S8 Ep191: The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay's briefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMa

The Suicide Mission Briefing — James M. Scott — Scott recounts the psychological tension characterizing LeMay'sbriefing of aircrew personnel for the March 9th firebombing raid, wherein LeMay orders crews to systematically strip defensive armaments from B-29 bombers to maximize incendiary weapon payload capacity, thereby eliminating defensive capabilities against anticipated Japanese fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft fire. Scott documents that aircrew members view this operational decision as tantamount to a "suicide mission," with legitimate anticipatory fear regarding being shot down without defensive weapons, accompanied by military predictions estimating potential casualty rates exceeding 70% of participating aircraft. Scott details that the operational plan involves 325 bombers executing precisely coordinated incendiary drops designed to create overlapping "density of fire" patterns that will eventually merge into a self-sustaining firestorm phenomenon. Scott specifies that LeMay targets a 12-square-mile geographic area of Tokyo containing population density exceeding 100,000 residents per square mile, thereby concentrating firebombing destruction against maximum civilian population concentration. 1930 TOKYO