The atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are crimes against humanity. To justify these atrocities, huge information efforts are being made today. On the next anniversary of this crime, the following “postulates” can be read in abundance on the Russian Internet and the media. Like, an atomic strike, of course, is not a good thing, but it helped save the lives of American soldiers. They even call the figure - 100,000. You can guess where these numbers came from - about the same number of Japanese died in the fiery whirlwinds of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But on this information soldiers, standing guard over the interests of the United States, are not appeased. They lie further - it turns out that the dropping of atomic bombs helped save ... the lives of the Japanese. They would have died more if the real “final” landing of the US army on Japanese territory had begun. But that's not all. The Japanese should be grateful to the States - after all, it turns out that they ... saved them from communism. The logic here is cannibalistic. Following it, the prisoners of Auschwitz should have been grateful to their jailers that they killed them and thus saved them from communism.
But the lies don't end there. Conscientious and independent bloggers write with a blue eye that the US atomic attack on Japan helped save ... the lives of Soviet soldiers. Although the blow of the Soviet army on the Kwantung army occurred after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the liberation of the Kuriles and Sakhalin took place after that. And the Japanese resistance was broken not by atomic strikes, orders to surrender or fear, but by the military skill of the commanders and the soldierly prowess of the Russian soldiers.
The atomic strike did nothing to end the war. Japan surrendered because the USSR entered the war. There was no point in fighting any further. The last hope of Tokyo collapsed - that Stalin would act as a kind of mediator for the conclusion of acceptable peace terms between Japan and the USA and Great Britain.
This is the article of the leading expert on Japan in our country, Professor Anatoly Arkadyevich Koshkin.
Preparing for the first strike
For the first time in the world, an atomic strike on living people - children, women and the elderly was entrusted to the 509th air group of the 20th Air Army, relocated in January 1945 to Cuba, where in deep secrecy the crews practiced bombing, including using radar guidance.
The commander of the air group was twenty-nine-year-old Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbets, who was repeatedly awarded for successful air battles with the German Luftwaffe. The colonel began to prepare his group for a special task in the summer of 1944, when the atomic bomb was not yet ready. He himself made up the team of the 393rd bomber squadron, which was to drop the "product". The 509th air group was supplied and equipped "to the highest standard." From various parts of the US Air Force, 14 B-29 bombers of the latest modification were withdrawn and sent to this air group.
Although the island of Guam was better equipped, the American command and personally Admiral Chester Nimitz chose Tinian Island, also located in the Mariana Ridge, as the base from which the B-29 with nuclear cargo was supposed to fly. This island is located 150 km closer to Japan than Guam, it had a perfectly flat coral area for use as a runway and was convenient for landing large bombers from the sea.
The components of the atomic bomb were delivered to the harbor of Tinian on July 26, 1945 by the cruiser Indianapolis. Washington was informed that the bomb would be assembled and ready for use by August 1st. Then, on August 4, seven crews were briefed, prepared for the unusual task. The pilots were shown a film about the atomic bomb test at Alamagordo. Particular attention was paid to the need to leave the bombing site as soon as possible after the explosion, so as not to fall into the rising radioactive cloud.
The next day, the order was given to drop a black-and-orange bomb filled with uranium-235, dubbed "The Kid", on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The order was to be obeyed by the crew of the B-29, under the command of Colonel Tibbets, who named the bomber carrying the deadly atomic device after his mother, Enola Gay.
The aircraft was escorted by two more B-29s. One was a technical board on which three scientists flew to be present during the experiment and ejection of measuring instruments with a parachute. Another aircraft with cameramen on board was intended to capture on film the historic event of the world's entry into the era of nuclear weapons.
Explosion on August 6
On the night of August 6, after taking off from the Tinian airfield, American bombers headed northwest towards Japan. At 7.30 am, the Japanese coast appeared on the horizon. The weather was favorable - the bright sun shone, rare clouds glided across the sky, visibility was excellent. When approaching the city, the crews examined its quarters and the Hiroshima feudal castle, which stood out for its architecture. The release of the "Baby" to the center of Hiroshima was supposed to take place at 8.15 Japanese time. And so it happened - the delay was only 17 seconds. In the United States, the date of the first military use of atomic weapons is different - 19:15 on August 5, 1945.
