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To: Moose4
Had the hard-liners in the Japanese government succeeded in continuing the war, it’s likely that Tokyo would have been the target of the third atomic bomb later in August.

On July 1 the U.S had material for three bombs - one U-235 and 2 Pu-239. The physicists knew the design for the U-235 bomb would work, but they weren't sure of the Pu-239 design. So they built a tower in the New Mexico desert, put one of the P-239 bombs on it and detonated it on July 16, 1945. It worked. So they sent the materials for the two other bombs to the Marianas and they were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Due to production limitations the U.S. wouldn't have nuclear material for another bomb until sometime in 1946. So the invasion of Japan would have started in the Fall of 1945 if Japan hadn't surrendered.

38 posted on 08/19/2011 3:20:54 PM PDT by Cheburashka (Blade Runner was set in 2019. Except for the flying cars and replicants we're right on schedule.)
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To: Cheburashka

Invasion of Japan in 11/45 with the War Department figuring on 100% casualties. Follow on invasion in 2/46 leading to the destruction of the Japanese political system.


56 posted on 08/19/2011 3:55:55 PM PDT by AceMineral (Some people are too stupid for their own good.)
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