Not sure if this has been posted in a prior thread. This was sent from an American friend and I thought the forum may find it of interest.
There is an excellent book called Codename Downfall, by Thomas B Allen and Norman Polmar (you can see it on Amazon), which gives details of these invasion plans and sets them in context. Although the document shown here says the invasion was to have been an all-American affair, I think the book says a Commonwealth Corps was to have been included, consisting of three divisions from Britain, Canada and Australia - one of which was 3rd British Infantry Division
Something to produce next time someone suggests the bombs shouldn't have been used to get Japan to surrender.
Tmac, After landing in Normandy on June 11th, 1944 and seeing the end of that conflict my Dad decided to volunteer to go to Japan. I asked him about why he volunteered? He said it was the fastest way to get home. He had been away from Canada and family for almost 5 years. Cheers from Canada
Thanks for your message, 17thDYRCH. My father was in 3rd British Infantry Division (landing in Normandy on D-Day) and so he and his comrades may possibly have found themselves in Japan if the invasion plans had gone ahead. I know that soon after VE Day, some elements of 3rd Division were heading to the U.S. for invasion training, but the war ended with the dropping of the atomic bombs. The Codename Downfall book says the proposed Commonwealth Corps was designated X Corps (General Sir Charles Kneightley) and consisted of: 3rd British Division 6th Canadian Division 10th Australian Division The invasion was scheduled for around November 1945 and the Commonwealth Corps was to have formed an afloat reserve for the American-led assault on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya and Yokohama are on Honshu. The British intended to provided two follow-up divisions around 40 days into the invasion. An interesting sidelight on the debate about the atomic bombs is that, as part of the invasion, the U.S. was planning massive pre-emptive poison gas attacks on 25 Japanese cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was predicted that these gas attacks might kill more than five million people. It meant many more people would probably have died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki than were actually killed as a result of the atomic bombs. Allied battle casualties were predicted to be around one million. Best wishes, Tom
Tom Interesting followup. Thank you. I assume that the 6th Canadian Div would have been a new formation comprised of volunteers from the 5 divisions in the Canadian Army in NW Europe? Cheers Randy
Dear Randy, I'm not sure what the make-up of the Canadian division would have been for the Japanese invasion - I've taken the information straight from the book, which simply lists the division's name. However, there's some stuff here on 6th Canadian Division... 6th Canadian Infantry Division - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Best wishes, Tom
Have seen this information before in a book I have called "The Pacific War", Daniel Marston Editor. Chapter 13. Best intelligence vastly underestimated both forces & resolve of the Japanese, who knew very well, Kyushu was first. 14 Divisions, 625,000 troops, almost 11,000 aircraft were either there or available by the middle of August. There was at least three times more of everything there, than we thought. Seven more A-Bombs could've been ready for Olympic, with Allied troops going in as soon as 24 hours after the drops. Some good things, don't happen.
To quote Marston, "In sum, radio intelligence evidence made it virtually certain that Olympic would never have gone forward, not because it was unnecessary, but because it had become unthinkable."
It is interesting to note that at the same time as the plans were being drawn up, a contract run for Purple Hearts was in the works. The number was about 400K, which sits right with the expected casualty figues. The production run of WW2 PH's was finally exhausted towards the end of the vietnam War. ATB Simon
Tmac, After landing in Normandy on June 11th, 1944 and seeing the end of that conflict my Dad decided to volunteer to go to Japan. I asked him about why he volunteered? He said it was the fastest way to get home. He had been away from Canada and family for almost 5 years. Cheers from Canada My Wife's Grandfather was a vet of the Algonquin Regiment and also saw the end of the war (although wounded on April 24), but when he was on the mend, he also volunteered for the 6th Canadian Infantry Division set to train for the Japanese invasion. It was that or remain in Germany for an undetermined amount of time as occupation forces. Crazy to think that invading Japan was preferred by many to being stuck in Germany.
For a frightening view of the possible results of invading Japan, read Hell to Pay. It makes for a scary read. The Japanese not only prepared their entire population for the invasion, but they seem to know exactly where the invasion was to take place. Here is a link to the book Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947: D. M. Giangreco, Danny Campbell: 9781400169085: Amazon.com: Books
Tmac, After landing in Normandy on June 11th, 1944 and seeing the end of that conflict my Dad decided to volunteer to go to Japan. I asked him about why he volunteered? He said it was the fastest way to get home. He had been away from Canada and family for almost 5 years. Cheers from Canada 5 years is a long time Randy. A big portion of his adult life. I'm sure many felt grateful to be alive but in practical terms thing of the economic effect in lost wages for that period. Today in Canada, you wouldn't serve that length of time on a manslaughter conviction.
Something to produce next time someone suggests the bombs shouldn't have been used to get Japan to surrender. "Admiral William Leahy estimated that there would be more than 250,000 Americans killed or wounded on Kyushu alone. General Charles Willoughby, chief of intelligence for General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific, estimated American casualties would be one million men by the fall of 1946. Willoughby's own intelligence staff considered this to be a conservative estimate."
An interesting thing in connection to this may be. That Mountbatten got French-Indochina under 17 parallel. Starting what some thinks was actually the 1st Vietnam War
1945 US Army WWII Operation Downfall Invasion of Japan 26p. Operation Olympic (1945) Operation Baker Sixty (1945) WWII Japan Occupation Plan Resume, 20th Air Force Missions
Thanks for your message, 17thDYRCH. My father was in 3rd British Infantry Division (landing in Normandy on D-Day) and so he and his comrades may possibly have found themselves in Japan if the invasion plans had gone ahead. I know that soon after VE Day, some elements of 3rd Division were heading to the U.S. for invasion training, but the war ended with the dropping of the atomic bombs. The Codename Downfall book says the proposed Commonwealth Corps was designated X Corps (General Sir Charles Kneightley) and consisted of: 3rd British Division 6th Canadian Division 10th Australian Division The invasion was scheduled for around November 1945 and the Commonwealth Corps was to have formed an afloat reserve for the American-led assault on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya and Yokohama are on Honshu. The British intended to provided two follow-up divisions around 40 days into the invasion. An interesting sidelight on the debate about the atomic bombs is that, as part of the invasion, the U.S. was planning massive pre-emptive poison gas attacks on 25 Japanese cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was predicted that these gas attacks might kill more than five million people. It meant many more people would probably have died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki than were actually killed as a result of the atomic bombs. Allied battle casualties were predicted to be around one million. Best wishes, Tom Tom, enjoyed the info on the possible gas attack plans which may have been used if the atomic bombs hadn't been dropped. I don't think many people know about that. Dick Avery
My Wife's Grandfather was a vet of the Algonquin Regiment and also saw the end of the war (although wounded on April 24), but when he was on the mend, he also volunteered for the 6th Canadian Infantry Division set to train for the Japanese invasion. It was that or remain in Germany for an undetermined amount of time as occupation forces. Crazy to think that invading Japan was preferred by many to being stuck in Germany. I'm going to show my ignorance on this with these two questions. How would he get home sooner that way? Wouldn't there be occupation duty in Japan as well? Would the allied soliders in NW Europe destined for Japan have been shipped across the Atlantic and then go by trains to the west coast of North America? He might have been home to Canada then, but it would be a short leave, if any, I would think.