WI: Doolittle raid kills Horihito.

Many of you now about the Doolittle raid.
I did little damage but was a major Morale boost to the US.
But what would happen if while Horihito was walking the gardens of the imperial palace, a stray bomb were to land near Horihito and kill him?
What effect would this have on the war?
 
Well, that's going to be a major shock to the Japanese. First to kill an Emperor in recorded history (as least as far as I know). The captured pilots - and quite possibly any and all detained Allied pilots and prisoners - are going to be executed rather painfully and brutally in retribution. The Japanese might fight harder than ever, trying to avenge the Emperor.

It also means the heir, Akihito, ascends the throne - and he's 8 by the time happens. If his regent is military, the Japanese will continue fighting regardless of the atomic bombings, though admittedly, the chance of the regent being sensible is also possible, so the surrender still happens, though the Jewel Voice Speech won't occur for obvious reasons.
 
Well, that's going to be a major shock to the Japanese. First to kill an Emperor in recorded history

Not just a Emperor, they killed a God !
The Japanese consider the Emperor has direct ancestry to God and Goddess that crated Japan !

The Japanese People will react in extrem on his Dead,
The execution of all America in occupy areas would be litte consolation for Japanese
A brutal counter attack on US territories would follow
it's very realistic that Japanese grab into Box of Pandora pull out Bioweapons and Gas to use against USA

on Japan Politic
crown-prince Akihito is to young to rule
The Generals would take over and re-installed the shōgunate.
Those Generals would fight to the death, despite how manny Nuke the USA drop on Japan

you see, It was Horihito who gave order to surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
 
Agree with previous ones. In OTL there was reason why Americans didn't bomb Imperial Palace. If they would kill emperor it would cause such rage that Japan wouldn't surrend after two or even four atomic bombs. So Operation Downfall and terrible mount of dead Americans and Japaneses. Probably we will see Republic of Japan.
 
Agree with previous ones. In OTL there was reason why Americans didn't bomb Imperial Palace. If they would kill emperor it would cause such rage that Japan wouldn't surrend after two or even four atomic bombs. So Operation Downfall and terrible mount of dead Americans and Japaneses. Probably we will see Republic of Japan.
Assuming there is enough Japanese left, I think we would see Japan move heavily into using chemical and biological weapons on US and allied forces which we would retaliate with as well. Japan would in the end, would begin to look like hell on Earth.
 
That's an interesting, although nasty, POD. Accidents happen in war, unintended targets get hit, and even bomb shelters aren't 100% reliable. It could happen. Hirohito could also be killed accidentally, or during a coup by a stray bullet, and the military decide to use that to stiffen Japanese resistance.

The likely results are horrifying, even by the standards of the Second World War.
 
it's very realistic that Japanese grab into Box of Pandora pull out Bioweapons and Gas to use against USA

That would be a mistake that many Japanese Soldiers and Civilians would pay for.
OTL the US turned a blind eye to what they were doing in China
 
Agree with previous ones. In OTL there was reason why Americans didn't bomb Imperial Palace. If they would kill emperor it would cause such rage that Japan wouldn't surrend after two or even four atomic bombs. So Operation Downfall and terrible mount of dead Americans and Japaneses. Probably we will see Republic of Japan.

A worse Pacific War might lead to the US demanding a Soviet DoW on Japan to continue receiving L-L. and to host XX Bomber Command from Soviet bases
 

SsgtC

Banned
A worse Pacific War might lead to the US demanding a Soviet DoW on Japan to continue receiving L-L. and to host XX Bomber Command from Soviet bases
No. Stalin was not going to get involved in a two front war. Especially not when the Japanese posed no real threat to him. Not when Germany was literally at the gates of Moscow. At best, they turn a blind eye to bomber crews who had to divert to the USSR after bombing Japan.

Plus, the US wouldn't have realized that the campaign is worse than OTL. They were already having to root out Japanese garrisons almost to the last man. And they didn't demand it off the Soviets then. They wouldn't now.
 
No. Stalin was not going to get involved in a two front war. Especially not when the Japanese posed no real threat to him. Not when Germany was literally at the gates of Moscow. At best, they turn a blind eye to bomber crews who had to divert to the USSR after bombing Japan.

Plus, the US wouldn't have realized that the campaign is worse than OTL. They were already having to root out Japanese garrisons almost to the last man. And they didn't demand it off the Soviets then. They wouldn't now.

The US would find out when the Bataan Death March, that had started a week before the Emperor's death, turned to them all being killed, as well as Japanese Troops 'Punishing' the rest of the Filipino citizens.

So yeah, the US would know, right from the start that things got worse
 
I'm pretty positive air raid sirens sounded when the first bomber started its run and the Emperor was probably hiding down below the palace so it must be quite an exceptional drop.

Pretty sure the people responsible for the Emperor's safety are in a lot more trouble than the pilots for letting him outside during an air raid.
 
Agree with previous ones. In OTL there was reason why Americans didn't bomb Imperial Palace. If they would kill emperor it would cause such rage that Japan wouldn't surrend after two or even four atomic bombs. So Operation Downfall and terrible mount of dead Americans and Japaneses. Probably we will see Republic of Japan.

Operation Downfall had a fat chance of ever happening,surrender or not. large (and importantly:increasing) parts of the military strongly resisted it months before it could start,and by the time they could get really around to even try it,the japanese (not the japanese army,but japan as a whole) would be to busy being dead and dying from starvation to offer any resistance whatsoever.In OTL, the nation went through famine even with surrendering early and the US trying its best to provide aid.

After they have landed,most american casualities would be from months-old mines,crazy individuals taking potshots,and suicides after walking through lifeless streets filled with cannibalized remains of an entire nation.
 

Puzzle

Donor
Agree with previous ones. In OTL there was reason why Americans didn't bomb Imperial Palace. If they would kill emperor it would cause such rage that Japan wouldn't surrender after two or even four atomic bombs.
Would it really? The Japanese aren't superhuman automatons brainwashed into loyalty to their emperor. There'd be some more atrocities which would probably lead to reciprocation but as far as I'm aware the Japanese don't have a secret brain structure that makes them rage driven crusaders determined to avenge their godly leader. The pacific was a war of industry more than men, they won't do better just by trying harder.
 

SsgtC

Banned
Would it really? The Japanese aren't superhuman automatons brainwashed into loyalty to their emperor. There'd be some more atrocities which would probably lead to reciprocation but as far as I'm aware the Japanese don't have a secret brain structure that makes them rage driven crusaders determined to avenge their godly leader. The pacific was a war of industry more than men, they won't do better just by trying harder.
This really goes into Japanese phycology. It's hard for us to really understand just how revered the Emperor was at that time. He truly was a God to his people. The shock, horror and rage that the people would feel is really hard for Westerners to grasp. Think of it like this. You and your father are out walking when a man comes up, puts a gun to your father's head, and blows his brains out all over you. How would you feel? Now magnify that by a thousand. The Emperor was not just the head of the country. He was the country's father, grandfather and deity all wrapped in one. Yeah, the US would be forced to fight them to the last man. In a scenario where Hirohito is killed, Halsey's proclamation that "Japanese will only be spoken in hell," will probably come true.
 
God help any American fliers who get captured.

Funny thing is I think the Japanese would pause for a moment, be utterly stunned and might do the utterly unexpected. They HAD a democracy movement in the 1920s. They HAD rational people in their government even in 1942. If they were as blood crazed berserk as some of the posters above let on, they would not have quit, even if their emperor told them to surrender. He gets killed, the very man who backed the war party in the first place? Iffy. The peace party might take it as an omen.
 
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