It consisted of more than 120,000 people working on 37 different sites across 19 states in the US and in Canada, at a cost of more than $2 billion. Later at Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, they switched strategies and dug in their forces in the most defensible terrain. Proceedings. The Soviet invasion of the Kuril Islands (18 August 1 September 1945) took place after Japan's capitulation on 15 August. For the failed Mongol invasion attempts, see, "Soviet invasion of Japan" redirects here. However, MacArthur blocked proposals to include an Indian Army division because of differences in language, organization, composition, equipment, training and doctrine. The US Sixth Army, the formation tasked with carrying out the major land fighting on Kyushu, estimated a figure of 394,859 casualties serious enough to be permanently removed from unit roll calls during the first 120 days on Kyushu, almost enough to outstrip the planned replacement stream. [11] The Army, on the other hand, argued that such a strategy could "prolong the war indefinitely" and expend lives needlessly, and therefore that an invasion was necessary. [55] Ketsu plans for Kyushu envisioned committing nearly 9,000 aircraft according to the following sequence:[56], The Japanese planned to commit the majority of their air forces to action within 10 days after the Allied fleet's arrival off Kysh. NEMURO, Japan Soviet soldiers barged into Hirotoshi Kawata's home on Sept. 4, 1945, searching for hidden Japanese soldiers and valuables. A devastating typhoon in October 1945 would have delayed Allied invasion preparations, while bad weather in the winter and spring of 1946 would have hampered operations and logistics. The transferred vessels included amphibious assault ships. Airbases on Kysh captured in Operation Olympic would allow land-based air support for Operation Coronet. Before 1944, the Japanese continued to plan for an aggressive attack against the Chinese and Soviets to advance their territorial goals in the Far East. Towards the end of the war about 100,000 Allied prisoners were in Japanese custody. Here's what the U.S. Army had planned in case that didn't happen. Inside her were over 500 sailors of the Soviet Navy. [2], Japan's geography made this invasion plan quite obvious to the Japanese as well; they were able to accurately predict the Allied invasion plans and thus adjust their defensive plan, Operation Ketsug, accordingly. The war cabinet met to consider peace terms for the first time the next morning, learning. What Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Portends for Japan's Northern [86][pageneeded] In April 1945, the Joint Chiefs of Staff formally adopted a planning paper giving a range of possible casualties based on experience in both Europe and the Pacific. It was the largest Japanese campaign on land during the war comprising 500,000 troops. [103] 149,425 Okinawans were killed, committed suicide, or went missing, which was one-half of the estimated pre-war local population of 300,000. Following the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, plans were also made to transfer some of the heavy bomber groups of the veteran Eighth Air Force to airbases on Okinawa to conduct strategic bombing raids in coordination with the Twentieth. A July Navy estimate, abandoning any distinction between training and combat aircraft, was 8,750; in August, 10,290. Why were Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Apr 30, 2023, 2:37 PM PDT. The Allies decided to launch a two-stage invasion. What had led to the fateful decision to deploy these new weapons of mass destruction? The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, killing 210,000 peoplechildren, women, and men. The next day a reply was drafted by the US which insisted that any imperial authority would be in the hands of the Supreme Commander of the Allied powers. The invasion was not intended to conquer the entire island, just the southernmost third of it, as indicated by the dashed line on the map labeled "general limit of northern advance". Countless more would have been wounded. The Soviet invasion of Manchuria and other Japanese colonies began at midnight on August 8, sandwiched between the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Americans considered Okinawa a dress rehearsal for the invasion of the Japanese home islands, for which the United States was finalizing a two-stage plan. "[101], The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific, with an estimated total of over 82,000 direct casualties on both sides: 14,009 Allied deaths and 77,417 Japanese soldiers. Tiger Force was to have included the elite 617 Squadron, also known as "The Dambusters", which carried out specialist bombing operations. The combined Allied naval armada