The bomb was detonated at an altitude of 580 meters. It was believed that it was as a result of an air explosion of an atomic bomb that the maximum damage would be inflicted on the city and the population. At the same time, the Americans did not give any warning about an atomic strike. On the other hand, the air-raid signal had been sounded only fifteen minutes before the explosion. However, seeing only one plane in the sky at first and not expecting a massive bombardment, few people hurried to the bomb shelter. This greatly increased the number of victims.
Determining the number of dead, among whom there were many incinerated and wounded, was difficult due to the uncertainty of the population of Hiroshima at the time of the explosion. The figures vary from 255 thousand to 350 thousand people. This is due to the large migration of urban residents who fled from the bombing in the villages. According to data published by the Ministry of the Interior of Japan on September 6, 1945, 70,000 dead and 130,000 wounded became victims of the atomic explosion.
According to American data, 64 thousand people were killed and 72 thousand people were injured. This did not take into account those who died from the consequences of the atomic bombing over the next few months, there were from 50 to 60 thousand. It is believed that in total, up to 1950, about 200 thousand inhabitants of Hiroshima died from radiation and other diseases caused by the explosion. The surviving "hibakusha", as the irradiated Japanese and their descendants in the second and third generations were called in Japan, almost all became disabled due to the disease.
The ACT OF UNCONDITIONAL SURPRISE OF JAPAN was signed on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay aboard the American battleship "Missouri" on behalf of the emperor and the government of Japan by Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and General Y. Umezu (on behalf of the General Staff), and on behalf of all allied nations, who were at war with Japan: the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General D. MacArthur (USA) and from the USSR - Lieutenant General K. N. Derevyanko. The signing of the Japanese Surrender Act meant the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition and the end of the Second World War of 1939-1945.
Orlov A.S., Georgiev N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. eleven.
Japanese Surrender Act
/Extract/
1. We, acting on the orders and in the name of the Emperor, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Staff, hereby accept the terms of the Declaration issued on July 26 at Potsdam by the Heads of the Governments of the United States, China and Great Britain, subsequently acceded to by the Soviet Union, which four Powers shall later known as the Allied Powers.
2. We hereby declare the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Imperial Japanese General Staff, all Japanese military forces and all military forces under Japanese control, no matter where they are located.
3. We hereby order all Japanese troops, wherever located, and the Japanese people to immediately cease hostilities, preserve and prevent damage to all ships, aircraft and other military and civilian property, and comply with all demands that may be made by the supreme Commander of the Allied Powers or organs of the Japanese government on his instructions.
4. We hereby order the Japanese Imperial General Staff to immediately issue orders to the commanders of all Japanese troops and troops under Japanese control, wherever they may be, to surrender unconditionally in person, and also to secure the unconditional surrender of all troops under their command.
6. We hereby undertake that the Japanese Government and its successors will honestly carry out the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, issue such orders and take such actions as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers or any other representative appointed by the Allied Powers, in order to implement this declaration, requires.
8. The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to govern the State shall be subordinated to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, who shall take such steps as he deems necessary to carry out these terms of surrender.
Source: Foreign policy of the Soviet Union during the Patriotic War. M., 1947, vol. 3, pp. 480, 481.
It is printed here according to the book: V.K. Zilanov, A.A. Koshkin, I.A. Latyshev, A.Yu. Plotnikov, I.A. Senchenko. Russian Kuriles: history and modernity. Collection of documents on the history of the formation of the Russian-Japanese and Soviet-Japanese border. Moscow. 1995.
