How many lives would Operation Downfall cost?

A study done for Secretary of War Henry Stimson’s staff by William Shockley estimated that invading Japan would cost 1.7–4 million American casualties, including 400,000–800,000 fatalities, and five to ten million Japanese fatalities.

How many people would of died in Operation Downfall?

In late July 1945, the War Department provided an estimate that the entire Downfall operations would cause between 1.7 to 4 million U.S. casualties, including 400-800,000 U.S. dead, and 5 to 10 million Japanese dead.

What would happen if the US had invaded Japan on Nov 1 1945?

The U.S. government estimated that invading the Japanese Home Islands would cost 5 to 10 million Japanese lives. In addition, Japan was faced with a major famine during the winter of 1945/1946 and beyond. The November 1 invasion would have a “force to be landed” of about 766,000.

How long did Operation Overlord last?

Operation Overlord

Date	6 June – 30 August 1944 (2 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)
Location	Northern France
Result	Allied victory

How many people would have died in Operation Olympic?

With the casualty ratios of those battles applied to Operation Olympic, the estimate for U.S. casualties would have been 94,000 killed and 234,000 wounded. The total casualty estimate of 328,000 equates to 57 percent of the U.S. ground forces slated for Olympic.

Was Operation Downfall a success?

Fortunately, Downfall never happened. The two atom bombs, dropped nearly four months before the invasion was to begin, brought the war to a swift conclusion.

Why is D-Day called D-Day?

In other words, the D in D-Day merely stands for Day. This coded designation was used for the day of any important invasion or military operation. Brigadier General Schultz reminds us that the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 was not the only D-Day of World War II.

What was Operation Downfall and how did it work?

While the overall plan for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands was codenamed Operation Downfall, it was made up of two component operations, Olympic and Coronet. Many of the operations in the Pacific War were undertaken in order to not only eliminate centres of Japanese resistance but to provide bases for up-and-coming operations.

Why did Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet fail?

The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war and the invasion of Manchuria. The operation had two parts: Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet.

How many US soldiers died in Operation Downfall?

Operation Downfall. The Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that Olympic alone would cost 456,000 men, including 109,000 killed. Including Coronet, it was estimated that America would experience 1.2 million casualties, with 267,000 deaths.

How many ships were involved in Operation Olympic?

Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyūshū, was to begin on “X-Day”, which was scheduled for 1 November 1945. The combined Allied naval armada would have been the largest ever assembled, including 42 aircraft carriers, 24 battleships, and 400 destroyers and destroyer escorts.