“Thank God for the Atom Bomb”

Right title, right link, wrong illustration.

I should have caught the author's name on the cover art. Jim Smith's story is more detailed here, and he did not make that last bombing raid against the Japs in a B-17.

The 2007 writeup makes reference to a planned movie. I still have hope that will happen.

August 14th-828 B29s and 186 fighters attack Iwakuni, Osaka, Tokoyama, Kumagaya, and Isesaki
These were the last attacks conducted against Japan by heavy bombers

The crew had no idea what they had accomplished on that last mission. They had been the one Wing that was ordered to strike Amagasaki's oil facilities the night following the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, August 9. The 315th returned to Northwest Field August 10 as rumors were flying that Japan was surrendering. The 315th began serious celebration but the order to fly the longest mission 5 days later shocked and sobered all hands. No one was eager to fly this mission. "We thought we had won the big one and then learned that we had to go back on the field and win it again? It's always the last one that gets you," Smith added.

Smith commented that Tokyo was totally blacked out as they flew the perimeter en route to Akita. The Radar Navigator informed them when they were approaching Tokyo. Smith moved forward to the flight deck to see if he could see any sign of lights. It was looking into an inkwell Smith says. An hour and 20 minutes later the fires from Akita sent up vicious thermals that threatened to invert the B-29, indicating to the crew that it was one of the largest refineries they had attacked in the previous 9 missions. Smith said it looked as if the whole world was on fire. (In truth the Nippon Oil Fields at Akita were the largest in Japan and represented 67% of Japan's annual refining capability at the time the 315th destroyed it.)

-more-

There was once a writeup at “http://www.webwizpro.com/1945InvasionofJapan.html";, no longer there, which detailed what an invasion of Japan would likely have looked like.

It was a long litany of melted anti-aircraft gun barrels, swarms of kamakazi torpedo boats, cave-emplaced artillery, and millions of civilians with pointy sticks.

Part of the plan for the planned *Operation Downfall* invasion of the Japanese mainland was for the US 11th Airborne to make a *feint* mass airborne assault off the Island of Skikoku in early November, then around 01 March 1946 would move to the seaborne landing areas south of Tokyo and link up with the 4th, 6th, 8th, 24th, 31st, 32nd, 37th, 38th, and 87th Infantry Divisions, backed up by two Armoured Divisions, the 13th, and 20th. East of Tokyo, the US 1st. Army would land the 5th, 7th, 27th, 44th, 86th, and 96th Infantry Divisions, plus two Marine Divisions, the 4th and 6th. After the initial assault, these troops would be augmented by another eight divisions, namely the 2nd, 28th, 35th, 91st, 95th, 97th, and 104th Infantry, with the 11th Airborne Division -or what was left of it by then- backing them up.

It was also hoped/believed that by 01 January, the third U.S. atomic bomb nearing final manufacturing stages would be available, and that by March, three more then in-process would be completed and delivered.

It was never a question of whether or not to use the first two bombs immediately available. It was a question of whether or not we would use those two, and then two more, and then two more after that. And after that, who knows?

And the Japanese War Council was telling them to gather rocks, to sharpen sticks and farm tools to fend off the coming invaders. This across the land that had been devastated by the huge regular convenional bombing raids that did far greater damage with their incendiary loads. Their industrial base was crumbled into dust. An American naval blockade would have denied them fuel, food, and raw materials. Totally cut off from the rest of the world and winter coming on, a winter that would have killed many, many more. Freezing, starvation and disease was what was in store for them.

And the sad part was the most of the Japanese population believed the advice of the War Council, too. The result was that if we never dropped the atomic bomb and carried out Operation Olympic to invade southern Kyushu, the resulting bloodbath would probably have killed 150,000 American soldiers, most of the 1 million Japanese soldiers defending southern Kyushu and maybe 2 million Japanese civilians. And the two largest cities in southern Kyushu--Kagoshima and Miyazaki--would be razed to the ground from the horrible street-to-street fighting.

He noted that every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine on the island was relieved that they wouldn’t be thrown into a series of suicide missions, mandated by Dugout Doug, to take the main islands. Historically, the only person upset that the bombs ended the war was Dugout because he was being denied his moment of glory as the overall commander.

Dugout Doug already had plenty of glory and he got to rule Japan as a virtual king after the war. I doubt he was disappointed in the end of hostilities. Besides, he got to do it again in Korea.

But we could talk about MacArthur for days. Different subject.

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