Pathway to Japanese Literature

The Day of Dread Draws Near

――March Shōwa [censored year], a young salaried worker's household in the suburbs of the imperial capital――

“My, you’re home late tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m so exhausted I can barely stand.”

“So it was company business after all.”

“That’s right. The company keeps Tokyo’s lights on and the trains running. So we met with military officials to discuss contingency plans in case Tokyo gets bombed.”

“An air raid?! When you say ‘air raid,’ you mean enemy planes coming?”

“Yeah.”

“My, you’re already thinking about such things now? How hasty you are!”

“I’m not being hasty at all. If anything, we’re a bit late. These discussions have been ongoing for quite some time. The ‘Tokyo Emergency Disaster Regulations’ were already established three years ago through consultations between the Tokyo Garrison Command, Tokyo Military Police, Tokyo City Office, Tokyo Prefectural Office, and Metropolitan Police Department. What we’re doing now concerns all the revisions made since then.”

“Oh, was that so? Does that mean only Tokyo has made air raid preparations? What about Osaka and Kyushu?”

“That’s already been handled everywhere throughout Japan. In fact, regional areas are more active with air defense drills—Tokyo of all places hasn’t even conducted a single one yet. I find that rather questionable.”

“That’s not true. Didn’t they just hold one in Asakusa the other day?”

“Greater Tokyo as a whole hasn’t conducted one yet. But I hear they’ll finally do it soon—it’ll prove useful when it matters most.”

“When it matters most? So Tokyo will really be bombed?”

“Of course it is.”

“Don’t be absurd! We have plenty of planes, and besides, how could they possibly attack such a remote island nation so easily?”

“But that’s not how it works. They will definitely come—you’d better prepare yourself. The military official I met today said so himself—there’s no mistake about it. Tokyo will be bombed without fail.”

“Oh please! Then what good are our Army and Navy air forces or anti-aircraft guns?”

"It will happen, but unlike land or naval battles, maintaining a perfect defense that doesn’t let the enemy advance a single step isn’t even a possibility in aerial combat."

"Why?"

“Well, you see, this is something you can understand by studying the history of aerial warfare worldwide—and if you think about it, aerial combat takes place in the vast sky.”

Thereupon, he briefly explained the theory of aircraft infiltration.
Even if multiple layers of aerial defenses were established here now, should thousands upon hundreds of enemy planes attack all at once—given their sheer speed and the ensuing chaos of friend and foe intermingling in combat—gaps like tears in a net would inevitably form somewhere, creating vulnerabilities they could exploit for a breakthrough.
Nighttime attacks in particular bore no comparison to two-dimensional naval battles.
Even when dividing our vigilance into altitude zones up to 5,000 meters, enemy bombers approaching quietly at 8,000 or 9,000 meters would escape detection.
Even if spotted at such heights, fighter planes could scarcely climb that far, while anti-aircraft guns below would prove useless at night—unable to properly sight targets through the darkness—allowing some to slip through.
He concluded that five or six bombers penetrating these gaps would already wield formidable destructive power.

"If those bombs get dropped, smashing ten or twenty Marunouchi Buildings would be nothing. Tokyo would turn to ashes before your very eyes, I tell you."

"You talk just like an enemy general with that hateful mouth of yours. Those bombs—they must be bringing an enormous quantity of them."

"There are plenty of bombs carrying 1,000 or 2,000 kilograms.
"The most fearsome are incendiary bombs.
"When they explode, they emit intense heat of 3,000 degrees - even if you try putting them out with water, the water itself breaks down and combusts.
"Since even sturdy steel frames would melt, scattering these over Tokyo's wooden houses would devastate the city as effortlessly as the Great Kanto Earthquake."

Thereupon, he began explaining everything he knew about bombs.

There are various types of bombs.
A fragmentation bomb refers specifically to those weighing fifty kilograms or more, designed to kill humans and horses.
Then there are landmine bombs that function like buried explosives, intended to destroy less fortified objects.
Armor-piercing bombs are used against robust structures such as iron bridges and concrete.
These constitute what people generally mean by "bombs," existing in various sizes.

A bomb weighing twelve kilograms would bore a hole five meters in diameter when it exploded.
It damaged window glass within ten meters; if it hit a wooden house, the structure would be rendered unusable from severe damage.
When slightly larger at twenty-five kilograms, it created a seven-meter diameter hole that destroyed sturdy stone walls within five meters.
A fifty-kilogram bomb made a nine-meter hole; a hundred-kilogram one formed an eleven-meter crater.
At this size range, they shattered even ten-meter-radius stone walls.
There existed even larger bombs - two hundred, three hundred, five hundred kilograms up to two tons.
Each produced craters measuring thirteen, fifteen, seventeen, and twenty meters across respectively.

