My grandmother, who was Japanese, was 13 when the war ended. She told me how when it was announced the Emperor was going to speak on the radio everyone was both excited and stunned. So much so that when it came time for the broadcast she said everything came to a stop. People stopped working, cars stopped in the street and the speech was broadcast throughout schools. She was in class at the time. She said when he announced Japan's surrender, kids in her class, even the teacher began to cry. After the speech she said the principal sent everyone home for the day. The real kicker I get from this video is how close my grandmother came to never experiencing this. She lived in Kokura.
Woooa! Glad it didn't happen. My Dad worked on the Manhatten Project. He seemed pretty sad about it when i was growing up. He later was a Scout Master, and he was succeeded by his Japanese American friend, the Assistant Scout Master. 👍👍
I have heard a NPR program that says after the broadcast many Japanese turned angry. This was because they knew the end was coming, but still sent their teenage kids to fight, etc. They considered the Emperor as God like, but that mystic was all gone after the broadcast. Their kids or other soldiers would have never died if the Emperor and the military surrendered when the conclusion is over well before August. The idea of the American would land in Japan to do a genocide was a propaganda and that was why everyone thought that this would be a fight down to the last man. After this mess, the Emperor was no longer considered a God. The royal family was pardoned by the Americas for political reasons, so the blame was put on the military top brass, even though the emperor clearly was an active participant, not the propaganda that says Tojo was the culprit.
@Cleetus Farragamo History is a vast subject. There isn't enough time in school to learn it all. It requires a lifelong dedication to even understand a portion of it.
@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683 Luckily I’m capable of understanding the importance of history no matter my political position and I hope more people can respect the idea that facts are facts for people of all ideologies
But then they wouldn't have time for 'Marxism 101', and 'Transgender Studies for 5th graders', and 'Capitalism, the history of evil', and 'Racism is Everything' AND 'Everyone I don't like is HITLER!'.
My Uncle, who joined the Marines at 17 fought from Makin island from Nautilus submarine raid, Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima as a scout sniper, out of his company of 250 of which only three made it to the end of the war showed me a medallion which showed a mushroom cloud titled "Peace for Japan". He said, "if not for this I wouldn't be here today". It is more than ironic that at 15 in 1963 my Dad would be stationed there and I would be going to HS and playing basketball with Japanese kids.
And, as you uncle implied, if not for the use of the bombs those kids would not have been around to play basketball with you. War is such a dirty and disgusting business.
Not so unique of a position. Unlike in Nazi Germany a killing of the Emperor left too much uncertainty if anyone else would have enough sway to make a capitulation stick. It may of come down to the Americans eliminating Hirohito but the Japanese military leaders may have done it themselves if they were determined to fight to the end.
Yet, it was Douglas MacArthur who insisted Empiror Hirohito retain the throne. Last time I checked, he was an American and he was the American (along with the US President) who mattered. The so called British who wanted to keep the empiror can't claim credit for his retention being MacArthur was in charge of the occupation forces in Japan. The President went along with MacArthur's suggestion, not because of what the British thought.
The retention of the Monarchy, was a seminal element that also saved a lot of lives, the politicians and generals were not believed like Emperor Hirohito, and in him they trusted and believed.
@sr633 - I've read that many ordinary people were surprised that the Emperor could speak ordinary Japanese; apparently the Emperor and his inner circle typically spoke a special dialect of Japanese pretty much exclusively.
@@hughmungus1767 in the broadcast he spoke court dialect and was consequently not understood by the populace. His announcement was repeated by a radio broadcaster speaking in the modern dialect of every day Japanese, so people would know what had been said.
@@hughmungus1767 At one point in the broadcast the emperor apparently remarked "The situation has developed, not necessarily to our advantage". Talk about understatement....
Try epic history tv he feature ww1 And All Napoleonics Campain its Very Good channel also and dont forget the most Informative Channel of all time THE OLD PATH Channel
I wish T Harry Williams, a great historian at LSU was alive today to do youtube videos. I never missed his classes, actually sat in on one of his political classes just because he was so great. You never knew if he would have you bent over laughing, crying like a small child, or just hypnotized by his magic. Dr. Felton is really good, but T Harry would have been a rock star. The day he died was the loss of a library and a living museum. Rest in Peace
When I went to Hiroshima I visited the eternal flame and the museum it was pretty surreal, the amount of people there and how quiet it was really left a mark.
@@sweebystpu Amen....I am like a dry sponge trying to learn and absorb so much in the way of history and science. Science particularly. Anxiously awaiting the landing of Perseverance tomorrow. I will feel blessed if I live to see incoming images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
That is because it makes it easier to tell the story, and be done with it.: many people were uncomfortable with the idea of one bomb killing so many people (as if noone was dying when the used regular bombs!), and many people were uncomfortable with the idea that the Japanese were not only willing to take more, but that it was the theeat of the Russians that 'tipped' the balance. Bottom line is that as horrible as it was to have used them, and while Truman was mainly trying to save Allied lives, and keep Soviet occupation and influence contained to the mainland: USA and UK were upset that Soviets had faciltated the Empire's efforts through their non-agression pact, and it was a bit questionable when/if they would finally go against Japan. Japanese today seem to remember the atom bombs as the only thing that should be apologized for, when, the net result is that, even after two of were used, much of their leadership was still prefering to have millions of women and children die in the streets, 'fighting' with sticks and farm tools so that leadership would have less people to be conscious of their failure and folly, and THEIR war crimes! Unfortunately, USA, pretty much turned their backs on the victims of Japanese atrocities, and agreed to 'move on' without really holding many people accountable, and prohibiting victims, whether individual, or united, from seeking redress. While it was, perhaps unfortunate that the effects of radioactive fallout were either not well understood at the time, or disregarded by some decision-makers (I am not certain which, or by whom), In the end, the USA was uncertain of what the Soviets would do (regardless of what exactly they wanted to do, the Soviets wanted more time to bring more troops, equipment, supplies east before they had to fight the Japanese [it is FAR!], and only declared war on the Japanese AFTER the atom bombs were used, and felt the end was coming sooner), the fact that the Russians started shooting cannot be disregarded in evaluating the Japanese decision, the USA and UK really didn't want to trust/rely on the Soviets, but if 'conventional' bombing, continued, as.they had been doing, thousands and thousands of people would still have died, horribly, both on the mainland, and the 'home islands', whether in the explosions, the fires, or the starvation, and the Soviets would have acquired even more territory. USA/Truman saw the use of the atom bombs as a chance to have far fewer people (both Allied AND Japanese) suffer and die. And while it didn't have exact result that was hoped for*, it was pretty much worth trying, at least once. * I always found it pretty interesting that several Japanese generals were SO sure that there were only a few atom bombs, and now, it is pretty clear that the Soviets were getting frequent reports on the progress of the bombs' development, and it would make some sense that they would relay information to the Japanese to get them to defer surrender. With the ulterior motive of giving the Soviets more preparation time.
@Wayne The Seine As a 20 year old going on 21, I would like to ask you about life lessons and any piece of wisdom you’d want to give to someone my age?
I'm a student of these days in Japan and World war II. The information that you provided, Mark, is astounding in its scholarship. This documentary, in my opinion, is worthy of an award.
All I know is that my mother was a captain in the Army Nurse Corps stationed on Okinawa who was firmly convinced she would die with the invasion of Japan. The two devices dropped on Japan stopped that invasion and saved my mother's life. I took my mom from Philadelphia to Cape May New Jersey in August of 1995 to meet Colonel Paul Tibbets. Her reaction to meeting him and the kindness that he showed my mother I will never forget.
21:21 "posh, underground bunker" www.google.com/search?q=posh&oq=posh&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2j46l2j0j46j0.2767j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 But yeah, we might see that in a future episode
Not just the kids but us too. So much has been unclassified or discovered as the US and Soviets opened their records that the whole ciriculum needs to be updated from ww2 to the cold war ending. Hell my dad and Mom were taught the Soviets contributed nothing to the war and both of my Dad's parents served in the Royal Canadian Airforce during WW2. They still give me strange looks when I try to talk to them about all this new info. So I've been playing some of Mr Feltons content and Time ghosts histories week by week of ww2 when they visit me once a week.
It's those TV production companies that ruin it, suits coming in and saying "oh that won't be interesting, can you do it more like this about that" . We have to be the one's to help support with a few bucks here and there
As a guy who likes history I grow weary of simplistic explanations like, "it was racism!", or "it was to scare the USSR!", or "it was to test the bomb!", or blah, blah, blah. Real history is never so simplistic and one-dimensional. Mr. Felton always displays his deep understanding of history by exploring the many complex forces that came together to produce any historical event. He not only teaches us about these events (which would be worthwhile enough) but also that history is never a simple melodrama of "good guys vs. bad guys". He helps us see the world and human experience in greater depth, which is what shows him to be worthy of the title, Historian. Thank you, sir.
Another great video. I learned so much from Mark Felton. I am well read on World War II, but I continually learn new things from Mark’s videos. I had no idea the surrender of the Japanese was this complicated and messy. Wow, the war could’ve easily gone on longer.
That's right the war would've raged on until way above 1946 but because the Japs learned what true terror and fear looks like it forced them on there knees for good they were no longer a threat against peace or humanity.
I also love that Dr. Felton mentions the massive conventional B29 bombing raid on August 14. There were so many things going at that point of the war, that event has almost been forgotten...
広島・長崎人体実験でした！ 戦争が早く終わりそうだから 原子爆弾の人体実験実行したのです。 戦後広島の被爆者少女を助ける治療をする 偽りの治療で少女が被ばくで死んでいく過程を 記録して死ぬと臓器を取り出しアメリカに 持ち帰りました！ 真珠湾攻撃では、日本のパイロットは、民間人を攻撃しませんでした！ 軍事施設に限定した爆撃です。米軍は、 広島・長崎・大阪・東京など無差別民間人を狙った大殺戮である。 It was a human experiment in Hiroshima and Nagasaki! The war was about to end soon, so we conducted a human experiment on the atomic bomb. Treating a girl who helped an A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima after the war Recorded the process of a girl dying of exposure by false treatment, and when she died, she took out her organs and took them back to the United States! In pearl harbor attack, Japanese pilots did not attack civilians! It is a bombing limited to military facilities. The U.S. military is a massacre targeting indiscriminate civilians in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Tokyo, and other areas.
Japan fought for Asia. I will not regret Reflecting on the indiscriminate bombing United States. You should reflect! Two atomic bombs are human experiments! What country are you in? Is it bad to lose the war? Japan fought for Asia. I will not reflect Reflecting on the indiscriminate bombing Allied. You should reflect on it! The two atomic bombs were human experiments!
@@Yeahimman32 広島・長崎人体実験でした！ 戦争が早く終わりそうだから 原子爆弾の人体実験実行したのです。 戦後広島の被爆者少女を助ける治療をする 偽りの治療で少女が被ばくで死んでいく過程を 記録して死ぬと臓器を取り出しアメリカに 持ち帰りました！ 真珠湾攻撃では、日本のパイロットは、民間人を攻撃しませんでした！ 軍事施設に限定した爆撃です。米軍は、 広島・長崎・大阪・東京など無差別民間人を狙った大殺戮である。 It was a human experiment in Hiroshima and Nagasaki! The war was about to end soon, so we conducted a human experiment on the atomic bomb. Treating a girl who helped an A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima after the war Recorded the process of a girl dying of exposure by false treatment, and when she died, she took out her organs and took them back to the United States! In pearl harbor attack, Japanese pilots did not attack civilians! It is a bombing limited to military facilities. The U.S. military is a massacre targeting indiscriminate civilians in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Tokyo, and other areas.
@@Yeahimman32 Unit 731 says that once the United States is outflanked, neighbors will be in an uproar because the nightmare of this brutality will be revived. Therefore, he concludes, "Just as German Chancellor Brandt kneeled at the Jewish ghetto monument in Warsaw and apologized, Abe should once again sincerely apologize to Asian countries." He wrote, "Unit 731 is an epidemic prevention unit, which is a blatant lie. I am writing this article based on the rumor that it created biochemical weapons and conducted cruel biological experiments. However, even after half a century, I can still prove the rumor. There was no evidence or testimony, instead rumors spread that ``the human experiment data was not available to the United States, a humanitarian nation, so Ishii's unit's experiment leaders were given the data without questioning their guilt.'' . That's why it's natural that there's no evidence, according to US historians Sheldon Harris and others. The 731 also experimented with putting a human in a vacuum tube and exploding it. "Internal organs popped out of the eyes and mouth and ruptured." Around the same time, it was revealed that the United States killed 83 people in Guatemala before and after World War II by injecting syphilis into the eyes and brain of a retarded girl. Obama finally apologized. The grounds for rumors that the United States cannot conduct human experiments have also been blown away. Tepperman writes a false history, and Columbia University professor Gerald Curtis also refuses to verify history, saying, "Why do you make remarks that provoke a backlash?" Is true history so inconvenient for America? He admits that the investigation found no evidence. Caution against Japan's use of germ warfare As the competition for research on biological warfare progressed during World War II, the United States remained vigilant against Japan's use of biological weapons until the end of the war. After the war, it turned out that there was no evidence that the Similarly, regarding the US mainland, balloon bombs collected by the US Naval Research Laboratory were examined at the end of the war to see if balloon bombs from Japan could be used for germ warfare. A document was also released that concluded that war was not envisioned. From around 1944 until the end of the war, the U.S. interest in Japan focused on the development of germ weapons and clarification of the actual activities of Unit 731. The emphasis has shifted to obtaining research results (stealing Japanese intellectual property) through interrogation of The person who the US side was most interested in was Lieutenant General Ishii, who commanded Unit 731. An information report from December 1945 also mentions that a fake funeral was held in his hometown in Chiba Prefecture, pretending that the lieutenant general had died. Records of reports and repeated interrogations have been preserved. It has been said that Lieutenant General Ishii handed over the results of his research on biological warfare to the United States in exchange for the protection of himself and his subordinates. Contains content that conforms to "Lt. Gen. Ishii, a key figure in the bioweapons program, is currently drafting an agreement covering the entire issue. The document will include his ideas on the strategic and tactical use of bioweapons. It is expected that the skeleton of 20 years of research on biological weapons will be shown, and will be completed on July 15th." The same document states that ``more than 200 people infected with bacteria'' were hidden ``in the mountains of southern Japan''. It was also noted that about 8,000 pathological specimen slides collected would be provided to the U.S. side by the end of August 1947. While rushing to collect information from Japan, the US side was strongly wary of information about germ warfare being passed on to the former Soviet Union, which had become a rival in the Cold War. For the Khabarovsk trial, the former Soviet Union was reluctant to hand over evidence related to biological warfare, while about 30 Unit 731 personnel said they were "engaged in research projects on biological weapons near Moscow." The monthly information report was also revealed this time.
I've watched many documentaries regarding the downfall of Japan - this is by far the most concise, factual, and accessible. Well done Mark, superb work.
It leaves out the fact that Truman kept the terms about the monarchy because he wanted to EXTEND the war with an already defeated Japan, in order to allow enough time to drop those 2 bombs. It had more to do with showing the USSR how big our dick was.
Mark Felton's programs set the standard for excellence. I appreciate the clarity and insightfulness of his analysis - just the right amount of detail to substantiate his conclusions, written in a style that makes him my favorite story teller. Bravo.
