945, when an even larger force of 530 B-29 bombers returned to Kobe. This attack was even more extensive, destroying 9.8 square kilometers (3.8 square miles) and leveling 51,399 buildings. By the end of this raid, 51% of Kobe's built-up area had been damaged or destroyed. The cumulative effect of all raids from February to August 1945 was staggering: over 8,000 tons of bombs were dropped by more than 1,200 bomber sorties.

The total human cost of the Kobe air raids was immense. Official figures for the present city area record 7,491 dead and 17,002 wounded (another tally gives 7,524 dead), though these numbers are not considered final and some estimates put the death toll above 8,000. Some 141,983 houses were destroyed or damaged, leaving 530,858 people homeless. The city's vital port infrastructure, shipyards, and industrial facilities were severely damaged, significantly reducing Japan's wartime industrial output.

Today, Kobe has been completely rebuilt as a modern, thriving port city. Several memorials and monuments throughout the city commemorate the victims of the air raids. Bullet holes from B-29 strafing runs remain visible at JR Sannomiya Station, serving as a tangible reminder of the wartime devastation. The Kobe City archives maintain extensive records and photographs documenting the air raids and their aftermath.