When it came to bombs weighing five hundred kilograms or a ton—about the height of a person—merely landing nearby was enough for the air pressure generated by their explosion to pulverize even large houses. When they hit, even large buildings like the Marunouchi Building were pulverized—a truly terrifying thing.

“Oh, what are we supposed to do?”

The wife exclaimed with a worried look.

"It'll be a catastrophe."
"You and I will be torn apart."
"I'll get conscripted as some security guard, while women like you will have to evacuate to the mountains of Koshu."
"But if you hate fleeing, you'll have to work."
"For instance, working at shelters or decontamination centers."

"Shelters and decontamination centers?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The shelters are for poison gas protection."
"They seal sturdy buildings like large elementary schools, movie theaters, and banks airtight beforehand. When gas comes, they summon people screaming in the streets."
"Decontamination centers handle when gas creeps along the ground and masses collapse poisoned all at once - their job's to carry those folks on stretchers into the centers and give them antidotes."

“It would be better to work in such places. But really, will the war actually start? And if we are to be hit by air raids, where are they most likely to come from?”

“The first would be from areas like Shanghai and Guangdong in the Republic of China. The second would be from Vladivostok in Russia. The third would be from either the Pacific region or the Alaska region.”

“Oh, every country mentioned is one that’s targeting Japan, aren’t they? But will there really be a war?”

Just then, the extra edition bell clanged piercingly from beyond the street corner.

“Oh!”

Air Defense Unit Organizational Chart

┌─Air Defense Flight Unit

┌Direct Agencies┤─Anti-Aircraft Artillery Unit

(Military Responsibility)│ │─Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Unit

┌Active Air Defense Agencies┤ └─Blockage and Balloon Release Units

│ │ ┌─Air Defense Observation Posts

│ └Auxiliary Agencies┤─Sound Detection Units

Air Defense Commander┤ │─Searchlight Units

│ └─Communications Unit

│

│ ┌─Fire Brigade

│ │─Blackout Control Unit

└Passive Air Defense Agencies────┤─Camouflage and Concealment Unit

(Military-Civilian Cooperation or │─Shelter Management Unit

Civilian Responsibility) │─Information Unit

└─Security Unit

└Passive Air Defense Agencies────│─Camouflage and Concealment Unit

(Military-Civilian Cooperation or │─Shelter Management Unit

(Civilian Affairs) │─Intelligence Unit

└─Security Unit

“Extra edition!”
"What could it be?"

He had an idea and tried turning on the radio; unlike usual，the announcer’s strained voice was broadcasting an extraordinary news bulletin.

"The Imperial Government declared both domestically and internationally that should there be any nation exporting aviation weapons to the Republic of China henceforth，said weapons would be confiscated in accordance with the spirit of national defense．This further exacerbated foreign relations，and it was believed that the Imperial Government had finally resolved to declare war．．．"

Over isolated Japan, a rain of bombs now loomed imminent - likely to fall today or tomorrow.

“I should change into Western clothes.”

The husband turned his tightly strained face toward his wife.

Air Raid Plans from the United States, Russia, and China

――Showa [censored year], in a room of a nightclub in a certain country, a certain place――

“Hey, John.”
“So you’re really heading out now?”

The woman suddenly asked from the man's lap.

“That’s right, Mary. With just one order, we’ll be leaving our country behind.”

“Is it safe? They say Japanese soldiers are strong.”

“No need to worry. However strong they are, they can’t match our planes’ superiority. Boeing, Curtiss, Douglas – you won’t find aircraft this advanced anywhere in the world. And with yours truly at the helm, crushing Japan will be child’s play.”

“Hearing that does sound reassuring, but how exactly do you plan to attack that Oriental island nation?”

“I know that already.” The man set the woman down beside him and propped his elbows on the sofa. “Of course we’ll use four aircraft carriers like Saratoga and Lexington, complete as many currently under construction as possible, and attack across the Pacific in ring formations. Above the carriers, we’ll deploy large airship fleets like Akron, Macon, and Los Angeles, and around them, we pilots will keep taking off from the carriers in shifts to maintain constant vigilance. Its might was even captured in the film Pacific Bombing Squadron, but those in the know understand—it’s truly an aerial invincible fleet.”