Many Japanese armament were licensed versions of German weapons. Also, the japanese, Italian and Germans had a mutual defense treaty so when we declared war on Japan, Italy and Germany automatically declared war on us.
He really does, but like other British presenters will still frequently butcher the pronunciation of well known words. This is not OK, as despite the local pronunciation rules tending to turn words into mushmouth soup, when you say that word to somebody from anywhere else in the world, you must say it correctly - generally based upon how it is pronounced in the source language, but certainly using a global "accepted" pronunciation of some type, which the "Brit-lazy-rule" is most certainly NOT. I call this out, as his productions really are well done - which makes it even more jarring to hear him completely fail on the pronunciation of Sakhalin Island. There is only one way to say it, and he completely missed... Yanks notice that, and it's really painful to our ears. We're expected to say global words correctly, and so are you. :P
@@chouseification I wonder how painful to your ears it is when someone from Philly turns on the spiggot (how it gets pronounced) at the zinc (again, how sink gets pronounced) to fill a glass with worder. ;) Being from Philly, I can keep that one going for weeks. :P I'm fluent in American English and actual English, but still have no idea whatinhell they speak in Liverpool...
Can Mark Fenton be put up for some type of public hono(u)r in view of his scholarship and contributions to public enlightenment? His work stands out like a beacon a sea of glitz, sleaze, and entertainment.
So many questions I would have asked my Dad before his death in the early 2000s...he was on MacArthur's staff and saw the devastated cities, saw the famous Dr. Suzuki attending the burn victims, saw Hirohito and his son Akihito pass his desk at GHQ, visited the Imperial Palace, saw Tojo in Omori Prison where American POWs had been held, and so much more--a witness to history. It just seemed like old war stories then. I would be so much more engaged and interested now. Thanks, Mark Felton, for illuminating those complex and transforming times.
As usual, Mark Felton explains using lucid, objective, and self-evident historical facts that cannot be denied. I have watched all of your excellent documentaries, recommend them on a regular basis, and thank you for making them.
Based on the Japanese culture during the war, the high officials who called for surrender were probably the bravest people in the war. Because their actions, boosted with the Emperor's choice, my Grandad, serving at a Helldiver bomber gunner on the USS Wasp, was able to go home and 75 years later, allowed me to write this comment.
@docvideo93: I believe your total comment to be absolutely true. And had the coup d’état worked high officials in favor of surrender would have been quickly assassinated. My dad, a lieutenant, was taken off a loading troopship in San Francisco because he failed his deployment physical of the day before. He was given a medical discharge immediately. I believe that until the day he died he regretted the medical discharge. For you, and your family, I’m grateful your dad made it back home.
100% agree. Dad was an Army cpl/medic in Philippines campaign and they were staging for Japan invasion when bombs were dropped and Japanese surrendered. The soldiers knew what was ahead and what they'd be facing, and he simply said when asked about the a-bomb use, 'thank God for Harry Truman...'
I wouldnt be here if they hadnt surrendered My father was on a troop ship heading from Italy to fight Japan The casualties were 1.5 million dead and wounded this after 6 years of war he new that he wouldnt survive that invasion Luckey they turned round at Egypt and he got home in 1945
Similarly, after Germany surrendered, my late father's AA battery was on a warning order to joinr British Army units deploying to the Far East for the possible invasion of Japan.
From Berlin: I would like to note that the so called 'morale bombing' of Germany during WWII did not cause a revolution and overturning of the Nazi regime, but instead made the civilians even more depending on the government, since all aids were distributed by Nazi organisation. Also the German bombardment of Great Britain did not cause the British to give up but instead hardened their will .
I hope the world learned that mass bombing civilian targets does nothing to help the war effort. It was a lot trickier in Japan since their industrial and military areas were intertwined with civilian areas.
I agree with Mr. Grahammer. Read a biography of Air Marshal "Bomber " Harris. So called "morale bombing" was retaliation for the blitz and for V1 and V2 rockets.
No. Did not say that. Saying that Allied High Command sought to find a way to end the war with minimal loss of life. I think most of the leaders, political and military on the Allied side were by 1945, horrified by the loss of life to date. I am sure there were exceptions because malignant narcissists are in all cultures and countries. And rise to positions of power.
The Allies knew bombings did not encourage revolutions, they were out to kill industrial workers. A good lathe operator is more lethal than 10 company's of infantry.
Well, of course there's somebody... Check out youtuber Shaun and his piece on dropping the bombs. But you're right, mr. Felton does an outstanding job (and without taking 2 hours to do it).
PS, the infamous study that stated millions of Americans would die in an invasion does not exist. IT was nothing but speculation fueled by Truman. Here is why he dropped the bomb, He feared that Japan would mount a fresh attack on US forces. He felt that without the bomb a costly invasion would be necessary. He feared a Japanese invasion of the California coast. However, Japan was devasted and didn't have the ability to feed themselves much less mount an invasion anywhere in the world.
well here a fact he got wrong......Japan was trying for the last 6 months of the war to surrender..they told their ambassador in Russia to try to get the USA to understand they they were ready to negotiate. Japan's sole proviso was that its sacred emperor be retained. Also President Truman and those around him knew this through intercepted Japanese diplomatic messages...the myth that Japan didn't want to surrender is something we say, to justified the dropping of the bomb....as i said before...Japan was looking for a way out of this war.........many people say that one of the real reasons we drop the Bomb was to show Russia.....what we were capable of......and.....NOT TO MESS WITH US....
My father served under General Clark as part of a field artillery division which liberated Naples during WWII. After continuing northward, his 5 man team was shipped back to the US (having served his 6 month your of duty) just in time to receive a telegram ordering him to standby for further instructions....he was to return to Ft.Hood (now Caravos) , Texas for training for the invasion of Japan. The bomb dropped, saving his and the estimated 1 million US fatalities...and allowing me to write this.
What's rarely discussed is the number of Japanese civilians who would have been killed in an invasion. Horrible as the atomic bombs were...several million Japanese would have perished in an Allied invasion.
@@johngrace199that's a cute way to rationalize dropping weapons of mass destruction on the civilian population, though it's not the first time I've heard it. I guess in this day and age grinding your teeth and saying "ARRRRR THEY ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR!" ... which was a naval base and an actual legitimate target ... doesn't quite get the sovereign supreme American blood boiling like it used to.
My wife and I have several times strayed into wondering how history teachers in the schools we attended managed to make history so lifeless. We both grew up to enjoy historical accounts. On TH-cam we have Mark Felton and The History Guy, people who know how to recreate the life force of the events that brought us to where we are now.
flagmichael I am a high school student and I’ve had only 2-3 teachers in my entire time of being in school who have attempted to make history fun and interesting
++Matthew Say++ Agreed! The only "history teacher" I can remember anything about was a devout communist with no interest in putting any point of view other than her own across. That was in the late 1950's and the socialist brainwashing of our children continues to this day.
I had a good teacher, but asking for Dr Felton is quite a high order; not many of him lying around, and if they are, they are more likely then not professors
This is.a very interesting report, and it is believable. He is correct about the consideration of the war lasting into 1946 or 1947. I had seen one account where the American military was concerned that a ground invasion of Japan could have morphed into a guerrilla war that could have continued indefinitely. People.can debate the use of the bombs until they are blue in the face, the only thing that matters is they were used, there was no invasion and the war ended. Oh and Godzilla was created. Just kidding.
More proof that history isn't as neat and tidy as some authors would lead us to believe. Conventional notion is that the US dropped two nukes and the Japanese said, "Okay! That's enough! We give up!" The truth is that the fighting kept going on for weeks and some internal intrigue on the Japanese side tried to keep it going for longer.
Yeah, most movies or documentaries say that it ended with a bomb. But there are some movies like Emperor that state the internal fighting and chaos that ensued after the blast.
@@Longtack55 Yes, they would have fought to the last child in the defence of their homeland. Casualty figures in the tens of millions.... on both sides.
This is the first time I've seen this video. It's also the first time I've heard someone acknowledge the additional bombs. My father was in the TR-5 (Spectrographic and Photographic) Group at Trinity. He would have been the cameraman on the 3rd drop. When I asked him which city was the target, he claimed to have "forgotten" but I'm certain he was continuing to protect still classified information. I moved to Doña Ana County in 2011 about 90 miles due south of Trinity. Sadly, my father had passed in 2003, so I wasn't able to tell him that I went to the April open house and saw many of the photos he'd taken that I grew up with. I also got to find out the name of the US Cavalry horse he would ride when he accompanied the unit doing perimeter patrol. His name was Argo, Dad.
Agree, the history channel should pick him up and make him his own series doing 30 minute videos. History channel would gain more views and Mark would get a butt load of money and even more ability to find information.
The History channel is not about conveying history, it's about advertising and luring in people stupid enough to be the mindless consumers that they are. Unfortunately, most people don't give a damn about history, they'd rather be entertained.
My father was a mechanical engineer he was 26 in 1945, he worked on the bomb, had no idea what he was working on, I still have his security badge from Los Alamos
@@timduncan9372 Compartmentalization was pretty heavily emphasized for reasons of utmost secrecy. I don't know if it's true but I grew up being told my great grandmother helped design something for it during her service but wasn't told what it would be for either. That particular story is probably false for reasons I won't go into. I did look around for information on the project in the past few years though and a lot of things I've read do corroborate with the compartmentalization of the teams working on it, though.
My father was stationed on Guam and was a tail gunner on a B29 which carried out conventional raids on Japan using incendiary bombs. Due to the typical construction in Japan these bombs were particularly devastating. I thank God they dropped the A Bombs otherwise the war would have continued and the chances of my father surviving and me even existing would have been rather slim. It has always puzzled me why people get so wound up over the use of thosse weapons. If you know history the best illustration of how callous the Japanese government was toward civilian deaths in their country is the fact that in one night's raid over Tokyo we dropped enough incendiary bombs to kill more people than the A Bombs caused yet the Japanese were unwilling to surrender. I realize it was the introduction of a new technology to the world yet we had already killed in one night with conventional weapons more people than died from the A Bombs use.
i hope you realize that fire bombs dont have long lasting consequences, they eliminate(gruesomely) and are done. a-bomb can kill affected people generations into dna tree. people are getting cancer just because they are descendants of victims that were subjected to genocide of a-bomb. a-bomb kills horribly and affects the survivors and their children, and children of their children and so on.(depleted uranium munitions do the same but its an off-topic). dropping a-bomb changed nothing except causing a long lasting spiral of dna mutations in affected population. did you even watch this documentary?
I am a 1948 model of the Baby Boomers. My father was in the Army stationed in the South Pacific fighting the Japanese the entire war. He fought in the Philippines, Solomon Island, New Britain, and Papua New Guinea and was stationed in Australia during training. He would certainly have been in the invading forces of Americans landing on the mainland of Japan and most likely would have lost his life, as a million Allied Personnel were projected to be fatalities of the invasion. But the A-bomb was dropped on Japan and began the surrender. I had the opportunity to become friends with Major Dutch Van Kirk, the navigator of the Enola Gay. I thanked him and the brave crew of the Enola Gay for saving so many American and Japanese lives. They were true heroes and I thank them. I might not be here today had it not been for them dropping of the first atomic bomb on Japan, thus bringing about the end the war. I thank God for a president like Truman who proposed peaceable surrender and made it clear that we would accept nothing less. We got peace through strength. I don't care to hear any negative comments to my statement. Thank you.
This is the most accurate and balanced presentation of the events surrounding the use of the Atomic bombs that I have ever found. When I was working on my History Degree, I found out for the first time by doing my own research about the attempted coup to place the Emperor under "house arrest" so as to stop the surrender. What a shock that was as someone who had been an avid student of WW2 history before I pursued my degree. I have read so many modern take on the use of the Atomic bomb and yet never before even a hint of this coup going on behind the scenes. Such an important factor in understanding the necessity of the use of the Bomb and of Russia entering the war with Japan. Thank you for this Mark Felton Productions.
Odd, as that was readily apparent in all of my reading on the subject of Japan's surrender. The emperor wanted to surrender, but needed an excuse and used the atomic bombings for the civilian populace and the Russian declaration of war for the military. I'm certain he recognized that our inevitable victory would've turned Pyrrhic in fact if we had to engage in Operation Downfall and wanted to avoid that at nearly all costs. Just as the unconditional surrender was agreed to upon the condition that the emperor's throne was retained and we readily agreed.
@@spvillano The part that I had never heard mentioned before was the attempted Coup to stop the surrender even after the Bombs and the Russian declaration of war.
@Dan Plans for invading the Japanese Home Islands were already quite a ways along at the time of the surrender. The US was anticipating such heavy casualties that they ordered a huge quantity of Purple Hearts be struck for the wounded they anticipated occurring. They struck so many that 75 years later, wounded soldiers are still getting Purple Hearts from that batch. The fact that there was a third bomb wasn't declassified until the 1990s.
@Dan --- My textbooks taught me that we only ever made two bombs and we would have kept fighting japan if they never surrendered. Bunch of bs Wayne Patterson --- There were a number of atomic bombs being assembled in 1945: 1945-07-16: MARK III THE GADGET, Plutonium implosion device, detonated on a test tower Alamagordo, New Mexico 1945-08-06: MARK I LITTLE BOY, HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) gun-type, detonated in an air burst over Hiroshima, Japan. Five more MARK I units were constructed without ever completing them with all of the necessary components and fissionable cores. 1945-08-09: MARK III FAT MAN Unit F33, Plutonium implosion device, primary target planned for Kokura Arsenal, Japan; detonated in an air burst over secondary target Nagasaki, Japan 1945-08-20: MARK III, Plutonium implosion device, not used, FATMAN assembly present on Tinian, Plutonium core available for delivery to Tinian for use about 20-24 August 1945. 1945-09: Planned availability of three or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of September 1945. 1945-10: Planned availability of six or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of October 1945. Actual non-nuclear MARK III FATMAN bomb assemblies in stock without the nuclear components to complete the weapons were 60 units. 1945-11: Planned availability of perhaps seven to ten MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of November 1945. 1945-12: Planned availability of perhaps seven to ten MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of December 1945. 1946: Planned availability of perhaps ten or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in each month of 1946. 1946-07: MARK III atomic bomb inventory, seven MARK III Plutonium implosion devices complete with initiators and two more without initiators. In the absence of an order from Emperor Hirohito to surrender, the War Faction of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War (Minister of War General Korechika Anami, Chief of the Army General Staff General Yoshijirō Umezu, and Chief of the Navy General Staff Admiral Soemu Toyoda) continued to oppose a Japanese surrender under any conditions. They preferred to continue the war at any cost until Americans and Allies suffered enough casualties in a war of attrition to compel the Allies to negotiate an armistice favorable to Japan. After receiving an intelligence report from the torture and interrogation of an American fighter pilot in which the pilot claimed there were 100 more atomic bombs stockpiled at the air base for immediate use against Japan, the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War concluded the Americans and Allies could from then on annihilate virtually all of Japan and the Japanese people without risking the casualties and attrition from an invasion. Minister of War General Korechika Anami welcomed the annihilation of Japan and the Japanese race rather than surrender. He remarked, "Would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower?" Even after Emperor Hirohito ordered the surrender to occur, elements of the Imperial Japanese Army mutinied and made an unsuccessful attempt to accomplish a coup d'etat that was to stop the ordered surrender.
