[chimera]

Ah, okay, got it. No question the planned invasions of the Japanese homeland would have pushed the casualty totals through the roof for both Japan and this country. My Dad was in the ETO and survived D-Day and the long march into Germany, and one of the very few times he ever spoke of his experiences over there was to tell of his relief when they heard that the Potsdam terms had been accepted after the Nagasaki drop. Many of the units in Europe would have been redeployed to the PTO, and that was one thing the guys would rather not have faced.

[Peter Horry]

"to tell of his relief when they heard that the Potsdam terms had been accepted after the Nagasaki drop"

Here is part of an obituary for a relative, it details his service as well as his relief (and elation) at encountering allied forces as the war ended.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps prior to World War II, serving as a radio operator and top gunner on the Liberator B-24 whose bombing missions were over Munich area of Germany. Mr. xxxxxxx;s plane was shot down which resulted in him being detained for 18 months as a prisoner at Stalag IV in Poland. He was moved along with 6,000 other POW's on a forced death march. After 86 days and an estimated 600 miles, and deaths of approximately 1,300 men, the POWs just marched into the glorious presence of American or British forces. He received the following medals for service rendered in World War II: Purple Heart, Air Medal with two Bronze Oak Leave Clusters, Prisoner of War Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation Medal-Japan and an Honorable Service Button.