He estimates that by the end of 1945, there would have been a famine that might have turned the tide by starving millions not hundreds of thousands but millions of japanese civilians. Chun explains why these plans were never implemented, before examining the horrific alternative to military invasion the. Japan entered world war ii with limited aims and with the intention of fighting a. December the first waves of japanese aircraft struck the u. Dowers brilliant examination of japan in the immediate, shattering aftermath of world war ii. However, one of their number happened to be in hiroshima the day the bomb was dropped. This is the first book to take a detailed look at the japanese home island fortifications that were constructed during 194145.
Tm e 30480 handbook on japanese military forces 19441001. Japan 1945 is an osprey campaign series book, authored by clayton k. What do we know of japans war plans towards the end of. Steve noon in 1945, with her fleet destroyed and her armies beaten, the only things that stood between japan and an allied invasion were the numerous coastal defense positions that surrounded the islands. Winner of the pulitzer prize, the 1999 national book award for nonfiction, finalist for the lionel gelber prize and the kiriyama pacific rim book prize, embracing defeat is john w. Get the best deals on original ww ii japanese books when you shop the largest online selection at.
Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 194547. In april, allied forces pushed through the german defensive line in italy. Creating japan s ground self defense force, 1945 2015. He details operation downfall the planned invasion of the japanese home islands. Japan s security and defense policy and the japan u. Navy agreed that the formation of a joint committee to assess enemy naval and merchant shipping losses during world war ii would be desirable. The united states advised and supported china but had only a few units based there. The war against japan us army center of military history. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading defense of japan 1945 fortress book 99. Free shipping get free shipping free 58 day shipping within the u. In 1945, with her fleet destroyed and her armies beaten, the only thing that stood. David hunterchester this study provides a comprehensive institutional history of japan s post 1945 army. In the first several months of 1945, germany put up a fierce defense, but rapidly lost territory, ran out of supplies, and exhausted its options. Section 6 trends concerning military science and technology as well as defense production and technological bases.
Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and. It also analyzes representations of the military in popular culture, the. He has written and lectured widely on national security matters and is an awardwinning author of numerous articles and 12 books, including the soldier from independence. East met west on the river elbe on april 25, 1945, when soviet and american troops met near torgau, germany. Defense of japan 1945 fortress book 99 and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Army soldier who spent more than twenty years working, studying. The invasion of luzon itself started on january 9, 1945, when four army. Creating japans ground selfdefense force, 19452015. In this 200th campaign series title clayton chun examines the final stages of world war ii as the allies debated how to bring about the surrender of japan. In 1945, with her fleet destroyed and her armies beaten, the o. There are a total of 39 ww2 japanese guns 19391945 in the military factory.
While there are many books that focus on the history, strategy, doctrine, and culture of pre 1945 imperial japanese army, very few have focused specifically on the jgsdf. Military libraries new small calibre rifle military service of indians the mexican army west indies and nicaragua canal chinese and japanese armies war between china and japan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. By mid june 1945, japanese plans for the vital campaign in honshu envisioned an allout battle on the main beaches leading to the kanto plain. Navy codebreakers deciphered japanese sailing dates, courses, speeds, and routes of naval convoys and formations, unbeknownst to the japanese. By the end, the japanese had little left to defend themselves.
The japanese 17th area army was formed on january 22, 1945 under the imperial general headquarters as the successor to the chosen army of japan as part of the last desperate defense effort by the empire of japan to deter possible landings of allied forces on the korean peninsula during operation downfall or operation ketsugo. Set to begin in november 1945, operation olympic was intended to capture the. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. This book fills a void and, without a doubt, is a very important contribution to the study of japan s national security policy. Defense of japan 1945 fortress book 99 kindle edition by zaloga, steven j. Utilizing diagrams, specially commissioned artwork, and sources previously.
This is the first book to take a detailed look at the japanese home island fortifications that. China and japan fought world war ii beginning in 1937 and continuing until the japanese surrender in 1945. The surrender of the empire of japan on september 2, 1945, brought the hostilities of world war ii to a close. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not. I enjoyed reading defense of japan 1945 and found it very instructive, particularly with its many photos and maps of japanese defenses and weapons.
Aboard the uss missouri in tokyo bay, japan formally surrenders to the allies, bringing an end to world war ii by the summer of 1945, the defeat of japan was a foregone conclusion. From the very beginning, preparations for the defense of the homeland had been seriously hampered by enemy air activity over the home islands. The effects of the atomic bomb on hiroshima, japan the. Three pillars of japan s defense means to achieve the objectives of defense chapter 1 japan s own architecture for national defense.
The japanese planned an allout defense of kyushu, with little left in reserve for. Kashimanada, kujukurihama, and the head of sagami bay were regarded as the crucial areas to be held at all costs against an amphibious invasion. Defense of japan 1945 fortress download only books. In 1945, with her fleet destroyed and her armies beaten, the only thing that stood between japan and an allied invasion was the numerous coastal defence positions that surrounded the islands. Japan s nationalist school books teach a different view of history.
Portion of international map of the world sheet ni 53, u. Section 2 role that japan s defense forces have to fulfill. By the end of july 1945, sufficient information was available for the g2 to make a preliminary estimate of the enemy strength in kyushu. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. List of books and articles about japan, postwar period. Ww2 japanese guns 19391945 global defense reference. Wwii tokyo fall of 1945 photography book japan japanese super fortress gift. Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 19451947 is the. The relentless and welldisciplined imperial japanese army soldier made tremendous headway across the pacific and asia thanks largely to proper tools at hand. Operation downfall and the invasion of japan, 1945 47 naval institute press, 2009. Alliance chapter 1 basic concepts of japan s security and defense. Homeland operations record 1941 1945 army covers defense preparations for japan proper with exception of island of hokkaido, including the establishment of the general and area armies and the separate air command. Operation downfall was the proposed allied plan for the invasion of the japanese home. This is the first book to take a detailed look at the japanese.
Jima and okinawa were shocked at the ferocity of the fanatical japanese defense. Japan only permitted civil defense advice against nuclear attack to be published after the second nuclear attack on nagasaki, which was too late. The primary american goal was to tie down japanese forces that otherwise might be used against the allies in the pacific. How effective was the japanese defense of japan during ww2. Headquarters sixth army office of the assistant chief of staff, g2 apo 442. Even at ground zero, the blast wave was delayed after the first flash because of the height of burst, so quick reactions could limit exposure to flying glass. Pdf defense of japan 1945 download full pdf book download. Ospreypublishing defense of japan 1945 military history. On 1 aug 1945 the air general army had 800 frontline fighters and bombers, plus 2,000 special suicide attack planes.
A military biography of harry truman 2009, zenith press and hell to pay. On monday, august 6, 1945, a mushroom cloud billows into the sky about one hour after an atomic bomb was dropped by american b29 bomber, the enola gay, detonating above hiroshima, japan. Their air force was built for offensive operations and unlike the british air force, couldnt coordinate their remaining aircraft to respond to american bombing raids. This is the defense of japan 1945 military history book by osprey publishing.