Chapter 36 03. Hit until you are convinced

Although the U.S. military won the Battle of Okinawa, they fought for 80 days and lost 48,000 people.Japan dispatched 2,400 suicide planes, sank 26 U.S. warships and injured 164 ships, including the U.S. ace aircraft carrier "Enterprise". At the end of June, the Japanese military formulated a plan for a "decisive battle in Japan".After the battles of Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, the devils became more confident.They still have millions of troops in their hands, and they have the so-called "jade broken" determination, and they are going to fight for a few more years to achieve a decent ending.

Instead, the U.S. military felt a little nervous.Although all these battles were won, the high price paid was beyond the expectation of the US military.How much would it cost to attack the Japanese mainland like this?Therefore, the plan formulated by the US military at this time also believed that the war would be delayed, and the Japanese mainland could not be attacked until the spring of 1946.Of course, the U.S. military also believes that it is possible to shorten the war, because they still have a trump card that has not been played-the "509 Group" of the Army Aviation. During this time, the "509th Group", like other B-29 bomber groups, participated in air raids on cities in Japan.The difference is that they only carry one bomb at a time, and each time they drop a bomb, they are required to maintain a certain height, require the impact point to be accurate, and explode within sight.This can basically be said to be an actual combat exercise. Only one person in the whole group knows why this repeated exercise is necessary, and he is the leader of the team, Colonel Tibbes.

The mission of the "509 Group" is related to the weapons of mass destruction being developed by the US military.This kind of big killer is the famous atomic bomb! The first atomic bomb to be dropped by the United States, the "Little Boy", was divided into four parts, which were transported to Tinian Island by three planes and a cruiser, where they were assembled. "Little Boy" will be dropped by a B-29 bomber with serial number 82. On July 16, the United States successfully tested the atomic bomb. On July 28, the Japanese government refused to accept the "Potsdam Proclamation" urged by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to surrender.If the Japanese don't cry when they see the coffin, and if they don't surrender at this time, don't blame the United States for being rude.

On August 5, Colonel Tibbes convened a meeting of all members of the "509 Group".He told everyone for the first time that the reason why the "509 Group" trained for 10 months was just to drop a bomb in Japan, but it was not an ordinary bomb, but the first atomic bomb in history! The No. 82 B-29 bomber will be piloted by Colonel Tibbes, and the original pilot Robert Lewis will be the co-pilot.No one in the crew knew the structure of the atomic bomb, and the technical expert Colonel Persons was ordered to perform the mission randomly.The superior demanded that if he failed to complete the mission and was arrested by forced landing, Persons should commit suicide immediately.

There are also five B-29 bombers operating with the No. 82 aircraft, two of which are responsible for reconnaissance, and three of which report weather conditions at any time, and then determine the "winning" city-Hiroshima, Nagasaki or Kokura according to the weather conditions. At 2:40 am on August 6, the "509 Group" was ready to take off.After the plane was lifted into the air, Colonel Persons climbed into the bomb bay, opened the safety device of the atomic bomb, and installed the detonator. At 7:30, the sky was clear, and the crew began to prepare for the bombing, and determined the target city-Hiroshima. At 8:35, the two B-29s accompanying No. 82 left quickly. At 9 o'clock, in order to prevent the glare from hurting the eyes, the crew put on thick sunglasses.

At 9:16, "Little Boy" was thrown out of the bomb bay.On this day, all clocks in Hiroshima stopped at 9:16.The atomic bomb exploded at a distance of 600 meters from the ground, immediately sending out a blinding intense white flash, followed by a deafening explosion over Hiroshima.In an instant, a huge mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rolled up in the city, and then hundreds of fire pillars were erected, and Hiroshima City immediately turned into a scorching sea of ​​flames. The intense light waves of the atomic bomb blast blinded tens of thousands of people; the high temperature of 1 billion degrees reduced everything to ashes; the radiation rain caused many people to slowly die in the next 20 years; the strong wind formed by the shock wave, And destroyed the buildings.People and things under the center of the explosion were disintegrated like atoms apart; a little further away from the center of the explosion, the remains of men, women and children could be seen burned in an instant; Although he was lucky enough to be alive, he was either severely burned, or his eyes were burnt into two holes.The sweltering air can still be felt 16 kilometers away.

