Operation Downfall

[RyanCrierie]

Terminus; I have several JCS studies that I copied from Microfilm from the Nimitz Library at the US Naval Academy titled:

"Requirements for Land-Based and Carrier-Based Aircraft to accomplish the defeat of Japan" dated 9 August 1945

"Details of the Campaign Against Japan" 11 July 1945

and a whole series of papers titled

"British Participation in the VLR Bombing of Japan" detailing TIGER force.

Interested in seeing those?

Plus, is there any chance of the SWOD Mark 9 Model 0 BAT radar homing antishipping bomb appearing in the Downfall Scenario? We actually did sink ships with it:

The antiship variant of the Bat (SWOD Mark 9 Model 0) eventually saw combat service beginning in April 1945 off Borneo, dropped by PB4Y Privateers[4] (one bomb mounted under each wing) at altitudes of 15,000 to 25,000 feet (4,600–7,600 m) at airspeeds of 140 to 210 knots (260-390 km/h). Several Japanese ships were sunk, including a destroyer at a range of 20 nmi (37 km).[citation needed].

[TheElf]

I am.

[DuckofTindalos]

Sure. You can zip them up and PM them to me.

As for Bat, it almost certainly won't be making an appearance. There's not enough for it to attack, similar to how the big Tiny Tim rocket wasn't used much.

[timtom]

Me too!

[Don Bowen]

Me too!

[DuckofTindalos]

Well?[:)]

[RyanCrierie]

I gots to set up my scanner -- and scan in the thing! [:'(]

[DuckofTindalos]

Ahh, thought you had already...

[RyanCrierie]

Found this in my files from a visit to the US National Archives Several Years ago:

[RyanCrierie]

This was part of the discussion on invading Japan; using old CVEs and LSTs to launch hundreds of JB-2s (aka V-1s) at Japan to soften them up before invasion.

[RyanCrierie]

Okay, here is the full version; scanned it in tonight and then HTMLed it:

HTML version - 135 kb
PDF Version - 15.7 MB

I must warn you, the PDF is bad quality, it's a xerox of a microfilm; so...[:o]

Anyway it sums up (assuming no damage occurs, like kamikazes, etc) the forces available to toss at Japan at different times. For example in Spring 1946, the US would have:

2 x Midways
23 Essexes + Lexington + Enterprise, etc
6 British CVs
9 CVLs
3 British CVLs (really super sized CVEs, only 24 kt speed)
77 CVEs
8 British CVEs

for a total of:

40 fast carriers
88 escort carriers

pounding Japan [X(]

[RyanCrierie]

Are there plans to include the Pershing in this? Twelve T26s were shipped to take part in Okiwana, but due to a shipping mixup, they didn't arrive until the battle was well over, and so they were split up between the 193rd and 711th tank Battalions for use as trainers (for future conversion?)

Reason for shipping the T26 over was while the Sherman was still the Tiger of the Pacific, Sherman losses to Japanese 47mm AT Guns at very close ranges from dug in bunkers were getting unacceptable.