@@LordFalconsword So it is up to us to challenge them to search for facts....I have read that we did not have the materials to build a third bomb. that is why an invasion of Japan. My Dad was being trained as a photographer to go with the invading forces.
There are many other History channels here, but Mark Felton by far is the best!! Many others talk rushed in a hurry, no pause, no break between sentences and so on. Mr. Felton is clear right to the point and very logical, how one segment follows the next. Thanks again for the new informations or shell i say History Lesson.
I started reading about Oppenheimer in a casual manner and ended up becoming enthralled by all the things I hadn't been taught at school about the atomic bombs deployed in Japan. This is the best video and detailed account I have ever seen about the Japanese surrender. Everyone should watch it to get further context on the events, as I would be quite confident that what 99.999 % of people know (including myself) is far too simplistic.
@@ericman4023 really? so what is the truth and what are your sources? I have spoken to many older Japanese people and what Mark Felton described is completely accurate. Plus further bombs were indeed in development since uranium was no longer a limiting factor.
During those times, my My uncle was somewhere in a Japanese prison as a Prisoner of War. He was only 20 when Indian/British army surrendered to Japanese in Singapore in 1942. He returned home after the war ended but the torcher, atrocities, insults and hard labour of three years in Japanese prisoner camps destroyed his whole life. Although he lived more than 70 years but rest of his life was so painful and miserable. This is first time I have heard that Japanese had planned to kill all POWs if Allied forces had invaded Japan. Once again I have felt the fear of death and not going to home in the hearts of those young Indian/British soldiers.
I once met a veteran who survived the atrocities at Corregidor in 1942. He owned a furniture store after the war and was a very serious but also kind and generous man. A relative of his told me about his background and said he never talked about his war experiences, for an obvious reason. Very sad. How remarkable that today Japan is one of our closest allies. May we never forget the past, but may we also never let it keep us shackled to hatred and vengeance.
Seeing the photos of the starved Allied POWs, reduced to skin and bone, is something more Americans should be aware of. While the treatment of POWs is expected to be humane, it's clear that Japan didn't see it that way when caring for Allies. It's hard to understand my father's generation and the difficulty they had to overcome when taking into account the maltreatment they suffered from at the hands of the Japanese. My dad was on a sub in WWII, and was not a POW, but was very aware of fellow soldiers and friends who were, and suffered the rest of their life for it.
@@simplywonderful449 Saw a few weeks ago a History show on TV (forgot what island) but they found a US marine with his head chopped off and placed on his chest and his penis cut off and placed in his mouth. That is what we were dealing with!
The Japanese had been convinced that if they failed they would face a worse fate than the allied POW's they held. I read that many jumped to their deaths on Okinawa rather than face capture by Allied forces. I know my paternal grandfather lived into his eighties and never forgave the Japanese for things he experienced, but talked about little. Fortunately many Japanese didn't think what their officers were doing was moral and when captured they provided key testimony to war crimes for which a number of Japanese officers were tried and hanged on Guam after the war. As bad as Allied Forces as POW's had it, the civilians in Korea and China fared worse. The book "Flyboys" is an excellent historical account of the political, cultural, and military actions taken by both sides in the Pacific Theater.
What I like most about this channel is that Mark Felton, based on the historical events best known to the general public, brings the smallest details about the other minor associated events, like this failed coup d'etat in the imperial palace, under-the-hood negotiations and the people involved, somewhat forgotten by history. This undoubtedly shows the excellent research capacity that Mark Felton possesses, making him different from some mainstream historians, who assume that everything about WW2 is already known, simply regurgitating what has already been written. My sincere thanks to you, sir. Keep up with this excellent work, enriching our knowledge of history!
I never knew about a third bomb and I considered myself knowledgeable about the war. Mark never ceases to amaze and teach me new things. He is an extraordinary man.
It's rather common knowledge. The plutonium for the 3rd bomb formed what was later called the demon core. Since it wasn't dropped, scientist did experiments with it and it direct killed a couple of scientists in two separate prompt criticality events. Others made have died due cancers which may have been related. The demon core was melted down and used in other bombs because of its killing reputation.
@Steve Olive That's what the Russians want people to believe. But the nukes mattered a lot more to the Japanese than the Soviets did. The Soviets were quite weak at that point. Remember, they couldn't even defend their own country against the German assault from far away. Only the winter stopped that.
If the Japanese were unwilling to surrender to the United States at any cost. Why would the Japanese be afraid of the Russians invading. They would then be fighting for separate countries at that point which would have included the United States Great Britain China and Russia. I don't think the Japs were worried about the Russians in my opinion
As a recently graduated historian, and although my field of preference is the Middle AgesI, I strive to be like Dr. Felton. He truly is an inspiration!
The fundamental difference between a historian who publishes video, and a video producer who happens to like history, is the level of detail provided with a clear, but nuanced narrative.
This is by far the best dispassionate summary of the way the pacific war ended I have ever seen. Almost all other attempts at this are very biased toward one side or the other. I wish I could have a print copy of this. Bravo!
As always, well done by Dr. Felton. If your dad, grandfather, or other relative were bound for Japan to end this war, how could you not support this horrific weapon given Japanese intransigence? There was little choice for Truman and the complexities of the situation are well presented. We hear very little about the unwillingness for Japan to surrender among the overshadow of the power of nuclear weapons. This was a refreshing change in perspective. Terrible but necessary.
My father who was in the Army Air Corp had just been sent in August 1945 to Greensboro NC to be processed at the ORD for shipping overseas. He knew he was probably headed to Japan where he would most likely end up dying in combat. He always said that the dropping of the atomic bombs saved his as well as thousands of Allied troops lives.
The dropping of the A-Bombs is still controversial, but the devastation caused, loss of life and the consequences of radiation on the survivors showed the world what truly awful weapons they are. This terrible demonstration of their power has probably prevented their use since. Hopefully, they'll never be use again.
Noam Chomsky says that nuclear weapons have often been used in the sense that a robber with a gun can rob a store just by waving the gun around and not firing the gun.
My 89 year old mother's boyfriend was on a troop transport waiting off the Japanese coast in August of 1945. He was 19 years old at the time. He would have been the first wave in. He and everyone of his fellow soldiers were scared to death because they knew that chances of survival against a radical Japanese army would have very low. When the A bombs were dropped and the Japanese surrendered he and about half a million or more G.I.'s breathed a sigh of relief. As was stated in the video the Japanese were willing to sacrifice 100 million Japanese civilians to prolong the war. The atomic bombs killed around 140 thousand people immediately and about another 100 thousand over time. I think there was no better choice Truman could have made. As far as your statement that "The dropping of the A-Bombs is still controversial" it wasn't controversial in 1945 or for 50 years afterwards. It has only become "controversial" in the last 20 or so years by people who weren't there and have never had to imagine the death toll that would have been reality had the bombs not been used. But I totally agree that we should all pray that nukes never are used again, especially because modern ones make the A bombs look like firecrackers.
I believe they were necessary to encourage the final surrender of japan. And I also believe that because they were used it made future leaders less likely to use them once the full effects were known. We really didn’t know how devastating the radiation poisoning would be.
@@1967davethewave The Japanese were ready to negotiate a peace, but the Americans held out for unconditional surrender. A conditional truce would have been a better option than deliberately vaporizing Japanese women and children. The Japanese Navy and air force had been destroyed. There was no need for an invasion or unconditional surrender.
@@soulscanner66 But an unconditional surrender was necessary for a lot of reasons. The Russians for one and the fact that the U.S. didn't want war to just start again against the Japanese in a few years if they had an Emperor that wanted revenge, like what had just happened in Germany. By the way, the Japanese are credited with killing over 10 million civilians during WW2 with over 6 million Chinese alone. There was a lot riding on unconditional surrender for more than just the United States.
He must explain simply for Us-Americans. No atomic bomb was necessary at all. Even if this crap can be read everywhere and is repeated over and over again. Repetition does not make it true. The inventors and the military wanted to try the effect on people. These ideas could come from Nazis. They are from Americans.
Mark Felton, is the only Historical Podcaster/TH-camr who at this point who doesn't thrust his opinion on you (Dan Carlin is pretty close, I will say though Dan Carlin makes a very entertaining Podcast)
@@cybereus836 Yeah, it does. Today, every broadcaster begins such accounts with a virtue signalling conclusion and then assembles the facts accordingly. Same thing, pretty much, with any account of the great battles of WWI.
Could you include some figures on the increased cancer amongst those American personnel. My Mother and Father were in the US Army and were stationed in Japan shortly after the war. Neither ever went to the nuke cities as far as I know, but both developed thyroid cancer 5-10 years later. Both had surgery and lived to ripe old age. I also knew a US Navy doctor who was stationed on a ship nearby. He recovered what sounded like a large chunk of what looked like melted glass. He kept it under his bunk on the ship he was stationed on. Six months later he saw a memo concerning rubble recovered from the two cities were potentially dangerously radioactive. He had it checked, and it was indeed quite radioactive. He developed leukemia in his late fifties, and died ten? years later.
As a young teacher of grade 5 students I had an excellent classroom volunteer who taught enriched mathematics to some learners. "Frank" was a retired geologist and a WW2 US army combat vet. We often chatted about his experiences during his time in the Philippines. During a conversation about the upcoming Remembrance Day assembly (Canada), I asked Frank what he and other soldiers had thought when they learned of the first A bomb drop. With considerable emotion he said, "We felt we had our lives back. At least we believed we had a chance of a life now." "We knew after the Philippines we'd be sent to invade the Japanese home islands. No chance of surviving that."
My dad's division was ear-marked for the invasion of Japan. They ended up in France, Germany, and Austria after the Bulge, but were again destined for Japan after VE-Day. So... I don't complain too much about the A Bombs.
I'm so happy Germany (where I'm from) surrendered early enough to miss this scourge. Thanks to all the people who gave their lives and health to free Germany, Europe, and the entire planet really, from the Nazi scum and their atrocities. I am here and can live a free life because of them. It's very disheartening to see so many countries all over the world openly flirting with fascism. This part of history must under no circumstances repeat itself.
@@Coastfog I've a thought that, due to concern for fallout over the heavily populated Continent (as opposed to fallout going largely into an ocean), that the use of atomic bombs on Germany may have been omitted. OTOH... the US and Britain may not have been overly concerned about contamination of an Eastern Europe headed toward dominance by Stalin. There's much of tactical, strategic, and political natures to be considered upon. Hitler so terribly hurt and besmirched Germany. History and Empires played so cruelly with Germany.
@Gavin MacNeish Well, in general, they did know about fallout even before the Trinity test, yes. For example, SciFi writers had used the theme of spreading fallout as a weapon just by scattering Uranium dust, even before Physicists had confirmed nuclear fission and the possibility of an A-bomb. The prevailing winds around Japan and China blow toward the East. There is a lot of nothing east of Japan until one gets to Marcus Island... and another big gap east of there. (It's also rough seas and foggy weather up there. The Japanese made good use of this for Pearl Harbor and the Midway/Aleutian Is. attacks.) I have to wonder sometimes how allied we were with China. It had been quite a mess brewing for some decades. But that's not important now...
Dear Mark, I have often heard it said before that your episodes of well researched history should be firmly in pace in classrooms and I concur absolutely. In the pub, or out with friends, I often quote items of interest from history and I am shunned, rebuffed and rejected as if I am lying! Many people do not know World history, or dare I say it their own local history, please keep it up Mark, well done Sir.
In regard to obama and those who argue with your logic, I quote my dad "the safest place ignorant people have is when they place their head up their ass, no arguments no matter how sound will reach them there."
I thank Mr. Felton for producing this video. I am of the opinion, having read a considerable amount on the topic, that the potential of having Soviet troops on Japanese soil (and knowing how the Red Army had treated Germany) was a much more significant factor in the surrender decision than this video might indicate.
Japan's wartime govt. was a death cult. Aside from the years of sadistic horror they had dealt out to conquered peoples, the order to murder of hundreds of thousands of captured Allied POWs if Japan proper was invaded, was justification enough to use atoms to attempt ending that horrific war. Those who argue that the U.S. were somehow the villain in this situation are hopelessly misguided.
Ethan Valdez actually there were heroes. The ones stopping the evil that started the war! The means to stop it were forced upon us because of those who started it. Thats why peace through strength is so important in preventing evil people from thinking they can start a war and get away with it. Churchill warned parliment for years that the Germans were arming for war and was ignored. The same holds true today for those that seek to bow down to China. Theyve waged every form of warfare outside of kinetic warfare on us and nobody until Trump has stood up to them. Now they deploy their proxy communist militias in US cities under banners of Antifa and BLM. They have collected every cintilla of information on American citizens to spy on them with AI and blackmail them into serving China when war comes. Thats why tiktok must be banned and all American companies that enable and work with China sanctioned. Stop China now!
I see a lot of similarities between Japan pre-WWII, during WWII, and Communist China today, both death cults, the Japanese worshiped the emperor, the Chinese worship the Communist doctrine, and the Party. The Japanese had absolutely no regard for their very own people and would sacrifice them to no end, the Chinese Communists have absolutely no regard for their very own people and have exposed them to a deadly virus, fear, hunger, ignorance, and despair.
There was a man who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and was taken to a hospital in Nagasaki. He then survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. I don't know whether he was then taken to a hospital in Kokura.
The story I read, he was having tea with his aunt in Hiroshima when it was bombed. He later took the train to Nagasaki to be with his family when the second bomb dropped. He survived both and lived into the 21st century and died at 95 years old.
Mark Felton is a "Multi-National Treasure". The United States, England, France, Philippines, and many other nations enjoy his wonderful historic narrations of world history. Thank you Mr. Mark Felton. Respectfully
Home alive in '45 Across the styx in '46 Way to heaven in '47 At heavens gate in '48 Looking fine in '49 Getting shifty in 1950 I'm gone in '51 The U.S. had more bombs getting built since getting the enrichred Uranium from the Germans in May 1945
1st stage Founding of the American Communist Party Second stage Build a People's United Front 3rd stage Takeover of think tank IPR 4th stage Amerasia, a magazine that supports the Chinese Communist Party, is launched. 5th stage "Take in the Roosevelt family" Sorge behind the 'Nanjing' propaganda 6th stage Lobbying Using Former Secretary of State Stimson "Operation Trojan" 7th stage Spies inside the government enforced a policy of oppression against Japan In November, he drafted the draft ``Hull Note'', which was a de facto ultimatum to Japan in negotiations between Japan and the United States, and drove the Tojo Cabinet into war with the United States. According to the Venona documents, both President Curry (19), who promoted these anti-Japanese policies, and White, the Director of the Monetary Research Bureau of the Ministry of Finance (20), were Soviet spies. Thus, in December 1941, the US-Japan War broke out. On December 9, two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese Communist Party issued a statement that the Pacific Anti-Japanese United Front had been completed with the outbreak of the US-Japan War. The Soviet Comintern's strategy of using the United States to crush Japan became a reality 21 years later. As described above, the Venona documents, the Comintern documents, the confidential documents of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. became public, and the Roosevelt administration, which used the Comintern, the Chinese Communist Party, and "Soviet spies" as important, before and during the war. And what he did after the war is gradually becoming clearer.
Amazing detail into what happened at the end of the war. And just how close we came to almost wiping out the Japanese as a people... Someone needs to make a movie about this based on your analysis.
