By early in 1945 Germany had surrendered and the United States was able to focus on the war in the Pacific. Japan was suffering from a serious lack of oil and was having trouble producing more armaments with which to fight. America had a strong position in the Pacific and was moving ever closer to Japan by the time Germany surrendered.In the February of 1944 Admiral Chester Nimitz had already been successful in a series of victories, which broke the outer perimeter of the Japanese Empire. The American submarines were taking their toll on Japanese shipping and by the summer of 1944 Japan had very little food, and relatively less oil. In June of 1944 the decisive battles in the war of the Pacific were fought. In June America was able to take control of the Mari ...view middle of the document...
The United States, as a result of the kamikaze and invasions, lost 50,000 troops while the Japanese lost over 100,000. American and British fleets were now 370 miles from Japan, and Japanese forces had been heavily depleted.The Japanese, by June of 1945, no longer had any planes or ships with which to defend their coast from American and British navies. American ships were able to anchor a few short miles offshore and bombard industrial cities which had already been decimated by American bombers and fighter planes. American planes also partook in firebombing many major cities. As a result of their countless defeats the more moderate Japanese leaders were beginning to rise and speak of ending the war. Despite all of this, many Japanese were still very willing to fight, and a land invasion would cost many lives from both the Japanese and American sides.On July 16, 1945 the United States successfully tested the first atomic bomb in the desert of New Mexico. This put the United States at a definite advantage, militarily, over the rest of the world. The original reason for allowing the creation of the bomb was not necessarily to use it during the war, but rather to have that option and use its symbolic value to put the United States ahead and a threat. Truman decided upon its completion that he would save more American lives by dropping the atom bomb than by means of a land invasion due to the incredible spirit of the Japanese army.This is part of a three-part assignment. The other two pieces are Why did the U.S. drop the second bomb so close to the first? and Did the U.S. want to surprise Japan or the Soviet Union? Thank you for your time