The Japanese Surrender Act is an agreement to end the resistance of the Japanese armed forces that ended World War II. On August 20, 1945, representatives of the Japanese command were presented with a draft Act prepared by the headquarters of the commander-in-chief of the allied occupation forces, General of the Army D. MacArthur. The act was signed on 09/02/1945 at 10:30 Tokyo time on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. From Japan, the act of surrender was signed by Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Mamoru and the Chief of the Japanese General Staff, General Umezu Yoshijiro, who represented the government and the headquarters of the emperor. On behalf of the victorious Allied Powers, the act was signed by General MacArthur, on behalf of the USA - by Admiral C. Nimitz, on behalf of China - by General Su Yongchang, on behalf of Great Britain - by Admiral B. Feizer, on behalf of the USSR - by General K. Derevyanko, as well as representatives of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and the Netherlands. The act recognized the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 07/26/1945 and ordered all Japanese troops, wherever they were, to immediately surrender and release prisoners of war. It was prescribed that "The power of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to govern the state shall be subordinated to the High Command of the Allied Powers, who will take such steps as he deems necessary to carry out these conditions of surrender."
Day of the end of World War II. Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act signed
Signing of Japan's Unconditional Surrender aboard the USS Missouri
The surrender of Japan, the Act of which was signed on September 2, 1945, marked the end of World War II, in particular the Pacific War and the Soviet-Japanese War.
On August 9, 1945, the Soviet government declared a state of war between the USSR and Japan. At the final stage of World War II, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops was carried out with the aim of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army, liberating the northeastern and northern provinces of China (Manchuria and Inner Mongolia), the Liaodong Peninsula, Korea, and eliminating Japan's large military and economic base in Asia. continent. Soviet troops launched an offensive. Aviation struck at military facilities, areas of concentration of troops, communication centers and communications of the enemy in the border zone. The Pacific Fleet, entering the Sea of Japan, cut the communications linking Korea and Manchuria with Japan, and delivered air and naval artillery strikes against the enemy's naval bases.
On August 18-19, Soviet troops reached the approaches to the most important industrial and administrative centers of Manchuria. In order to speed up the capture of the Kwantung Army and prevent the enemy from evacuating or destroying material assets, an airborne assault was landed on this territory. On August 19, the mass surrender of Japanese troops began. The defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Manchurian operation forced Japan to capitulate.
The Second World War ended completely and finally when, on September 2, 1945, on board the American flagship battleship Missouri, which arrived in the waters of Tokyo Bay, Japanese Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff General Y. Umezu, US Army General D. MacArthur , Soviet Lieutenant General K. Derevyanko, Admiral of the British Fleet B. Fraser, on behalf of their states, signed the "Act on the unconditional surrender of Japan."
Representatives of France, the Netherlands, China, Australia and New Zealand were also present at the signing. Under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, the terms of which Japan accepted in full, its sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as the smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago - at the direction of the allies. The islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai went to the Soviet Union. Also, according to the Act, hostilities on the part of Japan ceased immediately, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled military forces surrendered unconditionally; weapons, military and civilian property were preserved without damage. The Japanese government and the General Staff were instructed to immediately release allied prisoners of war and interned civilians. All Japanese civil, military and naval officials were obligated to obey and carry out the directions and orders of the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers. In order to control the implementation of the Act, by decision of the Moscow Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, the Far Eastern Commission and the Allied Council for Japan were created.
The article was written by political scientist and Japanologist Vasily Molodyakov
On September 2, 1945, on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, representatives of the victorious Allied Powers and the defeated Japan signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender to Japan. World War II is over - in the Pacific and everywhere.
Peace has come, but questions remain. Why did the Japanese, who fought with selfless, sometimes insane courage, lay down their arms in a disciplined manner? Why did Tokyo first reject the Allied Potsdam Declaration and decide to continue senseless resistance, and then agree to its terms? And, perhaps, the main one: what played a decisive role in the decision to surrender - the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan?
The question is not only historical, but also political. If the first, then the Americans saved one hundred million Japanese at the cost of the lives of several hundred thousand, and the Soviet Union behaved like a "thief in the fire", to put it mildly, taking advantage of the neighbor's predicament. If the second, then our country had every right, at least, to its share of war trophies and to participate in the management of defeated Japan. American and Japanese propaganda under its control adhered to the first point of view, Soviet propaganda - the second.
