20. The invasion that never was
Operation Downfall and its components Olympic and Coronet was never approved by the president and was obviously never implemented, the Japanese surrender rendering it moot. After the two atomic bombs and the Soviet invasion, the Japanese surrendered, but not unconditionally, since they negotiated to be able to keep Hirohito on his throne. The argument over whether the invasion of Japan was necessary was present then and remains present when studying the history of the war today. In one area there can be no argument. Had the Olympic phase gone forward as planned in 1945 the casualties would have been horrific, on land and sea, and many Americans and Japanese who survived the war would not have lived to see their families again.
Some argue that the use of the atomic bomb was justified by its removing the need for invading and actually saving hundreds of thousands of Japanese and American lives. Others argue that neither the invasion nor the atomic bombs were necessary. Neither was the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor necessary. Planning for the invasion that never was would not have been necessary had it not been for the military overlords which launched the Pacific War. Their contempt for human life across the Pacific made it necessary. Had Operation Downfall been launched it would have been conducted with the same determination and professionalism demonstrated at places named Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Philippines, Okinawa, and others too many to list.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Code-name Downfall”. Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen. 1995
“Sakhalin memories: Japanese stranded by war in the USSR”. Daniel Sandford, BBC News. August 3, 2011
“The Royal Navy’s Pacific Strike Force”. David Hobbs, Naval History Magazine. February 2013
“Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945”. Barrett Tillman. 2011
“MacArthur as Military Commander”. Gavin Merrick Long. 1969
“Olympic versus Ketsu-go”. Jack Bauer and Alvin D. Coox, Marine Corps Gazette. August 1965
“In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army”. Edward J. Drea. 1998
“Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire”. Richard B. Frank. 1999
“Japan: No Surrender in World War Two”. David Powers, BBC History. February 17, 2011
“The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall”. John Ray Skates. 1994
“Memorandum on Ending the Japanese War”. Herbert Hoover, Truman Presidential Library. May 1945