Black and Silver: Perceptions and Memories of the B-29 Bomber, American Strategic Bombing and the Longest Bombing Missions of the Second World War on Singapore

The American strategic bombing of Japan and Japanese-occupied territories during the Second World War resulted in different perspectives of the aerial bombing, both during the war and in post-war memories. Drawing upon eye-witness accounts and memories, the difference in perspectives are compared an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:War & society 2020-04, Vol.39 (2), p.109-125
Main Author: Toh, Boon Kwan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American strategic bombing
B-29
Japan
Palembang
Second World War
Singapore
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Summary:The American strategic bombing of Japan and Japanese-occupied territories during the Second World War resulted in different perspectives of the aerial bombing, both during the war and in post-war memories. Drawing upon eye-witness accounts and memories, the difference in perspectives are compared and critiqued. The longest bombing missions of the war on Singapore are used as a case study to frame the analysis. While Japanese eyewitnesses viewed the American B-29 bombing raids with dread, Singapore's war-time generation largely welcomed the advent of American air raids and viewed it as salvation from the Japanese occupation.
ISSN:0729-2473
2042-4345
DOI:10.1080/07292473.2020.1741773