Maps: World War II in the Pacific

Japanese Imperial ReachAmerican Advance Across the PacificJapanese Predictions of a U.S. InvasionThe Firebombing of TokyoU.S. Plans for Invading Japan: May 1945U.S. Plans for Invading Japan: July 1945U.S. Plans for Invading Japan: August 1945 Select a Map

U.S. Plans for Invading Japan, August 1945 View Animated Map

In hard-fought battles during early 1945, American forces take Iwo Jima and Okinawa, obtaining the close staging bases the U.S. needs for an invasion of Japan. General Curtis LeMay continues air assaults on five other Japanese cities with his devastating low-altitude firebombing strategy. Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall is convinced that ground forces need to move in. The invasion plan will continue to evolve in mid-1945, as intelligence reports convey new information about Japanese troop movements.

In July 1945, the latest American intelligence indicates nine Japanese divisions are protecting Kyushu.

By August 6, 1945, U.S. intercepts of Japanese communications identify 13 divisions that have massed to defend Kyushu. General George Marshall begins to have second thoughts about the plan, but the need for an invasion will soon disappear. The U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, and a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later. Emperor Hirohito will accept surrender terms on August 14, 1945, officially ending the war.

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