Highly, HIGHLY recommend reading "Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire" by Richard B. Frank if you're interested in the waning months, weeks, and days of World War II. Absolutely phenomenal read with a huge amount of contemporary Japanese sources bolstering it. The Imperial Cabinet was an absolute mess in August 1945. I don't know we'll ever truly, fully understand why the Japanese made the decisions and moves they did in the last few days and what carried the most weight for the decision to surrender, but Frank does a really good job of trying to at least put the information out there. EDIT: Also, that ending reminds me of a neat little story for Japan's official surrender. The USS West Virginia and USS Detroit were both in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Nearly 4 years later, both were in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd, 1945. Five members of West Virginia's band were sent to the Might Mo for the surrender so that sailors from a ship at Pearl Harbor would be present for the ceremony.
Imperial Japan had a worldview that was more akin to a country in ancient roman times. They were a country 1000 years out of sync with the rest of the world.
Another interesting fact is that Hirohito spoke in an old Japanese dialect in his surrender speech and that not many people understood what he was saying.
Thanks, Mark, for such a clear presentation on the events, debates and decisions on all sides that led to the decision to surrender. My father was in university as a Naval technical officer when the surrender was announced. He described more than once how the young officers in their dress whites bought a barrel of beer and tapped it on the front campus slopes in front of the stately Greek Revival buildings. The young men would drain a glass, then run and slide down the steep lawn in those dress whites, deliriously celebrating the idea that they would not be piloting a landing craft onto a Japanese beach.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were tragic but the intransigence of the Japanese government left the U.S. with absolutely no choice but to resort to the two atomic bombs' use on those Japanese cities.
The thought of all those POWs being killed if a landed invasion had happened was what struck me the most. People keep pushing the narrative of Japan as the victim, while forgetting the atrocities Japan had comitted
"The Japanese hoped that Russia would help mediate a surrender". The Japanese government was either in denial or hopelessly deluded, to think they could trust in Russia and Stalin. Did they completely forget about the Russo-Japanese war of 1905?
Well in 1905s Russia had a completely different government, keep in mind in during the 1940s not much yet is known about the Soviet from the outside world, even the Great Purge was not widely known in the Western World, there's no way for Japan to figure out what the Russians actually intended to do
Up until August of 1945 there was still a non-aggression treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union which both sides had stuck to. However, that treaty had expired and Stalin had already agreed to enter the war on the Allied side the moment the agreement was no longer in effect. The Supreme War Direction Council were in denial, expecting that the Soviets had any interest in mediating on their behalf. Japan's own ambassador to Moscow wrote back to Foreign Minister Togo that their time was already running out, that the Soviet government wasn't going to negotiate for them, and that the concessions Japan was offering to secure Soviet cooperation were territories the Soviets were already poised to take by force.
@@robertmartens7839 yep, China will also cause the Border conflicts against the Soviets soon into the future... ironically the Soviets wanted to be friendly with the Americans and the Chinese view that as weak, in both irony and hypocrisy, China allied with America against the Soviets
Thank you, Mark, for this enlightening summary of the nukes and Japan's surrender. I only knew bits here and there. It is very good to see the connections.
Related to this clip is Dr Felton's one of how very nearly the two A-bombs were to be dropped by the RAF using all black Lancasters - and refuelled in-flight from tanker Lancasters!! Go watch that little gem. 👍
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 well, I'm not an American, nor a fan of modern American politics - but I agree with TNRonin. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that they should have dropped a couple more bombs at the time. The Japanese empire deserved everything that they got.
You are very brave for posting this. I hope that nothing bad happens as a result. I think that Americans and Iranians will become good and fast friends in the future. Your people are very intelligent and have an incredible history. I hope your country can become free so that the best potential of everyone there can be realized. In that way you can become a world superpower.
My Dad was at Fort Ord, California, preparing to ship out to invade the Japan. After the A bombs were dropped and the war ended, my Dad came home. Many of my friend's Dads didn't. Thank you, President Truman.
My dad was in India with the British Army. He was also preparing for Operation Downfall. I wouldn't have known it had he been killed of course, but he would have.
My Dad was with the 25th Infantry on Luzon. After they were pulled off the front line, the division began preparing to be one of the spearhead divisions for Downfall. My Dad was convinced the A-Bombs and subsequent surrender saved his life and that of most of his buddies in the 25th.
@@MW-eb1qh :: I think your dad was right. I never understood why people had objections to the A-Bomb strategy, considering the ferocity and one-eyedness of the Japanese soldiers.
G'day Zero, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere Brig.Gen. Groves got his second star after the bomb worked! Best reason to smile the man probably ever had. He was desperate for a battle zone job when war broke out. He'd been a long time in the Army Engineers and had never seen a shot fired in anger. He deserved the promotion, just dealing with scientists would have been like trying to herd cats. Cheers, BH
This discussion of the Japanese surrender is more comprehensive and detailed than anything I have seen or heard on the subject. I am amazed to learn so much more about the aspects of history covered by these videos. Another benefit I have realized from watching Dr. Felton's videos is that my respect has been reinforced for the teachers and classes that we had growing up. The things we learned are usually corroborated, to the extent that school could discuss them in the time allowed. One only hopes that generations following will be able to say the same.
This must be the best retelling of these events that I’ve ever heard. My father not having enough points to go home, had been shipped from Germany to the Pacific. He was literally on an Army troopship when all this was going on. So, I never had issue with the dropping of the bomb. I just never knew how incredibly complex the decision making process was. If they had held back I might not be here today. My father might have been one of the 1 million expected casualties from the invasion. Thank you President Truman!
Tell us more about the points. Were they awarded by time served, or calculated by being in battle? What did someone need to accrue in order to head home?
Per Wikipedia “Soldiers were given one point for each month of military service and one additional point was given for each month of overseas service. Each battle star or decoration earned a soldier 5 points. Soldiers were awarded 12 points per dependent child up to a maximum of three children. A total of 85 points was needed for eligibility. Soldiers who had earned that number of points were to be demobilized as soon as transport back to the United States was available.” Officers were required to have 70 points plus at least four years service. With the Japanese surrender things became problematic. Thousands of soldiers had been shipped to the pacific and now they had no place to be. There was an agreement with the Japanese to ship their soldiers home ASAP. So much of the troopship movement from August 1945 onward was about getting the Japanese soldier home. Many American soldiers were literally marooned all over the pacific without transport home. I had an uncle who was a Seabee and he hitched a ride on a submarine headed toward SF. I’m sure there were many more stories like this at the end. My father was finally allowed to jump the line when he was given emergency leave. His parents had gotten sick. His family was living with them on a farm. He got to go home and run the farm.
Exact same experience of my father's- from Germany to Japan in a troop ship. The war ended and he got to see Japan before he came home. It was a great experience for a kid from Hell's Kitchen.
Excellent presentation. I'd like to have this on hand whenever the "We shouldn't have" argument pops up. Along with the statistical forecast of casualties for a conventional war ending fight. You have outdone yourself Mark. This is a very important video, not just for us WWII history buffs, but for the world.
Not only would it have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. There was a great weariness with the war in America and a real risk of that the Japanese campaign would have ground into a stalemate by late 1945, with the American public baulking at the huge losses. Then of course the Soviets were about to invade Japan from the north, and the Americans would probably have let them just get on with it to save US lives. Without the A-bombs, post-war Japan might have looked very different.
@@leivabernie thousands of children had been killed in just about all of the big city-wide bombings in Japan. Civilian casualties wasn't a brand new concept with the A-bombs.
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My grandmother, who was Japanese, was 13 when the war ended. She told me how when it was announced the Emperor was going to speak on the radio everyone was both excited and stunned. So much so that when it came time for the broadcast she said everything came to a stop. People stopped working, cars stopped in the street and the speech was broadcast throughout schools. She was in class at the time. She said when he announced Japan's surrender, kids in her class, even the teacher began to cry. After the speech she said the principal sent everyone home for the day. The real kicker I get from this video is how close my grandmother came to never experiencing this. She lived in Kokura.
Thank you for sharing these details.
Woooa! Glad it didn't happen. My Dad worked on the Manhatten Project. He seemed pretty sad about it when i was growing up. He later was a Scout Master, and he was succeeded by his Japanese American friend, the Assistant Scout Master. 👍👍
I have heard a NPR program that says after the broadcast many Japanese turned angry. This was because they knew the end was coming, but still sent their teenage kids to fight, etc. They considered the Emperor as God like, but that mystic was all gone after the broadcast. Their kids or other soldiers would have never died if the Emperor and the military surrendered when the conclusion is over well before August. The idea of the American would land in Japan to do a genocide was a propaganda and that was why everyone thought that this would be a fight down to the last man. After this mess, the Emperor was no longer considered a God. The royal family was pardoned by the Americas for political reasons, so the blame was put on the military top brass, even though the emperor clearly was an active participant, not the propaganda that says Tojo was the culprit.
Glad your grandmother and a whole lot of other people survived the war If it had gone on, a good many on both sides would not have lived.
Evan D, you are a great wordsmith. You ended your comment very dramatically.
I’m grateful that these stories are not completely lost to history, and they never should be either.
@Cleetus Farragamo History is a vast subject. There isn't enough time in school to learn it all. It requires a lifelong dedication to even understand a portion of it.
Cleetus Farragamo
Agree. We owe it to our children and subsequent generations to get the facts right re: our decision.
@@rikk319 I agree completely. I've been studying history since I was in my teens. I'm now 62, and I'm STILL learning history.
That sure isn't the desire for a lot of leftists these days. Erasing history has become a mission for many.
@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683 Luckily I’m capable of understanding the importance of history no matter my political position and I hope more people can respect the idea that facts are facts for people of all ideologies
These programs should be required viewing in our schools.
Remember kids do your math or else goodbye
But then they wouldn't have time for 'Marxism 101', and 'Transgender Studies for 5th graders', and 'Capitalism, the history of evil', and 'Racism is Everything' AND 'Everyone I don't like is HITLER!'.
No,No they get evolution junk. How fish grew feathers and flew. What a joke!!!
Wow today is August 9 2020. Just 75 short years ago.
@@mediamattersismycockholste562 what school did you go to??
My Uncle, who joined the Marines at 17 fought from Makin island from Nautilus submarine raid, Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima as a scout sniper, out of his company of 250 of which only three made it to the end of the war showed me a medallion which showed a mushroom cloud titled "Peace for Japan". He said, "if not for this I wouldn't be here today". It is more than ironic that at 15 in 1963 my Dad would be stationed there and I would be going to HS and playing basketball with Japanese kids.
And, as you uncle implied, if not for the use of the bombs those kids would not have been around to play basketball with you. War is such a dirty and disgusting business.
"The Americans wanted to abolish the monarchy"
"The British favored retaining it"
Go figure LOL
Not so unique of a position. Unlike in Nazi Germany a killing of the Emperor left too much uncertainty if anyone else would have enough sway to make a capitulation stick. It may of come down to the Americans eliminating Hirohito but the Japanese military leaders may have done it themselves if they were determined to fight to the end.
Yet, it was Douglas MacArthur who insisted Empiror Hirohito retain the throne. Last time I checked, he was an American and he was the American (along with the US President) who mattered. The so called British who wanted to keep the empiror can't claim credit for his retention being MacArthur was in charge of the occupation forces in Japan. The President went along with MacArthur's suggestion, not because of what the British thought.
NO! REALLY???
No it was out of pragmatism and to retain stability.
The retention of the Monarchy, was a seminal element that also saved a lot of lives, the politicians and generals were not believed like Emperor Hirohito, and in him they trusted and believed.
I read the title, frowned, and then realized it was a Mark Felton Documentary, so it couldn't be anything but fact based content.
Some of the videos sound a bit out there but that is part of the job of a historian.
Indeed! I thought quite the same thing.
rudiger891 Chill out. Ever heard of sarcasm?
The Manhattan Project produced 4 devices. Trinity, Little Boy and Fat Man. The 4th one wasn't used and didn't have a catchy nickname.
@rudiger891 If you didn't get his comment, read it again. It's ok to admit you didn't understand his comment the first time you read it.
When the record of the emperor's surrender was broadcast to the Japanese people it was the first time his voice had ever been heard by the population.
@sr633 - I've read that many ordinary people were surprised that the Emperor could speak ordinary Japanese; apparently the Emperor and his inner circle typically spoke a special dialect of Japanese pretty much exclusively.
@@hughmungus1767 The emperor was a God to his people that goes back forever. Hearing his voice was too much to be understand.
@@hughmungus1767 in the broadcast he spoke court dialect and was consequently not understood by the populace. His announcement was repeated by a radio broadcaster speaking in the modern dialect of every day Japanese, so people would know what had been said.
@@hughmungus1767 At one point in the broadcast the emperor apparently remarked "The situation has developed, not necessarily to our advantage". Talk about understatement....
The surrender broadcast was pre-recorded the day before. Fanatics tried to find and destroy the record to prevent the broadcast.
Even though I’ve heard the less-detailed story, your superb narration made it seem like they would never surrender. This is history.
And they wouldn't have.. which makes the whole condemnation of America for using it so absurd
@@josephrice29 Yes, the Japanese as a whole were even more fanatic compared the Germans during the war, and dissent was also less within the former.
@@josephrice29hate when people cry those bombs got used
I’ve never been more interested in history since I began watching and listening to Dr. Feltons work.He is an international treasure.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Another channel to check out is "The History Guy."
"The Great War" is a good channel too, cover WW1 and 2 in great detail. Although Mark is my favourite out of all of them
@@zh2266
I will check it out.Thanks for the info!
Try epic history tv he feature ww1 And All Napoleonics Campain its Very Good channel also and dont forget the most Informative Channel of all time THE OLD PATH Channel
I wish T Harry Williams, a great historian at LSU was alive today to do youtube videos. I never missed his classes, actually sat in on one of his political classes just because he was so great. You never knew if he would have you bent over laughing, crying like a small child, or just hypnotized by his magic. Dr. Felton is really good, but T Harry would have been a rock star. The day he died was the loss of a library and a living museum. Rest in Peace
The history channel needs to ditch “ancient aliens” and “american pickers” and go back to stuff like this!
Can't,too many P.C. assholes get butthurt over history,sad
You are right.
I believe it’s too late for the history channel, Mark Felton does a better job!
I agree, though I like American Pickers and the history behind the items they find.
Any text that includes "Could it be, could it just possibly be...?" just is not history.
The Doctor is in. Putting history in context as usual, and never a dull moment.
When I went to Hiroshima I visited the eternal flame and the museum it was pretty surreal, the amount of people there and how quiet it was really left a mark.
My wife and I visited Hiroshima's Peace Museum in 1990. The vibe we got was good - people were glad to see us there.
Great production. At 73 years of age...I am learning important facts that were never taught but should have been.
Never too old to learn!
@@sweebystpu Amen....I am like a dry sponge trying to learn and absorb so much in the way of history and science. Science particularly. Anxiously awaiting the landing of Perseverance tomorrow. I will feel blessed if I live to see incoming images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
That is because it makes it easier to tell the story, and be done with it.: many people were uncomfortable with the idea of one bomb killing so many people (as if noone was dying when the used regular bombs!), and many people were uncomfortable with the idea that the Japanese were not only willing to take more, but that it was the theeat of the Russians that 'tipped' the balance.
Bottom line is that as horrible as it was to have used them, and while Truman was mainly trying to save Allied lives, and keep Soviet occupation and influence contained to the mainland: USA and UK were upset that Soviets had faciltated the Empire's efforts through their non-agression pact, and it was a bit questionable when/if they would finally go against Japan.
