The Cold War Notes - The Cold War Notes 1940s 1945 - Studocu Over the next four months, the Imperial Japanese Army transferred forces from Manchuria, Korea, and northern Japan, while raising other forces in place. Estimated troop strength in early July was 350,000,[59] rising to 545,000 in early August. [35] During the Battle of Okinawa, Japanese officers had ordered civilians unable to fight to commit suicide rather than fall into American hands, and all available evidence suggests the same orders would have been given in the home islands. After the name Operation Olympic was compromised by being sent out in unsecured code, the name Operation Majestic was adopted. Plan 1 (shown below) detailed a German-Japanese invasion with each faction attacking an American coast. Towards the end of the war about 100,000 Allied prisoners were in Japanese custody. On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan staged an attack on Pearl Harbor, severely damaging the U.S. Pacific Fleet. On 14 August Japan surrendered. [15], Tactical air support was to be the responsibility of the Fifth, Seventh, and Thirteenth Air Forces. [9][10], The United States Navy urged the use of a blockade and airpower to bring about Japan's capitulation. Kanto (Tokyo) 950,000 Several estimates were made, but varied widely in numbers, assumptions and purposes, which included advocating and opposing the invasion. Background ", Henry L. Stimson, "The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb" p. 11, "Okinawa: The Final Great Battle of World War II", "The Final Months of the War with Japan. By mid-1945when plans for Coronet were being reworkedmany other Allied countries had, according to Skates, "offered ground forces, and a debate developed" amongst Western Allied political and military leaders, "over the size, mission, equipment, and support of these contingents". Opposition from the United States and doubts within the Soviet high command caused the plans to be canceled before the invasion could begin. [38], Admiral Ernest King, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S Navy, was so concerned about losses from kamikaze attacks that he and other senior naval officers argued for canceling Operation Downfall, and instead continuing the fire-bombing campaign against Japanese cities and the blockade of food and supplies until the Japanese surrendered. [102] [34] From the Battle of Saipan onward, Japanese propaganda intensified the glory of patriotic death and depicted the Americans as merciless "white devils". Kanto 1,280,000, US military intelligence initially estimated the number of Japanese aircraft to be around 2,500. Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kysh, was to begin on "X-Day", which was scheduled for 1 November 1945. The war cabinet met to consider peace terms for the first time the next morning, learning. In the days following the bombings Japan surrendered. In May, Admiral Nimitz's staff estimated 49,000 U.S casualties in the first 30 days of Operation Olympic, including 5,000 at sea. Victory over JapanDay marked the end of the Second World War in August 1945. ", "That approximately twenty-one (21) hostile divisions, including depot divisions, will be on Honshu at the initiation of [Coronet] and that fourteen (14) of these divisions may be employed in the Kanto Plain area. One compound designated LN-8 performed best in tests and went into mass production. Some 1,200 suicide divers had been trained before the Japanese surrender. However, the Battle of Okinawa went on for so long that they concluded the Allies would not be able to launch another operation before the typhoon season, during which the weather would be too risky for amphibious operations. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and the invasion of Manchuria. The Japanese plan for defeating the invasion was called Operation Ketsug (, ketsug sakusen) ("Operation Codename Decisive"). Invasion Planning, and the A-Bomb Decision", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Downfall&oldid=1152535827, "That operations in this area will be opposed not only by the available organized military forces of the Empire, but also by a fanatically hostile population. The offensive was finally halted in December. 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. Mutual support was essential in defence and attack by either side. [70], On Marshall's orders, Major General John E. Hull looked into the tactical use of nuclear weapons for the invasion of the Japanese home islands, even after the dropping of two strategic atomic bombs on Japan (Marshall did not think that the Japanese would capitulate immediately). Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated "We shall in my opinion have to go through an even more bitter finish fight than in Germany. Airbases would be established, which would give cover for Operation Coronet, the attack on Tokyo Bay. [89] Historians and the public continue to debate if the bombings were justified, the causes of Japan's surrender, the casualties that would have resulted if the U.S. had invaded Japan, and more. Plan 3 has the Japanese invading North America through the Panama Canal, then proceeding up through Mexico to the West Coast of the United States. Had reinforcements been needed at an early stage of Olympic, they would have been diverted from US forces being assembled for Coronetfor which there was to be a massive redeployment of units from the US Army's Southwest Pacific, China-Burma-India and European commands, among others. Surrender of Japan - Wikipedia United States Naval Institute. [44][45], The two defensive options against amphibious invasion are strong defense of the beaches and defense in depth. The plans for war with Japan may have been related to a longstanding territorial dispute concerning the strategically. Share. The fighter-bombers from 40 aircraft carriers made 3000 trips to bomb the island and the big guns of ten battleships and nine cruisers fired 13,000 shells. Olympic was to be mounted with resources already present in the Pacific, including the British Pacific Fleet, a Commonwealth formation that included at least eighteen aircraft carriers (providing 25% of the Allied air power) and four battleships. For the failed Mongol invasion attempts, see, "Soviet invasion of Japan" redirects here. Herbert Hoover, in memorandums submitted to Truman and Stimson, also estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 fatalities, which were believed to be conservative estimates; however, it is not known if Hoover discussed these specific figures in his meetings with Truman. When the Western Allies began planning for the invasion of Japan's home islands, they asked for Soviet assistance to keep the large Kwantung army in Manchuria tied down so the troops could. The Soviet declaration of war also changed the calculation of how much time was left for maneuver. This area would then be used as a further staging point to attack Honshu in Operation Coronet. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was the impetus for the United States' entrance into World War II. The Postwar World After World War II - ThoughtCo There was no mention of the Emperor in the declaration as public opinion was not in favour of his retention, although it had previously been decided in committee. chap 25 APUSH.pdf - Chitrapu 1 CHAPTER 25 Operation 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. Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the . Ending the war quickly would prevent Russian participation in the fighting and expansion into parts of Asia. Would Japan have surrendered without the atomic bombings? Britain and Decolonisation in South East and South Asia, 1945-1948. Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Unionwhich met at Yalta in Crimea to plan the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany. p. 43. ", "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. 50 "land attack planes," 50 seaplane bombers, and 50 torpedo bombers flown by highly trained pilots for night attacks on convoy escorts. Opposition from the United States and doubts within the Soviet high command caused the plans to be cancelled before the invasion could begin. They hoped that at least 15 to 20% (or even up to a half) of the US transport ships would be destroyed before disembarkation. [86][pageneeded] As time went on, other US leaders made estimates of their own: In a letter to General Curtis LeMay when LeMay assumed command of the B-29 force on Guam, General Lauris Norstad told LeMay that if an invasion took place, it would cost the US "half a million" dead.