X-Day: The Invasion of Japan
By spring of 1942, Japan controlled the western Pacific, the Philippines, and large parts of Indochina. America and her allies knew that final victory could only be achieved by unconditional surrender and that would involve occupation of the Japanese homeland. This is the story Operation Downfall, the plan to invade and occupy Japan that would dwarf the D-Day landings in Europe. According to the plan, on X-Day--November 1, 1945--General MacArthur would lead an invasion force onto the beaches of Kyushu, the southern most of the Japanese Islands. Y-Day would follow six months later when the largest beach landing in military history would take Tokyo. Politicians and military strategists knew that Japanese resistance would be ferocious. Plans for the invasion continued throughout 1945 until President Truman made the decision to drop the atom bomb. We trace the invasion plans from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima and analyze why Truman chose the bomb over Operation Downfall.
Cast
- Waldo Henrichs - Self - Author
- Franklin D. Roosevelt - Self (archive footage)
- Douglas MacArthur - Self (archive footage)
- Winston Churchill - Self (archive footage)
- Geoffrey Perret - Self - Author
- Edward Desrosiers - Self - 1st Battalion, Iwo Jima
- Chester W. Nimitz - Self (archive footage)
- Alfred Cialfi - Self - 2nd Battalion, Iwo Jima
- Daniel Vece Jr. - Self - Pioneer Battalion, Iwo Jima
- Bernard Dobbins - Self - 3rd Battalion, Iwo Jima
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is X-Day: The Invasion of Japan about?
- By spring of 1942, Japan controlled the western Pacific, the Philippines, and large parts of Indochina. America and her allies knew that final victory could only be achieved by unconditional surrender and that would involve occupation of the Japanese homeland. This is the story Operation Downfall, the plan to invade and occupy Japan that would dwarf the D-Day landings in Europe. According to the plan, on X-Day--November 1, 1945--General MacArthur would lead an invasion force onto the beaches of Kyushu, the southern most of the Japanese Islands. Y-Day would follow six months later when the largest beach landing in military history would take Tokyo. Politicians and military strategists knew that Japanese resistance would be ferocious. Plans for the invasion continued throughout 1945 until President Truman made the decision to drop the atom bomb. We trace the invasion plans from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima and analyze why Truman chose the bomb over Operation Downfall.
- Who directed X-Day: The Invasion of Japan?
- X-Day: The Invasion of Japan was directed by Andy Webb.
- Who stars in X-Day: The Invasion of Japan?
- X-Day: The Invasion of Japan stars Waldo Henrichs, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, Winston Churchill, Geoffrey Perret, Edward Desrosiers.
- How long is X-Day: The Invasion of Japan?
- X-Day: The Invasion of Japan has a runtime of 1h 40m (100 minutes).
- What genre is X-Day: The Invasion of Japan?
- X-Day: The Invasion of Japan is a Documentary film.
- Where was X-Day: The Invasion of Japan produced?
- X-Day: The Invasion of Japan was produced in United States of America.