The invasion plan was assigned the cover name downfall and. Top 10 cancelled military operations that wouldve changed. The planned operation was abandoned when japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki and the soviet declaration of war. By mid1945, it was apparent that the collapse of japan was near and the allies had to plan for the invasion of the japanese mainland something that they knew would be very costly in terms of lives lost. Had the invasion not been preempted by the dropping of the atom bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki, almost all agree that the campaign would have stood as the bloodiest chapter of the second world war, adding as much as. Imagine a timeline where the kyujo coup was successful, operation downfall was approved by washington, and japan has surrendered in 1946. How america would have invaded japan it would have been hell as it had against a mongol amphibious invasion in the. This was operation downfall, the alternate invasion of japan which would. Youtube, video, education, operation long jump, what if operation long jump succeeded, what if operation unthinkable happened, what if operation valkyrie was successful, what if operation sea lion succeeded, what if operation barbarossa was successful, what if operation market garden succeeded, operation downfall, operation unthinkable. In april 1945 the american high command asked for a report on the readiness of the atomic weapon as some people thought it could force the emperor to surrend, but after learning that it wouldnt be available before late july at best, they decided to start the operation downfall, the invasion of japan, which would be helped by nuclear bombs. Operation long jump alternate history by monsieur z. Operation downfall has also served an important political function, justifying the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki by contrasting the reallife casualties with the projected loss of life in an invasion of the japanese home islands.
Creatively called operation downfall, forces would go for the bottom japanese island of kyushu, and work up. How different would the world be today if operation. While the war was being fought in the philippines and okinawa, plans were ripening rapidly for the largest amphibious operation in the history of warfare. If operation torch had failed, how would wwii have ended. Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 19451947 is. Operation downfall, the general allied plan for an invasion of japan, began on october, 1945, and ended on april 10, 1946, with the unconditional surrender of japan at the end of world war 2. Kyushu and the partway alternate route yatsushirokokubulead to the. Not sure the operation would have gone down that way or at all. May 19, 2015 operation downfall was the name given to the planned invasion of japan. Olympic, 8 august 1945, naval historical center, the portion of the total forces to be landed in the invasion were in 14 divisions with at most some 350,000 troops. Afaik the americans did get more and more intel on how strong the defences of kyushu were and how weak the ones on honshu were. Operation downfall was a major strategic plan that consisted of one of the. Set to begin in october 1945, operation olympic was intended. Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 19451947.
The planned operation was cancelled when japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki, the soviet declaration of war and the invasion of manchuria. Sep 29, 2010 for anyone who either likes history such as i or, as we come upon the 75th anniversary of vj day on 2 sept 2020, for those who would like some information on what an invasion of japan would have looked like had operation downfall had to take place, this is the book you need to read. They could have gone straight there but that would have made it a navy operation, something mac arthur strongly and it seems successfully objected too. The final months of the war with japan central intelligence. This sudden and unanticipated conclusion to the conflict was greeted with joy by the entire nation, not least by the 2. Operation downfall was the proposed allied plan for the invasion of the japanese home islands near the end of world war ii in asia. This was to be followed by a second major landing directly against tokyo in march 1946, codenamed operation coronet. Operation downfall was the code name for the invasion of japan, the operation that launched the invasion of japan during the end of the great patriotic war by allied forces. Lets start, it is hard to precisely consider what impact it could haveit would require longer article, it depends on in which part of operation it failed, but in general they will study the fai. Mar 17, 2017 a map of post wwii japan had operation downfall occured. Operation downfall, a ww2 alternate scenario every day. Whats more, it looks to me like the map that the artist had. Now, when discussing downfall, its important to note this was a worstcase scenario.
Downfall was divided in 2 parts operation olympic was. How america would have invaded japan it would have been hell as it had against a mongol amphibious invasion in the th century, the weather gods would have favored japan. Marshall and his staff were studying an alternate strategy, to use atomic bombs in direct. Sep 11, 2018 if the japanese resisted like they did on okinawa. Operation coronet was the second part of operation downfall the planned invasion of japan. The united states has ceased to exist, the soviet union is a rump state in siberia still called.
