FIRST B-29 RAID ON JAPAN FROM CHINA

First B-29 raid on Japan from China

The same date that Marines were struggling ashore on Saipan also saw the debut of a new weapon in the air war over Asia. On June 15th, 1944, Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers of the United States Army Air Forces flew from forward bases in China to strike industrial targets in Japan in the first mission of its kind. The raid required extremely long flights over difficult terrain, complicated logistics to supply fuel and bombs across mountains and primitive roads, and careful navigation in hostile skies. Damage to the specific target was limited compared to later campaigns, but the mission proved that American heavy bombers could reach the Japanese home islands from land bases. It underscored the value of seizing island positions like the Marianas, which would later host B-29 units with shorter and more sustainable routes to their objectives. This first long-range strike marked the opening of a strategic bombing campaign that would become a central element of the final phase of the Pacific War. It also demonstrated the growing industrial and technological capacity the United States could bring to bear far from its own shores.