would have been the largest ever assembled, including 42 aircraft carriers, 24 battleships, and 400 destroyers and destroyer escorts. Macron slams Chinese ambassador to France for remarks on ex-Soviet states Japan holds the G-7 presidency this year, and Kyodo News reported last week that such a step is being . "[87] To sustain the campaign on Kyushu, planners estimated a replacement stream of 100,000 men per month would be necessary, a figure achievable even after the partial demobilization following the defeat of Germany. Project Hula: How Russia Planned to Invade Japan (With - 19FortyFive President Truman authorized the use of the atom bombs in an effort to bring about Japan's surrender in the Second World War. The G-7 consists of the United States, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. On 29 July, MacArthur's intelligence chief, Major General Charles A. Willoughby, was the first to note that the April estimate allowed for the Japanese capability to deploy six divisions on Kyushu, with the potential to deploy ten. ", "That total hostile forces committed against Kyushu operations will not exceed eight (8) to ten (10) divisions and that this level will be speedily attained. Chitrapu 1 CHAPTER 25 Operation Downfall: Proposed invasion of Japan that was replaced by atomic bombs Manhattan Project: Top Secret plan to convert nuclear power into a weapon Divine Wind: Japanese kamikaze pilots Yalta: Where Big Three met to discuss postwar plans D-Day: invasion of Normandy to liberate France from Germans Relocation centers: Prison camps where Japanese-Americans r detained . "These [six] divisions have since made their appearance, as predicted," he observed, "and the end is not in sight." As to the movement of ground forces I do not credit the heavy strengths reported to you in southern Kyushu. Estimated troop strength in early July was 350,000,[59] rising to 545,000 in early August. Truman's Nightmare: U.S. It's Time to Confront Painful Truths About Using the Atomic Bombs on Japan At the Yalta Conference (February 1945), the Allies had agreed that the Soviet Union would take the southern part of the island of Sakhalin, which Japan had invaded during the 19041905 Russo-Japanese War, and which Russia had ceded in the Treaty of Portsmouth after the war (the Soviets already controlled the northern part), and the Kuril Islands, which had been assigned to Japan in the 1875 Treaty of St. Petersburg. General Douglas MacArthur dismissed any need to change his plans: I am certain that the Japanese air potential reported to you as accumulating to counter our OLYMPIC operation is greatly exaggerated. Truman's Options However dismantling the Japanese defence, built on taking one cave at a time, resulted in almost 8,000 American deaths. [28] However, the Australian government questioned the appointment of an officer with no experience in fighting the Japanese, such as Keightley and suggested that Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, an Australian who had been carrying out the New Guinea and Borneo campaigns, should be appointed. Through April, May, and June, Allied intelligence followed the buildup of Japanese ground forces, including five divisions added to Kysh, with great interest, but also some complacency, still projecting that in November the total for Kysh would be about 350,000 servicemen. Remaining major warships numbered four battleships (all damaged), five damaged aircraft carriers, two cruisers, 23 destroyers, and 46 submarines. China respects sovereign state status of ex-Soviet Union countries 330 Navy bombers flown by highly trained pilots to attack the Allied carrier task force to prevent it from supporting the invasion convoys. With the defeat of Germany and Japan, their plans were put into action. Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu at the Kant Plain south of the capital, was to begin on "Y-Day", which was tentatively scheduled for 1 March 1946. If a clock were drawn on a map of Kysh, these points would roughly correspond to 4, 5, and 7 o'clock, respectively. This involved adding more fighter squadrons to the carriers in place of torpedo and dive bombers, and converting B-17s into airborne radar pickets in a manner similar to present-day AWACS. Before the main invasion, the offshore islands of Tanegashima, Yakushima, and the Koshikijima Islands were to be taken, starting on X-5. On 26 July, the United States, China and Great Britain issued the Potsdam Declaration calling for the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and the occupation of Japan by the Allies. Invasion of Manchuria | Harry S. Truman However, Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations, was prepared to oppose proceeding with the invasion, with Admiral Nimitz's concurrence, which would have set