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Matt's Today in History, What Price Victory, August 6, 1945 (Part 2)

What Price Victory, August 6, 1945 (Part 2)

The planned invasion of Japan was known as Operation Downfall. It was broken down into two major operations: Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, the southernmost of the main Japanese islands. The operation would begin on X-Day, Thursday, November 1st, 1945. Operation Coronet was the planned invasion of the Kanto Plain south of Tokyo. Y-Day was set at March 1st, 1946. The southern third of Kyushu would be used as the staging area for this invasion.

The resources being set aside for these two operations were unlike anything seen up to that point in the war. The landing force for Olympic would consist of 331,000 American soldiers and 99,000 Marines. Coronet could consist of roughly the same number of Americans, many of them belonging to divisions that had fought in Europe. Three divisions of U.S. Marines would participate in each landing; that was the entire Marine Corps as it existed in 1945. These numbers do not include the tens of thousands of British, Australian and New Zealand troops which would have taken part in Operation Coronet.

In the air would have been the Fifth, Seventh and Thirteenth Air Forces of the U.S. Army Air Corps, along with the Eighth Air Force just transferred from Europe. With them would have been the Tiger Force of the RAF Bomber Command and the Australian First Tactical Air Force. The waters surrounding the invasion beaches would have contained the largest naval armada ever assembled. The U.S. Third, Fifth and Seventh fleets, comprised of 56 aircraft carriers, 20 battleships, over 50 cruisers and hundreds of smaller warships would have been joined by the entire British Pacific Fleet made up of 6 fleet carriers and their escorts. This represented 90% of the world's naval ships as of 1945, all concentrated in one area. And this tally only includes the warships. Thousands of cargo ships and troop transports would have been on the scene as well, making the Allied of invasion of Normandy in June, 1944 look small in comparison. The invasion beaches had already been given names such as Cadillac, Zephyr, Mercury, and Packard, all automobile manufacturers.

The Japanese Army had large numbers of troops in Korea and China in 1945, all of them essentially trapped in position with no hope of resupply or rescue. There were, however, hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in the Japanese home islands. Tokyo's defense planners, like the Allied war planners, understood the importance of using Kyushu as a base of operations. Thus, they had stationed 600,000 regular army troops there. There were also 5,000 aircraft assigned for use as kamikaze aircraft, the suicide planes that had caused so much trouble for the U.S. Navy during the last year of the war. And although post-war estimates vary, there were as many as 12,000 aircraft set aside in reserve status, although the airworthiness of these planes is questionable.

The Tokyo Plain, the landing area for Operation Coronet, was defended by 560,000 troops. This did not include the vast number of civilians that were being armed with everything from modern rifles to wooden spears. The Japanese Navy, such as it was, still had 350 midget submarines ready for use, 1000 manned torpedoes and over 800 suicide boats. Like the aircraft designated for kamikaze work, the seaworthiness of some of these naval vessels is in doubt. However, the intent was to use them while the Allied invasion fleet was still far out at sea. While the powers in Tokyo knew that they could not ultimately repel an invasion, it was hoped that the operation could be made so costly that Allied leaders would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire, giving the Japanese the ability to negotiate from a position of strength.

For two generations, historians have debated the number of casualties (both dead and wounded) that would have resulted from an Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands. Even military leaders of the day could not agree on a casualty projection. The last study done during the war, created by Secretary of War Henry Stimson's staff, estimated that conquering Japan would cost 1.7 to 4 million American casualties, including 400,000 to 800,000 fatalities, and five to ten million Japanese fatalities. The total number of American deaths, on the low end, would have been more than the total number of American war dead experienced to that point in the war, both in the Pacific and Europe. Keep in mind that while American and Allied forces fought on Kyushu and the Tokyo Plain, the Army Air Corps would have continued to fire bomb Japanese cities, thus increasing the total civilian death toll.

Nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the casualties resulting from the invasion of Japan. To the present date, all the American military casualties of the nearly 70 years following the end of the Second World War—including the Korean and Vietnam war—have not exceeded that number. There are still so many medals in surplus that combat units in Afghanistan are able to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to wounded soldiers. There would also have been political consequences to consider. In early August, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded parts of Manchuria and the Kuril Islands, the northern part of the Japanese island chain. It is very likely that Josef Stalin would have ordered his forces to continue moving down the island chain as the rest of the Allied forces moved up the chain from the south. It is possible that Japan would today be two nations, much like North and South Korea. The effect that would have had on the world, both economically and culturally, can not be measured.

The debate over the use of nuclear weapons against Japan in August, 1945, will continue as long as those events are remembered by human beings. One can only hope that future events will never be so horrendous as to cause Hiroshima and Nagasaki to fade from our collective memory.

What Price Victory, August 6, 1945 (Part 2) Welchen Preis hat der Sieg, 6. August 1945 (Teil 2) El precio de la victoria, 6 de agosto de 1945 (2ª parte) 勝利の代償、1945年8月6日（その2） Qual o preço da vitória, 6 de agosto de 1945 (Parte 2) Какова цена победы, 6 августа 1945 года (часть 2) Zaferin Bedeli, 6 Ağustos 1945 (2. Bölüm) 胜利的代价是什么，1945 年 8 月 6 日（第 2 部分） 勝利的代價是什麼，1945 年 8 月 6 日（第 2 部分）

The planned invasion of Japan was known as Operation Downfall. Japonya'nın planlanan işgali Çöküş Operasyonu olarak biliniyordu. It was broken down into two major operations: Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, the southernmost of the main Japanese islands. İki büyük operasyona bölünmüştü: Olimpiyat Operasyonu, ana Japon adalarının en güneyi olan Kyushu'nun işgali. The operation would begin on X-Day, Thursday, November 1st, 1945. Operasyon X-Günü, yani 1 Kasım 1945 Perşembe günü başlayacaktı. Operation Coronet was the planned invasion of the Kanto Plain south of Tokyo. Coronet Operasyonu, Tokyo'nun güneyindeki Kanto Ovası'nın planlanan işgaliydi. Y-Day was set at March 1st, 1946. Y-Günü 1 Mart 1946 olarak belirlendi. The southern third of Kyushu would be used as the staging area for this invasion. Kyushu'nun güney üçte birlik bölümü bu istila için hazırlanma alanı olarak kullanılacaktı.

The resources being set aside for these two operations were unlike anything seen up to that point in the war. Les moyens mis en œuvre pour ces deux opérations sont sans commune mesure avec ce qui s'est fait jusqu'alors dans la guerre. Os recursos reservados para essas duas operações eram diferentes de qualquer coisa vista até aquele momento na guerra. Bu iki operasyon için ayrılan kaynaklar, savaşın o noktasına kadar görülen hiçbir şeye benzemiyordu. The landing force for Olympic would consist of 331,000 American soldiers and 99,000 Marines. Olympic için çıkarma gücü 331,000 Amerikan askeri ve 99,000 deniz piyadesinden oluşacaktı. Coronet could consist of roughly the same number of Americans, many of them belonging to divisions that had fought in Europe. Coronet aşağı yukarı aynı sayıda Amerikalıdan oluşabilirdi ve bunların çoğu Avrupa'da savaşmış tümenlere mensuptu. Three divisions of U.S. Marines would participate in each landing; that was the entire Marine Corps as it existed in 1945. Os fuzileiros navais participariam de cada desembarque; que era todo o Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais como existia em 1945. Deniz Piyadeleri her çıkarmaya katılacaktı; 1945'te var olan Deniz Piyadelerinin tamamı buydu. These numbers do not include the tens of thousands of British, Australian and New Zealand troops which would have taken part in Operation Coronet. Bu sayılara Coronet Operasyonuna katılacak olan on binlerce İngiliz, Avustralya ve Yeni Zelanda askeri dahil değildir.

