Operation Downfall
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You are currently reading a thread in /k/ - Weapons
So it looks like Japan had 32 divisions of infantry, 14 cadre divisions, and a further million of fresh conscripts of which about half had rifles. Their air force was reduced to 4000 kamikazes. This force was stretched out all along the two southern islands, with no way to move units except by foot. They had no artillery, a few mortars.
Against this opposition, the US planned to land 60 divisions, and even its infantry divisions had a tank battalion attached.
Would this have been the most lopsided slaughter humanity ever witnessed?
>>29336930
Yes, thats why America opted out for the more humane way
>>29336930
I remember by Grandpa who fought in ww2 telling me that if Operation Downfall went ahead we would still be fighting them now.
the question is "how many men on our side would have died?"
those crazy fucks on both iwo and okinawa more or less died to the last and inflicted a high toll on american forces. roughly a fifth of US forces were killed or injured so you can expect to have at least a few whole divisions as casualties if downfall were to come to be
>>29337523
Probably a lot fewer than that died in Europe, where a less experienced army faced a far more formidable foe.
>>29336930
That depends. Are we using the model that they were going to use Nukes to spearhead beach heads or not? Cause that's going to be important.
>>29336930
>operation downfall declared
>alternate timeline where no nukes brah
>US military shores up nationalist China and transports over a metric fuckton of European theater B17s and b24s
>largest amphibious invasion in world history 2: electric weaboo
>whole islands wiped out by firebombing and flamerthrower Sherman's because the goddamn nips keep running at us with bamboo spears n sheet
>finally surrender after a fuxkton more civillian death that 2 abombs against Japan's only strategic targets
>ruskies probably end up stealing some clay as revenge for the Russo Japanese war, leading to "west Japan" the communist shithole
>>29337563
Do you really need nukes to take beaches against an enemy that has 1 LMG per battalion?
>>29337639
>West Japan
>Not North Japan
I'd love to see a East-West division of Japan though, just for the lolz.
>>29337523
Getting a foothold would've been pretty costly. Even the Soviets who rolled almost effortlessly across Manchuria were starting to run into stiffer resistance once they actually tried landing on some of the northern islands.
>>29337664
on okinawa the problem was when they hit the defensive lines so they probably won't need to use them on the beaches
>>29337687
>Even the Soviets
You mean those Soviets who had mastered the amphibious landing and had a massive navy? Why, if even THEY found landing on Japan difficult, I don't think anyone could possibly have done it.
>>29337677
Nevermind, I'm retarded, Japan's spread out more on East-West than I thought.
>>29337677
>>29337720
It would be a north-south division, clearly.
They wouldn't have had to invade.
26 US senior military staff, including Nimitz, LeMay, and Eisenhower all councilled against atomic weapons, and against any invasion; their position was that once a naval blockade was in place Japan would surrender within less than a year.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki (and Dresden, for that matter) were about sending a message to the Soviets given that relations were rapidly deteriorating:
Fun fact: with the exception of rag tag units, German military units who surrendered to Commonwealth forces remained under arms and retained all their equipment after the German surrender until early September in some cases.
There was a very real possibility of the war in Europe against the Axis ending, and one with the USSR starting.
It was only after the bombings in August that they rolled up and disarmed the Werhmacht - once they knew the Soviets were contained.
>>29337777
Not sure if you're joking, but look at a map of Japan, North-South would look the same as East-West, since it angles upward half-way through.
