This 1945 photograph captures the aftermath of Allied incendiary bombing raids on a Japanese city during the closing months of World War II. Wood-frame residential and commercial buildings, which made up the majority of Japanese urban construction, were almost entirely consumed by fire, while a handful of steel-reinforced concrete buildings survived as gutted shells. Photographs like this one were commonly taken and kept by American servicemen during the occupation of Japan (1945-1952) as personal records of the destruction they encountered. Project: 218465