Invasion of Japan

blake.e.weis

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I’m writing a first hand account that deals with the idea that the US still had to invade Japan at the end of WWII. My question to you all is this, when it comes to landings what is the best way to describe it. The characters unit lands on the second day of the invasion and I have it my mind that the scene would be like the opening of Saving Private Ryan but times by 10. Would that be an accurate assumption to go off of?
 

ironmikezero

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blake.e.weis

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Yes I’ve spent a long time researching Downfall, I was just more seeing if my idea regarding the landings was a good one
 

angeliz2k

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You mean, would it have been like D-Day? Hard to say, really, as it didn't happen and it's kind of a counter-factual. I don't know much at all about D-Day, the plans for invading Japan, or WWII military history in general, but there are some things to think about:

The Japanese, as I understand it, had a history or dying rather than giving in, so there may have been civilians and soldiers committing suicide and/or going down while taking as many Allied soldiers with them as possible.

How would the coastline of Japan differ from that of the Normandy beaches? Is it even beaches, or is it cliffs, bluffs, shoals, or marshland? That will certainly make a difference in how your soldier experiences things.

What are the Allied soldiers' feelings towards the Japanese, as compared to the Germans? Do they think they're evil, like the Nazis are evil? Again, this will affect your character's feelings and actions as he lands.

As far as Saving Private Ryan times ten . . . I don't know particularly why this invasion would be ten times more intense than that (can it be that much more intense?), but if you have particular reasons to think it would've been ten times more intense, and you think you can pull that off, then by all means, have at it. It's a what-if situation, so no one can say you nay. That being said, the answers to the questions above might help you think about exactly how/why such an invasion might have been more intense than D-Day.

Good luck! :)
 

Richard White

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My ex-father-in-law was part of the proposed invasion force. He was Army Medical and they were going to be parachuted in the day before the invasion to start spraying ponds to kill mosquitos. His unit was warned to expect 100% casualties within the first 48 hours of landing and that anyone they encountered - military or civilian - were to be treated as hostile combatants because odds were, they would be. Needless to say, as a 22-year-old recent med school grad to be told you're going on a one-way trip to kill mosquitos was not how he envisioned his life winding up. He was very pleased the invasion never had to happen.
 
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blake.e.weis

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Angeliz2k
In trying to answer some of your questions the main reason I am assuming SPR x10 was because unlike Normandy where the Nazis did not know where our forces we’re going to land, Japan knew where US forces were planning to invade and was massing as many troops as possible at the landing sites. The landing beaches in Japan varied as far as how similar they were to the Normandy beaches but I’d say the beach my character lands at is like the beaches at Normandy.
 

frimble3

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And, once the troops get off the beach, there won't be a chance of running into happy locals, eager to greet the men who are pushing back their invaders. Every inch of Japan will be fought for, if need be over the bodies of Japanese civilians desperate to protect their emperor.
No helpful Resistance fighters, or previously set-up systems of support.
 

blake.e.weis

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I’m still trying to work that civilian aspect into it. I’m about to start my 3rd draft and I haven’t included the civilians yet.
 

Tocotin

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Check out the Battle of Okinawa. Americans landed there and had to fight not only regular soldiers, but also civilians and children (both boys and girls) who had "volunteered", but in fact were pressed into service by the army. At that point of the war, the Japanese Imperial Army simply did not have enough soldiers and they had been training children aged 14-17 as soldiers, nurses and for special units (sabotage units, kamikaze squads). In Okinawa, half of those children were killed, a lot of them in suicide attacks.