“But is crossing the Pacific really that easy, John?”

"That’s where Admiral Platt has been conducting his years of research."
"The Atlantic Fleet hasn’t been running joint exercises in the Pacific for nothing."
"Our weapons possess precise and terrifying power."
“Through exercises, we’ve fully grasped their precision, and we’ve gained invaluable training experience.”

“Even if we make it to Hawaii, Japanese submarines will come attacking after that and end up putting holes in Saratoga’s hull.”

“Nah, with our excellent air squadrons and newly built destroyer fleets loaded with depth charges, if we just keep dropping them into the sea, it’s no problem at all. And in fact, we’ve already crossed the Hawaii line and approached much closer to Japan’s coastal waters before. I have full confidence. Establishing our base in the Ogasawara Islands will be a simple task. Attacking Tokyo from the sea surface will surely succeed too.”

The man had reached the pinnacle of his pride, and now he felt like rushing out into the street to deliver a speech.

“Won’t you attack from Alaska?”

The woman asked again.

“Of course we’ll attack from Alaska too. We’ve built plenty of airfields there. We’ll attack from the Kuril Islands through Hokkaido to Honshu—Lieutenant Bromley, Hernon, Bangborn, our Colonel Lindbergh, and other renowned pilots have already scouted Japan thoroughly. The time will come when their knowledge proves tremendously useful.”

“Oh!”
“How gallant those men’s efforts are!”

“It’s not just Japan; we’ve gone to China too and scouted everything out. Robert Short died in Shanghai, but Colonel Lindbergh’s still sore about it. The Colonel went all the way to China himself for reconnaissance. If we station planes there and use it as a base to strike Japan, we could reach Tokyo in about seven hours. Hit Northern Kyushu instead, and we’d make it in half that time—three and a half hours.”

“So if China joins our United States in declaring war on Japan, their whole country becomes our Air Force’s playground, right?”

“It’s not just China. Soviet Russia could open hostilities with Japan at any time. If that happens, they could reach Tokyo from Vladivostok in just four hours.”

“From the Philippine Islands...?”

“That’s not impossible either. Of course, it would make an excellent air force base. However, Japan will likely attack and occupy this place first. Our country has no reason to sacrifice so much defending the Philippines. Instead, we should just carry out a complete bombing of the imperial capital Tokyo. Guam Island holds the same meaning—even if we hand it over to Japan, it’s not much of a loss as a sacrificial pawn.”

“Listening to you talk, it seems Japan could be bombed from anywhere. Then why don’t you just defeat them quickly? And oh, that’s right, John. When you get to Japan, seize loads of silk socks and handkerchiefs—pack as many as the plane can carry, alright? Bring them back as souvenirs, okay?”

At that exact moment, Admiral Platt wrote in his report that the combat power calculated from the U.S. Navy and Air Force's military strength, training, and precision-engineered scientific weapons was nearly ten times greater than the Japanese estimated.
This meant America was finally commencing unambiguous operations in the Orient.
The Pacific's tensions had abruptly escalated.

Our air force deployments were—

―April Shōwa [censored year], Saburo’s home in Fukuoka, Kyushu―

“Brother, would it be all right if you stayed over tonight?”

“Saburo.
There’s no telling when Chinese planes might attack Northern Kyushu.
I can’t stay tonight.”

“Yeah... Boring.
If you stayed over, I could hear lots more about Japan’s air force from you, Brother.”

“Alright then, I’ll tell you now.
But what exactly do you want to know?”

“Hey, Brother.
“The other night I was thinking—if Chinese planes loaded with bombs attacked Fukuoka, where exactly are Japan’s air force bases located? Which direction would our forces come from to intercept enemy bombers? When I thought about that, I suddenly got worried.”
“Since you’re an aviator, you must know all about it. Tell me, Brother.”

“Yeah,”
“If that’s all you’re asking about, even I can explain it.”
“First, if we assume an air raid comes from the China direction, the ones heading out first would be the Navy’s First and Second Air Squadrons.”
“The First consists of Akagi and Hōshō, and the Second of Kaga and Ryūjō.”
“These carry a considerable number of the Navy’s carrier-based aircraft—though I can’t specify exactly how many—and intercept the enemy in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.”
“These aircraft carriers can deploy anywhere—whether to the Pacific or the South Seas—making them extremely convenient.”

