The Other Strange Bomb That Was Supposed to Win WW2

In the waning months of World War 2, a covert and strategically pivotal operation known as "Operation Starvation" quietly unfolded on the global stage.

From March to August 1945, a squadron of American B-29 Superfortress bombers embarked on an audacious mission with far-reaching consequences. Their destination: the Shimonoseki Straits, a geographic linchpin that interconnected Japan's Honshu and Kyushu islands, serving as the lifeline for 80 percent of Japan's vital merchant fleet.

However, their cargo was far from a conventional payload; instead of traditional bombs, they carried a silent menace—a threat that the Japanese leadership gravely underestimated, realizing its impact only when it was too late to react.

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As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -

[oceanmariner]

I was in the USN in the 1960s. The navy was still sweeping mines dropped in WWII during my time. There were areas that were marked as dangerous grounds because of sunken mines and unsweepable mines. There were many areas around Japan with warnings to not anchor because of sunken mines. Many mines, even after sinking can be set off by movement or contact.
In addition to US mines, many Japanese harbors had Japanese laid minefields. Okinawa had minefields placed to discourage invasion.
After WWII thru the 1970s the USN had a large fleet of minesweepers that spent about a fourth of their time sweeping and resweeping former known mine areas.

[garypowell]

A fact that is rarely reported is that Japan was facing a 30% food shortage in 1946. So, those that claim that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were somehow unethical need to ask themselves whether the starvation of millions of Japanese civilians in addition to their deaths as a result of an allied ground invasion and continued sea and aerial bombardment would have been a "more ethical" outcome.

[bartfourie]

I love to watch these videos as it teaches you so much about history and historic events

[Liferoad]

My dad was a Lt. Commander in the Navy and he was in Japan at that time, and he never mentioned
any mine laying, I learn something new every day, Great video thanks.

[paulaweaver]

I truly appreciate the effort you put in bringing us information.
What has me confused is why I've never heard about this operation until today. I was born in the early 1960's and WWII was a common discussion at home and with extended family (7 uncles who served during WWII in all branches and from grunts to officers) and this topic was never discussed. Thank you

[htosav]

I've been lurking for years, and your reporting has improved by orders of magnitude in depth and context. Good stuff.

[mrhassell]

Commander Ellis A. Johnson, the mastermind behind this operation, was awarded the George Cross, the second highest award of the United Kingdom honours system, for his gallantry in action on 15 August 1942, when he led a daring raid on a Japanese airfield in New Guinea. He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, and the Air Force Cross for his outstanding service and leadership. He was born in Sydney, Australia, on 12 June 1919. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1938 and trained as a pilot. He served in various squadrons and roles during the war, including as a bomber pilot, a fighter pilot, and an instructor. He flew over 100 missions and shot down six enemy aircraft. He retired from the RAAF in 1954 and became a lecturer at the University of New South Wales. He died on 18 February 2005 at the age of 85. He is remembered as one of Australia’s most decorated airmen and a hero of World War II.

[markmuldoon]

The commentary was excellent in describing the purpose and effectiveness in disrupting the enemy supply lines to the point where surrender was inevitable.

[rafalganowicz]

Back ground music is quite distracting.

[johnhunt]

My father was on a US Navy mine sweeper in Japan in the 50’s. The minesweeper was a wooden ship that went to the dry docks in Washington state for maintenance. Where he met my mom. So I guess I owe my existence to the mining of Japanese waters?

[bigbirddottv]

This is an important part to be sure. Yet it is rarely mentioned that the less than 2% of military forces making up the entire submarine service, sank more than 50% of the tonnage of ships in the pacific. One wonders if their torpedos worked from the beginning and the comand structure had not fought so much how much more damage they would have done.

[thewiseoldherper]

Estimated casualties of the US invasion of mainland Japan:
1 million Americans and allies.
10 million Japanese.
Japanese killed by the two atomic bombs: approximately 250, 000.

[flingmonkey]

Wonderful video, but how about the flip-side? How does minesweeping work against the various types of mines and by various combatants? After the war ended, how ere the mines cleared, or were they? How was the return to peace facilitated?

[jackieeastom]

And often forgot/overlooked fact, was at the Marines and army soldier’s were going to be facing women and children, armed with pitchforks and sharp sticks when they landed on the beaches, as a home defense had a great impact on the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan! The Emperor did not care if the allies killed the majority of the population they just didn’t want the shame of a defeat! We also need to realize that we were forced into this position by the emperor’s refusal to capitulate!

[kirkmorrison]

Great video, and a little known operation.

[ross.venner]

My late father-in-law was conscripted by the Japanese to clear mines in Hong Kong.

The Chinese boys were required to place blocks of explosive on the individual mines. Incredibly dangerous.

[peregrinesmith]

The US also was working on dropping bats equipted with incindary devices on the cities.

[matchesburn]

2:39
There's a few words I can think of to describe American torpedoes in World War 2.
"Flashy" and "threat" aren't generally one of them.

[clytle]

A question I came up with is how many people would Japan's leadership been willing to starve to death if the shipping had been stopped but the nukes never dropped?

[jimparsons]

Heard about this a couple of times. One such time was in my High School American Hitory class. The instructer had been in the Army for a number of years and related "war stories." Intereting and thanks.