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By last week, before still another turning point came, some 150 square miles of Japan's greatest industrial centers had been burned out. In a four-week period devoted exclusively to low-level missions, the loss of planes dropped well below 1%. Because the gasoline used in climbing was saved, the bomb tonnage per plane rose spectacularly, from 2.8 to 7.5 tons. (For Japan-bound planes refueling at Iwo, it rose to 10 tons.) High-level bombing was not out for good, but low-bombing had its day.
The Enemy's Will. Up to last week 307 B-29 missions had been run against Japan, 276 of them by LeMay. In July, at a cost of only eleven planes, 40,000 tons of bombs (almost one-fourth of the overall Marianas total) were dropped on 39 manufacturing centers and 13 isolated factories. The three wings had grown to five with the arrival of Roger Ramey's 58th and Frank Armstrong's super-duper 315th.
That was only the beginning. In weight alone vastly more would be done within the next ten weeks. Japan was going to get at least twice the monthly tonnage that ever hit Germany.
The question was: how much could the Japs stand? Up to this week, most U.S. military authorities agreed that the burrowing enemy, the world's greatest master of underground fortifications, probably could not be bombed out of the war. They had the example of Germany for their conclusion. But Japan was in for a test which had never been applied to Germany. If the results of that test proved the authorities wrong, a host of scientists and technicians would deserve much of the credit. But some of it would go to levelheaded, devoted airmen like Curtis LeMay.
* After 35 missions crews nowadays are relieved and sent home.