How would have WW2 gone if the US had not used nuclear bombs on Japan?

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Imagine if the US did not use the nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945. Instead, imagine it went through with the planned conventional attack on Japan. That called for a seaborne invasion more massive than D-Day. Operation Downfall – Allied invasion of Japan. This video will assume it actually happened.

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[tbmike]

Here's a hint according to contemporary estimates: the US Government commissioned Purple Heart medals in anticipation of invading Japan, for soldiers wounded in battle. The invasion never happened, so they put them in storage. The Korean War, the Vietnam War, countless third world Incursions, Desert Storm, and over 50 years later they finally ran out of Purple Hearts for the Japanese Invasion and had to commission more.

[markmierzejewski]

Japan had a large stock pile of chemical and biological weapons as well. While the United States swayed away from this. I am all but positive that Japan would have used everything by their means. From their perspective its us or them. Survival of our people or not?

[jkasiron]

The resulting alternate peace in this alternate timeline would have included much deeper and lasting anger and resentment between Japan and the US. Given the type of warfare required, the number of personal stories of horrific treatment on both sides would have dwarfed the results of using the two atomic weapons, imo. I hate that it was necessary to use such weapons, but I am grateful that the US and Japan are allies today.

[Pippins]

I probably owe my existence to the atomic bombs. In 1945 my father was part of the Royal Navy fleet assembling in Sydney in preparation for the invasion of Japan. Instead my father sailed home, having married my mother before he left the UK. I was born in 1947...and it is only recently that I realise the debt I owe to the atomic bombs

[scottstewart]

People rail on the cruelty of the atomic bomb, but gloss over the fire-bombings which killed way more civilians in a crueler way.

[Ghidorah_Stan]

Such a wasted opportunity to not call this campaign “Operation Sunset”

[johndane]

Operation Downfall would have made it an open debate on which part of WWII was worse. The Eastern Front or the Japanese Front.

[sampsonroofing]

Years later, Harry Truman replied to a question about what a difficult decision it must have been to order the dropping of the bomb; "It took me one second to make the decision; can you imagine how I would have had to explain to all of the parents of the dead boys from an invasion of the home islands that we had this weapon and we didn't use it?!

[michaelmijares]

If Operation Downfall actually happened, the Japan we know today would have drastically been different. This is why I appreciate our own timeline despite its faults.

[thearisen]

To counter the inevitable claim that the SU would of invaded Japan's mainland, with what sealift capacity? They lost most of their US provided LSTs taking the Kuril islands and they certainly didn't have the sealift capacity to invade beyind that.

[DDSKYART]

In earlier decades I asked numerous Veterans of the Pacific War about how they felt about the use of the Bomb. Every one said it was an immense personal relief, knowing they would have lived to raise their families etc.

[bentencho]

This is sometimes a touchy topic as my wife is Japanese and her father is a survivor of Hiroshima. She has always felt that using nuclear weapons was unjust and the wrong choice taken. When we visit the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, it's not just random names of people that died... some were my wife's extended family, included her grandmother that suffered from radiation-caused illnesses later in life.

That being said, I explained that it was the "least destructive" option available. That an invasion would have meant the total destruction of Japan as we know it, potentially even a partition of it like East and West Germany, or North and South Korea if the USSR decided they wanted to invade Hokkaido.

In war, there really isn't right or wrong choices... just choices with more or less destruction.

[FieldTactics]

5:26 The 5 Japanese carriers you list were in no condition for any battle. Hōshō was a training carrier. Katsuragi, didn't have not enough personnel or planes to man her. Junyō, damaged in the Battle of Philippine Sea, was not repaired. Kasagi, Aso and Ikoma being constructed but not finished. Hōshō and Katsuragi were used to ship Japanese servicemen back to Japan. All lacked fuel, planes, and/or personnel, so Japan had no combat active carrier at the end of the war.

[charlesdoesstuff]

A few years ago, I had studied this in depth. After reading the casualty estimates for all sides, reading the admiralty's predictions and reading Japan's preparations, I can understand why people were and are against the use of nuclear weapons, but I cannot understand why people could read all the data I read and think Downfall was a better option than two nuclear weapons. There aren't often good options, only better and worse ones, and logically speaking, nuclear weapons were obviously the better, but still not ideal or good option.

[markfocacci]

My father was at Iwo Jima with the 5th Division. He was on Guam, training for the invasion of Japan when the bombs were dropped in August 1945. He told me that all he could think was that he was going to live and get to go home.

[BritIronRebel]

I had to watch this because my Father was a USMC aviator in the Pacific Theatre. This topic was discussed in my highschool one day. So at dinner that night, I asked him what his opinion was. He just said: "Well, look at it this way.... if it wasn't for the bombs, you probably wouldn't be here today...."

[AlreadyTakenTag]

15:45 'That damned typhoon...'
-Some mongolian general

[christaylor]

Those 2 bombs saved lives on both sides. The explosion is bigger but no less deadly than fire bombs over all the cities

[jlinonis]

Well shit looking at this video's comments they didnt need atomic bombs all they needed was some smug 14 year old youtube commentators who wouldve won the war with zero casualties pretty amazing

[PhillyPhanVinny]

This video exactly puts forth the point I always argue when people say the US should not have used the nukes on Japan. The actual cost of human life on both the US, Japanese and US Allied side would have been magnitudes greater then what the casualties were from the dropping of the atomic bombs. Those bombings which did not even kill as many people as the conventual bombing of Tokyo with fire bombs.