off a major dispute within the US government. The Japanese High Command instigated a massive defence plan, Ketsu Go (Operation Decisive) beginning with Kyushu that would eventually amount to almost 3 million men with the aim of breaking American morale by ferocious defence. intensified to pave the way for the planned invasion of Kyushu. Kanto (Tokyo) 950,000 [85] This likewise excludes wounded who would be treated in-theater during an initial window of 30 days, later to be expanded to 120 days. In 2003, there were still 120,000 of these Purple Heart medals in stock. Seeman advised that American troops not enter an area hit by a bomb for "at least 48 hours"; the risk of nuclear fallout was not well understood, and such a short time after detonation would have exposed American troops to substantial radiation. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-held Manchuria on the night of August 8. [39] However, General George Marshall argued that forcing surrender this way might take several years, if ever. At this juncture, the key interaction would likely have been between Marshall and Truman. [47], The Japanese did not formally decide to stake everything on the outcome of the Battle of Kysh, but they concentrated their assets to such a degree that there would be little left in reserve. Kysh was to be invaded by the Sixth United States Army at three points: Miyazaki, Ariake, and Kushikino. The Proposed Invasion of Japan On 8 May 1945, the Allies celebrated VE Day, marking the end of the war in Europe. The US had successfully tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico 10 days earlier. From CNN's Wayne Chang in Taipei About 39,000 were killed. In 1944, early planning proposed a force of 5001,000 aircraft, including units dedicated to aerial refueling. Ultimately, the Navy partially conceded, and MacArthur was to be given total command of all forces if circumstances made it necessary. The Army began experimenting with compounds to destroy crops in April 1944, and within one year had narrowed over 1,000 agents to nine promising ones containing phenoxyacetic acids. Allied invasion planners in the Pacific were unaware that the Soviets were planning to keep that promise with an invasion of Hokkaido. The most transformative conflict in history, World War II impacted the entire globe and set the stage for the Cold War. [9][10], The United States Navy urged the use of a blockade and airpower to bring about Japan's capitulation. [citation needed] The Australian government had asked at an early stage for the inclusion of an Australian Army infantry division in the first wave (Olympic). [58], Allied counter-kamikaze preparations were known as the Big Blue Blanket. Surprise resort trips and empty hotel rooms reveal how Russia's plan for an easy victory in Ukraine fell apart. [citation needed], Fears of "an Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other"[64] encouraged the Allies to consider unconventional weapons, including chemical warfare. A World War II history many have seemed to have forgotten - Russia was getting ready to invade Japan: On April 10, 1945 a Soviet freighter slipped up to a quay at a frozen military base on a remote tip of Alaska aptly named Cold Bay. Indeed, the first day of the invasion would have been . [102] The Japanese estimated that the planes would sink more than 400 ships; since they were training the pilots to target transports rather than carriers and destroyers, the casualties would be disproportionately greater than at Okinawa. In planning for Operation Ketsugo, IGHQ overestimated the strength of the invading forces: while the Allied invasion plan called for fewer than 70 divisions, the Japanese expected up to 90.[37]. Britain and Decolonisation in South East and South Asia, 1945-1948. For comparative purposes, about 1,300 Western Allied ships deployed during the Battle of Okinawa (AprilJune 1945). Beach Organization for Operation against Kyushu; from COMPHIBSPAC OP Plan A11-45, August 10, 1945. In South East Asia, by late 1944, British and Commonwealth, US and Chinese forces had begun the reconquest of Burma (Myanmar). Opposition from the United States and doubts within the Soviet high command caused the plans to be cancelled before the invasion could begin. As with the fact that it was the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany at Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk that crushed Nazi Germany, not D-Day which came when Hitler's defeat was already inevitable, the truth about World War II against Japan is also gradually being admitted - even if it took 70 years to do it. Planning was later scaled back to 22 squadrons and, by the time the war ended, to 10 squadrons: between 120 and 150 Avro Lancasters/Lincolns, operating out of airbases on Okinawa. In