WW2 Chapter 82 - End of the War (August 15, 1945)



Newspaper, August 15, 1945

After defeating the Japanese at the Battle of Okinawa, the U.S. and its Allies issued the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, requiring Japan to "surrender or suffer prompt and utter destruction." Although the Japanese leaders recognized that defeat was now inevitable, they refused to surrender.

Based on the horrific experiences in fighting the Japanese on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other Pacific islands, the U.S. knew that an invasion of mainland Japan would result in countless additional casualties. Therefore, on August 6, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.

Three days later, despite the enormous devastation and loss of life from the first bomb, the Japanese leaders still refused to surrender. The U.S. then dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki on August 9.

Life Magazine photo from Times Square

On August 15, Japan finally announced that it had conceded. By that time, it had been 3 years and 8 months since the attack on Pearl Harbor, and more than 111,000 Americans had been killed and 253,000 wounded during the Pacific campaign. Celebrations were held all over the world.



Japanese Surrender, September 2

On September 2, a military ceremony was held aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japan formally accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The day was designated V-J Day for "Victory Over Japan."

After learning of the surrender, many Japanese soldiers, devastated by the defeat, committed suicide. In addition, over 100 American prisoners of war were murdered.

After the war, the U.S. and its Allies occupied Japan for seven years. During this time, they helped the country recover from the effects of the war and successfully enacted widespread military, political, economic, and social reforms.

Despite the end of the war, some Japanese soldiers continued to fight on isolated Pacific islands for many years, with the last one finally surrendering in 1974.

Interestingly, Franklin does not provide any comments about the end of the war in any of his forthcoming letters.