At that time, the population of Hiroshima was 340,000, and most of the people near the center of the explosion died. There were more than 88,000 people who died that day, and more than 51,000 people were injured or missing.Two-thirds of all buildings in the city were destroyed. The tragedy of Hiroshima did not convince Japan's rulers to accept unconditional surrender.They tried their best to cover up the truth about Hiroshima so as not to affect the morale of the people.At the same time, they still had a fluke mentality, thinking that the US military had only one atomic bomb, and pinned their hopes on the mediation of the Soviet Union.

At 11:30 am on August 9, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.There were 270,000 people in the city of Nagasaki, and more than 60,000 people died that day, which led to another tragedy after Hiroshima. According to the agreement reached with the US and British allies at the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference, the Soviet Union stepped up preparations for fighting against Japan immediately after the end of the Soviet-German War. In May 1945, after Germany surrendered, the Soviet Union mobilized a large number of troops from the Western Front to the Far East.By the beginning of August, the Soviet Union's total military strength in the Far East had reached more than 1.7 million, with more than 5,000 aircraft, more than 5,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery.

The Japanese Kwantung Army entrenched in Northeast China has only 24 divisions and 11 independent brigades, with about 750,000 people.In all aspects of military strength and equipment, the Soviet army has absolute advantages. The Kwantung Army was originally an elite Japanese army, known as the "Flower of the Imperial Army".However, due to the repeated setbacks of the Japanese army in China and the Pacific battlefield, the Kwantung Army's elite troops have been withdrawn, and the "flower of the imperial army" has long since become the "scum of the imperial army".

At 5 p.m. on August 8, Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov summoned the Japanese ambassador to Moscow, Naotake Sato, and told him that Japan was still waging war and refused to accept the Potsdam Proclamation. lose all grounds.The Soviet government abided by its obligations to the United Nations, accepted the request of the United Nations, and declared war on Japan from August 9.After hearing this, Sato's face turned ashen, and he immediately felt pain everywhere in his body, not only his left side. Just after midnight on August 9, the Soviet Red Army divided into four groups, crossed the Sino-Soviet border, and launched a full-line attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army.Under the rapid and fierce offensive of several Soviet troops, the Japanese Kwantung Army was caught off guard and rushed to the battle. It was easily defeated in less than a week. On August 14, Japan announced its acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito broadcast the surrender edict. On August 18, the commander of the Kwantung Army, Yamada Otozo, ordered the Kwantung Army to stop fighting and surrender to the Soviet army.

