Posted on 08/10/2015 4:22:03 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
I’m pretty sure it was the latter.
That’s why I loved the quote attributed to Hirohito at the Imperial Conference, when the hotheaded generals are still foaming at the mouth about continuing the war.
“Some advocate a decisive battle in the homeland as the way to survival. In past experience, however, there has always been a discrepancy between the fighting services’ plans and the results.”
For the military men in the room, that had to leave a mark. I’m surprised they didn’t all go do the “belly-cut” after hearing that.
"...utterly and absolutely indefensible...immorality..."
"...the indiscriminate massacre of civilians by whatever means creates appalling precedents for the future."
Not just “sometimes” or “often” or “usually,” but “always.” I suspect we both appreciate a simple, aptly turned phrase loaded with meaning. It’s a sharp, sharp blade, samurai-sword sharp. In a sense, he belly-cut them by proxy.
Me too.
The answer is "yes." Of course, it depends on when you are looking at the Soviet strength in the East. Before June 1941, the USSR kept a large army in the Far East because of the 1939 clashes with the Japanese at Nomonhon/Khalkin Gol. But in the fall, when Soviet spy Richard Sorge confirmed the Japanese were going south, not north, Stalin was able to shift about 30 well trained and well equipped divisions from the Far East for the Battle of Moscow.
Thereafter, the Soviets rebuilt their Far Eastern Military District. Command was given to Maxim Purkayev, who had commanded Kalinin Front against the Germans in Fall 1942-winter 1943. He was sacked as a result of the failed Operation Mars, but was still a fairly capable commander. While the Soviet forces were never on a par with what was committed in the west, from 1943 on, the Far East Military Districts were well manned and relatively well equipped. The Soviets always feared a Japanese intervention.
So while the bulk of the troops used against Japan were already there, the Soviets did augment them with considerable forces from the west, most notably 6th Guards Tank Army, which fought in Ukraine and the Balkans. This unit formed the mobile shock spearhead of the Soviet forces hitting Manchuria from the western flank through Mongolia. That sector had such poor roads and limited rail net, the Japanese were totally surprised when the T34s came out of te desert.
Stalin agreed at Yalta that after victory in Europe he would attack Japan, which agreement was reconfirmed at Potsdam.
The troops invading Manchuria were almost all brought from Europe. The reason Stalin remained neutral with Japan is that he could not afford a two front war. Now that he won in Europe he wants to grab what he can in Asia.
I wonder if the editor of that newspaper had a son or nephew slated for the first wave ashore in Operation Olympic. Or whether he was going to sit down to a decent, filling meal that night. Because the average Japanese was starving, and the fanatical psychopaths running that country would have starved every child to death in order to continue the war. Only the bombs stopped that from happening.
The only subsequent solace about the terrible nature of the bombs is that in the past 70 years, none have been used.
Are you and I going to have a spat on this? I’ll go home and see what sources I have regarding specific troop transfers, but my recollection is that most of the troops were already there, but heavily augmented. The biggest delay was shipping supplies, munitions and trucks to the east in anticipation of the offensive.
I’ll see what my sources say, though.
Yes, and it took two. The canard that even the United States could only build one had to be disproved. Only after the second bomb did Suzuki play out his sleight of hand to get the Emperor to order the Army to surrender.
It was truly evil what the Army commanders were putting the Japanese people through.
I agree Stalin had troops in the Far East to guard against any Japanese attack, but until 1944 and the success of Operation Bagration he really couldn't afford to fight Japan at the same time as Germany. Even after that he wanted to concentrate on Europe to grab as much of Germany and Central Europe as he could.
Come on, don’t equivocate! Stand up like men! It’s about time we had a good ol’ knock-down/drag-out here.
I’m having a flashback; the last guy who tried to egg me on to fight a friend was Jeff Stone in 8th grade gym class when he tried to get me to fight Dave Carlson.
That’s more like it. You can never have enough adrenaline and testosterone. Let him have it!
Who won?
Carlson & I; we wound up beating the crap out of Stone. Draw your own conclusions from the parallel.
Our gym teacher, Mr. McCormick, was an old Marine veteran; his “rule” was that if you had a problem with another student, you go to the locker room to settle it among yourselves. You just couldn’t do it in the gym during class. It’s too bad you can’t do that today.
My younger brother and I are only ten-and-one-half months apart and fought pretty-near non-stop for several years. One day my dad got so tired of it he laid the garden hose in a square on the front lawn, made us put on boxing gloves, and wail on each other until we could no longer raise our hands. It's as vivid a memory for me as your group beatdown of poor, defenceless Jeff Stone.
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