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Why would you conduct an invasion without first conducting an air war to gain air supremecy and then destroy as much of the opposing ground force as possible beforehand ?

That's just what the planners did, realizing that air power was NOT going to attrite the Japanese armed forces enough to validate the time and momentum lost by delaying the invasion. Might more Allied men die as a result of this decision in the short term, yeah, but less than would die in the long term. War is Politics, and politics and mercy demanded an end to the conflict. Prolonging it would sentence our POWs to death, cause more men to not come home, and continue the disruption of the world's economy.

The air war was waged against whole cities, civilian targets. That is NOT softening military targets. That is allowing military building to continue. It is not mercy. Mercy towards civilians is attacking military targets. Firebombing whole cities is not mercy.

As an aside, my conscience is not bothered in least by any of this since I was not born yet. And also, I don't consider American sheeple at fault at all for any of this, since not one of them has any power over their financial elites. The blame falls squarely on the financial elites who started and directed the war and its aftermath for their own political power and financial gains as a "bonus". The ink was not dry on the surrender and the elites' United Nations was was being set up in San Francisco so the "horror" would not "happen again", when it was all the elites' doing all along.

There would be no 'token' support. The full effects of the available weapons would be brought to bear. AFA body armor, the whole war was fought without it, another tech that wasn't possible or practical then. The hardened positions would be taken like they always had been up to that point, by hard men and valor. AFA 'frontal assaults' even then the Army and the Corps were about maneuver, if there is no room to maneuver, it doesn't mean we go home.

There's no reason not to carpet bomb the fortifications ahead of time if you can. If you have air supremecy, you can carpet bomb at will. It's just not so glamorous to just walk up and find everything obliterated, as opposed to charging up at firing guns and half the guys getting killed. Always bomb the crap out of it first. Then, if there's anything left, go mop up. Better to have boring movies.

That is NOT softening military targets. That is allowing military building to continue. It is not mercy. Mercy towards civilians is attacking military targets. Firebombing whole cities is not mercy.

Again, targeting military forces on land requires intel that is near real time. Even more so when the accuracy of the systems is considered. Sinking ships bombing a known fort, no problem. Finding the military in a sea of civilians an impossibility at that time, and very time consuming today.

Mercy is ending the unrelenting suffering of war even when the means themselves are not merciful.

As an aside, my conscience is not bothered in least by any of this since I was not born yet.

What a surprise! Yet your stance never fails to denigrate the efforts of those who handed you your present.

There's no reason not to carpet bomb the fortifications ahead of time if you can. If you have air supremecy, you can carpet bomb at will. It's just not so glamorous to just walk up and find everything obliterated, as opposed to charging up at firing guns and half the guys getting killed. Always bomb the crap out of it first. Then, if there's anything left, go mop up. Better to have boring movies.

Your tactical acumen is breath-taking, where would these fleets of aircraft come from? How long between strikes? This plan of yours might take longer than your other stupid idea. Here the Japs are motivated because they can see and affect the members of the invading force. With your ridiculous bombing offensive Operation Milk Run there would only be the local morale boost.

Neither of the plans is decisive. Putting a force shore within range of enemy artillery that is bombed at best once a day, or sacrificing airmen while you search an area 3/4 the size of California at 200kts. There is always going to be 'something left' Douhet. What part of impervious to bomb and shell did you miss? Always! Every one of those positions would have to be rooted out, thousands of them. Hardly a 'boring movie'.