[Iris7]

I just can't imagine how we could have brought the war to an end without the aerial bombardment outside of an amphibious assault. That would have killed more Japanese than did die.

Equally important to the American bombardment was the destruction of the Japanese Kwantung Army by the Soviets. The Kwantung Army was something like two thirds of the Imperial Army, and based in north China and Manchuria. The Soviet armored assault destroyed it utterly in a few weeks.

The Japanese had been hoping for Soviet help in getting a cease fire with the Americans. The reverse happened.

The Americans were going to move those same Russian Army Fronts that had destroyed the Kwantung Army into Japan using American amphibious assets as a major part of the final invasion. Food supplies in Japan were getting nearly desperate. The public were being trained to resist the invasion with spears, since there not enough guns and ammunition. Fight to the death. Things were really not going well at all for the Japanese.

[snippy_about_it]

I agree. We did what had to be done.