Chapter xiii united states army center of military history. Operation downfall the invasion of japan, november, 1945 an invasion not found in the history books by james martin davis, the omaha world herald, november, 1987 deep in the recesses of the national archives in washington, d. In the alternate universe presented in the tacitus saga, since the manhattan project failed, west rome had no choice but to invade the japanese home islands. Set to begin in october 1945, operation olympic was. And if any of the plans below had been used, our history would have changed entirely.
Share maps you have made of alternate history, fantasy, scifi or anything really. Downfall the plans for this operation would involve the largest amphibious operation ever. Operation downfall would have involved hundreds of ships, thousands of planes and hundreds of thousands of troops in the largest amphibious assault in history, easily dwarfing the dday landings operation overlord of june 1944. So the allies prepared for operation downfall, the invasion of japan. Operation downfall commie blue alternative history fandom.
How different would the world be today if operation downfall. Codenamed operation downfall, the planned invasion of japan is a popular source of inspiration for alternate history books, comics, and even board games. Aug 15, 2012 however if downfall happens, itd be one of the bloodiest operations in human history, the biggest and bloodiest in us military history ensuring as a cultural byproduct that the usa would focus wwii on the pacific, not europe and for japan a catastrophe never to be equaled. The planned operation commenced when japan refused to surrendered following. Operation downfall project gutenberg selfpublishing. Operation olympic, the invasion of kyushu, japans southwesternmost home island, began on november 1, 1945, or xday, and. This would quite probably force president truman to go ahead with downfall, which was scheduled to begin with the first phase, operation olympic, a massive landing in southern kyushu in november of 1945. See my answer to what would operation downfall have looked like if it had been carried out. Alternate endings ten hypothetical events that would have changed. Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 19451947 is the most comprehensive examination of the myriad complex issues that comprised the strategic plans for the american invasion of japan. The alternate history wiki has quite a few, naturally. Btw right when the war ended the us thought the operation downfall plan had been compromised by phillippines civilians in the main us hq in manila, so it was in the veeeery early process of being thrown out the window and replaced. Discussions on alternate history, including events up to 20 years before today.
The operation was cancelled when japan surrendered following the atomic bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki, and the soviet unions declaration of war against japan. Following the okinawa operation, to seize additional positions to intensify the. Operation downfall also known as operation red star by the soviet union is the codename given to the allied invasion of japan at the end of world war ii. Revolves around a discussion forum that has been in existence since 2000 and in its current form since 2004.
Vital air cover from bases in kyushu, taken in operation olympic, would greatly assist the landings, according to the planning. The atomic bombs were dropped onto hiroshima as well a. They didnt possess the capacity to resist for years. Operation downfall itself was divided into two parts operation olympic and operation coronet. In 1942, a series of meetings took place between the war planners of the imperial. Had truman refused to drop the bomb, operation downfall would have been put into effect the largest amphibious campaign in human history. See more ideas about world war two, map and steps in planning. Downfall, the grand plan for the invasion of japan, contemplated a gargantuan blow against the islands of kyushu and honshu, using the entire available combined resources of the army, navy.
Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 1945. Apr 08, 2020 imagine a timeline where the kyujo coup was successful, operation downfall was approved by washington, and japan has surrendered in 1946. Nato would outgun the wp by a damn big margin in this atl. In short, a excellent work of alternate history that seems to sadly have been forgotten, but is excellently written and significantly better than the other work i have. Operation downfall, operation unthinkable, operation valkyrie, franco british union.
The twopart invasion was set to commence in october of 1945. Operation downfall the invasion of japan, november, 1945. The burning mountain alternate history novel by alfred coppel. Operation downfall was the codename for the allied plan for the invasion of japan near the end of world war ii. In celebration to the 1st year anniversary to my ww2 alternate history video, this is what i made for this occasion. Jul 31, 2015 see my answer to what would operation downfall have looked like if it had been carried out. The planned operation commenced when japan refused to surrendered following the kyujo incident and the atomic bombing of toyama. Probably a 34 month campaign with heavy casualties on both sides.
