There will be a coming chapter written in a different Style, following the War Journal of an American soldier during Operation Sunset.
The Iron Eagle - The History of the Cold War
- Thread starter Kaiser of Brazil
- Start date
Through Alaska, the USSR and the US are practically neighbors, Japan and Germany is a whole different beast. And despite the great differences in politics and economics, the Americans didn’t hate the Soviets based on a racial hierarchy. In Hitler’s eyes, he expected Japan to win the war due to their Warrior Spirit and “Not Losing a War for 3 thousand years”. But he was always a Social Darwinist, if Japan has failed so miserably to fight back a “Decadent nation of Jews, Negroes, and Mongrels” like the US, then they would be unworthy of being Honorary Aryans.The Soviets and Americans almost did the same in OTL, I could just presume, but possibly, true (maybe the Italians!) - they did sell Berettas M38 smgs
As for Mussolini, I do not think he has the capability nor the will to send help to Japan, he was lucky enough to have won this war despite his defeats in Greece and East Africa.
Quick correction to @Sport25ing, there IS something the Germans have sent to Japan, no doubt the Ultimate Japanese Weapon being kept in reserve to beat back the invaders in just one blow: The KUGELPANZER!
VI - FIRE AND FURY
THE IRON EAGLE
FIRE AND FURY
"Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens;
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land."
-Genesis 19:24-25
FIRE AND FURY
"Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens;
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land."
-Genesis 19:24-25
Revenge, for four years that would be a feeling that took over American society, the war against Japan began with a perceived coward surprise attack on the 2nd of November 1942, and as ships carrying coffins of dead American soldiers back home, a sense of hatred would come over to the American people just as the economy was beginning it's recovery from a wave of depression and stagnation, Japanese-Americans were lynched on the streets on the day the news of Pearl Harbor came over, the powerful Ku Klux Klan would form groups that harassed and attacked Asian-looking Americans by considering them as "Dirty Japs", many times with the police abstaining from intervention. Just as society began to settle into a more controlled state, the Japanese attack on Hawaii in 1943 with news of the massacres against the local population would provoke a new wave of violence against Japan, effigies of Hirohito and Tojo, alongside Japanese flags would be burned, with reports of Japanese-American businesses being attacked by mobs while others were marked to be boycotted in scenes frighteningly similar to the German "Kristallnacht" years earlier. On the fourth of July of 1943, when the Japanese forces were expelled from Hawaii, there were spontaneous celebrations across not just America but also the Commonwealth nations, reports being sent in America of "Slap a Jap" campaigns promoted, even a slot machine of Uncle Sam slapping stereotypical figures of Tojo being created at the time. President Wheeler had received suggestions such as the internment of Hundreds of Thousands of Japanese-Americans in internment camps in order to "Protect them from Lynchings", which were explicitly refused by Wheeler in order to not draw to himself comparisons with the German Concentration camps, which at the time weren't known for it's true purpose by the population at large. In 1946, the Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance seemed to be replaced by an exhaustion from the war mobilization, and eventually so many bodies began to return that there were calls for peace in the American people, and this all came to an end with the Japanese attack on San Diego, another raid on the West Coast was already enough to strike a nerve in the "Yankee" Society, but the leaking of the Black Case files and the discovery that the raid was the first Japanese attack with biological weapons on American soil that caused a local outbreak of Bubonic plague in the city would once more bring the thirst for revenge to a level not seen since Pearl Harbor, not only at the Japanese but at the Government that was perceived to have "Attempted to hide information to protect the Japanese". It is believed nowadays that Hull had good intentions, seeking to prevent the mass lynchings that happened during Wheeler's government, but the scandal of the files, the stress caused by the war, and his already advanced age would prove too much for the elderly President. Cordell Hull, the eldest President elected in American history up to that moment, died after suffering a stroke at the age of 74 on the 17th of April 1946, with his Vice-President, former congressman and War Veteran Strom Thurmond would be sworn in as the second youngest POTUS behind Theodore Roosevelt at the age of 43, and now it would be his task to bring the Fire and Fury of the American People on Japan.