“In February of Showa 8, there was a newspaper article that said a Japanese steamship had seen a mysterious island with a white light appearing about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii toward Tokyo—and that it might have been an American aircraft carrier,” Saburo said. “Aircraft carriers can carry loads of planes and steadily approach enemy territory, which makes them incredible, right?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” his brother replied. “In any case, first there are the aircraft carriers, then next comes the Navy’s Sasebo Air Group and the Army’s Tachiarai Flying Regiment that I belong to. In addition, there’s the Army’s flying regiment in Pyongyang on the Korean Peninsula, and for southern China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and such, there’s the Pingtung Flying Regiment in Taiwan.”

“Where in Taiwan is Pingtung?”

“Way down south.”
“It’s further south than Tainan, located west of the center.”
“You know, it’s near the Fengshan Garrison.”

“Ah, I see. The Makung Fortress is relatively close too, Brother.”

“Then moving steadily toward central Honshu, they had deployed air force units at key positions encircling the imperial capital at a distance.”
“Starting from the west, first on Lake Biwa’s eastern shore lies the Yokaichi Flight Regiment.”
“Then just seventy kilometers east in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, there are two more Army flying regiments.”
“The Osaka area remains secure, and even if they come from Vladivostok, our current fortifications should suffice.”
“They solemnly guard the western approaches to the imperial capital.”

"Hamamatsu also had a flying regiment, right, Brother?"

“Right.
“The Hamamatsu Regiment functions as a highly effective air unit against enemy planes approaching from the Pacific.
“Then as we move closer to Tokyo, there’s the Tachikawa Flying Regiment in its western suburbs.
“To the south at Tokyo Bay’s entrance in Oihama lies a naval air unit.
“Off Kashimanada you’ll find the Kasumigaura Naval Air Group – clearly intended to counter American carriers attacking from the Pacific.
“Beyond our mainland in the Pacific too, naval air units maintain their positions.
“Two hundred kilometers south of Tokyo Bay on Hachijōjima Island in the Izu chain sits the Navy’s Hachijōjima Air Group, with the Ōmura Air Group another six hundred kilometers southward in the Ogasawara Islands’ Chichijima.”

“Huh, so the naval air units are way out in the middle of the Pacific? And beyond that...?”

“That’s all for now.”

“But that’s weird—there’s none at all north of Tokyo, Brother. Wouldn’t we be in trouble if they came from Alaska?”

“As things stand today, that’s all we have. If we secure more funding later, we’d want to set up squadrons near Aomori, Hokkaido, Karafuto, even the Chishima Islands... But ultimately, what really matters are the political heartland and industrial zones. That’s why we’ve positioned our forces this way.”

At that moment, the old servant rushed into the room from the inner chamber, swinging the hand towel tied at his waist.

"Ah, eldest young master. There was a phone call just now. 'Return to your unit immediately'—those were the orders."

"I see. Very well," he said, standing up.

"Brother, is the aerial combat starting?"

"That's right. The defense of Northern Kyushu is currently Japan's most crucial front. If they don't breach this position, no amount of planes sent from the Chinese mainland will matter. I expect we'll witness another fine shooting gallery tonight or tomorrow."

The imperial capital is suddenly subjected to an air raid.

―May Shōwa [censored year], at Ueno Park Anti-Aircraft Gun Emplacement―

"I can't shake this feeling they'll come tonight," muttered Lieutenant K, commander of the anti-aircraft unit.

"If I may ask... when you say they're coming..."
The newly arrived cadet asked in return.
"Is it enemy aircraft?"

"Yeah."
Lieutenant K nodded vertically.

"My sixth sense has never been wrong. Though it must be past three AM by now..."
The lieutenant bent his left arm slightly and peered at his uranium-lit watch.

“However, Captain, there haven’t been any alerts from the air defense observation posts, have there? How far do the observation posts surrounding Tokyo extend?”

“The observation posts are positioned beyond the entire Kanto region, encircling Yamanashi Prefecture and eastern Shizuoka Prefecture while extending fifty to seventy kilometers out to sea. To put it more clearly—starting from the north at Nakoso Pass, moving west to Nasu directly north of Tokyo, entering Gunma Prefecture where the Shiromanma Hot Springs are located, then passing through Mount Asama and around Suwa in Shinshu before exiting to Shizuoka; encircling Yamanashi Prefecture before turning decisively southward from Irozaki Point on the Izu Peninsula to Niijima of the Izu Seven Islands; continuing sixty to seventy kilometers out from the coast of Outer Bōshū to dot the open sea; passing beyond Kashimanada before returning to the original Nakoso Pass—this forms the great circle. These are the air defense observation posts positioned at the outermost perimeter, and within that area, they’ve arranged three or four concentric rings of observation posts—”

“What about the sound detection units?”

