Invasion Of Japan Research Paper

Words: 542
Pages: 3

In mid-1945, the Japanese were preparing for what they believed was an inevitable amphibious invasion of Japan by the Americans. It was apparent that the collapse of Japan was now near and the Americans had to make plans for the invasion, which they knew would be very costly in terms of lives lost. The invasion was codenamed Operation Downfall, and was divided into two parts: Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet. (Clements. "Invasion of Japan.") American military commander, Douglas MacArthur headed the project along with commanders, George Marshall Chester Nimitz, Ernest King, William Leahy, and Hap Arnold (Clements. "Invasion of Japan."). Since only MacArthur and Marshall knew of the atomic bomb, there was no consideration of it during planning. …show more content…
There was plenty of evidence to indicate that any invasion of the Japanese mainland would be very bloody for both sides. Due to the size of such an invasion, the US military began to develop several ideas to figure out the best plan for attack. The navy believed that a blockade supported by the Air Force would be enough. The Air Force could use air bases in both China, Korea, and Okinawa to launch an untold number of bombing raids against key cities in Japan (Clements. "Invasion of Japan."). The army, on the other hand, believed that a blockade would take too long and that the morale of the American public would take a toll as a result. They supported the plan of an invasion that would go right to the heart of Japan, Tokyo (Clements. "Invasion of Japan."). The committee decided to go with the army’s