Lightning Guy said:
No there wasn't. There really wasn't that much of a shortage of aircraft. The Japanese had stockpiled something like 10,000 aircraft of various types to be used in Kamikaze attacks in defense of the home islands. Had the Japanese turned them loose on the invasion beaches, the results would have been absolutely horrific.
Many, in fact most, of those aircraft were quite obsolete. The pilots they had to fly them were grossly inexperianced. US air superiorty would have been nearly absolute, newer and better radar aimed guns on dedicated AA ships were being deployed. Those planes would have had to reach the invasion fleet, and then actually hit those ships, and very few would have succeeded. Yes they would have inflicted losses, but I think it would have been far fewer than implied in your post.
The massive pre-invasion gas attacks planned for use against the Japanese had an invasion been necessary would have been truly horrific. An estimated 5 million civilian deaths minimum, with over 10 million probable. Gas shells would also have been used against the beaches and other Japanese positions.
Also, I kinda wonder if, after having gassed a Port really hard, it could not then have been taken nearly intact by paratroopers + landing forces?
American losses would probably have ranged between 300 and 500 thousand had an invasion of Japan been necessary. But Japanese losses would probably have run well over 25 million, and there would have been nothing left of the Japanese culture at all.
The A-bomb was the best thing that ever happened to the Japanese. I know that sounds heartless, but it is really the truth.
=S=
Lunatic