- The final hours of WWII changed the course of history with President Truman's fateful decision to use the deadliest weapon ever created: the atom bomb.
- Japan fought ferociously. Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to bring the war to an early close.
War in the pacific is savage. Fighting is vicious, without mercy. Japan controlled most of SEA after Pearl Harbor, but the tide turned after the battle of Midway. Now US forces are island hopping and steadily pushing the Japs out. Gilbert Islands, Marshall, Mariana, Guam and so on. Japan realized that their days were numbered as they were totally dependent on imported oil. Their navy and merchant fleet is sunk. The Jap civilians were facing a famine. But Emperor Hirohito was considered as a son of God. It was their duty to die for their emperor. Japan fights with ever increasing intensity and are not willing to give up
In battle of Leyte gulf, in Philippines in late 1944, Japan goes to full suicide. Kamikaze pilots ram their planes into allied warships. Many pilots were not volunteers and were forced to die. 34 US ships are sunk, 10,000 men die. US launches air raids on Tokyo from the Mariana Islands. Tokyo is a wooden city and didn't stand a chance. 279 B-29 planes, 67 tons each. Japan had no fighter cover at all. March 10th, 1945, the attack begins. 1600 tons of bombs are dropped. 100,000 people are killed. This starts a campaign that destroys 67 cities. US was doing things against the Japanese that they would never consider against the Germans. US refused to conduct area bombing against Germans, and didn't participate in the Dresden bombing either. But in Asia, they had a different policy
The war in the Pacific has a racist element. Japs were represented as vermin. It was deemed ok to be more brutal to them, by dehumanizing them. Japan also saw themselves as racially superior. Both sides treat human life with disdain due to this racial undertone. Japan also treated ALlied POW very brutally. In Manchuria, prisoners are subjected to horrific medical experiments. Japs seed entire villages with plague and cholera. US is fighting alone in Pacific with 3.5 MM men. Soviet Union is not at war with Japan. Stalin refuses to help Roosevelt. Roosevelt was just elected for an unprecedented 4th term as President. President was dying and was delegating much of his power to his friend and fleet Admiral Leahy. He was too weak to work and at times was taking the entire month away from office. Roosevelt is determined to see the war through. The main question is how to end it. Leahy favors continuing the current strategy of blockade and bombing to further squeeze the Japanese economy and eventually force them to surrender, with minimal loss of US lives. Japs, however are determined to make it impossible for US to invade the Japanese mainland. General Marshall plans to invade Japan, starting with the Southern Island of Kyushu. President has not authorized the invasion yet.
Roosevelt has funded the Manhattan project. Physicists are working to release the incredible forces within an atom. The initial target was not Japan, but to match Germany. Einstein had urged Roosevelt to respond to reports that Germany was working on its own atomic weapon. At one point 125,000 staff were working on the Manhattan project in secrecy. Leahy hates the ethics of bombs, including the costs and the science. Roosevelt trusted Leahy, but was silent to his objections. Invasion of Kyushu required 650,000 troops and the main Island Honshu required 1 MM troops. Japan was a fascist state, rules by the military, but with Emperor as the head of state. The military had spies throughout the country to report and assassinate anyone who spoke up against the war. Loyalty was paramount to survival. The military also adopt Samurai codes of sacrifice and fighting to the death. The glory was in serving the divine Emperor to the death. This was glorified.
Japanese had the Ketsugo, an all encompassing defensive strategy to fend off invaders. US feared Japan invasion would become a pacific version of Stalingrad. Japanese had predicted where the US invasion was planned. They felt that a fierce resistance would break American will to attack. Military was preparing 100 MM civilians for suicide to defend the country. Children were taught how to fight. By Apr 1945, US had a foothold on Okinawa and were planning an invasion of Kyushu. Roosevelt dies. Truman becomes President. Truman was not part of Roosevelt's inner circle and didn't know US had the atomic bomb. Truman listens to James Byrnes, the US Secretary of State. Leahy loses his influence and Byrnes replaces him in the cabinet. 100,000 Americans died on Okinawa and Japs made them come and dig them out of every hole. 100,000 Japs dead and 150,000 civilians. On 18th June, Truman calls a meeting to decide if invasion should go ahead. General Marshall pushes for Invasion and plays down estimated losses. He projects losses of 30-50K troops. Meanwhile US intelligence suggests that Japanese have amassed twice the troops numbers on Kyushu, than what US estimates indicated. US losses will be far higher.
The Japanese military fear that the US bombing campaign is sapping morale. Desertions are high. Kamikaze pilots don't wont to die. Emperor is also nervous about his position on the throne. He wants Stalin to be approached to negotiate with the Americans. in 1930, they had fought bitterly over Manchuria, but now Japan wanted to maintain their friendly ties with the Soviets. Russia lost to Japan in 1931 in Manchuria, but then defeated Japan in 1939. So, Japan was worried about Soviet Union attacking Mancuria, forcing them to fight a 2 front war. Now, Japan finds Soviet Union stalling their request for mediation with US. On may 7th, Germany surrenders. Stalin claims all occupied territories in Eastern Europe and now offers his entire force against the Japanese. Truman thinks Soviet Union wants to influence China and keep Japan under its thumb.
So, should Truman invade without Russia and risk high casualties or invade with Russian help and risk the spread of communism throughout Asia. On July 17th, 1945 US tests the worlds first atomic bomb. Truman sees a way to avoid the invasion and end the war. Only Leahy is opposed to using the bomb, the rest support it. There were no moral lines that already hadn't been crossed. Instead of dropping thousands of bombs, US was going to drop one. For Byrnes the bomb is also a way to warn the Soviet Union away from the far east. The bomb is taken to Tinian, a Pacific Island and loaded on a plane. Truman authorizes its use by the air force, where and when they see fit. On 26th July, Allies give Japan an ultimatum to surrender. , at the Potsdam conference. allies demand an occupation of Japan and full disarmament. Japan rejects the terms.
On Aug 6th, Enola Gay drops the Uranium Bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima (a city of 350,000 people). 70,000 people are killed in less than 1 second. 5500 degree firestorms rage the city. By end of the day, thousands more die from radiation injuries. Military die hard soldiers still refuse to consider surrender. Stalin sees his dream evaporate and declares was on Japan. Aug 9th, Soviets invade Manchuria. The Japanese Imperial army is quickly defeated. The same day, US drops a second Pultonium bomb, Fat Man, on Nagasaki. The bomb was more powerful than Hiroshima. Radiation levels were 17 times than the lethal levels. PM Suzuki summons the war council, which is still split. The military wants to hold on. PM Suzuki invokes the emperor to decide. On Aug 15th, The Emperor announces on radio that Japan would surrender. On Sep 2nd, General MacArthur accepts the official surrender. US occupies Japan for 6 yrs. Japanese people were treated like guinea pigs to measure the impact of the bombs. They were paraded in front of US doctors and treated like lab samples.
Time reveals the long term effects of radiation poisoning. No films and photos from Hiroshima and Nagaski are shown to the press. The world doesn't know what happened. The footage finally came to light in 1970s. 25 MM people died in the Pacific war. Japan is still hated for their brutal occupation. US retains Hirohito as Emperor for stability. In 1949 Soviets test their first atomic weapon.
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