In the air would have been the Fifth, Seventh and Thirteenth Air Forces of the U.S. No ar estariam a Quinta, Sétima e Décima Terceira Forças Aéreas dos EUA Army Air Corps, along with the Eighth Air Force just transferred from Europe. Army Air Corps, juntamente com a Oitava Força Aérea acaba de ser transferido da Europa. Ordu Hava Kuvvetleri, Avrupa'dan yeni transfer edilen Sekizinci Hava Kuvvetleri ile birlikte. With them would have been the Tiger Force of the RAF Bomber Command and the Australian First Tactical Air Force. Onlarla birlikte RAF Bombardıman Komutanlığı'nın Tiger Kuvvetleri ve Avustralya Birinci Taktik Hava Kuvvetleri de olacaktı. The waters surrounding the invasion beaches would have contained the largest naval armada ever assembled. Les eaux entourant les plages d'invasion auraient contenu la plus grande armada navale jamais rassemblée. As águas ao redor das praias da invasão teriam abrigado a maior armada naval já montada. İşgal sahillerini çevreleyen sular, o güne kadar toplanmış en büyük donanmayı barındıracaktı. The U.S. Third, Fifth and Seventh fleets, comprised of 56 aircraft carriers, 20 battleships, over 50 cruisers and hundreds of smaller warships would have been joined by the entire British Pacific Fleet made up of 6 fleet carriers and their escorts. Terceira, quinta e sétima frotas, compostas por 56 porta-aviões, 20 navios de guerra, mais de 50 cruzadores e centenas de navios de guerra menores, teriam se juntado a toda a frota britânica do Pacífico, composta por 6 porta-aviões e suas escoltas. Üçüncü, Beşinci ve Yedinci Filolara 56 uçak gemisi, 20 savaş gemisi, 50'den fazla kruvazör ve yüzlerce küçük savaş gemisinden oluşan 6 filo gemisi ve refakatçilerinden oluşan İngiliz Pasifik Filosunun tamamı katılacaktı. This represented 90% of the world's naval ships as of 1945, all concentrated in one area. Isso representava 90% dos navios de guerra do mundo em 1945, todos concentrados em uma área. Bu, 1945 itibariyle dünyadaki donanma gemilerinin %90'ını temsil ediyordu ve hepsi tek bir bölgede toplanmıştı. And this tally only includes the warships. Et ce décompte n'inclut que les navires de guerre. E esta contagem inclui apenas os navios de guerra. Ve bu çeteleye sadece savaş gemileri dahildir. Thousands of cargo ships and troop transports would have been on the scene as well, making the Allied of invasion of Normandy in June, 1944 look small in comparison. Binlerce kargo gemisi ve asker nakliyesi de olay yerinde olacaktı ki bu da Müttefiklerin Haziran 1944'te Normandiya'ya yaptıkları çıkarmanın yanında küçük kalacaktı. The invasion beaches had already been given names such as Cadillac, Zephyr, Mercury, and Packard, all automobile manufacturers. İşgal sahillerine, hepsi de otomobil üreticisi olan Cadillac, Zephyr, Mercury ve Packard gibi isimler verilmişti.

The Japanese Army had large numbers of troops in Korea and China in 1945, all of them essentially trapped in position with no hope of resupply or rescue. En 1945, l'armée japonaise disposait d'un grand nombre de troupes en Corée et en Chine, toutes essentiellement piégées dans leurs positions, sans espoir de réapprovisionnement ou de sauvetage. Japon Ordusu'nun 1945 yılında Kore ve Çin'de çok sayıda askeri vardı ve bu askerlerin tamamı, ikmal ya da kurtarma umudu olmaksızın kapana kısılmış durumdaydı. There were, however, hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in the Japanese home islands. Tokyo's defense planners, like the Allied war planners, understood the importance of using Kyushu as a base of operations. Thus, they had stationed 600,000 regular army troops there. There were also 5,000 aircraft assigned for use as kamikaze aircraft, the suicide planes that had caused so much trouble for the U.S. Navy during the last year of the war. And although post-war estimates vary, there were as many as 12,000 aircraft set aside in reserve status, although the airworthiness of these planes is questionable. Savaş sonrası tahminler farklılık gösterse de, yedek statüsünde ayrılmış 12.000 kadar uçak vardı, ancak bu uçakların uçuşa elverişliliği tartışmalıdır.