On August 19, Soviet troops entered Qiqihar. On August 20, the Soviet army marched into Changchun, Shenyang, Harbin, Jiamusi and other cities; on August 22, the vanguard of the Soviet army arrived in Lushun and Dalian. At the same time, the Soviet army on the southern flank also captured the main cities in northern North Korea, entered Pyongyang on August 24, and soon advanced to the vicinity of the "38th Parallel".In addition, the Soviet army launched an offensive to South Sakhalin Island (Sakhalin Island) on August 11 and occupied South Sakhalin Island on August 28. On August 15, the Soviet army landed on the Kuril Islands and occupied each island in turn from north to south. So far, the Soviet Union's war against Japan for more than 20 days has ended successfully.In the Far East campaign, the Soviet army killed 83,000 Japanese soldiers and captured 594,000 Japanese troops. After the "September 18th Incident", Japan occupied Northeast China, and then incorporated the economy of Northeast China into the war system, and built a powerful military industry in Northeast China.By the end of the war, the total industrial production in Northeast China had surpassed that of Japan.Therefore, when Japan was defeated, Japan's industry in the Northeast became a sought-after sweet pastry. China's bloody war of resistance finally ushered in the moment of victory.At the time, it seemed that Japan’s assets in China, as part of the compensation to China, had no problem internationally.But no one thought that something that everyone thought was no problem would go wrong. In fact, Stalin had other plans for the Japanese industry in Northeast China.At the Yalta Conference, Stalin negotiated conditions with Roosevelt, demanding that Russia restore all the privileges in Northeast China that Russia had lost in the Russo-Japanese War, otherwise he would not be able to explain to the people why the Soviet Union sent troops to Northeast China. After defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army, the Soviet Army sent armed "representatives" of varying numbers to take over the factories.After taking over, it is dismantling.In fact, the demolition began as soon as the fighting was over.Japanese prisoners of war, especially factory technicians, were mainly responsible for dismantling the machines, and were sent to Siberia prisoner-of-war camps to do hard labor afterwards. What is the total value of the machinery and equipment dismantled by the Soviet Union in the Northeast?There are various statistics, and the discrepancy is very large, about 800 million US dollars. The Chinese Nationalist Government once stated to the Soviet side that the Japanese asset industry in Northeast China should be owned by China as part of Japan's compensation, and questioned the Soviet army's wanton dismantling of machinery and equipment.The Soviet side insisted that all Japanese-funded enterprises that had served the Kwantung Army were the spoils of the Soviet army and would not make any concessions. In early 1946, when Chiang Ching-kuo visited Moscow, he directly asked Stalin to cancel the term "spoils of war".Stalin pushed Chiang Ching-kuo back on the grounds that canceling the spoils would humiliate the Soviet soldiers. In Northeast China, the Soviet army not only looted industrial supplies, but also committed numerous atrocities against civilians in Northeast China. During World War II, due to the heavy casualties of the Soviet Army, in order to meet the needs of soldiers, criminals and other men who did not meet the normal enlistment requirements were recruited into the army, and the military discipline was relatively poor.In Northeast China, the stragglers of the Soviet Army roamed the streets, often getting drunk, murdering and raping women recklessly, scaring the common people to close their doors.Lu Dongsheng, deputy commander of the Songjiang Military Region, a general who had studied at the Frunze Military Academy in the Soviet Union and participated in the "Nanchang Uprising", was shot and killed on the spot because he prevented Soviet soldiers from robbing.Even the generals of the Eighth Route Army dare to kill, let alone unarmed ordinary people? It was not until March 1946 that the Soviet army withdrew from the Northeast. On August 9, 1945, the Soviet Army launched an attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army, and the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.Japanese fascism is at its last moment. In the air-raid shelter of the Japanese Imperial Palace in Tokyo, a group of military and political dignitaries had different opinions and quarreled fiercely.In the afternoon, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki held a cabinet meeting.Suzuki said a few words, and then the foreign minister reported the Soviet Union's participation in the war and the reactions of various aspects after the atomic bombing, and proposed that Japan should surrender.A heated debate ensued at the venue.Finally, Suzuki asked the ministers for their opinions on whether they should accept the "Potsdam Proclamation" and surrender unconditionally. As a result, six people were in favor, three were against, and five people did not express their views.Suzuki said helplessly: "Since the cabinet can't make a decision, it has to be played by the emperor." The subsequent imperial meeting was still held in the air-raid shelter of the Imperial Palace, and Emperor Hirohito came to the meeting room.Suzuki first asked the clerk to read the "Potsdam Proclamation" aloud, and then read out his proposed proposal, that is, to accept unconditional surrender on the premise of preserving the emperor system.Soon, the conference room became noisy again. Emperor Hirohito has been silently listening to the debates of the crowd. Although the main fighters are full of confidence in winning and still want to conduct a "local decisive battle", Hirohito, who has been fooled many times, obviously no longer believes their nonsense, and finally decides to surrender. . On August 10, the U.S. government heard the broadcast of Japan’s decision to accept the Potsdam Proclamation, and immediately consulted the opinions of Britain, the Soviet Union, and