Unchombats are with James Scott, the author of Black Snow, Curtis Lemay, the firebombing

of Tokyo and the road to the atomic bomb.

The poorest sections of Tokyo are on fire and a firestorm that Tokyo has never seen before

and might never actually happen again.

This is a unique event in human history.

However, back in Guam, Curtis Lemay, who launched these 325 bombers and everyone on the

Marianas and also back in Washington is waiting for results.

As James tells us, they expected up to 70% casualties.

James, you provide a human scene, Lemay can't sleep and he and a colleague go for a couple

of Coca-Cola's from his Quoncent hunt.

They finally get word that there's light-flack.

What is their first understanding of the raid and how it's going?

You know, and Lemay is sort of always kind of this figure, you know, this sort of reserved

guy, you know, and he admits he couldn't sleep this mission.

And so he doesn't, he lingers in the operations center and then he's finally, he's just stressed

out.

He knows that one way or another, his whole career is going to be defined by what happens

on this night, either by disaster or success.

And so it's a lot riding on him.

And so he does, he connects with his, the press officials for the 21st bomber command

who's in there kind of waiting to see what the results are so that he can release the

stories that reporters have put together until Lemay says, let me get you a coke.

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