“The sound detection units are positioned within that inner perimeter, forming three or four concentric rings around Tokyo as well. The outermost sound detection units, following a path from north to west, are positioned at Kasukabe and Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture; entering Tokyo Prefecture at Hachioji; then along the Sagami River in Kanagawa Prefecture through Kamakura to Kannonzaki. Ships have also been deployed in Uraga Channel for listening. Entering Chiba Prefecture, passing through Kisarazu to Chiba, then Kōnosu; following the Tone River westward and passing slightly north of Noda before returning to the original Kasukabe—the sound detection units have been deployed within this line.”

"So the protection flight units are positioned between the observation posts and the sound detection units, correct?"

"That's correct. The flight teams are stationed in Tachikawa, Tokorozawa, Shimoshizu, and Oppama; the moment an order is given, the fighter planes would immediately take off and advance to engage in aerial combat there."

"Is that inner area where our anti-aircraft unit is positioned?"

"That's correct. Within the outer perimeter of Greater Tokyo, there are anti-aircraft gun emplacements everywhere. Especially this Ueno Park anti-aircraft gun emplacement—it's the most crucial point controlling the heart of the imperial capital. Our responsibility is grave!"

Having said that, Lieutenant K glared at a section of the sky.
In the May-dark void resembling molten lacquer, eerie avian shrieks echoed unnervingly.

With a clatter of boots, a messenger came running.

"Captain, an alert call."

"An alert?!"
The lieutenant barked back sharply.

"Ōmiya Sound Detection Unit reports enemy contact."

"Mmm."

"At 3:15 AM, the main unit detected engine noises presumed to be enemy aircraft at a horizontal angle of 72 degrees and an elevation angle of 80 degrees, oriented from north to west."
"End of report."

"Good work."

The messenger dashed off with clattering boots in that direction.

Given that the sound detectors were pointed almost directly overhead, and taking their effective range to be twenty kilometers, it appeared the enemy planes were flying at a considerable altitude.

Then immediately another messenger came rushing in with loud clattering footsteps.

“Captain, there’s an alert call.”

“Mmm.”

"Ōmiya Sound Detection Unit issued alert: At 3:20 AM, the main unit detected engine noises presumed to be enemy aircraft at a horizontal angle of 69 degrees and elevation angle of 80 degrees, facing west from north."
"End of report."
"Mmm, good work."

Sergeant M, who had been calibrating the calculator, looked up and shouted.

"Captain! Based on the current reports and calculations, the enemy aircraft are advancing southeast by east."

Before his voice had faded, an alert arrived from the Urawa Sound Detection Unit.
Sergeant M spread a map across the plotting board and began tracing the enemy's flight path—calculated from the incoming reports—with a red pencil.

“Anti-aircraft gun crew, take your positions!”

Lieutenant K fastened his chin strap over cheeks flushed with tension.

The soldiers rapidly formed up beside the anti-aircraft gun emplacements. At the command's issuance, the anti-aircraft guns swung around in unison, their barrels turning to face due north.

From the nearby Dōkanzan Sound Detection Unit as well came a report that enemy aircraft engine noise had just been detected. The enemy planes had apparently exploited the pitch-black night to slip through the air defense observation posts' surveillance perimeter unnoticed, invading by crossing the Chichibu Mountain Range. The Tachikawa Air Regiment’s fighter squadron should have already been deployed.

“Hey, Cadet. Do you know where these attacking enemy planes are from?” Lieutenant K teased the cadet, showing composed ease.

"Well, it’s neither the U.S. Far East Flight Corps from Alaska, nor does the timing quite match up with the Akron or Macon."
"The fact that it's not an attack from China can be inferred from the lack of reports west of the Kinki region..."

“So where do you say they’re coming from?”

“Of course, they’re from Siberia.
"If we suppose they departed from Khabarovsk around 8 PM, then the direction, flight path, and consequently the timing all align."

"Hmm."
"As expected of a cadet, your strategic analysis is quite impressive."

Lieutenant K smiled with an air of satisfaction.

"Captain, we've determined the enemy planes' altitude," said the Cadet. "Based on consolidated reports from the Ōji, Itabashi, Akabane, and Dōkanzan Sound Detection Units, it's five thousand six hundred meters."

