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Operation Downfall — The Allies’ Audacious Plans To Invade Japan In 1945
It would have been the largest amphibious invasion in history
In 1945, the United States only had two nuclear bombs in its arsenal, and both were deployed against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the hopes were that the overwhelming show of nuclear force would be enough to force the Japanese to surrender (historically, it was), there were contingency plans that called for an all-out invasion of the Japanese home islands to force a surrender by conventional means.
The invasion of Japan would have been the largest amphibious invasion in history, far surpassing the efforts that went into D-Day in the previous year. The plan was to land hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers and marines on the beaches of Kyushu. Kyushu was the only island that was amenable to such an invasion plan due to Japanese geography. This made the plan obvious to Japanese planners who had been reinforcing the area in preparations for just such an invasion.
The invasion force would have consisted of 42 aircraft carriers, 24 battleships, and 400 destroyers and destroyer escorts, along with 14 divisions.
Vigorous debates raged around the plan. Some planners wanted to wait until 1946 or even 1947 before attempting such an…