Japanese today seem to remember the atom bombs as the only thing that should be apologized for, when, the net result is that, even after two of were used, much of their leadership was still prefering to have millions of women and children die in the streets, 'fighting' with sticks and farm tools so that leadership would have less people to be conscious of their failure and folly, and THEIR war crimes!
Unfortunately, USA, pretty much turned their backs on the victims of Japanese atrocities, and agreed to 'move on' without really holding many people accountable, and prohibiting victims, whether individual, or united, from seeking redress.
While it was, perhaps unfortunate that the effects of radioactive fallout were either not well understood at the time, or disregarded by some decision-makers (I am not certain which, or by whom), In the end, the USA was uncertain of what the Soviets would do (regardless of what exactly they wanted to do, the Soviets wanted more time to bring more troops, equipment, supplies east before they had to fight the Japanese [it is FAR!], and only declared war on the Japanese AFTER the atom bombs were used, and felt the end was coming sooner), the fact that the Russians started shooting cannot be disregarded in evaluating the Japanese decision, the USA and UK really didn't want to trust/rely on the Soviets, but if 'conventional' bombing, continued, as.they had been doing, thousands and thousands of people would still have died, horribly, both on the mainland, and the 'home islands', whether in the explosions, the fires, or the starvation, and the Soviets would have acquired even more territory.
USA/Truman saw the use of the atom bombs as a chance to have far fewer people (both Allied AND Japanese) suffer and die.
And while it didn't have exact result that was hoped for*, it was pretty much worth trying, at least once.
* I always found it pretty interesting that several Japanese generals were SO sure that there were only a few atom bombs, and now, it is pretty clear that the Soviets were getting frequent reports on the progress of the bombs' development, and it would make some sense that they would relay information to the Japanese to get them to defer surrender. With the ulterior motive of giving the Soviets more preparation time.
@Wayne The Seine
As a 20 year old going on 21, I would like to ask you about life lessons and any piece of wisdom you’d want to give to someone my age?
@@TheScandoman America was wrong to drop the Atomic Bomb. you cant do what your enemies does you are supposed to be the leader
Another slice of history that I didn’t know! Thanks Dr Mark.
I'm a student of these days in Japan and World war II. The information that you provided, Mark, is astounding in its scholarship. This documentary, in my opinion, is worthy of an award.
All I know is that my mother was a captain in the Army Nurse Corps stationed on Okinawa who was firmly convinced she would die with the invasion of Japan. The two devices dropped on Japan stopped that invasion and saved my mother's life. I took my mom from Philadelphia to Cape May New Jersey in August of 1995 to meet Colonel Paul Tibbets. Her reaction to meeting him and the kindness that he showed my mother I will never forget.
I had a house in Cape May for 15 years. Did Tibet’s live there
Geez, if you appreciate the man, at least spell his name correctly.
@@JP-qc8ud no he was at Cape May's airport to give a speech
My father was also on Okinawa when the bombs were dropped and told me the same thing. But for those bombs, I probably wouldn't have survived.
My Dad was a Sea Bee on Okinawa. He developed surveillance photos taken by P 38's.
“His plush, underground bunker.” I smell a future episode.
I hope so!!!
You should see his personal transport halftrack. It has a chandelier and comfy interior.
21:21 "posh, underground bunker"
www.google.com/search?q=posh&oq=posh&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2j46l2j0j46j0.2767j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
But yeah, we might see that in a future episode
Great idea!
perchance our beloved bite-me biden could rent it. nice imaginative western gulag white - i mean redhouse where he can rule his fantasy marxist world
Fellow lovers of history, we need to all try and get the History Channel to fund Mark Felton. Our kids deserve to know actual history.
Not just the kids but us too. So much has been unclassified or discovered as the US and Soviets opened their records that the whole ciriculum needs to be updated from ww2 to the cold war ending. Hell my dad and Mom were taught the Soviets contributed nothing to the war and both of my Dad's parents served in the Royal Canadian Airforce during WW2. They still give me strange looks when I try to talk to them about all this new info. So I've been playing some of Mr Feltons content and Time ghosts histories week by week of ww2 when they visit me once a week.
The history broke away from history TV... if you want to watch stuff like this, get The Military History Channel... it is a thing.
Just teach the lazy kids to read books, and problem solved.
The people that bought out the HC don't want us to know our history.
It's those TV production companies that ruin it, suits coming in and saying "oh that won't be interesting, can you do it more like this about that"
. We have to be the one's to help support with a few bucks here and there
As a guy who likes history I grow weary of simplistic explanations like, "it was racism!", or "it was to scare the USSR!", or "it was to test the bomb!", or blah, blah, blah. Real history is never so simplistic and one-dimensional. Mr. Felton always displays his deep understanding of history by exploring the many complex forces that came together to produce any historical event. He not only teaches us about these events (which would be worthwhile enough) but also that history is never a simple melodrama of "good guys vs. bad guys". He helps us see the world and human experience in greater depth, which is what shows him to be worthy of the title, Historian. Thank you, sir.
Too often you white folks ignore the role racism plays, and some of you, out of hand, discount it .
Hear, hear
Another great video. I learned so much from Mark Felton. I am well read on World War II, but I continually learn new things from Mark’s videos. I had no idea the surrender of the Japanese was this complicated and messy. Wow, the war could’ve easily gone on longer.
Any recommendations for resources you’ve studied about WW2
That's right the war would've raged on until way above 1946 but because the Japs learned what true terror and fear looks like it forced them on there knees for good they were no longer a threat against peace or humanity.
I also love that Dr. Felton mentions the massive conventional B29 bombing raid on August 14. There were so many things going at that point of the war, that event has almost been forgotten...
well, by that point the Ns were running the usa . the bankers never done their own dirty work
Hated history at school, now 50 years later I can’t get enough…Mark’s videos are second to none…love to all 🏴
広島・長崎人体実験でした！ 戦争が早く終わりそうだから 原子爆弾の人体実験実行したのです。 戦後広島の被爆者少女を助ける治療をする 偽りの治療で少女が被ばくで死んでいく過程を 記録して死ぬと臓器を取り出しアメリカに 持ち帰りました！ 真珠湾攻撃では、日本のパイロットは、民間人を攻撃しませんでした！ 軍事施設に限定した爆撃です。米軍は、 広島・長崎・大阪・東京など無差別民間人を狙った大殺戮である。
It was a human experiment in Hiroshima and Nagasaki! The war was about to end soon, so we conducted a human experiment on the atomic bomb. Treating a girl who helped an A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima after the war Recorded the process of a girl dying of exposure by false treatment, and when she died, she took out her organs and took them back to the United States! In pearl harbor attack, Japanese pilots did not attack civilians! It is a bombing limited to military facilities. The U.S. military is a massacre targeting indiscriminate civilians in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Tokyo, and other areas.
Japan fought for Asia.
I will not regret
Reflecting on the indiscriminate bombing
United States. You should reflect!
Two atomic bombs are human experiments!
What country are you in?
Is it bad to lose the war?
Japan fought for Asia.
I will not reflect
Reflecting on the indiscriminate bombing
Allied. You should reflect on it!
The two atomic bombs were human experiments!
@@ヤマトウズメ-r1o cool fictional story bro💀
@@Yeahimman32 広島・長崎人体実験でした！ 戦争が早く終わりそうだから 原子爆弾の人体実験実行したのです。 戦後広島の被爆者少女を助ける治療をする 偽りの治療で少女が被ばくで死んでいく過程を 記録して死ぬと臓器を取り出しアメリカに 持ち帰りました！ 真珠湾攻撃では、日本のパイロットは、民間人を攻撃しませんでした！ 軍事施設に限定した爆撃です。米軍は、 広島・長崎・大阪・東京など無差別民間人を狙った大殺戮である。
It was a human experiment in Hiroshima and Nagasaki! The war was about to end soon, so we conducted a human experiment on the atomic bomb. Treating a girl who helped an A-bomb survivor in Hiroshima after the war Recorded the process of a girl dying of exposure by false treatment, and when she died, she took out her organs and took them back to the United States! In pearl harbor attack, Japanese pilots did not attack civilians! It is a bombing limited to military facilities. The U.S. military is a massacre targeting indiscriminate civilians in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Tokyo, and other areas.
@@Yeahimman32 Unit 731 says that once the United States is outflanked, neighbors will be in an uproar because the nightmare of this brutality will be revived. Therefore, he concludes, "Just as German Chancellor Brandt kneeled at the Jewish ghetto monument in Warsaw and apologized, Abe should once again sincerely apologize to Asian countries." He wrote, "Unit 731 is an epidemic prevention unit, which is a blatant lie. I am writing this article based on the rumor that it created biochemical weapons and conducted cruel biological experiments. However, even after half a century, I can still prove the rumor. There was no evidence or testimony, instead rumors spread that ``the human experiment data was not available to the United States, a humanitarian nation, so Ishii's unit's experiment leaders were given the data without questioning their guilt.'' . That's why it's natural that there's no evidence, according to US historians Sheldon Harris and others. The 731 also experimented with putting a human in a vacuum tube and exploding it. "Internal organs popped out of the eyes and mouth and ruptured." Around the same time, it was revealed that the United States killed 83 people in Guatemala before and after World War II by injecting syphilis into the eyes and brain of a retarded girl. Obama finally apologized. The grounds for rumors that the United States cannot conduct human experiments have also been blown away. Tepperman writes a false history, and Columbia University professor Gerald Curtis also refuses to verify history, saying, "Why do you make remarks that provoke a backlash?" Is true history so inconvenient for America? He admits that the investigation found no evidence. Caution against Japan's use of germ warfare As the competition for research on biological warfare progressed during World War II, the United States remained vigilant against Japan's use of biological weapons until the end of the war. After the war, it turned out that there was no evidence that the Similarly, regarding the US mainland, balloon bombs collected by the US Naval Research Laboratory were examined at the end of the war to see if balloon bombs from Japan could be used for germ warfare. A document was also released that concluded that war was not envisioned. From around 1944 until the end of the war, the U.S. interest in Japan focused on the development of germ weapons and clarification of the actual activities of Unit 731. The emphasis has shifted to obtaining research results (stealing Japanese intellectual property) through interrogation of The person who the US side was most interested in was Lieutenant General Ishii, who commanded Unit 731. An information report from December 1945 also mentions that a fake funeral was held in his hometown in Chiba Prefecture, pretending that the lieutenant general had died. Records of reports and repeated interrogations have been preserved. It has been said that Lieutenant General Ishii handed over the results of his research on biological warfare to the United States in exchange for the protection of himself and his subordinates. Contains content that conforms to "Lt. Gen. Ishii, a key figure in the bioweapons program, is currently drafting an agreement covering the entire issue. The document will include his ideas on the strategic and tactical use of bioweapons. It is expected that the skeleton of 20 years of research on biological weapons will be shown, and will be completed on July 15th." The same document states that ``more than 200 people infected with bacteria'' were hidden ``in the mountains of southern Japan''. It was also noted that about 8,000 pathological specimen slides collected would be provided to the U.S. side by the end of August 1947. While rushing to collect information from Japan, the US side was strongly wary of information about germ warfare being passed on to the former Soviet Union, which had become a rival in the Cold War. For the Khabarovsk trial, the former Soviet Union was reluctant to hand over evidence related to biological warfare, while about 30 Unit 731 personnel said they were "engaged in research projects on biological weapons near Moscow." The monthly information report was also revealed this time.
I've watched many documentaries regarding the downfall of Japan - this is by far the most concise, factual, and accessible. Well done Mark, superb work.
It leaves out the fact that Truman kept the terms about the monarchy because he wanted to EXTEND the war with an already defeated Japan, in order to allow enough time to drop those 2 bombs.
It had more to do with showing the USSR how big our dick was.
This oversight leaves the video feeling rather inadequate and more like a propaganda piece.
@@p51mustang24
The Japanese are now one of our best allies.
@@p51mustang24 If Japan was already defeated, then why weren't they aware and surrender? Watch to the end of Mark's film to find out.
@@p51mustang24 he left it out because its pure supposition with no evidence supporting it.
Well done. Your videos are so much better than all the others I watch. Always informative. And never redundant. 👍
Mark Felton's programs set the standard for excellence. I appreciate the clarity and insightfulness of his analysis - just the right amount of detail to substantiate his conclusions, written in a style that makes him my favorite story teller. Bravo.
Many Japanese armament were licensed versions of German weapons.
Also, the japanese, Italian and Germans had a mutual defense treaty so when we declared war on Japan, Italy and Germany automatically declared war on us.
He really does, but like other British presenters will still frequently butcher the pronunciation of well known words. This is not OK, as despite the local pronunciation rules tending to turn words into mushmouth soup, when you say that word to somebody from anywhere else in the world, you must say it correctly - generally based upon how it is pronounced in the source language, but certainly using a global "accepted" pronunciation of some type, which the "Brit-lazy-rule" is most certainly NOT.
I call this out, as his productions really are well done - which makes it even more jarring to hear him completely fail on the pronunciation of Sakhalin Island. There is only one way to say it, and he completely missed... Yanks notice that, and it's really painful to our ears. We're expected to say global words correctly, and so are you. :P
@@chouseification I wonder how painful to your ears it is when someone from Philly turns on the spiggot (how it gets pronounced) at the zinc (again, how sink gets pronounced) to fill a glass with worder. ;)
Being from Philly, I can keep that one going for weeks. :P
I'm fluent in American English and actual English, but still have no idea whatinhell they speak in Liverpool...
@@spvillano - since the early 60s they have been speaking Rock & Roll in Liverpool!
Can Mark Fenton be put up for some type of public hono(u)r in view of his scholarship and contributions to public enlightenment? His work stands out like a beacon a sea of glitz, sleaze, and entertainment.
So many questions I would have asked my Dad before his death in the early 2000s...he was on MacArthur's staff and saw the devastated cities, saw the famous Dr. Suzuki attending the burn victims, saw Hirohito and his son Akihito pass his desk at GHQ, visited the Imperial Palace, saw Tojo in Omori Prison where American POWs had been held, and so much more--a witness to history. It just seemed like old war stories then. I would be so much more engaged and interested now. Thanks, Mark Felton, for illuminating those complex and transforming times.
I agree. My father was an FBI agent during the war, and I wish now I'd asked him more about that.
I know what you mean. I did ask questions, but so many more I wish I would have asked. My dad experienced alot, wish ID heard it all.
My father in law, and my uncle, were FEPOWs : they were very lucky to survive, and they were tough guys. Most allied FEPOWS perished.
My Father was there too,with Naval Intelligence. At one time he held the Surrender Recording in his arms,during the Uprising at the Imperial Palace.
@@achillebelanger9866 we stand on the shoulders of giants, and yet we cannot even manage a flu pandemic now without panicking like little girls.
As usual, Mark Felton explains using lucid, objective, and self-evident historical facts that cannot be denied. I have watched all of your excellent documentaries, recommend them on a regular basis, and thank you for making them.
As always, a really fascinating take on history we thought we knew.....thank you Mark, once again!
Based on the Japanese culture during the war, the high officials who called for surrender were probably the bravest people in the war. Because their actions, boosted with the Emperor's choice, my Grandad, serving at a Helldiver bomber gunner on the USS Wasp, was able to go home and 75 years later, allowed me to write this comment.