"I see." Lieutenant K's jaw tightened. Tachikawa's fighters would struggle at that height. Then we'll let the anti-aircraft guns speak instead. "First Squadron, prepare to fire!"

At the 10cm anti-aircraft gun positions capable of reaching beyond ten kilometers, crews simultaneously loaded shells and powder charges. The gunner remained stone-still against his targeting scope.

The nearby searchlights, guided by constant reports from the sound detection units, were methodically rotating their still-unlit pitch-black mirrors in minute adjustments. The dimmer operator gripped the switch handle tightly. The thunderous roar of enemy planes now reached their ears clearly.

“Commence firing!”

The alarm blared shrilly. A blinding, bluish-white pillar of fire suddenly shot up into the sky. The searchlights ignited. Three beams of light crossed paths in perfect formation high above.

Within the beams of light appeared a T-shape as white as if scrubbed clean.
Three!
It was indeed an enemy heavy bomber formation.
Their unfamiliar, grotesque silhouettes!

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

The anti-aircraft guns held their breath in silence.
The fire control officer spun the handle left and right, frantically trying to read the gauge.
At last both the enemy planes' direction and speed had been determined.
He barked numbers.

"One, two, three."

"Hmm."

Boom-boom-boom—BANG!

Blood-crimson flames burst from the aligned gun barrels.
The searchlight units snapped off, plunging the area into utter darkness.
Yet in their eyes' depths, the thick pillar of light remained seared and unvanquished.

The members of the position uniformly glared at the pitch-black sky above, anticipating something with their pupils fully dilated.

Boom!

The sky blossomed like a crimson and golden parasol unfurling overhead, painting the entire firmament with unanticipated hues and radiance. Within this luminous shroud, the enemy command plane disintegrated as if violently hurled apart. The second aircraft shuddered violently like a leaf in a gale, its pale wings fracturing into scattered fragments.

A terrifying atmospheric concussion followed instantly, making heaven and earth tremble convulsively. This was artillery shells detonating.

The enemy planes emitted yellow smoke and, engulfed in flames, spiraled down in corkscrew dives.

"The enemy consists of fifteen bombers organized into three squadrons.
'We anticipate calm and courageous combat from the anti-aircraft gun units' - a message arrived from the Air Defense Commander, interwoven with words of encouragement."

Until the Tachikawa fighter squadron secured advantageous combat positions, it had been the anti-aircraft gun units' show alone.

“What is that?!”

The direction of Mikawajima flared bright.
The churning white luminosity spread left and right like cascading water.
It instantly transformed into flames surging high into the sky.
Incendiary bombs had fallen.

Boom.
Kaboom.
Kaboom.

A sound that couldn't be clearly identified as either subterranean rumbling or explosive roar began intensifying with growing violence.
The searchlights whirled sharply to the right before jerking abruptly leftward.
Then they flickered frenetically like cardiac pulsations.

Barrage balloons floated ominously aloft trying to ensnare enemy planes, their forms momentarily glimpsed.

Citizens Battling Poison Gas

――November Shōwa [censored year], in the newly developed district near Shinjuku, the imperial capital――

“Jun.
They still haven’t come，huh?”

Inside the Youth Corps tent，a boy gripping a bamboo pole for extinguishing lights said.

“It was about time they came…” the other boy replied.

“But wouldn’t it be better if they didn’t come? Don’t you think so，Taro?”

"It's been over a day since they declared the alert status."

“Yeah. The alert status was issued last night at nine when we were going around turning off unnecessary lights, right?”

“When the air raid alert finally came earlier, I thought, ‘What’s the big deal about the U.S. Air Force?’”

“Since they’re coming from the Pacific via aircraft carriers, they’ll pass through Chiba Prefecture, right?”

“That’s right. By now, the fate of our main fleets exchanging fire near Ogasawara must be decided, but I’m sure Mutsu and Nagato are smashing West Virginia and Colorado to pieces.”

“Even if we sink their warships, their planes just launch from carriers and slip through the gaps – makes you want to scream.”

"But don't worry. The other day, people from the low-lying areas who got their houses burned down by bombs were saying how losing everything actually felt liberating."

"Is that so?"

"If you go over there, you'll see these gaping craters ten to twenty meters across, I tell ya. They say the craters were made by bombs ranging from fifty kilograms up to a ton. The people from the low-lying areas dig sideways into those craters and live inside them, I tell ya. I tell ya, even someone as carefree as me was shocked."

