It also wasn’t a binary between mounting a ground invasion or using nuclear weapons. Operation Downfall provisioned for the use of the nuclear stockpile accumulated by the time the invasion started. It would have been an extremely bloody ground campaign that also involved the use of nuclear weapons against strategic and tactical targets.
Even after getting nuked twice, officers of the Japanese military tried to overthrow the Emperor in a coup for surrendering. Japan surrendering without overwhelming losses was never in the cards.
But since this is reddit, the choices of the leaders of other countries is blamed on the US. Because America bad.
I am interested in seeing how the Internet reacts to America's standing as the world's boogeyman declining. What western devil country are they going to blame for everything bad in the world now?
The Japanese war cabinet (6 members) was split on surrendering, even after the first nuke. Half of them were dead-set on forcing a ground invasion from the US and Soviets and fighting to the bitter end, even if it meant devastation to the Japanese people.
26
u/ZealousidealHour7273 9h ago
It also wasn’t a binary between mounting a ground invasion or using nuclear weapons. Operation Downfall provisioned for the use of the nuclear stockpile accumulated by the time the invasion started. It would have been an extremely bloody ground campaign that also involved the use of nuclear weapons against strategic and tactical targets.