Thurmond's career was one marked by a meteoric rise facilitated by local politics and the war, starting as a Judge and later Democratic congressman in a safe Democrat district of South Carolina. Thurmond was a member of the new generation of Dixiecrats, coming in to replace powerful Democratic figures such as Richard Russell Jr. and Byrd, and despite the low standards, he was considered a moderate in the civil rights issue, being known for criticizing a biased lynching trial, even earning a commendation by the NAACP for it. In 1942, the Congressman would give up his seat to sign up to the Military as a member of the United States Marine Corps, serving a short, yet intense, period of the war in 1943, being one of the Marines fighting at the Wheeler AFB defense in Oahu and later going back home following the campaign at Guadalcanal where he would be hit by a Japanese boobytrap, his right leg being injured forcing him to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. Yet, 1944 would be the decisive year of his life where the South Carolina war hero had the interest of the local Party apparatus in the incoming 1944 election. The Democratic Party governed during the Wheeler administration in a... contentious platform, despite the Dixiecrats and the Klan-alligned Democrats of the South and Midwest being rivals with the Northern Progressives, both sides were forced to cooperate in a ticket after their division caused the victory of Herbet Hoover's Second Term in 1932 in what was supposed to be an easily winnable election against an unpopular President. The Result was a strange mixture in 1936 between a Progressive President and a Dixiecrat Vice-President (The Wheeler-Russell ticket), united around a common platform of Isolationism, Agrarian-friendly policies, and Populism (With the exception of Labor movements which were a common contention point in the White House), which carried them to victory against the ineffective Alf Landon. However, this partnership "made in hell" was put into question by 1944, many Dixiecrats including Russell believed Wheeler was not going far enough against Japan while his rhetoric was becoming increasingly aggressive towards Germany, which many still saw as an "European Matter", Richard Russell believed that he should succeed Wheeler, or at least another Dixiecrat, however such a move would likely alienate Northerners and risk giving the election to the Republicans (Although they were still suffering the stigma of Hoover's term, seen as they still suffered a large margin of defeat in 1940 despite Wheeler going through a recession). Thurmond's name came into play as he returned from the war and planned to run to Senate, going to meet the then-VPOTUS and figurehead of the Dixiecrats, Richard Russell Jr. during the meeting the Vice-President would spend hours talking with Thurmond about his war experience and his desire for politics, with him seeing the young man as a future of the Dixiecrats: He was relatively Progressive by southern standards, desiring to enact several populist ideas that endeared him in his local district years before, and his profile as a moderate judge could raise him as someone palatable to the Northern Party Wing, after several other meetings, Thurmond was promised support for a national campaign as Vice-President, going as an "honorable guest" in many of Wheeler's visits, telling war stories and leaving a good enough impression to the POTUS, especially in his determination towards victory and previous support for many of his policies, alongside his anti-communist stance. In 1944 at the Democratic Convention, the experienced Cordell Hull was hesitant at first to choose Thurmond as his Vice-President pick, however pressure from Party leaders led to him choosing the young "New Dixiecrat" for sake of Party Unity. No one expected Hull to die before the half of his term, and nobody expected such a Young man from the south to ascend to the Presidency of the United States of America in the middle of it's bloodiest military campaign.
President Thurmond would be approached on the day following his inauguration by General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Pacific Forces, and General Curtis LeMay, commander of the United States Bomber Corps, the two men would spend hours speaking with their new Commander-in-Chief about their plan for revenge: Operation Gomorrah. The plan was to launch an air campaign unlike any the world has ever seen before, mobilizing thousands of aircraft to strike at all Japanese settlements considered "Major" or "Strategic" with a bombing campaign, including the authorization to use Chemical weapons such as Chlorine and Phosgene Gas, alongside the mass production and deployment of the "Napalm" bombs, firebombing the mostly-wooden Japanese cities. According to MacArthur's memoirs, Thurmond showed a coldness that was respected by the General, who saw that the man had no love for the Japanese that crippled his leg, being said to be constantly tapping it with his finger during their meeting, in that same meeting, Operation Gomorrah would be authorized to be launched on the 1st of May, Labor day, and to continue for three days of uninterrupted bombardment, which would preceed the launching of the second and most deadly phase of Operation Sunset: Operation Coronet, the invasion of Tokyo itself. For the next weeks, all contacts the American government made in Japan over peace feelers would be ended, while Thurmond distanced himself from Hull and claim to have no knowledge over the Black Case files (Something debated by historians to this day), a symbolic offensive would be launched as a retaliation in Kyushu, although mostly used as a distraction to the Japanese for the upcoming Operations in May, Kuribayashi's men held firmly against the offensives by the allied forces with the gains being quite meaningless in the grand scheme and just a pile of dead bodies being exchanged by both sides, the offensive halted on the 30th of April, and on the next day, from bases out of China, Iwo Jima, Ryuku, Jeju, and southern Kyushu, the largest air fleet ever assembled would take flight with only one objective: Rain down the fires of Revenge on Japan.
