War Machines The U.S. Planned to Use On Japan

Battlefield Nuclear Weapons

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were such a closely guarded secret, few involved in the initial planning of Operation Downfall even knew of the weapons’ existence. But as details of the bombs were revealed to top commanders in mid-1945, mission planners considered using the nukes to support ground combat operations in Japan. In fact, with production of more nuclear weapons expected to be complete later in the year, the Pentagon planned for up to seven of the bombs to be available for use in the campaign. Of course, Japan finally surrendered unconditionally on Aug. 15 following the first two bombings and no more nuclear weapons were dropped.