Japan Vanquished

Tokyo after Firebombing

bigpigeon.us webpage WW II - Japan > Japan Vanquished, updated by RAC 19 Aug '19.

==> Sorry, this webpage is currently incomplete.

This webpage covers the War with Japan in the Japanese Home Islands.

The four major home islands, from south to north, are Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido.

The seven largest cities, in order of size, are Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe. Hiroshima is the 11th largest city.

Not shown on the map is Nagasaki, a city whose name is known to many, on the west coast of Kyushu.

The Japanese Home Islands

Air and Sea Attacks on the Japanese Home Islands

April 1942 - The Doolittle Raid

The Doolittle Raid was an attack from the USS Hornet of sixteen B-25 medium bombers led by Jimmy Doolittle against targets in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Most bombers then flew on to China, where the crews bailed out. The Doolittle Raid did little damage. However, it was a morale booster and propaganda victory for the United States. On the plus side, it may have encouraged Japan to keep more of its military resources in the Home Islands, rather than in the field. On the negative side, it led to the Japanese murders of thousands of Chinese civilians in areas that had aided Doolittle crew members after they landed. The Japanese Home Islands were not attacked from the air again until June 1944.

B-25s on USS Hornet, Apr '42

The Underseas War

June 1944 - January 1945 - B-29 Raids from the CBI Theater

The development of the B-29 very heavy bomber was a major WW II project in the United States. The B-29 was designed for use in the vast distances found in the War with Japan.

The B-29 first saw combat in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater in June 1944, flying from bases in India against targets in the CBI Theater as well as targets in the Japanese Home Islands. For Home Island targets, B-29s first flew over the mountain ranges known as the Hump to advanced bases in China.

B-29 raids of Japan from bases in India were never on a large scale. They were not cost effective and ceased in January 1945.

CBI Theater Air Bases Used by B-29 Bombers

October 1944 - August 1945 - B-29 Raids from the Mariana Islands

1945 - Carrier-Based Raids

1945 - Bomber Raids from Okinawa

1945 - Naval Bombardment

The Atomic Bombs

First Bomb - Hiroshima - 6 August 1945

Second Bomb - Nagasaki - 9 August 1945

Russia Enters the War with Japan

The Planned Invasion of the Japanese Home Islands

By the summer of 1945, the Japanese island empire had crumbled and the once-powerful Imperial Japanese Navy barely existed. Large portions of major Japanese cities already lay in ruins. The large island of Okinawa 400 miles south of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu was now available for use in Operation Downfall, the final Allied campaign of the war with Japan. The first invasion, Operation Olympic, was planned for November 1.

Japan still had a large army in China and thousands of planes in the home islands suitable for use as kamikazes. The increasing casualty count among Americans as the war approached Japan led many to predict the pending invasions would produce a blood bath among bogh Americans and Japanese. A million young American men born around 1927 viewed their future with apprehension as they, rather than existing veterans, would provide most of the cannon fodder.

Fortunately, the use of nuclear weapons, the Russian entry into the war, and the flexible position of Emperor Hirohito brought an end to the war without an invasion of the Home Islands.

The Planned Invasion of Japan

The Japanese Surrender

The Occupation of Japan

Sources for the WW II - Japan Vanquished webpage

the webpage header image Tokyo after Firebombing shows the aftermath of the March 1945 B-29 incendiary bombing raids over an area of Tokyo. It is courtesy of http://carynschulenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Devastation-of-Tokyo-2.jpg.
The photo B-25s on Hornet, April 1942 is courtesy of the Museum of the Air Force.
The Japanese Home Islands map is courtesy of en.wikipedia.com.
The map captioned CBI Theater Air Bases Used by B-29 Bombers is courtesy of semanticscholar.org.
The First Bomb - Hiroshima - 6 August 1945 photo is courtesy of upi.com.
The Second Bomb - Nagasaki - 9 August 1945 photo is courtesy of truthout.org.
the diagram The Planned Invasion of Japan is courtesy of kilroywashere.org.

Pottawattamie County, Iowa WW II Deaths - Japan Vanquished (updated 19 Aug '19)
World Wars > WW II > Pott. Co. Deaths has parental and spousal information.
(deaths in or near the Japanese home islands or due to attacks on Japan)

Briggs, Earl E., US Army; US Army Coast Artillery Headquarters, Manila and Subic Bay Harbor Defenses (Philippines); d. 9 Mar '44 in POW camp, Chicco, Osaka, Japan.
Davenport, William T., USAAF; 62nd Bomb. Sqdn., 39th Bomb. Gp., 20th Air Force, based on Guam; d. 29 May ’45 120 miles NE of Tori-Shima, south of Tokyo, hit by flak over Yokohama and ditched, four died.
Davis, August W., USAAF; 792nd Bomb. Sqdn., 468th Bomb. Gp. XX Bomber Cmd., 20th Air Force, rear base in India, forward base in China; d. 15 Jun '44 over Yawata, Kyushu, Japan on first B-29 lost over Japan.
Garner, William F., US Naval Aviation; F4U Corsair pilot in VBF-83 Sqdn. based on carrier USS Essex; d. 18 Mar '45 over Kyushu, Japan.
Gidley, Robert A., USAAF; 676th Bomb. Sqdn., 444th Bomb. Gp., XX Bomber Cmd., 20th Air Force, rear base in India, forward base in China; d. 20 Aug '44 near Chengdu, Sichuan, China, returning from B-29 raid over Japan.
Goodwin, Ralph H., civilian contract employee; captured at Wake Island; d. 23 Dec. '43 at Fukuoka Camp, Kyushu, Japan.
Pedersen, Roy Marion Jr., USAAF; 866th Bomb. Sqdn., 494th Bomb. Gp., 7th AF, based on Okinawa; d. 28 Jul '45 near Kure Harbor, Kyushu, Japan when B-24 shot down by flak; seven crew members taken prisoner and died at Hiroshima from the first atomic bomb.
Welty, Robert L., US Naval Aviation; F6F Hellcat pilot, VF-12 Sqdn., CVG-12 Gp. based on carrier USS Randolph; d. 14 May '45 over Kyushu, Japan.