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.
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?