Anyone who knows anything about World War II knows that when the Japanese chose to attack the Americans in the face of lack of resources, it actually marked the countdown to Japan's defeat. After all, in terms of the industrial strength of the United States in that era, even hard consumption could consume the Japanese to death.
After the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Japanese finally understood that they could no longer win any victory, and finally had to choose to accept unconditional surrender. So at that time, how did Ninji Okamura, who was in China at the time and commanded the battle with an army of 1.05 million, react when he heard the news?
Partial data from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki
The final struggle
In the eyes of many people, sitting in the position of Okamura Ninji, you must have some understanding of information in Japan. However, from Okamura's memoirs alone, people have found the words "thunderbolt on a sunny day". On the one hand, this shows that the Japanese emperor finally chose to accept the surrender, which he is difficult to accept, on the other hand, it shows that when the emperor announced his surrender, Perhaps Okamura Ningji did not know what the emperor's specific mind was.
Okamura Ninji old photo
It is also true that, according to historical records, in the three days from August 12 to 15, 1945 alone, there were many telegram requests from the Japanese cabinet to Okamura Ninji. And even the contents of each of these telegrams are different.
From the very beginning, he was asked to support the Kwantung Army in its battle against the Soviet Union, and later to hold the defense on the spot and prepare for a protracted war against the three countries of China, the United States and the Soviet Union. Okamura had no idea what kind of strategic deployment he should make when he came down, and during those days, he did not know which combat order he should follow.
The Kwantung Army occupied Okamura Ninji during the Tohoku period
But for Ninji Okamura, since the cabinet has already issued an order, he must also take a stand. Under such circumstances, Okamura asked the Japanese Emperor to continue fighting, while at the same time asking all Japanese troops stationed in China to be ready for battle.
However, just two hours or so after the Japanese military deployment was deployed, the news of the Japanese emperor's unconditional surrender came from the radio.
Okamura Ninji after Japan's defeat
From this point of view, even if Okamura Ningji had a premonition, he also did not expect that the surrender would come so quickly.
Not only that, but Okamura was also aware of another problem, as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese theater in the Japanese invading army, he was likely to become a scapegoat in the court-martial trial. I can't predict the trials and crimes I might receive later.
Okamura Ninji after Japan announced its surrender
To cover up the disguise
In fact, in the later stages of World War II, when the German army on the Battlefield of Europe was also defeated, the Japanese already had the consciousness of surrender after losing the battle. However, at that time, the Japanese believed that they still needed to fight continuously in order to gain more chips in the negotiation.
In addition, even when the United States and Japan were still at war, the Japanese cabinet ministers had begun to contact American politicians in the hope of ending the war with a result that would satisfy both sides. In this way, the Japanese themselves are using acts of war to disguise their intentions of surrender.
Japanese forces during World War II
The same is true of the Japanese emperor, who is still fighting for his own interests while fooling the people into thinking that they would rather be crushed than tiled. In the end, the two atomic bombs were dropped, completely shattering a little illusion in the hearts of the Japanese. Despite the defeat in the war, the state at least existed.
But if the atomic bomb is let go all the way down, no one can guarantee how many cities Japan will have left on the Japanese islands. More importantly, even by this time, the Soviet Union had not yet launched an offensive against the Japanese mainland. Once the Soviet Union had joined in, Japan would have most likely disappeared into history.
Japan after the atomic bomb