Early in the morning of the 1st, still the night of the 30th in the West, Japanese forces would spot the massive airfleet heading towards major settlements from Nagasaki to Hakodate, and for the next hours, wave after wave of bombers would come down over Japanese cities in a scale never seen before by the Nippon people, the campaign of Carpet bombing would be so devastating, that by the time the last waves came on the 3rd, they were dropping their bombs over ashes without any remaining targets left standing, instead attacking smaller, unmarked settlements before returning home. The Japanese Air Forces were being kept in reserve in preparation for future American attacks, but at this point most of the planes would be destroyed on ground, the City of Kyoto would burn for a week before the flames were put out, while in Hiroshima, the attack by Chlorine gas would result in mass deaths in the civilian and military population (The division between them being extremely dim at this point of the war), the shortage of food and medicine in the Home Islands would further aggravate the situation as victims began to die due to the Chemical attacks thanks to frail bodies and lack of medical personnel, most of which was directed to the frontlines in Kyushu. The destruction of the Japanese infrastructure would worsen the logistical situation, disease outbreaks would begin at cities due to worsened sanitation conditions, however, despite all the damage and over a million dead over the course of the air campaign, Japan refused to break, the Kempetai, the Imperial Secret Police, only became strengthened during Operation Sunset to control the home front, forcefully drafting civilians while executing deserters publicly as examples of betrayal and dishonor to the Emperor and the Japanese Nation, any talk of dissent and defeatism was shut down with a bullet to the head, yet more and more it was coming to the realization of the people that the war was over, and all the Americans needed now was to knock down the door and let the burning structure fall apart: They were wrong, and the war would still last up until 1947 before the guns finally went silent, the tenacity and fanaticism of the Japanese people were still underestimated as millions still preferred Death before Dishonor, and the New American Government would be sure to deliver both.
Operation Coronet would be launched on the 10th of May at Tokyo Bay, which would see the most intense house to house (Or, more accurately, rubble to rubble) fighting in the Pacific War, despite the great majority of the city and it's surroundings being destroyed, several government buildings including the Imperial Palace would be kept standing, with the battle for the Imperial Palace in special being the most iconic confrontation of the war. The landings would come in the morning at two beaches: Chigasaki in the South and Kujukuri in the East, the plan being devised to cut off Tokyo bay and strike the Capital from West and East, the main objective being the capture of the Government buildings and officers, Emperor Hirohito and the Royal Family would also be a priority as it was correctly estimated by MacArthur that the Emperor kept a powerful position to the Army and People of Japan, being capable of calling the forces to stand down. The Objectives were set and when the "Y" Day came, over 25 US Army divisions, alongside 5 Commonwealth divisions, a forcer larger than even Olympic, would launch their attack, this time the experience of Olympic ensured a successful landing in both beaches, with the terrain being more favorable to an attack than Southern Kyushu. The War Minister of Japan, Korechika Anami, would be taking personal command over the defense of Tokyo, and after the initial landing, the Imperial Family would be escorted out of Tokyo towards the underground bunker at Matsushiro (Nagamo Prefecture) in the middle of the night in order to prevent the capture of the Emperor by American forces. Resources began to be immediately diverted from Kyushu, with General Kuribayashi receiving the expected news, he has warned Anami repeated times that the Americans would not push towards Northern Kyushu after the heavy losses, that was further proven by the lack of major offensives since March despite several openings and opportunities to do so, the General plead the War Minister, said to be the second most powerful man in Japan after the Emperor himself, to leave Kyushu and lead the defenses of Tokyo, his request would be refused, mostly out of the personal resentment that Anami and other IJA officers had over Kuribayashi. The American forces on land would fight over a rubbled wasteland, some areas still having the water supply poisoned by the bombers and small fires breaking out from time to time despite Operation Gomorrah being finished a week earlier, the IJA was fierce, especially with many elite divisions and the few tank forces left being gathered for the defense of Tokyo, however the Americans would still possess the overwhelming advantage against the Imperial forces, and on the 24th, Tokyo itself would come under attack.