The American historian of Russian origin George Lensen wittily remarked: “Naturally, the history of the Pacific War for the American reader will include a photograph of General MacArthur when he signs the Japanese Surrender Act on the deck of the Missouri, while a similar story for the Soviet The reader will be shown the same scene, but with Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko signing the Act, while MacArthur and everyone else will stand in the background.
To answer this question, we will have to go back a little more than a month from the events described - to the Potsdam Conference of the Big Three. On July 26, the Potsdam Declaration of the United States, Great Britain and China (Chiang Kai-shek signed "by telegraph") demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan. “The following are our conditions. We will not back down from them. There is no choice. We will not tolerate any delay ... Otherwise, Japan will face a quick and complete defeat. The declaration, which had been spoken in advance by the Americans, in one of the variants provided for Stalin's signature. President Harry Truman announced that he was going to Potsdam in order to ensure the participation of the USSR in the war with Japan, but, as the nuclear project approached a successful conclusion, he had more and more doubts about the need to share the laurels of the winner with "Uncle Joe".
The Potsdam Declaration, in the form in which it was adopted and published, left little hope that Japan would accept it: it did not say a word about the fate of the emperor and the political system, which was the most preoccupied by those in power in Tokyo. Consequently, it untied the hands of the United States for the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, it confronted the Soviet Union with the fact that such an important decision was made without its participation and without the possibility of influencing it.
Secretary of State James Byrnes' explanation that Truman did not want to put the USSR in an "embarrassing position" as a country not at war with Japan angered Stalin. As early as May 28, 1945, discussing Far Eastern affairs in Moscow with the White House Special Envoy Harry Hopkins, he stated that he preferred a compromise peace with Japan on the terms of the complete destruction of its military potential and the occupation of the country, but softer than in Germany, explaining, that the demand for unconditional surrender would force the Japanese to fight to the last. Stalin announced that the Soviet Union would not be ready to enter the war until August 8 (the army command insisted on a later date to complete the preparations), and raised the question of participation in the occupation of Japan. Hopkins offered to present an ultimatum to Tokyo on behalf of the US and the USSR. The General Secretary agreed and advised to put this issue on the agenda of the conference. He even brought with him to Potsdam a draft statement of the four powers, but its text, which sounded softer than the American one, remained unclaimed.
On July 28, at the beginning of the next meeting, Stalin informed Truman and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee that "we, the Russian delegation, have received a new proposal from Japan." “Although we are not properly informed when any document is drawn up about Japan,” he remarked emphatically, “however, we believe that we should inform each other about new proposals.” Then, as stated in the minutes, the English translation of the "Japanese Note on Mediation" was read out. What is this document?
On July 13, the Japanese ambassador in Moscow, Naotake Sato, handed over to Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Solomon Lozovsky the text of the message of the Japanese emperor, explaining that former Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe would like to come to Moscow to formally present it as a special envoy and confidant of the monarch. Here is a translation of this document from the Russian Foreign Policy Archive:
“His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, deeply concerned about the disasters and casualties of the peoples of all the warring countries, which are increasing day by day as a result of the current war, expresses his will to end the war as soon as possible. Since the United States and England insist on unconditional surrender in the East Asian War, the Empire will be forced to bring the war to the end, mobilizing all forces and means, for the honor and existence of the Fatherland. However, as a result of this circumstance, increased bloodshed among the peoples of both belligerents is inevitable. His Majesty is extremely concerned about this thought and expresses the wish that peace be restored for the benefit of mankind as soon as possible.