"Hmm, is that so? How powerful is the smallest bomb?"

"Well even a twelve-kilogram one'll blast a hole five meters across if it drops, shatter windows within ten meters, and reduce wooden houses to splinters."

"Then a one-ton bomb must be awful."

"Yeah, awful. That eight-story Manya Kimono Store building in Asakusa? A one-tonner hit it. Went clean through to the basement - from the fourth floor up vanished without trace. Everything below bent like candy sticks, just the steel frame left standing. Horrible stuff."

While they were talking, the lights suddenly went out.

“Ah! They’re out!”

“Thirty seconds off, then they come back on and go off again—when they light up once more after that, it’ll finally be emergency blackout.”

The two boys stood in the pitch darkness, gazing at their luminous wristwatches.
At that moment, steam whistles began shrill wails, sirens blared with abrupt bursts, and alarm bells started clanging in an irregular pattern—clang-clang, clang, clang.

"Emergency blackout!"

"Come on, let's hurry and go turn off the lights!"

At that moment, inside the tent, the lights came back on.

“We don’t need to turn these off, right?”

"They're covered with black cloth so they can't be seen. It's fine," Taro said.

The boys checked whether any light from forgotten lamps was seeping through nearby house windows.
They went searching for cars that had neglected to drape purple or black cloth over their headlights.

"The emergency blackout alert has been issued now!"

“Everyone!”
“Please keep all lights completely contained!”

Whether this blackout was properly implemented or not determined the difficulty with which the enemy air force could locate Tokyo.
When complete darkness fell, even if they passed overhead, they could not discern whether it was farmland, mountain forests, or urban areas.

On Shinjuku's main avenue, the crowd was growing by the minute.
All were evacuees who had crowded in from other wards.

“Grandma, where are you from?”

The reservist spotted an old woman wandering under the dim glow of his lantern, a cloth bundle strapped to her back.

"I'm from Nakano.
“I was thinking of fleeing to the mountains in Koshu, but since they say the trains don’t depart unless from Shinjuku, I walked here.”
“But with this dreadful crowd, old people like me could never board.”
"What am I to do, I wonder?"

“Well then, old woman. Don’t try to flee in panic—get down into this station’s basement. If poison gas comes now, you’ll have to die on the ground, you know.”

“Poison gas? Is it true that poison gas is really coming? Oh dear...”

The old woman vanished into the darkness, her pitiful figure disappearing.

"Do you know where they're selling gas masks?"
"If you tell me where, I'll give you five hundred yen right now."

A wealthy-looking gentleman called out to the reservist.

"It appears nothing exists beyond rationed supplies.
"My condolences."

"Then please sell me those rationed items."
"I'm begging you with both hands pressed like this."
"I don't need it for myself."
"But my wife is pitiful."
"Her lungs were weak from the start - please show compassion."
"There's three thousand yen here."
"Take this and sell it to me."
"Help me, I implore you."

The reservist ignored this entreaty and, just as he had done with the old woman moments before, directed them to the shelter's location.

Boom, boom.

“Oh, it’s started!”

The crowd all stopped at once and strained their ears toward the direction from which the bombs seemed to have fallen.

"It seems to be the Marunouchi area."

As if repelled, the crowd surged like an avalanche and began running in the opposite direction from where the bombs had fallen.

That was the moment.

Boom-boom-boom, BOOM, CRASH, rumble...

Boom! Bam-bam-bam-BOOM!

Like a well bucket plummeting down its shaft, a tremendous roar erupted as if a hundred thunderclaps were collapsing from the heavens.

The Marunouchi area suddenly flared bright, and noxious flames began rising with menacing intensity.
The U.S. Air Force bombing squadrons carried out their signature tactic of consecutive bomb drops.

Boom, boom.

Following that came a discordant blast - like a failed detonation - from the far street corner. Some sort of pallid smoke-like substance appeared to churn upward ominously.

A fire engine must have been nearby; its hand-cranked siren began wailing - woo-woo-woo-woo-wooo.

A shrill buzzing pierced through everything.

A whistle resounded.

“P-p-poison gas! Aaah!”

“The poison gas’s here! Oh!”

Beast-like roars erupted here and there.
The pandemonium of the crowd fleeing in mortal terror grew increasingly beyond description.

“Don’t panic! Don’t! They were meant to put their peacetime training to use today!”

“Head to Musashino Hall’s basement—pleeease!”

