Quote:
Originally Posted by htperr6565
My argument does not involve whether or not they were or could have been forced to capitulate w/o the bomb or an invasion. My argument rests on the fact that Japan could not wage offensive warfare in 1945. period.
Once again, their fanaticism is not the issue. Its whether or not they possessed the resources to project that fanaticism on anyone but themselves. My argument is no. No oil, no offensive warfare. No means to sustain an offensive campaign. The military fanatics can have a circle jerk on the island.
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Ah, so you don’t care if the Japanese surrender, either. If that’s the case, we could have just declared ourselves victors after Midway and let the Japanese do whatever they wanted to do. I still don’t quite get your position. Could you spell it out a bit more thoroughly? We’re supposed to surround them … then do what? Ignore anything they might be doing on the island? Risk pilots on recon missions to keep tabs on them? Surround them with ships? How close should the ships sail, a couple of miles (close enough to come under fire from big guns placed on the island? Outside the range of guns, but inside the range of yacht-sized or larger kamikaze ships and subs and aircraft? Outside the range of kamikaze aircraft (a Zero had a range of about 2,000 miles and didn’t have to worry about a return flight)? How long would you keep up the blockade? A year? (I highly doubt they’d have surrendered after a year even if the blockade would have been 100% successful) Until the finally capitulated? What’s your plan?