Lozovsky noticed that the message had no addressee and it was not clear to whom it was directed. The ambassador, according to the protocol of the conversation, replied that it “is not addressed to anyone in particular. It is desirable that the head of state, Mr. Kalinin, and the head of the Soviet government, Stalin, get acquainted with it. The leadership of the "country of the gods" - as always - wanted to first find out if Konoe would be accepted in the Kremlin, and only then open the cards. In Tokyo, the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War continued to discuss what could be offered to the Soviet Union for help in getting out of the war. South Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Manchuria as a sphere of influence, the renunciation of fishing rights and even the surrender of the Kwantung Army as a prisoner, which the Japanese, for obvious reasons, do not like to remember, were in Konoe's "suitcase".
Stalin was not going to receive the envoy from Tokyo "in advance". On July 18, Lozovsky replied to the ambassador: “The considerations expressed in the message of the Emperor of Japan are of a general form and do not contain any specific proposals. It also seems unclear to the Soviet Government what the tasks of Prince Konoe's mission are. In view of the foregoing, the Soviet Government does not see the possibility of giving any definite answer regarding the mission of Prince Konoe. Having received this polite refusal, Sato immediately sent a telegram to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shigenori Togo, in which he offered to agree to surrender without delay. Togo resolutely replied that Japan would resist to the last, and ordered to obtain Moscow's consent to the arrival of the Konoe mission. Fulfilling the order of the chief, the ambassador on July 25 again tried to persuade Lozovsky. But it was too late.
“There is nothing new in this document,” Stalin remarked, informing Truman and Attlee of the Emperor's message. - There is only one proposal: Japan offers us cooperation. We think to answer them in the same spirit as it was last time, that is, a polite refusal.
Having learned about the Potsdam Declaration from a BBC radio broadcast, Ambassador Sato concluded that such a document could not have appeared without prior notification and consent from the Soviet side. He immediately informed the Foreign Ministry that this was the answer to the proposal to send the Konoe mission. Confusion reigned in Tokyo. The army did not allow the declaration to be adopted, but Togo convinced him not to officially reject it, so as not to aggravate the situation. The newspapers got the word mokusatsu - "kill with silence" or "ignore" - which began to determine the position of the government.
On August 5, Stalin and Molotov returned to Moscow. On August 6, the first American atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Truman could not hide his joy and announced the incident to the whole world. The Minister of War of Japan, General Koretika Anami, turned to physicists with the question of what an "atomic bomb" is. The Soviet leader did not ask such questions. While still in Potsdam, he learned that the United States had nuclear weapons, but did not expect such a rapid use of them. Stalin realized that this was a warning not only to the Japanese, and decided not to hesitate.
On August 8, at 5 p.m. Moscow time, Molotov received the Japanese ambassador, who had been asking for a long time. There was no need to talk about Konoe's mission. The People's Commissar immediately interrupted the guest, saying that he had to make an important statement: from midnight on August 9, i.e. just an hour later Tokyo time, the USSR and Japan are at war. The motivation is simple: Tokyo rejected the demands of the Potsdam Declaration; the allies turned to the USSR with a request to enter the war, and he, "true to allied duty", accepted the offer.
The assertion that the Allies asked Moscow to enter the war follows from the minutes of the Potsdam Conference published by the USSR Foreign Ministry. However, in the published minutes of Molotov's conversation with Truman on July 29, a note was made, restored by historians only in 1995: “Molotov says that he has proposals related to the situation in the Far East. It would be a convenient excuse for the Soviet Union to enter the war against Japan if the allies asked it to do so (emphasis mine - V.M.). It could be pointed out that, in connection with the rejection by Japan of the demand for surrender ... "and so on, as later in the Soviet statement.
When did the Soviet leadership decide to go to war with Japan? The political decision on this was first announced by Stalin - in deep secrecy - in October 1943 at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Anti-Hitler Coalition, and got into the protocols at the Tehran Conference of the "Big Three" in late November - early December of the same year. The Japanese, of course, did not know about this. They consoled themselves with the absence of Chiang Kai-shek in the Iranian capital, which made it possible to consider the conference as a military council against Germany. The absence of Soviet representatives at the Cairo Conference was similarly interpreted when Roosevelt and Churchill met Chiang Kai-shek on their way to Tehran. It was there that a declaration was adopted demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan, published on December 1, 1943.