The Battle for the Imperial Palace would be considered by many as the symbolic climax of the Pacific War, for the first time, the Capital of Japan would be struck by a foreign invasion force (With the exception of Matthew Perry's Gunboat Diplomacy in the 1850s), and the Allies would push to capture the building held by the 1st and 3rd Guards Division led by General Shizuichi Tanaka, the palace would be stormed by US Army forces under Major General Matthew B. Ridgway, who was famous for the deployment of paratroopers in order to capture the bridges over the canals of Tokyo. Despite the majority of Tokyo's 1 million defenders being "Voluntary" militias, the defenders of the Palace were the Imperial Guard, recruited from veterans of the war to protect the Emperor's home, the fighting at close quarters would become a fierce struggle against it's fanatical defenders, Major Kenji Hatanaka, one of the commanders in the defense of the Palace, ordered his soldiers to "Get close enough to feel their breath" and, if necessary, blow themselves up with grenades to bring their enemies with them as a last resort, traps and tunnels of the Palace would be used by army troops to ambush the Americans, while the Allied troops would have to fight an underground battle in the tunnels of the Palace. Japanese forces blew up the tunnels, flooding them with the cold waters of the canal, drowning themselves alongside their enemies, the fighting for the Imperial palace would last 16 hours before a group of Marines, coincidentally under the command of the defender of Wheeler AFB, Eugene McCarthy, would take the Center of the complex, raising the American flag over the ruins as the fire and smoke of the city enlightening it on the background. The picture taken would be a representative of the Pacific War in all it's destruction, overshadowing it's Iwo Jima predecessor, after the battle ended, the Americans stood triumphant over the symbol of the old Japan on the 6th of June 1946, a date that would be remembered for generations as the day the Imperial Palace was taken, the greatest Symbol of the American victory over Japan in the Pacific War. However, one mistake would ensure that there was still a long way to go before the war was finally over, as one death would lead to the deaths of millions more.
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What happened to the Imperial Family? Is the Crown Prince trying to convince the Emperor to accept surrender? or anyone performing Palace Coup to prevent the Emperor from broadcasting the surrender to the people before the American forces arriving on the footsteps?
The Royal family was moved to their underground bunker in Nagano, so far no surrender, although Hirohito is considering it, and the Crown Prince Akihito is just a child.
This is going to end badly.
This is going to end really badly.
Well, that was, indeed, calamitous.
How are things going in South America, North Africa, and Italy?
I can already tell you that they will not be the same as they were IOTL, yes, including South America.
Vargas is probably going to seize the moment to squeeze both sides, but if Argentina turns to Nazism, then Brazil would maybe turn to the US.
After all, Nazism is naturally going to be unkind to Brazil.
What was the battle that could be the equivalent to the Downfall "Verdun"? - where the bombardment was so big that the hill lost height!
I bet the "one death that will lead to millions more" will be the Emperor.
Best case scenario, he's accidentally killed in a bombing.
Worst case scenario, he's captured and recognized for who he is by US soldiers, who decide (illegally) to put a bullet in the bastard's head.
Best case scenario, he's accidentally killed in a bombing.
Worst case scenario, he's captured and recognized for who he is by US soldiers, who decide (illegally) to put a bullet in the bastard's head.
Well, Operation Gomorrah resulted in the leveling of most Japanese large cities if you count that, otherwise you could count Operation Olympic where the Americans attempted to use their superior firepower to flatten Japanese defensive positions in some areas.
Now you see why the nukes were dropped.
Salgado was a good contender in the 1930s, but no, the Integralists have a quite strong influence in the Government but they aren’t in charge.
Now, as the war with Japan continues to become increasingly desperate and brutal, shall we continue following the conflict in the Home Islands or put the Camera to see some atrocities in Europe?