The Tokyo Plain, the landing area for Operation Coronet, was defended by 560,000 troops. Coronet Operasyonu'nun çıkarma alanı olan Tokyo Ovası 560.000 asker tarafından savunuluyordu. This did not include the vast number of civilians that were being armed with everything from modern rifles to wooden spears. C'était sans compter le grand nombre de civils qui étaient armés de tout, des fusils modernes aux lances en bois. Buna, modern tüfeklerden tahta mızraklara kadar her şeyle silahlandırılan çok sayıda sivil dahil değildi. The Japanese Navy, such as it was, still had 350 midget submarines ready for use, 1000 manned torpedoes and over 800 suicide boats. Japon Donanması'nın hala kullanıma hazır 350 cüce denizaltısı, 1000 insanlı torpidosu ve 800'den fazla intihar botu vardı. Like the aircraft designated for kamikaze work, the seaworthiness of some of these naval vessels is in doubt. Kamikaze görevi için tasarlanan uçaklar gibi, bu donanma gemilerinden bazılarının denize elverişliliği de şüphelidir. However, the intent was to use them while the Allied invasion fleet was still far out at sea. Cependant, l'intention était de les utiliser alors que la flotte d'invasion alliée était encore loin en mer. Ancak amaç, Müttefik işgal filosu henüz denizin çok uzağındayken bunları kullanmaktı. While the powers in Tokyo knew that they could not ultimately repel an invasion, it was hoped that the operation could be made so costly that Allied leaders would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire, giving the Japanese the ability to negotiate from a position of strength. Si les autorités de Tokyo savaient qu'elles ne pourraient pas repousser une invasion, elles espéraient rendre l'opération si coûteuse que les dirigeants alliés seraient disposés à négocier un cessez-le-feu, ce qui donnerait aux Japonais la possibilité de négocier en position de force. Tokyo'daki güçler bir istilayı nihai olarak geri püskürtemeyeceklerini bilseler de, operasyonun Müttefik liderlerin ateşkes görüşmelerine istekli olmalarını sağlayacak kadar maliyetli hale getirilebileceği ve Japonlara güçlü bir konumdan müzakere etme olanağı verilebileceği umuluyordu.

For two generations, historians have debated the number of casualties (both dead and wounded) that would have resulted from an Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands. İki kuşaktır tarihçiler, Müttefiklerin Japon adalarını işgali sonucunda meydana gelecek kayıpların (hem ölü hem de yaralı) sayısını tartışmaktadır. Even military leaders of the day could not agree on a casualty projection. Günün askeri liderleri bile bir zayiat tahmini üzerinde anlaşamadılar. The last study done during the war, created by Secretary of War Henry Stimson's staff, estimated that conquering Japan would cost 1.7 to 4 million American casualties, including 400,000 to 800,000 fatalities, and five to ten million Japanese fatalities. Savaş sırasında Savaş Bakanı Henry Stimson'ın ekibi tarafından yapılan son çalışma, Japonya'yı fethetmenin 400.000 ila 800.000'i ölüm olmak üzere 1,7 ila 4 milyon Amerikan kaybına ve beş ila on milyon Japon ölümüne mal olacağını tahmin ediyordu. The total number of American deaths, on the low end, would have been more than the total number of American war dead experienced to that point in the war, both in the Pacific and Europe. Le nombre total de morts américains, au bas mot, aurait été supérieur au nombre total de morts américains à ce stade de la guerre, tant dans le Pacifique qu'en Europe. Toplam Amerikan ölü sayısı, en düşük ihtimalle, savaşın o noktasına kadar hem Pasifik'te hem de Avrupa'da yaşanan toplam Amerikan savaş ölü sayısından daha fazla olacaktı. Keep in mind that while American and Allied forces fought on Kyushu and the Tokyo Plain, the Army Air Corps would have continued to fire bomb Japanese cities, thus increasing the total civilian death toll. N'oubliez pas que pendant que les forces américaines et alliées se battaient à Kyushu et dans la plaine de Tokyo, l'Army Air Corps aurait continué à bombarder les villes japonaises, augmentant ainsi le nombre total de victimes civiles. Amerikan ve Müttefik kuvvetleri Kyushu ve Tokyo Ovası'nda savaşırken, Ordu Hava Kuvvetleri'nin Japon şehirlerini bombalamaya devam edeceğini ve böylece toplam sivil ölü sayısının artacağını unutmayın.

Nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the casualties resulting from the invasion of Japan. Yaklaşık 500.000 Mor Kalp madalyası, Japonya'nın işgalinden kaynaklanan kayıplar göz önünde bulundurularak üretilmiştir. To the present date, all the American military casualties of the nearly 70 years following the end of the Second World War—including the Korean and Vietnam war—have not exceeded that number. À ce jour, toutes les victimes militaires américaines des quelque 70 années qui ont suivi la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale - y compris les guerres de Corée et du Viêt Nam - n'ont pas dépassé ce chiffre. Bugüne kadar, Kore ve Vietnam savaşları da dahil olmak üzere, İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nın sona ermesini takip eden yaklaşık 70 yıl boyunca Amerikan askeri kayıpları bu sayıyı geçmemiştir. There are still so many medals in surplus that combat units in Afghanistan are able to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to wounded soldiers. Hâlâ ihtiyaç fazlası o kadar çok madalya var ki, Afganistan'daki muharip birlikler yaralı askerlere hemen vermek üzere Mor Kalpleri ellerinde tutabiliyorlar. There would also have been political consequences to consider. Bunun siyasi sonuçlarını da göz önünde bulundurmak gerekirdi. In early August, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded parts of Manchuria and the Kuril Islands, the northern part of the Japanese island chain. Ağustos ayının başlarında Sovyetler Birliği Japonya'ya savaş ilan etti ve Mançurya'nın bir kısmını ve Japon adalar zincirinin kuzey kısmı olan Kuril Adaları'nı işgal etti. It is very likely that Josef Stalin would have ordered his forces to continue moving down the island chain as the rest of the Allied forces moved up the chain from the south. Il est très probable que Josef Staline aurait ordonné à ses forces de continuer à descendre la chaîne d'îles alors que le reste des forces alliées remontait la chaîne par le sud. Büyük olasılıkla Josef Stalin, Müttefik kuvvetlerin geri kalanı güneyden zincire doğru ilerlerken, kendi kuvvetlerinin ada zincirinin aşağısına doğru ilerlemeye devam etmesini emredecekti. It is possible that Japan would today be two nations, much like North and South Korea. Il est possible que le Japon soit aujourd'hui composé de deux nations, à l'instar de la Corée du Nord et de la Corée du Sud. Japonya'nın bugün Kuzey ve Güney Kore gibi iki ulus olması mümkündür. The effect that would have had on the world, both economically and culturally, can not be measured. Bunun dünya üzerinde hem ekonomik hem de kültürel olarak yaratacağı etki ölçülemez.

The debate over the use of nuclear weapons against Japan in August, 1945, will continue as long as those events are remembered by human beings. Le débat sur l'utilisation d'armes nucléaires contre le Japon en août 1945 se poursuivra aussi longtemps que les êtres humains se souviendront de ces événements. Ağustos 1945'te Japonya'ya karşı nükleer silah kullanımına ilişkin tartışmalar, bu olaylar insanlar tarafından hatırlandığı sürece devam edecektir. One can only hope that future events will never be so horrendous as to cause Hiroshima and Nagasaki to fade from our collective memory. On ne peut qu'espérer que les événements futurs ne seront jamais assez horribles pour que Hiroshima et Nagasaki s'effacent de notre mémoire collective. Tek umudumuz gelecekteki olayların Hiroşima ve Nagazaki'nin toplumsal hafızamızdan silinmesine neden olacak kadar korkunç olmamasıdır.