comparison, the Soviet Union had about 11 divisions available, comparable to the 14 divisions the US estimated that it would require to invade southern Kyushu. Why America shouldn't have nuked Japan - Asia Times The Soviets had arrived to train on the first of 149 vessels the U.S. Navy was transferring to the Soviet . Over 14 million Chinese died during the war, of which 2 million were battlefield casualties. [44][45], The two defensive options against amphibious invasion are strong defense of the beaches and defense in depth. It should be noted that this invasion occurred 2 days after the United States atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Plan 1 (shown below) detailed a German-Japanese invasion with each faction attacking an American coast. The Japanese planned to commit the entire population of Japan to resisting the invasion, and from June 1945 onward, a propaganda campaign calling for "The Glorious Death of One Hundred Million" commenced. They hoped that at least 15 to 20% (or even up to a half) of the US transport ships would be destroyed before disembarkation. Opposition from the United States and doubts within the Soviet high command caused the plans to be canceled before the invasion could begin. One compound designated LN-8 performed best in tests and went into mass production. In the Potsdam Declaration, issued on July 26, 1945, the United States made a call for the unconditional surrender of Japan. Close to 66,000 people were killed. The Soviets invaded Japan-held Manchuria on Aug. 9. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from After the name Operation Olympic was compromised by being sent out in unsecured code, the name Operation Majestic was adopted. The invasion of the second largest Japanese island of Hokkaido was originally planned by the Soviets to be part of the territory taken, when finally in August 7 the Soviets declared war on Japan. [citation needed]. By August, the Japanese Army had the equivalent of 65 divisions in the homeland but only enough equipment for 40 and ammunition for 30. [93] In the early years of World War II, the Soviets had planned on building a huge navy to catch up with the Western world. Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. 6 Potential Axis Plans To Invade America From The Height Of World War II Commemorate75 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe and remember the personal stories of people who stood together during a time of national crisis. [105] There were so many left that combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan could keep Purple Hearts on hand for immediate award to soldiers wounded in the field.[105]. [citation needed], In March 1945, there was only one combat division in Kysh. On 15 January 1945, the U.S. Army Service Forces released a document, "Redeployment of the United States Army after the Defeat of Germany." Interservice rivalry over who it should be (the United States Navy wanted Nimitz, but the United States Army wanted MacArthur) was so serious that it threatened to derail planning. Was the invasion of Okinawa even necessary? - Axis & Allies .org [7][8] The American Joint Chiefs of Staff believed that prolonging the war to such an extent was dangerous for national morale. From the middle of May, when fighters based on the island of Ie Shima first attacked targets on southern Japan, the scale of. In 1939, the armies of Japan and the Soviet Union clashed . [24] This was rejected by U.S. commanders and even the initial plans for Coronet, according to U.S. historian John Ray Skates, did not envisage that units from Commonwealth or other Allied armies would be landed on the Kant Plain in 1946. Even when rounded down to a conservative 200,000, this figure implied a total of nearly 500,000 all-causes losses, of whom perhaps 50,000 might return to duty after light to moderate care. Emperor Hirohito summoned an Imperial Council asking that his ministers accept the terms forthwith and surrender unconditionally. This declaration was made by Soviet Foreign Prime Minister Vyacheslav Molotov to Japanese ambassador Naotake Sat at 11pm Trans-Baikal time. These flamethrowers were used to drive Japanese defenders from their caves and pillboxes. According to a newly leaked email from a whistleblower with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), months before Vladimir Putin began his disastrous invasion of Ukraine he was . Kyushu 990,000 [16] The Eighth was to upgrade their B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators to B-29 Superfortresses (the group received its first B-29 on 8 August 1945).