“ Sparks and Embers from the Raging Fires”: Experiencing Firebombing and Total War in Tokyo

The Second World War was one of the deadliest wars in human history. We often focus on the Holocaust and the dropping of the atomic bombs as the two main examples of how civilians died during the war, but there were many other ways in which all participants targeted civilians. I often taught the Second World War as the “War Against Humanity.” This narrative allows students to see how civilian casualties became normalized during the war. While that approach provides a big picture overview of total war in the Second World War, it doesn’t help students understand how civilians experienced these unprecedented levels of violence.

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