Class Note 1943
Issue
September-October 2021
It is 1945—the new scenario is “What if….”
What if there was no mushroom cloud over the city of Hiroshima on August 6 or the seaport of Nagasaki on August 9 or Tokyo was mum, with zero announcements over its NHK radio network on August 15?
And what if President Harry S. Truman had replied “No” to the continuance of the Manhattan Project directed by Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves? President F.D.R. never told his vice president about the Manhattan Project; incoming President Truman had not been in the loop! Upon review it appears most high-ranking officers were for using the atom bombs. It seems Gen. MacArthur voted no to the nuclear use. Gen MacArthur felt Japan was on its last legs—without air power or navy and on the home front little food and no steel or oil—and fighting a losing battle on all fronts. What if a miffed President Truman said no to Maj. Gen. Groves—and the top-secret Manhattan Project came to a sudden and inglorious halt?!
None of the thousands of U.S. troops had any knowledge of the Manhattan Project. We just went on as usual, staging for the invasion of Japan slated for October 1, 1945. All in the war zones felt the extra pressure and anxiety. We understood surviving overseas was a question mark—anything could happen, and would, in the long run!
Experts were saying that an invasion of Japan would extend the war another 12 months. The cost in lives would be a million soldiers—and millions of Japanese civilians would die, fighting to save their way of life and their homeland. We were constantly reminded to be prepared, be alert, trust no one, avoid fraternizing with the enemy—as it would cost you your life! Rumors were rife that 75- and 80-year-old men and women were waiting for us with wooden spears and hand grenades, 5- and 6-year-olds would throw hand grenades to disable tank tracks, weapon carriers, and trucks. And we worried how our M-4 Sherman tanks would manage to travel on narrow dirt trails and whether they would lose their maneuverability in the water-filled rice paddies.
Luzon was practically secure in June and the battle in Okinawa ended in July. On March 9, 1945, more than 300 B-29 Super Fortresses dropped 200 tons of incendiary bombs that destroyed 16 square miles of Tokyo and more than 100,000 lives. My family home in Shibuya Ward was lost in this attack—more on this later.
Our class sends heartfelt condolences to the family of the Rev. Benedict Reid, who died on March 13 in Palm Desert, California.
—George Shimizu, 2140 Sepulvida Ave., Milpitas, CA 94595; (408) 930-2488; marymariko@comcast.net
What if there was no mushroom cloud over the city of Hiroshima on August 6 or the seaport of Nagasaki on August 9 or Tokyo was mum, with zero announcements over its NHK radio network on August 15?
And what if President Harry S. Truman had replied “No” to the continuance of the Manhattan Project directed by Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves? President F.D.R. never told his vice president about the Manhattan Project; incoming President Truman had not been in the loop! Upon review it appears most high-ranking officers were for using the atom bombs. It seems Gen. MacArthur voted no to the nuclear use. Gen MacArthur felt Japan was on its last legs—without air power or navy and on the home front little food and no steel or oil—and fighting a losing battle on all fronts. What if a miffed President Truman said no to Maj. Gen. Groves—and the top-secret Manhattan Project came to a sudden and inglorious halt?!
None of the thousands of U.S. troops had any knowledge of the Manhattan Project. We just went on as usual, staging for the invasion of Japan slated for October 1, 1945. All in the war zones felt the extra pressure and anxiety. We understood surviving overseas was a question mark—anything could happen, and would, in the long run!
Experts were saying that an invasion of Japan would extend the war another 12 months. The cost in lives would be a million soldiers—and millions of Japanese civilians would die, fighting to save their way of life and their homeland. We were constantly reminded to be prepared, be alert, trust no one, avoid fraternizing with the enemy—as it would cost you your life! Rumors were rife that 75- and 80-year-old men and women were waiting for us with wooden spears and hand grenades, 5- and 6-year-olds would throw hand grenades to disable tank tracks, weapon carriers, and trucks. And we worried how our M-4 Sherman tanks would manage to travel on narrow dirt trails and whether they would lose their maneuverability in the water-filled rice paddies.
Luzon was practically secure in June and the battle in Okinawa ended in July. On March 9, 1945, more than 300 B-29 Super Fortresses dropped 200 tons of incendiary bombs that destroyed 16 square miles of Tokyo and more than 100,000 lives. My family home in Shibuya Ward was lost in this attack—more on this later.
Our class sends heartfelt condolences to the family of the Rev. Benedict Reid, who died on March 13 in Palm Desert, California.
—George Shimizu, 2140 Sepulvida Ave., Milpitas, CA 94595; (408) 930-2488; marymariko@comcast.net