When did Moscow make the tactical decision to enter the war in the Far East? It is difficult to say for sure, but at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 it was formalized. Under a secret agreement of February 11, the Soviet Union received South Sakhalin and the Kuriles for this; Dairen became an international port with preferential rights of the USSR; Port Arthur was being returned to the Soviet Union as a leased naval base; The CER and SUMZhD came under Soviet-Chinese control with the provision of the predominant interests of the USSR and the full sovereignty of China in Manchuria; the state of Manchukuo was liquidated and became part of China, which, in turn, renounced any rights and claims to Outer Mongolia (MPR). On July 26 and 27, a joint meeting of the Politburo and the Headquarters finally confirmed the decision on the entry of the USSR into the war, which the next day was brought to the attention of the executors by three directives signed by Stalin.
Just after midnight on August 9, the Soviet army attacked Japanese positions in Manchuria and Korea. A few hours later, a second American bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the evening of the same day, the Imperial Conference took place in the palace bomb shelter in Tokyo - a meeting of the monarch, the chairman of the Privy Council, the prime minister, key ministers and chiefs of the army and navy general staffs. There was only one question: to accept or not to accept the Potsdam Declaration. Realizing that the war was lost, the emperor resisted unconditional surrender, counting to the last on the mediation of Moscow. Now there was nothing to hope for, as Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki said directly. The resolution prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided for the adoption of the terms of the declaration, "understanding them in the sense that they do not contain a requirement to change the status of the Japanese emperor established by state laws." Under pressure from the Minister of War and the Chiefs of Staff, the Supreme Council for the Management of the War agreed to surrender under the following conditions: “1) it does not affect the imperial family; 2) Japanese troops outside the country are demobilized after their free withdrawal from the occupied territories; 3) war criminals will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Japanese government; 4) occupation will not be carried out in order to guarantee (fulfillment of the conditions of surrender - V.M.)”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs proposed to confine ourselves to the first point. The military insisted on all four. The emperor approved the MFA project, but Washington rejected it, not wanting to hear about any reservations.
Only on August 14 was the cabinet able to work out the text of the rescript on surrender. The emperor decided to address the people by radio with an appeal to "endure the unbearable." On the night of August 14-15, a group of officers from the capital's garrison tried to raise a rebellion, seize the original recording of the august appeal made the day before in order to prevent it from being broadcast, and destroy the "surrenders" from the government. The performance failed due to lack of support, and its instigators committed suicide. On August 15, for the first time in history, the Japanese heard the voice of a divine monarch. It is this date that is considered in the Land of the Rising Sun as the day the war ended.
The American historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, of Japanese origin, has written the best, to date, comprehensive study of this issue, “Race with the Enemy. Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan,” published in 2005. Its verdict, based on Japanese, Soviet and American sources brought together for the first time, reads: “The entry of the USSR into the war shocked the Japanese more than the atomic bombs, because it put an end to all hopes come to an agreement even slightly different from unconditional surrender ... (It) played a greater role than the atomic bombs in forcing Japan to surrender.
Of course, scientists still have much to do in this matter. But if you approach the problem comprehensively and without prejudice, the verdict is unlikely to be different.
The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945, but the country's leadership took a very long time to reach this decision. In the Potsdam Declaration, terms of surrender were put forward, but the emperor formally refused the proposed ultimatum. True, Japan still had to accept all the conditions of surrender, putting a bullet in the course of hostilities.
preliminary stage
The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was not signed immediately. First, on July 26, 1945, China, England and the United States of America submitted for general consideration the demand for the surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration. The main idea of the declaration was as follows: if the country refuses to accept the proposed conditions, then it will face "quick and complete destruction." Two days later, the Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun responded to the declaration with a categorical refusal.
