Bombing of Gifu in World War II
1945 aerial bombing of a city
The Bombing of Gifu (岐阜空襲, Gifu kūshū) on July 9, 1945 was part of the air raids on Japan campaign waged by the United States of America against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of the Pacific War.
Background
The city of Gifu was a prefectural capital and regional transportation hub and home to a factory of Kawanishi Aircraft Company. With the neighboring city of Kakamigahara serving as an aeronautics center for Japan, Gifu was also a large industrial center during the Pacific War, including a downtown manufacturing sector. Gifu also served as the base for the creation of Japan's fire balloons. These paper-based, bomb-carrying hot air balloons were used in a failed attempt to cause havoc on American soil.
Air raids
On the night of July 9, 1945, 135 USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers of the 21st Air Division and 314th Air Division attacked the city of Gifu from the south, via Lake Biwa and Sekigahara. The bombing commenced at 23:34, with primary aiming point being the intersection of Japan National Route 248 with Gifu Prefectural Road 54. Due to the flat topography of the city and ideal weather conditions, the incendiary bombing created a firestorm which destroyed most of the center of the city, including the Gifu Prefectural Office, Gifu Station, and numerous other train stations and factories. The attack concluded at 0:20 AM the following morning. In total, 421.4 tons of E-46 and 477.4 tons of E-47 incendiary bombs were dropped on the city.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Bombing of Gifu in World War II” is 1945 aerial bombing of a city. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Bombing, Gifu and World, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1945 aerial bombing of a city” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11471867. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1945.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bombing of Gifu in World War II”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bombing of Gifu in World War II primary sources, Bombing of Gifu in World War II archive and Bombing research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bombing of Gifu in World War II”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bombing of Gifu in World War II” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.