@docvideo93: I believe your total comment to be absolutely true. And had the coup d’état worked high officials in favor of surrender would have been quickly assassinated. My dad, a lieutenant, was taken off a loading troopship in San Francisco because he failed his deployment physical of the day before. He was given a medical discharge immediately. I believe that until the day he died he regretted the medical discharge. For you, and your family, I’m grateful your dad made it back home.
100% agree. Dad was an Army cpl/medic in Philippines campaign and they were staging for Japan invasion when bombs were dropped and Japanese surrendered. The soldiers knew what was ahead and what they'd be facing, and he simply said when asked about the a-bomb use, 'thank God for Harry Truman...'
I wouldnt be here if they hadnt surrendered
My father was on a troop ship heading from Italy to fight Japan
The casualties were 1.5 million dead and wounded this after 6 years of war he new that he wouldnt survive that invasion
Luckey they turned round at Egypt and he got home in 1945
Similarly, after Germany surrendered, my late father's AA battery was on a warning order to joinr British Army units deploying to the Far East for the possible invasion of Japan.
Don’t worry. If your granddad wouldn’t have made it, someone else would have written your comment.
From Berlin: I would like to note that the so called 'morale bombing' of Germany during WWII did not cause a revolution and overturning of the Nazi regime, but instead made the civilians even more depending on the government, since all aids were distributed by Nazi organisation.
Also the German bombardment of Great Britain did not cause the British to give up but instead hardened their will .
I hope the world learned that mass bombing civilian targets does nothing to help the war effort.
It was a lot trickier in Japan since their industrial and military areas were intertwined with civilian areas.
I agree with Mr. Grahammer. Read a biography of Air Marshal "Bomber " Harris. So called "morale bombing" was retaliation for the blitz and for V1 and V2 rockets.
So your saying if surrender wasnt made, the bombing of japan would have continued until they stopped existing
No. Did not say that. Saying that Allied High Command sought to find a way to end the war with minimal loss of life. I think most of the leaders, political and military on the Allied side were by 1945, horrified by the loss of life to date. I am sure there were exceptions because malignant narcissists are in all cultures and countries. And rise to positions of power.
The Allies knew bombings did not encourage revolutions, they were out to kill industrial workers. A good lathe operator is more lethal than 10 company's of infantry.
So many little facts mentioned that nobody else covers like this, in one brilliant package.
Bravo!
🥇
Well, of course there's somebody... Check out youtuber Shaun and his piece on dropping the bombs. But you're right, mr. Felton does an outstanding job (and without taking 2 hours to do it).
Guess you haven’t watched many documentary’s on ww2
watch "A World at War". It's brilliantly produced as well
PS, the infamous study that stated millions of Americans would die in an invasion does not exist. IT was nothing but speculation fueled by Truman. Here is why he dropped the bomb, He feared that Japan would mount a fresh attack on US forces. He felt that without the bomb a costly invasion would be necessary. He feared a Japanese invasion of the California coast.
However, Japan was devasted and didn't have the ability to feed themselves much less mount an invasion anywhere in the world.
well here a fact he got wrong......Japan was trying for the last 6 months of the war to surrender..they told their ambassador in Russia to try to get the USA to understand they they were ready to negotiate. Japan's sole proviso was that its sacred emperor be retained. Also President Truman and those around him knew this through intercepted Japanese diplomatic messages...the myth that Japan didn't want to surrender is something we say, to justified the dropping of the bomb....as i said before...Japan was looking for a way out of this war.........many people say that one of the real reasons we drop the Bomb was to show Russia.....what we were capable of......and.....NOT TO MESS WITH US....
My father served under General Clark as part of a field artillery division which liberated Naples during WWII. After continuing northward, his 5 man team was shipped back to the US (having served his 6 month your of duty) just in time to receive a telegram ordering him to standby for further instructions....he was to return to Ft.Hood (now Caravos) , Texas for training for the invasion of Japan. The bomb dropped, saving his and the estimated 1 million US fatalities...and allowing me to write this.
What's rarely discussed is the number of Japanese civilians who would have been killed in an invasion. Horrible as the atomic bombs were...several million Japanese would have perished in an Allied invasion.
@@johngrace199that's a cute way to rationalize dropping weapons of mass destruction on the civilian population, though it's not the first time I've heard it.
I guess in this day and age grinding your teeth and saying "ARRRRR THEY ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR!" ... which was a naval base and an actual legitimate target ... doesn't quite get the sovereign supreme American blood boiling like it used to.
The Japanese people don't like this comment. I am writing on behalf of a person that hasn't been saved in an atomic blast.
No story too big or small to be covered.
This is one of your finest efforts Mark. It IS the standard.
Thank you.
Let’s all agree we all want or wanted a teacher like Dr. Felton in high school, I sure do!
My wife and I have several times strayed into wondering how history teachers in the schools we attended managed to make history so lifeless. We both grew up to enjoy historical accounts. On TH-cam we have Mark Felton and The History Guy, people who know how to recreate the life force of the events that brought us to where we are now.
flagmichael I am a high school student and I’ve had only 2-3 teachers in my entire time of being in school who have attempted to make history fun and interesting
++Matthew Say++ Agreed! The only "history teacher" I can remember anything about was a devout communist with no interest in putting any point of view other than her own across. That was in the late 1950's and the socialist brainwashing of our children continues to this day.
I had a good teacher, but asking for Dr Felton is quite a high order; not many of him lying around, and if they are, they are more likely then not professors
I'd be there any day for his classes.
This is how many people think Mark Felton is better than the current History chanell
⬇
Chisola Baron like beggar
Like begger
Thank you for all your efforts Mr. Felton. I was wondering if enough info exist on Hirohito's bunker worth an episode? Sounds fascinating.
This is how you teach history.
@Chitown Livingston I guess it's a good thing that there was nothing to read.
@Chitown Livingston he said that when he was watching Fox News on tv I remember
This is.a very interesting report, and it is believable. He is correct about the consideration of the war lasting into 1946 or 1947. I had seen one account where the American military was concerned that a ground invasion of Japan could have morphed into a guerrilla war that could have continued indefinitely. People.can debate the use of the bombs until they are blue in the face, the only thing that matters is they were used, there was no invasion and the war ended. Oh and Godzilla was created. Just kidding.
Godzilla was just a fortunate side effect
@@Klaaism Oh no. There goes Tokyo. Go go Godzilla.
More proof that history isn't as neat and tidy as some authors would lead us to believe. Conventional notion is that the US dropped two nukes and the Japanese said, "Okay! That's enough! We give up!" The truth is that the fighting kept going on for weeks and some internal intrigue on the Japanese side tried to keep it going for longer.
@Heinz Guderian Many? You mean only one guy who missed the memo...
Yeah, most movies or documentaries say that it ended with a bomb. But there are some movies like Emperor that state the internal fighting and chaos that ensued after the blast.
Heinz Guderian .. many ..like who..?
With a civilian army of 28 million things were about to get bloody.
@@Longtack55 Yes, they would have fought to the last child in the defence of their homeland. Casualty figures in the tens of millions.... on both sides.
Mark should make a bumper sticker that says “I don’t like any current event closer than 1947”. I would buy that.
He should establish an online store.
If the war had been lost there would not have been anything to live for.
He's made videos about the Falklands War
@@pablononescobar Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
@Philip Maybe you should start with learning English. ;)
This is the first time I've seen this video. It's also the first time I've heard someone acknowledge the additional bombs. My father was in the TR-5 (Spectrographic and Photographic) Group at Trinity. He would have been the cameraman on the 3rd drop. When I asked him which city was the target, he claimed to have "forgotten" but I'm certain he was continuing to protect still classified information. I moved to Doña Ana County in 2011 about 90 miles due south of Trinity. Sadly, my father had passed in 2003, so I wasn't able to tell him that I went to the April open house and saw many of the photos he'd taken that I grew up with. I also got to find out the name of the US Cavalry horse he would ride when he accompanied the unit doing perimeter patrol. His name was Argo, Dad.
❤
They were fire bombs. Atomic bombs are a myth.
That’s not what happened in “Argo” with Ben Affleck
@@M3Busssin Horse of a different color
Mark’s videos are always far more insightful than anything the History Channel can manage to cobble together.
Agree, the history channel should pick him up and make him his own series doing 30 minute videos. History channel would gain more views and Mark would get a butt load of money and even more ability to find information.
Totally agree - my brain is overloaded with historical information after watching one of his videos
Disney owns the history Channel and they're highly invested in manipulating your perception of reality in service of elites.
The History Channel has turned into reality TV garbage!
The History channel is not about conveying history, it's about advertising and luring in people stupid enough to be the mindless consumers that they are. Unfortunately, most people don't give a damn about history, they'd rather be entertained.
Mark never disappoints. By a mile this is the best factual and nuanced discussion on this emotive topic that I have ever heard.
100%
My father was a mechanical engineer he was 26 in 1945, he worked on the bomb, had no idea what he was working on, I still have his security badge from Los Alamos
Had no idea what he was working on?
@@timduncan9372 Compartmentalization was pretty heavily emphasized for reasons of utmost secrecy. I don't know if it's true but I grew up being told my great grandmother helped design something for it during her service but wasn't told what it would be for either. That particular story is probably false for reasons I won't go into. I did look around for information on the project in the past few years though and a lot of things I've read do corroborate with the compartmentalization of the teams working on it, though.
@@timduncan9372 all menial staff janitors and such were recruited from illiterates anyone who was literate was not considered eligible for hire.
Do you have his pins?
@@timduncan9372 : There were hundreds of thousands of people working on the Manhattan project. Only a few knew what they were working on.
My father was stationed on Guam and was a tail gunner on a B29 which carried out conventional raids on Japan using incendiary bombs. Due to the typical construction in Japan these bombs were particularly devastating. I thank God they dropped the A Bombs otherwise the war would have continued and the chances of my father surviving and me even existing would have been rather slim. It has always puzzled me why people get so wound up over the use of thosse weapons. If you know history the best illustration of how callous the Japanese government was toward civilian deaths in their country is the fact that in one night's raid over Tokyo we dropped enough incendiary bombs to kill more people than the A Bombs caused yet the Japanese were unwilling to surrender. I realize it was the introduction of a new technology to the world yet we had already killed in one night with conventional weapons more people than died from the A Bombs use.
i hope you realize that fire bombs dont have long lasting consequences, they eliminate(gruesomely) and are done. a-bomb can kill affected people generations into dna tree. people are getting cancer just because they are descendants of victims that were subjected to genocide of a-bomb. a-bomb kills horribly and affects the survivors and their children, and children of their children and so on.(depleted uranium munitions do the same but its an off-topic). dropping a-bomb changed nothing except causing a long lasting spiral of dna mutations in affected population. did you even watch this documentary?
Hit the “Liked” button before watching because I knew I was going to enjoy the video, like I do EVERY one of Mark’s videos. They are just that good.
It’s great how there really is no question when starting one of marks videos that it will be of top quality
Same here.. Start Mark's video with the like!
Nicely put together with little or no histrionics or embellishments - the way history should be told, facts, not fiction. Thumbs up.
It’s fake there were only 2 atom bombs used in war
@@donavanjewkoskie5102 He said they were planning on using a third, he didn't say that they actually used it
@@lucaslo8170 “third atomic bomb attack” an attack of a third atomic bomb
@@lucaslo8170 look at the title jackass I’m saying he’s clickbating
@@donavanjewkoskie5102 yeah u right
Right on, Mark - more great and relatively unknown stories. Fantastic content, best on TH-cam imo.
I am a 1948 model of the Baby Boomers. My father was in the Army stationed in the South Pacific fighting the Japanese the entire war. He fought in the Philippines, Solomon Island, New Britain, and Papua New Guinea and was stationed in Australia during training. He would certainly have been in the invading forces of Americans landing on the mainland of Japan and most likely would have lost his life, as a million Allied Personnel were projected to be fatalities of the invasion. But the A-bomb was dropped on Japan and began the surrender. I had the opportunity to become friends with Major Dutch Van Kirk, the navigator of the Enola Gay. I thanked him and the brave crew of the Enola Gay for saving so many American and Japanese lives. They were true heroes and I thank them. I might not be here today had it not been for them dropping of the first atomic bomb on Japan, thus bringing about the end the war. I thank God for a president like Truman who proposed peaceable surrender and made it clear that we would accept nothing less. We got peace through strength. I don't care to hear any negative comments to my statement. Thank you.
This is the most accurate and balanced presentation of the events surrounding the use of the Atomic bombs that I have ever found. When I was working on my History Degree, I found out for the first time by doing my own research about the attempted coup to place the Emperor under "house arrest" so as to stop the surrender. What a shock that was as someone who had been an avid student of WW2 history before I pursued my degree. I have read so many modern take on the use of the Atomic bomb and yet never before even a hint of this coup going on behind the scenes. Such an important factor in understanding the necessity of the use of the Bomb and of Russia entering the war with Japan. Thank you for this Mark Felton Productions.
Odd, as that was readily apparent in all of my reading on the subject of Japan's surrender. The emperor wanted to surrender, but needed an excuse and used the atomic bombings for the civilian populace and the Russian declaration of war for the military. I'm certain he recognized that our inevitable victory would've turned Pyrrhic in fact if we had to engage in Operation Downfall and wanted to avoid that at nearly all costs.
Just as the unconditional surrender was agreed to upon the condition that the emperor's throne was retained and we readily agreed.
@@spvillano The part that I had never heard mentioned before was the attempted Coup to stop the surrender even after the Bombs and the Russian declaration of war.
@@pastormarkmI too never read about the Coup, & the third Bomb, very Interesting .
😐
So true brother Mark M. I feel much the same. It is like showing up for class and realizing everyone else read the prerequisites except you.
This is an insightful review of world history not available in textbooks
This next generation will be taught with textbooks (elearning) which only says we attacked Japan, because we're racists, or something.
@@LordFalconsword That very well could be the North Korean version now.
@Dan Plans for invading the Japanese Home Islands were already quite a ways along at the time of the surrender. The US was anticipating such heavy casualties that they ordered a huge quantity of Purple Hearts be struck for the wounded they anticipated occurring. They struck so many that 75 years later, wounded soldiers are still getting Purple Hearts from that batch.
The fact that there was a third bomb wasn't declassified until the 1990s.
@Dan --- My textbooks taught me that we only ever made two bombs and we would have kept fighting japan if they never surrendered. Bunch of bs
Wayne Patterson --- There were a number of atomic bombs being assembled in 1945:
1945-07-16: MARK III THE GADGET, Plutonium implosion device, detonated on a test tower Alamagordo, New Mexico
1945-08-06: MARK I LITTLE BOY, HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) gun-type, detonated in an air burst over Hiroshima, Japan. Five more MARK I units were constructed without ever completing them with all of the necessary components and fissionable cores.
1945-08-09: MARK III FAT MAN Unit F33, Plutonium implosion device, primary target planned for Kokura Arsenal, Japan; detonated in an air burst over secondary target Nagasaki, Japan
1945-08-20: MARK III, Plutonium implosion device, not used, FATMAN assembly present on Tinian, Plutonium core available for delivery to Tinian for use about 20-24 August 1945.
1945-09: Planned availability of three or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of September 1945.
1945-10: Planned availability of six or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of October 1945. Actual non-nuclear MARK III FATMAN bomb assemblies in stock without the nuclear components to complete the weapons were 60 units.