Despite the fact that Japan suffered heavy losses, its fleet completely ceased to function (which is a terrifying tragedy for an island state that is completely dependent on the supply of raw materials), and the likelihood of an invasion of American and Soviet troops into the country was extremely high, "Military Newspaper" Japanese imperial command made strange conclusions: “We are not able to lead the war without the hope of success. The only way left for all the Japanese is to sacrifice their lives and do everything possible to undermine the morale of the enemy.”
Mass self-sacrifice
In fact, the government called on its subjects to commit an act of mass self-sacrifice. True, the population did not react to such a prospect. In some places it was still possible to meet pockets of fierce resistance, but on the whole, the samurai spirit had long outlived its usefulness. And as historians note, all that the Japanese learned in the forty-fifth year was to surrender en masse.
At that time, Japan was expecting two attacks: the Allied (China, England, United States of America) attack on Kyushu and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed only because the conditions in the country turned out to be critical.
The emperor to the last advocated the continuation of the war. After all, for the Japanese to surrender was an unheard-of shame. Prior to this, the country had not lost a single war and for almost half a millennium had not known foreign invasions of its own territory. But she turned out to be completely ruined, which is why the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed.
Attack
On August 6, 1945, fulfilling the threat stated in the Potsdam Declaration, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the same fate befell the city of Nagasaki, which was the largest naval base in the country.
The country has not yet had time to recover from such a large-scale tragedy, as on August 8, 1945, the authorities of the Soviet Union declare war on Japan and on August 9 it begins to conduct hostilities. Thus, the Manchurian offensive operation of the Soviet army began. In fact, the military-economic base of Japan on the Asian continent was completely eliminated.
Destruction of communications
At the first stage of the battles, Soviet aviation aimed at military installations, communication centers, communications of the border zones of the Pacific Fleet. Communications that connected Korea and Manchuria with Japan were cut, and the enemy's naval base was seriously damaged.
On August 18, the Soviet army was already approaching the production and administrative centers of Manchuria, they were trying to prevent the enemy from destroying material values. On August 19, in the Land of the Rising Sun, they realized that they could not see victory as their own ears, they began to surrender en masse. Japan was forced to capitulate. On August 2, 1945, the World War completely and finally ended when the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed.
Instrument of Surrender
September, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri, this is where Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act was signed. On behalf of their states, the document was signed by:
- Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu.
- Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu.
- American army general
- Lieutenant General of the Soviet Union Kuzma Derevianko.
- Admiral of the British Flotilla Bruce Fraser.
In addition to them, during the signing of the act, representatives of China, France, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand were present.
It can be said that the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed in the city of Kure. This was the last region, after the bombing of which the Japanese government decided to surrender. Some time later, a battleship appeared in Tokyo Bay.
The essence of the document
According to the resolutions approved in the document, Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The sovereignty of the country was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and other smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago. The islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir were ceded to the Soviet Union.
Japan was to cease all hostilities, release prisoners of war and other foreign soldiers imprisoned during the war, and preserve civilian and military property without damage. Also, Japanese officials had to obey the decrees of the Supreme Command of the Allied States.
In order to be able to monitor the implementation of the terms of the Surrender Act, the USSR, the USA and Great Britain decided to create the Far Eastern Commission and the Allied Council.
The meaning of war
So ended one of the history of mankind. Japanese generals were convicted of military offenses. On May 3, 1946, a military tribunal began its work in Tokyo, which tried those responsible for preparing the Second World War. Those who wanted to seize foreign lands at the cost of death and enslavement appeared before the people's court.
The battles of World War II claimed about 65 million human lives. The biggest losses were suffered by the Soviet Union, which took the brunt. Signed in 1945, Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act can be called a document that sums up the results of a protracted, bloody and senseless battle.
The result of these battles was the expansion of the borders of the USSR. Fascist ideology was condemned, war criminals were punished, and the United Nations was created. A pact was signed on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on their creation.
The influence of Western Europe declined markedly, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position in the international economic market, and the victory of the USSR over fascism gave the country the opportunity to maintain independence and follow the chosen path of life. But this was all achieved at too high a price.