From USAF Museum - History
After months of bombardment by AAF and naval aerial forces, Japan was reeling. By July 1945, its cities were devastated, its industrial might was crippled, and the blockade imposed by Allied aircraft, submarines, and mines cut it off from outside sources of food and other supplies. AAF planes attacked Japan with almost complete freedom in preparation for the planned invasion.
The first amphibious assault was to take place on 1 November, 1945 on Kyushu with a second landing scheduled for 1 March, 1946 on Honshu. With an army of 2 million men and a force of some 8,000 aircraft remaining, the Japanese retained sufficient strength to make an invasion extremely costly. Military advisors to president Truman estimated that an invasion of Japan would cost between 250,000 and one million Allied casualties, plus an equal number for the enemy. Fortunately, for the peoples of all nations involved, the inestimable carnage in human lives was not necessary.
On July 26, 1945, the Allies issued the Potsdam Declarations calling for Japan's surrender. Two days later the Japanese Premier announced to the Japanese press that his government would ignore the ultimatum. Based on the apparent rejection of peace efforts and the desire to avoid the need to invade Japan, President Truman gave the order to employ a new weapon of mass destruction, the atomic bomb.
At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the Tinian-based B-29 Enola Gay released its single atomic bomb over Hiroshima; 50 seconds later the weapon detonated at about 2,000 feet altitude devastating the target in an enormous fireball. Japan was again called upon to surrender but failed to do so. As a consequence, on August 9 another B-29, Bockscar, released the second atomic bomb over Nagasaki at 10:58 a.m. As at Hiroshima, the target was engulfed in a ball of fire.
On the following day, the Japanese Government announced its willingness to accept the basic peace terms included in the Potsdam Declaration, but as negotiations appeared to falter, bombing was resumed. However, on August 14, the AAF carried out the final raid against Japan and before the last returning B-29 had landed, President Truman announced Japan's unconditional surrender.
Following the end of hostilities, weather and photo-reconnaissance flights continued over Japan while other B-29s made mercy flights to drop food and supplies to 154 prisoner of war camps in Japan, China, and Korea where Allied personnel were being held captive. On September 2 in ceremonies onboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, who had been named Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, formally received the Japanese envoys who signed the surrender document. WWII had ended.
In terms of cost to the U.S. in men and planes, the war against Japan had been less costly than the conflict in Europe. Total AAF losses against the Japanese to all causes were 13,055 planes, of which 1,197 were heavy bombers, 864 medium and light bombers, and 2,469 fighters destroyed in combat. AAF battle casualties were 24,230--10,406 killed in action, 4,643 wounded, and 9,181 missing, captured, or interned. Total AAF losses against Germany and Italy in aircraft and men included 27,694 planes and 91,105 battle casualties.
wpafb.af.mil |
