What if the US didn’t drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or what if we did, and it didn’t compel Japan to surrender? What were the Allies’ plans to end the war?
Last August, I wrote a long article here on Substack on this topic. This is the video version of that piece, narrated by yours truly. This year is the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, and I have significantly more subscribers (than I did a year ago) who may find this interesting.
In this video, I explore Operation Downfall, the codename for the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The planned operation was abandoned when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war.
The operation had two parts: Operations Olympic and Coronet. Set to begin in November 1945, Operation Olympic was intended to capture the southern third of the southernmost main Japanese island, Kyūshū, with the recently captured island of Okinawa to be used as a staging area. Later, in the spring of 1946, Operation Coronet was the planned invasion of the Kantō Plain, near Tokyo, on the Japanese island of Honshu. Airbases on Kyūshū, captured in Operation Olympic, would allow land-based air support for Operation Coronet.
If Downfall had taken place, it would have been the largest amphibious operation in history.
It’s a lengthy video! So, have a seat in a comfy chair, kick your boots off, and let’s go back to 1945.
Share this post