China, and issued a reply: “From the moment of surrender, the Emperor of Japan must take orders from the U.S. Supreme Court.” Commander... the final form of the Japanese government will be determined by the expressed will of the Japanese people themselves." Two days later, American planes dropped Japanese leaflets containing the telegram of the Japanese government's acceptance of the "Potsdam Proclamation" and the reply from the Allies over Tokyo.For a while, the news that the Japanese government accepted the unconditional surrender quickly spread among the Japanese people. On August 14, Emperor Hirohito held an imperial meeting again.At the meeting, Prime Minister Lu Ananwei and others burst into tears. They said: "The Allied Powers' reply note is unclear about the wording of the system of protecting the Emperor, and I implore the Emperor for permission to submit another note. Just as the Allies are not allowed to protect the system of the Emperor, the only way to continue the war is to survive. "There was silence in the meeting place.In the end, Emperor Hirohito decided to accept unconditional surrender, ordered the drafting of an edict accepting unconditional surrender, recorded the edict, and prepared to broadcast it on the radio the next day. The process of Japan's surrender was dangerous.A group of young guard officers from the main combat faction decided to launch a coup d'état when they heard the news that the Emperor had decided to surrender.That night, they broke into the palace and searched everywhere, trying to rob the recording of the emperor's broadcast edict and prevent it from being broadcast to the whole country.The rebellion was quickly suppressed by the Guards, and the edict of surrender was immediately broadcast on the radio: In view of the general trend of the world and the current state of the empire, I intend to take extraordinary measures to clean up the situation. I hereby inform you and other subjects that I have ordered the imperial government to notify the United States, Britain, China and the Soviet Union that they are willing to accept their joint announcement. Gai seeks the well-being of the subjects of the empire and shares the joy of the common prosperity of all nations. This is the legacy of the emperor's ancestors and the emperor, and he is also remembered by me.The former, the reason why the empire declared war on the United States and Britain was actually for the self-survival of the empire and the stability of East Asia. It is like rejecting the sovereignty of other countries and infringing on their territory, which is not my original intention.However, it has been four years since the war began. Although the land and sea generals are brave and good at fighting, all the officials are working hard to govern, and the 100 million people are serving the public and doing their best, the situation of the war has not improved, and the general trend of the world is not in our favor.In addition, the enemy has recently used brutal bombs to kill innocent people frequently, and the extent of the damage is really unpredictable.If the war continues, it will not only lead to the demise of our nation, but also destroy human civilization.In this way, how can I preserve the billions of children and thank them to the gods of the emperor's ancestors.This is why I ordered the imperial government to accept the joint announcement. I have to express my deep regret to all the allies who have always worked together with the empire for the liberation of East Asia; thinking of the imperial subjects who died in battle, in line of duty, and their survivors, their internal organs will be torn apart; As for the livelihood of those who suffered war wounds, suffered war disasters, and lost their family property, I also deeply miss them.The sufferings that the empire will suffer in the future are indeed extraordinary, and I also know the heartfelt feelings of your subjects. However, the fate of the times, I want to endure the unbearable, bear the embarrassment, and think that there will be peace forever. I am hereby able to maintain the state system, trust in the sincerity of your loyal and good subjects, and always be with you and other subjects.If you are motivated by love, you will cause troubles, or your compatriots will crowd out each other and disturb the current situation, so you will mislead the way and lose faith in the world. This is what I deeply abstain from. It is advisable for the whole country to be unanimous, passed on from generation to generation, firmly believe in the immortality of China, and have a long way to go, devote all our efforts to the construction of the future, abide by morality, be firm in our ambitions, and vow to carry forward the essence of the national system so as not to lag behind the evolution of the world.You and other subjects should restrain my wishes. For the first time in more than a hundred years, the Japanese people heard His Majesty's "Yuyin" on the radio, but it was a surrender letter!Seeing that the general situation was over, Anan Weiji, the leader of the main combat faction, committed suicide by cutting open his stomach in the mansion. On August 28, a U.S. Air Force plane landed at Tokyo Airport.A large number of British and American troops began to land on the coast of Japan to realize the occupation of Japan. On the morning of September 2, in Tokyo Bay, Japan, the sky was clear and blue waves were boundless.A solemn moment has come for the American battleship USS Missouri. At 9 o'clock, Japan's new foreign minister Aoi Shigemitsu and chief of staff Yoshijiro Umezu signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of the Japanese government.Subsequently, representatives of the Allied Powers who accepted the surrender: General MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Admiral Nimitz of the United States, General Xu Yongchang of China, Admiral Flesser of the United Kingdom, Lieutenant General Dereviako of the Soviet Union, as well as Australia, Canada, Representatives of France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and other countries signed in turn. The Second World War, which lasted six years and one day, finally came to an end.