[usmcobra]

I am as always envious of your travels in Japan.

On this day still no one recognizes that the Japanese lives saved by the bomb were in the Millions.

And that their losses could have been on a scale of ten to every one of ours had we invaded.

As cruel as it was the reality of what might have been if Operation Olympus had proceeded is lost on many. The planners at the time were estimating 300,000 to 700,000 allied casualties—and up to 2,000,000 Japanese casualties for the first phase of the operation.

Imagine a world where “Made in Japan” didn’t happen.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yes, an invasion, full scale of Japan, would have been absolutely disastrous for both American troops and so many civilians in Japan, down to old men, women and babies. There can be no doubt about that.

It was horrific enough as it was. The human death toll in those two cities bombed was horrendous, even worse in Tokyo with the firebombings. This would have also only been an entree for even more huge civilian casualties if the War Cabinet had not been brought to their knees. The leaders in Tokyo were no friend to the average Japanese, starving and scared shitless, who just wanted that damned war to end. Thank goodness many of their leaders who took Japan down that path, were later hanged in Sugamo.