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They were also facing a Russian invasion of Hokkaido, the northern island. They (Russians) were massing to strike. If the war had dragged on just a couple of weeks longer, we might have been looking at a divided communist/democratic Japan, the way Korea is to this day. Imagine that.syscom3 said:Its a good thing that the war ended in August. Since all the important cities had been burned to the ground, the 20th AF and the FEAF B24's next targets were the coastal railroads and roads that carried the bulk of Japans food supplies. By the end of 1945, the Japanese were looking at mass starvation.
pgm1962a said:One thing to remember that the Japanese surrender had a lot to do with the USSR entering the war as did the A-bomb. Soviet infantry would have slaughtered the Japanes population by the hundreds of thousands. And as for the possibility of high casualties....2-300thousand were a drop in the bucket to the Soviets (remember they suffered over 200,000 casualties in taking Berlin). With all the effort the Japanese were doing in repeling the Americans, there northern flank would have been more exposed.
timshatz said:....
Points not covered in common history that would've affected the proposed invasion should include the Typhoon. It would've probably done more damage to the Allied fleet than the attacks off Okinawa. It was a very bad one and odds are the invasion fleet would've been in it's path. Many of the transport and the supply ships came from yards with the idea of focusing on how quickly they could supply the front and less, though not ignored, how they handled heavy seas. .
syscom3 said:The typhoon would have caused damage but it wasnt going to destroy the allied amphib force. The shear size of the invasion meant many of the troops and associated eqmt was also going to come from the Mariana's and the PI.
Nonskimmer said:Imagine communist Japanese. Thankfully it didn't happen that way.
Erich said:don't forget one small thing, the Sovetes were ready to pounce at any time had they been given the green light, so Japan in all it's self-proclaimed glory would of felt the heat from another point besdies the usual PTO Allies
timshatz said:The Soviets looked at invasions much like large river crossings. In this, they were very similar to the Germans. Against a defended beach head, it is problematical that it would work. Against norther Japan in late 45/early 46, it probably would've worked.