“Don’t go downwind, Oh! Evacuate toward Toyamagahara—pleeease!”

The Youth Group Member continued issuing composed warnings, his voice growing hoarse.

“Oh! The Youth Group’s here!”
“Phosgene gas! Everyone—masks on!”

A man who appeared to be a reserve officer removed a gas mask resembling a dragonfly-like monstrosity from his waist and issued instructions to the brave corps members.

When they rounded that far corner, rows of low-roofed townhouses stood lined up.
In this narrow alley, evacuees who had fallen behind lay sprawled on their backs here and there.
As if by some unspoken agreement, everyone clutched their throats with both hands, thrashing in their death throes.
Beside them lay a magnificent Shepherd hunting dog, collapsed in the same direction.
A young mother with an infant strapped to her back came running from ahead, her skirt disheveled.
A single small black shadow came chasing after her from behind.

“Mama! Mama!”

The young woman, perhaps already driven mad, seemed not to hear her beloved child’s cries.
Desperately clung to, she collapsed on the spot with a thud; whether the phosgene had already filled her lungs, she appeared to lack even the strength to rise.
Three pitiful parent and children, doomed to die—!

From the townhouse ahead, a man who appeared to be the shop owner came rushing out wearing a gas mask.
He must have been watching this scene from inside; approaching, he shouted something, then stood up and vanished into the crossroads ahead.

Then from that crossroads came a stretcher team.
It was that man who had brought them.
The stretcher bearers wore masks; judging by their uniforms, they seemed to be schoolgirls.
With practiced efficiency, they loaded the three onto the stretcher and dashed toward the gas shelter.
The lives of parent and child had finally been saved.

The man who had found them turned back into the house again.
However, he alone persisted in the dirt-floored area.
He made no move to open the sliding door and enter the room.
And no wonder—inside that room were all the family members except him.
None of them had masks.
The room had been completely sealed, with every gap caulked, double-layered curtains hung inside, and disinfectant sprinkled across the entire ceiling.
In place of masks, they had created a makeshift gas shelter.
The man with the mask was serving as the household's lookout.
Beside him, three buckets filled with bleaching powder were lined up.
They were meant to be sprinkled over affected areas for disinfection when blistering poison gas agents like Yperite attacked exposed skin.

A tumultuous din of fire engines racing past along the main street could be heard.
The firefighters were desperately racing to extinguish the blazes ignited by enemy bombs.
Understanding, composure, and decisiveness were barely managing to save the paper-flammable city from being reduced to ashes.

"The Final Victors"

――Shōwa × Year, November, on Scorched Earth――

“Well… we met… I… I…”

“Yes, yes. You’ve managed to stay safe…”

In front of the house that had turned to ashes, the two of them embraced.
That was the very spot where they had once led their peaceful family life.

“You… You never came back even once, did you?”

“I’m a reserve officer.”
“I had no choice.”

“But you claim to be an airman—you don’t even seem to be wearing a military uniform, do you?”

“This suit looks odd, doesn’t it?
But now that I can say it, I had been monitoring despicable individuals trying to sell out Japan to enemy nations during the air raids.
It may sound strange coming from me, but through my efforts, even the esteemed experts were rendered powerless.
For public safety, and also to obtain spy intelligence, I fought tirelessly.
The chaos in the imperial capital—part of the capital’s damage was indeed mitigated through my efforts.
My role is also part of the air defense organization.”

"Oh, so that's how it was. You were working so hard for the nation... I spoke too harshly, forgive me."

"It's best not to dwell on anything. The damage is extremely minimal. Had the people's training in air defense been thorough enough, there would have been no need to fear enemy air raids. This time—this very time—we've finally come to understand the true strength of our Imperial Air Force. Not only were America's Pacific bombing squadrons foolish, but the entire attacking enemy air force has been annihilated. Their main battleships have all been sunk by our submarines, with only a few cruisers managing to flee back to their homeland. The Akron and Macon—every last airship—seem to have ended up as mere decorations. The citizens who donated patriotic aircraft and anti-aircraft guns should be praised forever alongside the brave imperial soldiers who fought valiantly. This level of damage to our imperial capital, or the Kuril Islands temporarily falling into American hands—from a broader perspective, these mean nothing at all. It became clear that the sublime Yamato spirit from Emperor Jimmu's imperial eastern expedition still resides today, equally in both combatants and non-combatants. Panicking, screaming, or engaging in despicable schemes—those are the acts of people who haven't inherited the true blood of the Yamato race."