[16]. On July 26, the leaders of the US, Britain and China issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding unconditional Japanese surrender and vowing "prompt and utter destruction" if Japan refused. By August, they had 14 divisions and various smaller formations, including three tank brigades, for a total of 900,000 men. [43], The Navy trained a unit of frogmen to serve as suicide bombers, the Fukuryu. In the Allied party were Generals Percival and Wainwright who had surrendered to the Japanese in 1942 at Singapore and in the Philippines respectively. [29][pageneeded] The war ended before the details of the corps were finalized. On 10 August Japan offered to surrender unconditionally under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration as long as the emperor remained sovereign ruler. At Kysh, because of the more favorable circumstances (such as terrain that would reduce the Allies' radar advantage, and the impressment of wood and fabric airframe training aircraft into the kamikaze role which would have been difficult for Allied radar systems of the time to detect and track), they hoped to raise that to one for six by overwhelming the US defenses with large numbers of kamikaze attacks within a period of hours. [62] The total strength of the Japanese military in the Home Islands amounted to 4,335,500, of whom 2,372,700 were in the Army and 1,962,800 in the Navy. U.S. plans for the invasion of Kyushu in Operation Olympic, the first phase of the planned invasion of Japan. The estimated casualty figures later became a crucial point in postwar debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Greatest Hoax In American History: Japan's Alleged Willingness to An Army estimate in May was 3,391 planes; in June, 4,862; in August, 5,911. An inventory of mines was anchored to the sea bottom off each potential invasion beach for their use by the suicide divers, with up to 10,000 mines planned. [25] Following negotiations, it was decided that Coronet would include a joint Commonwealth Corps, made up of infantry divisions from the Australian, British and Canadian armies. Fact Check: Military limitations stopped Japanese invasion, not guns More than seventy years after the end of World War II, the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains controversial. Thankfully, Japan surrendered, unconditionally on Aug 15, 1945, some 77 days before the invasion was set to take place. The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria led to Japan's Greatest Defeat [citation needed], While the geography of Japan was known, the U.S. military planners had to estimate the defending forces that they would face. [84] From analysis of the replacement schedule and projected strengths in overseas theaters, it suggested that Army losses alone in those categories, excluding the Navy and Marine Corps, would be approximately 863,000 through the first part of 1947, of whom 267,000 would be killed or missing. By the time the war ended, the Army was still trying to determine the optimal dispersal height to cover a wide enough area. Operation Olympic would attack southern Kysh. In addition, the Japanese had organized the Volunteer Fighting Corps, which included all healthy men aged 15 to 60 and women 17 to 40 for a total of 28 million people, for combat support and, later, combat jobs. On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union officially declares war on Japan, pouring more than 1 million Soviet soldiers into Japanese-occupied Manchuria, northeastern China, to take on the. [95] Admiral King thought that casualties in the first 30 days would fall between Luzon and Okinawa, i.e., between 31,000 and 41,000. You must aim for the abdomen. As set out in prior parts of the series, communications intelligence revealed the massive Japanese build up on southern Kyushu, the planned target for an initial invasion of Japan in November 1945 (Operation OLYMPIC.) Following the surrender and demobilization of Japan, vast amounts of war matriel were turned over to the US occupation forces in the Japanese Home Islands and South Korea. While decolonisation across South and South East Asia seemed inevitable, the territory of the British Empire was at its apogee in 1945 and the journey to independence for countries in this region was not simple. The race to produce the first atomic weapon before Germanywas headed by the Manhattan project. An hour later, the Soviets began their advance simultaneously on three fronts: to the east, west, and north of Manchuria. Operation August Storm, the massive 1945 Soviet invasion of Manchuria, was Japan's death blow, and brought an end to World War II. Widespread chemical warfare was considered against Japan's population[65] and food crops. [34] While this was not realistic, both American and Japanese officers at the time predicted a Japanese death toll in the millions. p. 43. Airbases would be established, which would give cover for Operation Coronet, the attack on Tokyo Bay.