1945-11: Planned availability of perhaps seven to ten MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of November 1945.
1945-12: Planned availability of perhaps seven to ten MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in the month of December 1945.
1946: Planned availability of perhaps ten or more MARK III Plutonium implosion devices in each month of 1946.
1946-07: MARK III atomic bomb inventory, seven MARK III Plutonium implosion devices complete with initiators and two more without initiators.
In the absence of an order from Emperor Hirohito to surrender, the War Faction of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War (Minister of War General Korechika Anami, Chief of the Army General Staff General Yoshijirō Umezu, and Chief of the Navy General Staff Admiral Soemu Toyoda) continued to oppose a Japanese surrender under any conditions. They preferred to continue the war at any cost until Americans and Allies suffered enough casualties in a war of attrition to compel the Allies to negotiate an armistice favorable to Japan. After receiving an intelligence report from the torture and interrogation of an American fighter pilot in which the pilot claimed there were 100 more atomic bombs stockpiled at the air base for immediate use against Japan, the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War concluded the Americans and Allies could from then on annihilate virtually all of Japan and the Japanese people without risking the casualties and attrition from an invasion. Minister of War General Korechika Anami welcomed the annihilation of Japan and the Japanese race rather than surrender. He remarked, "Would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower?" Even after Emperor Hirohito ordered the surrender to occur, elements of the Imperial Japanese Army mutinied and made an unsuccessful attempt to accomplish a coup d'etat that was to stop the ordered surrender.
@@LordFalconsword So it is up to us to challenge them to search for facts....I have read that we did not have the materials to build a third bomb. that is why an invasion of Japan. My Dad was being trained as a photographer to go with the invading forces.
There are many other History channels here, but Mark Felton by far is the best!! Many others talk rushed in a hurry, no pause, no break between sentences and so on. Mr. Felton is clear right to the point and very logical, how one segment follows the next. Thanks again for the new informations or shell i say History Lesson.
I started reading about Oppenheimer in a casual manner and ended up becoming enthralled by all the things I hadn't been taught at school about the atomic bombs deployed in Japan. This is the best video and detailed account I have ever seen about the Japanese surrender. Everyone should watch it to get further context on the events, as I would be quite confident that what 99.999 % of people know (including myself) is far too simplistic.
And sadly completely false - but hey - you can't beat history via TH-cam hey?
@@ericman4023 really? so what is the truth and what are your sources? I have spoken to many older Japanese people and what Mark Felton described is completely accurate. Plus further bombs were indeed in development since uranium was no longer a limiting factor.
During those times, my My uncle was somewhere in a Japanese prison as a Prisoner of War. He was only 20 when Indian/British army surrendered to Japanese in Singapore in 1942. He returned home after the war ended but the torcher, atrocities, insults and hard labour of three years in Japanese prisoner camps destroyed his whole life. Although he lived more than 70 years but rest of his life was so painful and miserable. This is first time I have heard that Japanese had planned to kill all POWs if Allied forces had invaded Japan. Once again I have felt the fear of death and not going to home in the hearts of those young Indian/British soldiers.
I once met a veteran who survived the atrocities at Corregidor in 1942. He owned a furniture store after the war and was a very serious but also kind and generous man. A relative of his told me about his background and said he never talked about his war experiences, for an obvious reason. Very sad. How remarkable that today Japan is one of our closest allies. May we never forget the past, but may we also never let it keep us shackled to hatred and vengeance.
M S the movie "Unbroken" about POW Louis Zamperini tells a similar story of Japanese atrocities to POWs.
Seeing the photos of the starved Allied POWs, reduced to skin and bone, is something more Americans should be aware of. While the treatment of POWs is expected to be humane, it's clear that Japan didn't see it that way when caring for Allies. It's hard to understand my father's generation and the difficulty they had to overcome when taking into account the maltreatment they suffered from at the hands of the Japanese. My dad was on a sub in WWII, and was not a POW, but was very aware of fellow soldiers and friends who were, and suffered the rest of their life for it.
@@simplywonderful449 Saw a few weeks ago a History show on TV (forgot what island) but they found a US marine with his head chopped off and placed on his chest and his penis cut off and placed in his mouth. That is what we were dealing with!
The Japanese had been convinced that if they failed they would face a worse fate than the allied POW's they held. I read that many jumped to their deaths on Okinawa rather than face capture by Allied forces. I know my paternal grandfather lived into his eighties and never forgave the Japanese for things he experienced, but talked about little. Fortunately many Japanese didn't think what their officers were doing was moral and when captured they provided key testimony to war crimes for which a number of Japanese officers were tried and hanged on Guam after the war. As bad as Allied Forces as POW's had it, the civilians in Korea and China fared worse. The book "Flyboys" is an excellent historical account of the political, cultural, and military actions taken by both sides in the Pacific Theater.
What I like most about this channel is that Mark Felton, based on the historical events best known to the general public, brings the smallest details about the other minor associated events, like this failed coup d'etat in the imperial palace, under-the-hood negotiations and the people involved, somewhat forgotten by history. This undoubtedly shows the excellent research capacity that Mark Felton possesses, making him different from some mainstream historians, who assume that everything about WW2 is already known, simply regurgitating what has already been written.
My sincere thanks to you, sir. Keep up with this excellent work, enriching our knowledge of history!
Excellent points Guilherme. Those details do prove more research, and Mark Felton's skill at weaving the story from many threads.
I couldn't have said it better my self. (I'll probably try anyway. Mark deserves it.)
I never knew about a third bomb and I considered myself knowledgeable about the war. Mark never ceases to amaze and teach me new things. He is an extraordinary man.
It's rather common knowledge. The plutonium for the 3rd bomb formed what was later called the demon core. Since it wasn't dropped, scientist did experiments with it and it direct killed a couple of scientists in two separate prompt criticality events. Others made have died due cancers which may have been related. The demon core was melted down and used in other bombs because of its killing reputation.
From what I have read, once Russia declared war on Japan in August 1945, Japan realized that it could not win a two-front war.
Why would Japan want the same fate as the rape of Berlin? Atomic bombs were unnecessary, murderous atrocities
yep, the evidence for these alleged "atomic bombs" is shady at best.
@Steve Olive
That's what the Russians want people to believe. But the nukes mattered a lot more to the Japanese than the Soviets did. The Soviets were quite weak at that point. Remember, they couldn't even defend their own country against the German assault from far away. Only the winter stopped that.
Once Russia declared war, the U.S. knew they had to end things quick because like in Europe, they knew any land Stalin took, he wasn't giving back.
If the Japanese were unwilling to surrender to the United States at any cost. Why would the Japanese be afraid of the Russians invading. They would then be fighting for separate countries at that point which would have included the United States Great Britain China and Russia. I don't think the Japs were worried about the Russians in my opinion
As a recently graduated historian, and although my field of preference is the Middle AgesI, I strive to be like Dr. Felton. He truly is an inspiration!
The fundamental difference between a historian who publishes video, and a video producer who happens to like history, is the level of detail provided with a clear, but nuanced narrative.
@@bobgreene2892🤓☝️
Dr, Felton in all aspects is truly our finest history professor, thanks Dr
. Felton.
This is by far the best dispassionate summary of the way the pacific war ended I have ever seen. Almost all other attempts at this are very biased toward one side or the other. I wish I could have a print copy of this. Bravo!
Just use the "Open transcript" function.
As always, well done by Dr. Felton. If your dad, grandfather, or other relative were bound for Japan to end this war, how could you not support this horrific weapon given Japanese intransigence? There was little choice for Truman and the complexities of the situation are well presented. We hear very little about the unwillingness for Japan to surrender among the overshadow of the power of nuclear weapons. This was a refreshing change in perspective. Terrible but necessary.
My father who was in the Army Air Corp had just been sent in August 1945 to Greensboro NC to be processed at the ORD for shipping overseas. He knew he was probably headed to Japan where he would most likely end up dying in combat. He always said that the dropping of the atomic bombs saved his as well as thousands of Allied troops lives.
The dropping of the A-Bombs is still controversial, but the devastation caused, loss of life and the consequences of radiation on the survivors showed the world what truly awful weapons they are. This terrible demonstration of their power has probably prevented their use since. Hopefully, they'll never be use again.
Noam Chomsky says that nuclear weapons have often been used in the sense that a robber with a gun can rob a store just by waving the gun around and not firing the gun.
My 89 year old mother's boyfriend was on a troop transport waiting off the Japanese coast in August of 1945. He was 19 years old at the time. He would have been the first wave in. He and everyone of his fellow soldiers were scared to death because they knew that chances of survival against a radical Japanese army would have very low. When the A bombs were dropped and the Japanese surrendered he and about half a million or more G.I.'s breathed a sigh of relief. As was stated in the video the Japanese were willing to sacrifice 100 million Japanese civilians to prolong the war. The atomic bombs killed around 140 thousand people immediately and about another 100 thousand over time. I think there was no better choice Truman could have made. As far as your statement that "The dropping of the A-Bombs is still controversial" it wasn't controversial in 1945 or for 50 years afterwards. It has only become "controversial" in the last 20 or so years by people who weren't there and have never had to imagine the death toll that would have been reality had the bombs not been used. But I totally agree that we should all pray that nukes never are used again, especially because modern ones make the A bombs look like firecrackers.
I believe they were necessary to encourage the final surrender of japan. And I also believe that because they were used it made future leaders less likely to use them once the full effects were known. We really didn’t know how devastating the radiation poisoning would be.
@@1967davethewave The Japanese were ready to negotiate a peace, but the Americans held out for unconditional surrender. A conditional truce would have been a better option than deliberately vaporizing Japanese women and children. The Japanese Navy and air force had been destroyed. There was no need for an invasion or unconditional surrender.
@@soulscanner66 But an unconditional surrender was necessary for a lot of reasons. The Russians for one and the fact that the U.S. didn't want war to just start again against the Japanese in a few years if they had an Emperor that wanted revenge, like what had just happened in Germany. By the way, the Japanese are credited with killing over 10 million civilians during WW2 with over 6 million Chinese alone. There was a lot riding on unconditional surrender for more than just the United States.
Marks telling of history is so engaging and I am simply amazed at how many stories there are still to be reported.
I imagine an interesting show could be done on reporting every day during the War. How did civilians cope with it right in their yards.
None of it is not true. The U.S. should be tried for war crimes
There’s no explanation for this crime and it’s crazy to see people justify it
He must explain simply for Us-Americans. No atomic bomb was necessary at all. Even if this crap can be read everywhere and is repeated over and over again. Repetition does not make it true. The inventors and the military wanted to try the effect on people. These ideas could come from Nazis. They are from Americans.
I detect no agenda here but to relay information.
Bravo.
Mark Felton, is the only Historical Podcaster/TH-camr who at this point who doesn't thrust his opinion on you (Dan Carlin is pretty close, I will say though Dan Carlin makes a very entertaining Podcast)
That says a lot about today's generation, doesn't it?
@@ViciousAlienKlown It really says nothing about today's generation.
@@cybereus836 It says everything about today's generation. This a statement not a question.
@@cybereus836 Yeah, it does. Today, every broadcaster begins such accounts with a virtue signalling conclusion and then assembles the facts accordingly. Same thing, pretty much, with any account of the great battles of WWI.
I have always loved history, this channel and toldinstone are both awesome. Thanks for the great content
You should do a video about the u.s. occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs were dropped
I may do - I have lots of footage.
Yes
Mark Felton Productions please do!
Could you include some figures on the increased cancer amongst those American personnel. My Mother and Father were in the US Army and were stationed in Japan shortly after the war. Neither ever went to the nuke cities as far as I know, but both developed thyroid cancer 5-10 years later. Both had surgery and lived to ripe old age. I also knew a US Navy doctor who was stationed on a ship nearby. He recovered what sounded like a large chunk of what looked like melted glass. He kept it under his bunk on the ship he was stationed on. Six months later he saw a memo concerning rubble recovered from the two cities were potentially dangerously radioactive. He had it checked, and it was indeed quite radioactive. He developed leukemia in his late fifties, and died ten? years later.
@@MarkFeltonProductions Where do you find your footage at?
As a young teacher of grade 5 students I had an excellent classroom volunteer who taught enriched mathematics to some learners. "Frank" was a retired geologist and a WW2 US army combat vet. We often chatted about his experiences during his time in the Philippines. During a conversation about the upcoming Remembrance Day assembly (Canada), I asked Frank what he and other soldiers had thought when they learned of the first A bomb drop.
With considerable emotion he said, "We felt we had our lives back. At least we believed we had a chance of a life now."
"We knew after the Philippines we'd be sent to invade the Japanese home islands. No chance of surviving that."
Thank you for that comment. We owe so much to those men. And boys.
My dad's division was ear-marked for the invasion of Japan. They ended up in France, Germany, and Austria after the Bulge, but were again destined for Japan after VE-Day.
So... I don't complain too much about the A Bombs.
I'm so happy Germany (where I'm from) surrendered early enough to miss this scourge. Thanks to all the people who gave their lives and health to free Germany, Europe, and the entire planet really, from the Nazi scum and their atrocities. I am here and can live a free life because of them. It's very disheartening to see so many countries all over the world openly flirting with fascism. This part of history must under no circumstances repeat itself.
@@Coastfog
I've a thought that, due to concern for fallout over the heavily populated Continent (as opposed to fallout going largely into an ocean), that the use of atomic bombs on Germany may have been omitted.
OTOH... the US and Britain may not have been overly concerned about contamination of an Eastern Europe headed toward dominance by Stalin.
There's much of tactical, strategic, and political natures to be considered upon.
Hitler so terribly hurt and besmirched Germany.
History and Empires played so cruelly with Germany.
@Gavin MacNeish
Well, in general, they did know about fallout even before the Trinity test, yes. For example, SciFi writers had used the theme of spreading fallout as a weapon just by scattering Uranium dust, even before Physicists had confirmed nuclear fission and the possibility of an A-bomb.
The prevailing winds around Japan and China blow toward the East. There is a lot of nothing east of Japan until one gets to Marcus Island... and another big gap east of there. (It's also rough seas and foggy weather up there. The Japanese made good use of this for Pearl Harbor and the Midway/Aleutian Is. attacks.)
I have to wonder sometimes how allied we were with China. It had been quite a mess brewing for some decades. But that's not important now...
Dear Mark, I have often heard it said before that your episodes of well researched history should be firmly in pace in classrooms and I concur absolutely.
In the pub, or out with friends, I often quote items of interest from history and I am shunned, rebuffed and rejected as if I am lying!
Many people do not know World history, or dare I say it their own local history, please keep it up Mark, well done Sir.
Yes, totally agree. This was a tragedy and saved lives. Then you have people like Obama apologizing for this 70 years later. What an embarrassment!
In regard to obama and those who argue with your logic, I quote my dad "the safest place ignorant people have is when they place their head up their ass, no arguments no matter how sound will reach them there."
@@denverprator5806 Your useless opinion.
@@denverprator5806 So Obama accepted responsibility and apologized for defeating the Japanese Empire? I thought that he wasn't born until 1961.
@@michaelvol8922 he was agreeing with you....
I thank Mr. Felton for producing this video. I am of the opinion, having read a considerable amount on the topic, that the potential of having Soviet troops on Japanese soil (and knowing how the Red Army had treated Germany) was a much more significant factor in the surrender decision than this video might indicate.
