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The Japanese's employment of kamikazes meant that the Allies (US) would have to fight to the death for every island the Japanese controlled at an unacceptable (by most countries' standards) 15+% fatality rate of our soldiers. The idea of the bombings was to do so much damage that the Japanese knew they had no choice but to surrender.

AnswerMr know it all here; At first the US Air Corps tried high level bombing with the new B-29 Superfortress, but the discovery of the high altitude jet streams made precise bombing impossible. Resulting in a change to incendiary bombing at low level at night for most missions.

Carpet bombing by B-29s were devastating. The B-29 could carry three times the bomb load of a B-17 and fly at over 360mph. It was very fast and lethal in the incendiary bombing campaigns on metropolitian cities. American history likes to proclaim that the stick construction of Japanese cities contributed greatly to the destructive effects of the campaigns. However, German cities suffered just as badly. The Japanese cities were also ancient and had vary narrow lanes, or streets, which further contributed to both blocking escape pathways, as well as blocking firefighting equipment. The firefighting equipment was totally inadequate for the task, usually consisting of a tiny fire truck which sat two men and was outfitted with a couple of ladders, axes, and sand buckets; looking alot like an American Bantam Automobile that had been converted to the firefighting role. As far as I know, this aspect of total unpreparedness on the part of Japanese Civil Authority has never been investigated or properly addressed.

The effects of incendiary bombing was the creation of a fire storm. The lethality of which was more devastating than the atomic bombs which were used later. Far more people died in these raids than from any other single thing.There was no escape once a fire storm began and you were not on the edges where escape might have been possible. Hiding in a cellar was of no use as the oxygen had been used, and you baked inside what essentially became an oven.

All this raises the question of the effectiveness of atomic weapons in ultimate surrender of the Japanese Empire. Once Again, Americans like to think that the Atom Bomb caused the Japanese to surrender, and the Japanese like to use that notion against Americans, but ultimately the Japanese only surrendered when the Russians declared war and Japan was in danger of losing parts of the home Islands. Up till the last few weeks of the war the Japanese had been trading with Russia; Obtaining vital oil. The Japanese knew that Americans were a fair and just people, but that losing part of the nation to the Russians would likely mean losing it forever. The choice was obvious, fight on and still lose as well as lose part of the nation itself, or surrender to the Americans and endure the unendurable while America protected Japan from Russia. There were no other options. This is the only reason Japan Surrendered!

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13y ago

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