The planned operation was abandoned when japan surrendered following the soviet invasion of manchuria and the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. The scientists on the program told truman that they would have to fix the problem, and this would be done by february 1946. It was to be the basis for the invasion of mainland japan. Downfall consisted of two parts operation olympic and operation coronet.
Meanwhile, the us had attempted to test the atom bomb in july but the detonation was too weak and the test was considered a failure. Operation downfall was the name given to the planned invasion of japan. Operation downfall the allied plan to invade mainland japan. One of the most controversial decisions in history was president harry trumans decision to drop atomic bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki in. Alternate endings ten hypothetical events that would. Operation olympic would have seen the capture of the lower third of the southernmost main japanese island, kyushu. Operation downfall was the proposed allied plan for the invasion of the japanese home.
Just because of the fanatical devotion to a death or dishonor mentality. Operation downfall was the codename for the proposed allied plan for the invasion of japan near the end of world war ii. Operation downfall the campaign to conquer japan would. Operation downfall, more specifically operation coronet, turns into the first proxy war of the cold war. The japanese could guess the allied plans pretty well, but the allies did have air superiority, naval superiority, and were not backed against a wall. Thousand week reich operation downfall, the american. A map of post wwii japan had operation downfall occured. Doomsday involves a world where a worldwide nuclear exchange between the soviet union and the united states happens on september 26th, 1983.
Check out our resources for adapting to these times. However if downfall happens, itd be one of the bloodiest operations in human history, the biggest and bloodiest in us military history ensuring as a cultural byproduct that the usa would focus wwii on the pacific, not europe and for japan a catastrophe never to be equaled. Estimates of american troops lost range from 250,000 to 4 million, if civilians were brought in to defend. Coincide that with a successful soviet invasion of hokkaido. Downfall consisted of two partsoperation olympic and operation coronet. Operation olympic by spi preceding unsigned comment added by gamesbook talk contribs 07. Set to begin in november 1945, operation olympic was intended to. Operation downfall the campaign to conquer japan would have. Revolves around a discussion forum that has been in existence since 2000 and in its current form since. What the new weapons would do though us seriously change the cold war.
Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 19451947 d. Operation downfall, a ww2 alternate scenario every day 1945. Operation downfall the campaign to conquer japan would have dwarfed the dday landings by editor 6 november, 20 19 comments the plan to invade the japanese home islands in 1945 and 1946 would have been the deadliest campaign in military history costing nearly 1 million allied dead and up to 10 million japanese. Then downfall results in basically genocide of the japanese people. But for every plan put into action, an alternative one is scrapped or kept hidden for future use. Please wash your hands and practise social distancing. Jul 07, 2008 according to allenpolmar, codename downfall, p. May 19, 2015 operation coronet was the second part of operation downfall the planned invasion of japan. A duffers guide to researching operation downfall online the following is a list of online resources for nonacademics researching materials related to operation downfall with in some cases notes i pulled from the source documents. An alternate history of the pacific war by peter g. The first phase, dubbed operation olympic was planned as a november. Set to begin in october 1945, operation olympic was intended to.
For anyone who either likes history such as i or, as we come upon the 75th anniversary of vj day on 2 sept 2020, for those who would like some information on what an invasion of japan would have looked like had operation downfall had to take place, this is the book you need to read. During world war ii, everyone had a planor at least thought they did. Giangreco w orld war ii ended with the dropping of the bomb on hiroshima and nagasaki. Would japan be divided between the westernaligned home islands and socialist hokkaido, or. Operation downfall commie blue alternative history. Just to be clear, hell to pay is not alternate history. Operation downfall, the planned invasion of the japanese home islands. Operation downfall was the code name for the invasion of japan, the operation that launched the invasion of japan during the end of the great patriotic war by. Downfall was the overall allied plan for the invasion of japan near the end of world war ii. The overall invasion plan was codenamed operation downfall. This decision was soon backed by the soviet union, who still wanted retribution. If an action was needed to torch the foxhole on a nationwide level, this was the plan that was needed to do it. Coronet was planned as a massive amphibious landing on beaches near to tokyo.
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