To What Extent Did The Battle Of Okinawa Influence The Decision To Drop The Atomic Bombs?

by thesauceman479

I've heard arguments for every side, but im looking for sources mainly. id appreciate book and paper suggestions too, bc i know its a really big topic of debate. I really am just looking to learn the impact of okinawa (knowing it was a really brutal battle, and top army brass though it'd be a harder landing than D-Day) on the choice to forego an invasion of Japan. any help is appreciated!

jschooltiger

I think you may be misunderstanding the use of the atomic bombs as part of the strategic bombing campaign against Japan. There was not a decision to "forego an invasion of Japan;" the atomic bombings and an invasion of the Home Islands were a both/and, not an either/or (there was some discussion of using more bombs tactically, on invasion beaches for example). These older answers about the bombings may be of some interest to you:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2todt6/did_the_us_have_to_nuke_japan_in_wwii/co17rtk/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cawabr/were_the_japanese_preparing_to_surrender_before/etcg30s/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c34bcf/did_the_atomic_bombings_in_japan_indirectly/

or our general FAQ section on the bombings:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/faq/militaryhistory/wwii/usa#wiki_the_atomic_bombs.2C_aka_questions_.2Fu.2Frestricteddata_has_answered