Japan's wartime govt. was a death cult. Aside from the years of sadistic horror they had dealt out to conquered peoples, the order to murder of hundreds of thousands of captured Allied POWs if Japan proper was invaded, was justification enough to use atoms to attempt ending that horrific war. Those who argue that the U.S. were somehow the villain in this situation are hopelessly misguided.
Moist-Mike No country was really the hero in the war, everyone had to do things they would rather not in the name of their ideas and countries.
Ethan Valdez actually there were heroes. The ones stopping the evil that started the war! The means to stop it were forced upon us because of those who started it. Thats why peace through strength is so important in preventing evil people from thinking they can start a war and get away with it. Churchill warned parliment for years that the Germans were arming for war and was ignored. The same holds true today for those that seek to bow down to China. Theyve waged every form of warfare outside of kinetic warfare on us and nobody until Trump has stood up to them. Now they deploy their proxy communist militias in US cities under banners of Antifa and BLM. They have collected every cintilla of information on American citizens to spy on them with AI and blackmail them into serving China when war comes. Thats why tiktok must be banned and all American companies that enable and work with China sanctioned. Stop China now!
HEAV¥HAND That is the reason for war, to defend your country’s independence. So, agreed.
I see a lot of similarities between Japan pre-WWII, during WWII, and Communist China today, both death cults, the Japanese worshiped the emperor, the Chinese worship the Communist doctrine, and the Party. The Japanese had absolutely no regard for their very own people and would sacrifice them to no end, the Chinese Communists have absolutely no regard for their very own people and have exposed them to a deadly virus, fear, hunger, ignorance, and despair.
Imperial Japan was every bit as evil as the Nazis.
There was a man who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and was taken to a hospital in Nagasaki. He then survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. I don't know whether he was then taken to a hospital in Kokura.
Probably retired to a quiet life in Fukushima.
Yes he was
The only person to survive both bombings.
He later become son goku
The story I read, he was having tea with his aunt in Hiroshima when it was bombed. He later took the train to Nagasaki to be with his family when the second bomb dropped. He survived both and lived into the 21st century and died at 95 years old.
Mark Felton is a "Multi-National Treasure". The United States, England, France, Philippines, and many other nations enjoy his wonderful historic narrations of world history. Thank you Mr. Mark Felton. Respectfully
Mark Felton Productions. a sign of information and excellence, thank you.
Can’t believe how close this war came to being longer by years, a video dedicated to this Japanese military coup attempt needs to be made.
Home alive in '45
Across the styx in '46
Way to heaven in '47
At heavens gate in '48
Looking fine in '49
Getting shifty in 1950
I'm gone in '51
The U.S. had more bombs getting built since getting the enrichred Uranium from the Germans in May 1945
Their has been a movie made and is very accurate. MKL&ML
1st stage
Founding of the American Communist Party
Second stage
Build a People's United Front
3rd stage
Takeover of think tank IPR
4th stage
Amerasia, a magazine that supports the Chinese Communist Party, is launched.
5th stage
"Take in the Roosevelt family"
Sorge behind the 'Nanjing' propaganda
6th stage
Lobbying Using Former Secretary of State Stimson
"Operation Trojan"
7th stage
Spies inside the government enforced a policy of oppression against Japan
In November, he drafted the draft ``Hull Note'', which was a de facto ultimatum to Japan in negotiations between Japan and the United States, and drove the Tojo Cabinet into war with the United States.
According to the Venona documents, both President Curry (19), who promoted these anti-Japanese policies, and White, the Director of the Monetary Research Bureau of the Ministry of Finance (20), were Soviet spies.
Thus, in December 1941, the US-Japan War broke out. On December 9, two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Chinese Communist Party issued a statement that the Pacific Anti-Japanese United Front had been completed with the outbreak of the US-Japan War. The Soviet Comintern's strategy of using the United States to crush Japan became a reality 21 years later.
As described above, the Venona documents, the Comintern documents, the confidential documents of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. became public, and the Roosevelt administration, which used the Comintern, the Chinese Communist Party, and "Soviet spies" as important, before and during the war. And what he did after the war is gradually becoming clearer.
History channel did a special on this and there's plenty of info on it. Go get it mook
@@1mlannen what's the name of the film?
I never knew or learn half of these things in my history classes. So glad, I've found this TH-cam channel.
well another bit of trivia..LBJ wanted to drop two atomics on viet nam and get out
that is what extracurricular reading is for.
@@miguelcastaneda7236 links please, thank you.
Theres only so much they could have covered in the time they had i guess and we never stop learning although retention is my biggest problem now!
Densely informative with a clear, understandable narrative. As a history professor, I salute Mark Felton.
Amazing detail into what happened at the end of the war. And just how close we came to almost wiping out the Japanese as a people... Someone needs to make a movie about this based on your analysis.
I did not know anything about a coup before the Japanese surrender. Thank you for providing this very informative video.
Highly, HIGHLY recommend reading "Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire" by Richard B. Frank if you're interested in the waning months, weeks, and days of World War II. Absolutely phenomenal read with a huge amount of contemporary Japanese sources bolstering it. The Imperial Cabinet was an absolute mess in August 1945. I don't know we'll ever truly, fully understand why the Japanese made the decisions and moves they did in the last few days and what carried the most weight for the decision to surrender, but Frank does a really good job of trying to at least put the information out there.
EDIT: Also, that ending reminds me of a neat little story for Japan's official surrender. The USS West Virginia and USS Detroit were both in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Nearly 4 years later, both were in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd, 1945. Five members of West Virginia's band were sent to the Might Mo for the surrender so that sailors from a ship at Pearl Harbor would be present for the ceremony.
That's cool!! 😎👍🏾👍🏾
Seconded, with gusto. (Genrico's book on DOWNFALL is a solid runner-up.)
Yes, a good book.
Bought it a decade ago. It's an excellent read.
Imperial Japan had a worldview that was more akin to a country in ancient roman times.
They were a country 1000 years out of sync with the rest of the world.
The best synopsis of the Japanese surrender I have ever heard.
Yep, Felton is good.
But very sadly, not true
@@bisonchief304In what way?
@@bisonchief304 What wasn't true? Be specific with supporting evidence.
@@bisonchief304 you have to provide evidence if you want to be taken seriously. Otherwise your statement is irrelevant.
Just now i realised that this dude not just has a youtube channel but actually wrote books
Another interesting fact is that Hirohito spoke in an old Japanese dialect in his surrender speech and that not many people understood what he was saying.
Thanks, Mark, for such a clear presentation on the events, debates and decisions on all sides that led to the decision to surrender. My father was in university as a Naval technical officer when the surrender was announced. He described more than once how the young officers in their dress whites bought a barrel of beer and tapped it on the front campus slopes in front of the stately Greek Revival buildings. The young men would drain a glass, then run and slide down the steep lawn in those dress whites, deliriously celebrating the idea that they would not be piloting a landing craft onto a Japanese beach.
This was outstanding.
Not only is it a fascinating story, but the research and production is amazing!
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were tragic but the intransigence of the Japanese government left the U.S. with absolutely no choice but to resort to the two atomic bombs' use on those Japanese cities.
The thought of all those POWs being killed if a landed invasion had happened was what struck me the most. People keep pushing the narrative of Japan as the victim, while forgetting the atrocities Japan had comitted
@@timetochronicle "white people bad" is the only acceptable narrative in society. When will it change? who knows.
This is by far in terms of several orders of magnitude the best history channel I have watched, and I watched a lot in my time.
"The Japanese hoped that Russia would help mediate a surrender". The Japanese government was either in denial or hopelessly deluded, to think they could trust in Russia and Stalin. Did they completely forget about the Russo-Japanese war of 1905?
Well in 1905s Russia had a completely different government, keep in mind in during the 1940s not much yet is known about the Soviet from the outside world, even the Great Purge was not widely known in the Western World, there's no way for Japan to figure out what the Russians actually intended to do
NEVERS TRUST A COMMUNISTES!
Up until August of 1945 there was still a non-aggression treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union which both sides had stuck to. However, that treaty had expired and Stalin had already agreed to enter the war on the Allied side the moment the agreement was no longer in effect. The Supreme War Direction Council were in denial, expecting that the Soviets had any interest in mediating on their behalf. Japan's own ambassador to Moscow wrote back to Foreign Minister Togo that their time was already running out, that the Soviet government wasn't going to negotiate for them, and that the concessions Japan was offering to secure Soviet cooperation were territories the Soviets were already poised to take by force.
@@LordZontar Russia withdrew from that treaty in April 1945!
@@LordZontar VERY interesting. Thank you VERY much. TH-cam at it's Best.
Mark Felton opened my eyes when it was declared that a Japanese surrender could have prevented an atomic catastrophe and Soviet invasion.
@White Death Or China and Taiwan
@White Death The Soviets didn't cause the North Korean situation.
@@robertmartens7839 yep, China will also cause the Border conflicts against the Soviets soon into the future... ironically the Soviets wanted to be friendly with the Americans and the Chinese view that as weak, in both irony and hypocrisy, China allied with America against the Soviets
Thank you, Mark,
for this enlightening summary of the nukes and Japan's surrender.
I only knew bits here and there.
It is very good to see the connections.
What connections? That the Japanese were already about to surrender before the bomb on Hiroshima was dropped? Because that's the truth.
Probably the most momentous episode of the war, and the most mysterious. Never heard this story before, and thank you for bringing it to light
Related to this clip is Dr Felton's one of how very nearly the two A-bombs were to be dropped by the RAF using all black Lancasters - and refuelled in-flight from tanker Lancasters!! Go watch that little gem. 👍
I live in Iran. I understand the fanatics that ruled the Japan at that time. because we already have lots of them in Iran. Truman did the right thing.
What was it like earlier this year when Soleimani was killed? Riots? Protest? Happiness?
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 truly ignorant statement laced with bias.
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 well, I'm not an American, nor a fan of modern American politics - but I agree with TNRonin. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that they should have dropped a couple more bombs at the time. The Japanese empire deserved everything that they got.
Brother, be very careful. We can say what we want here without worry, but you face real danger.
You are very brave for posting this. I hope that nothing bad happens as a result. I think that Americans and Iranians will become good and fast friends in the future. Your people are very intelligent and have an incredible history. I hope your country can become free so that the best potential of everyone there can be realized. In that way you can become a world superpower.
My Dad was at Fort Ord, California, preparing to ship out to invade the Japan. After the A bombs were dropped and the war ended, my Dad came home. Many of my friend's Dads didn't.
Thank you, President Truman.
My grandad likewise was to go to the Pacific theater. Thanks to the bomb he only wen there to clean up the pockets of resistance that remained.
My dad was in India with the British Army. He was also preparing for Operation Downfall.
I wouldn't have known it had he been killed of course, but he would have.
Brendan O'Brien ❤ Thanks for that comment, so vivid. Makes me understand the status of the war then.
My Dad was with the 25th Infantry on Luzon. After they were pulled off the front line, the division began preparing to be one of the spearhead divisions for Downfall. My Dad was convinced the A-Bombs and subsequent surrender saved his life and that of most of his buddies in the 25th.
@@MW-eb1qh :: I think your dad was right. I never understood why people had objections to the A-Bomb strategy, considering the ferocity and one-eyedness of the Japanese soldiers.
Mark this by far your best video and one most popular great work love it that your British as well !!! Like me 😊
My congrats on finding a picture of General Groves when he was smiling. I did not think such a thing existed.
G'day Zero, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere Brig.Gen. Groves got his second star after the bomb worked! Best reason to smile the man probably ever had. He was desperate for a battle zone job when war broke out. He'd been a long time in the Army Engineers and had never seen a shot fired in anger. He deserved the promotion, just dealing with scientists would have been like trying to herd cats. Cheers, BH
Yeah- try to find one of Admiral King- I think only one of these photographs exists!
Bill Halliwell My wife worked as an EA to scientist types in the past. Heading cats is very fair assessment.
There could be an entire Netflix series on the relationship of Groves and Oppenheimer.
EVEN HIS CHEWED-UP CIGAR THOUGHT HE
WAS MEAN ! 👍😁🇺🇸
This discussion of the Japanese surrender is more comprehensive and detailed than anything I have seen or heard on the subject. I am amazed to learn so much more about the aspects of history covered by these videos.
Another benefit I have realized from watching Dr. Felton's videos is that my respect has been reinforced for the teachers and classes that we had growing up. The things we learned are usually corroborated, to the extent that school could discuss them in the time allowed.
One only hopes that generations following will be able to say the same.
This must be the best retelling of these events that I’ve ever heard. My father not having enough points to go home, had been shipped from Germany to the Pacific. He was literally on an Army troopship when all this was going on. So, I never had issue with the dropping of the bomb. I just never knew how incredibly complex the decision making process was. If they had held back I might not be here today. My father might have been one of the 1 million expected casualties from the invasion. Thank you President Truman!
Tell us more about the points. Were they awarded by time served, or calculated by being in battle? What did someone need to accrue in order to head home?
Per Wikipedia “Soldiers were given one point for each month of military service and one additional point was given for each month of overseas service. Each battle star or decoration earned a soldier 5 points. Soldiers were awarded 12 points per dependent child up to a maximum of three children. A total of 85 points was needed for eligibility. Soldiers who had earned that number of points were to be demobilized as soon as transport back to the United States was available.” Officers were required to have 70 points plus at least four years service. With the Japanese surrender things became problematic. Thousands of soldiers had been shipped to the pacific and now they had no place to be. There was an agreement with the Japanese to ship their soldiers home ASAP. So much of the troopship movement from August 1945 onward was about getting the Japanese soldier home. Many American soldiers were literally marooned all over the pacific without transport home. I had an uncle who was a Seabee and he hitched a ride on a submarine headed toward SF. I’m sure there were many more stories like this at the end. My father was finally allowed to jump the line when he was given emergency leave. His parents had gotten sick. His family was living with them on a farm. He got to go home and run the farm.
@@tomcrews8467 Thanks.
Exact same experience of my father's- from Germany to Japan in a troop ship. The war ended and he got to see Japan before he came home. It was a great experience for a kid from Hell's Kitchen.
chris younts why don’t you elaborate on that?
This has been a wonderfully detailed documentary.
Thank you !!
If this guy was my history teacher I would go to school even on Sundays
I believe you just did...
I would actually go to school lol
Indeed. And here I am in school!
As usual, well documented and argued discussion of these crucial, world-changing events. Thanks!
Excellent presentation. I'd like to have this on hand whenever the "We shouldn't have" argument pops up. Along with the statistical forecast of casualties for a conventional war ending fight. You have outdone yourself Mark. This is a very important video, not just for us WWII history buffs, but for the world.
Not only would it have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. There was a great weariness with the war in America and a real risk of that the Japanese campaign would have ground into a stalemate by late 1945, with the American public baulking at the huge losses. Then of course the Soviets were about to invade Japan from the north, and the Americans would probably have let them just get on with it to save US lives. Without the A-bombs, post-war Japan might have looked very different.
There were still other options to consider. There were thousands of children.
@@leivabernie Easy to say with the hindsight of 70+ years.
@@leivabernie thousands of children had been killed in just about all of the big city-wide bombings in Japan. Civilian casualties wasn't a brand new concept with the A-bombs.
Bernie Leiva And what other options were there?
Damn!!
The one Japanese guy lived in his bunker until the 1960s.
They should make a movie about that.