1 00:00:01,835 --> 00:00:02,961 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:05,047 --> 00:00:08,842 - [Tom Hanks] For almost four years, American soldiers and 3 00:00:08,842 --> 00:00:11,887 Marines in the Pacific have struggled across beaches, 4 00:00:11,887 --> 00:00:15,224 through jungles and atop mountains to subdue a nation 5 00:00:15,224 --> 00:00:17,726 that refuses to surrender. 6 00:00:17,726 --> 00:00:20,479 The effort has been immense. 7 00:00:20,479 --> 00:00:21,813 More is required. 8 00:00:23,106 --> 00:00:25,651 In the spring of 1945, 9 00:00:25,651 --> 00:00:28,487 the United States will start the final push 10 00:00:28,487 --> 00:00:31,281 to defeat the Japanese empire. 11 00:00:31,281 --> 00:00:32,573 [dramatic music] 12 00:00:32,573 --> 00:00:34,493 - All wars changed the world, 13 00:00:34,493 --> 00:00:36,328 but none of them changed the world 14 00:00:36,328 --> 00:00:37,955 like the second World War did. 15 00:00:39,164 --> 00:00:41,792 - Japan's on the march, Germany's on the march. 16 00:00:41,792 --> 00:00:43,168 [dramatic music continues] 17 00:00:43,168 --> 00:00:44,586 - No one can imagine the nightmare 18 00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:45,921 they're about to unleash. 19 00:00:46,964 --> 00:00:49,841 The most destructive war in human history. 20 00:00:49,841 --> 00:00:52,636 - Suddenly the world is turned upside down 21 00:00:52,636 --> 00:00:54,304 and all hell is let loose. 22 00:00:54,304 --> 00:00:56,431 [dramatic music continues] 23 00:00:56,431 --> 00:00:59,685 - The West is stunned by the speed of the advance. 24 00:00:59,685 --> 00:01:01,144 [dramatic music continues] 25 00:01:01,144 --> 00:01:03,689 - You get the allies led by the big three, 26 00:01:03,689 --> 00:01:06,358 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, 27 00:01:06,358 --> 00:01:11,363 men who are dealing with immensely complicated questions. 28 00:01:11,363 --> 00:01:15,200 - It's the biggest military operation of human history. 29 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,787 - The allies have to come together, not just militarily 30 00:01:18,787 --> 00:01:20,080 but industrial scale. 31 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,249 It's a global perspective. 32 00:01:22,249 --> 00:01:24,042 - [Historian] They have to fight in every climate 33 00:01:24,042 --> 00:01:27,504 from the Arctic to the jungles of the Pacific, 34 00:01:27,504 --> 00:01:30,716 to the deserts of Africa and the depths of the ocean. 35 00:01:30,716 --> 00:01:33,760 [dramatic music] 36 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,013 - But there was no certainty of victory. 37 00:01:37,472 --> 00:01:40,225 It was going to be a horrific bloodbath. 38 00:01:40,225 --> 00:01:42,394 - We see humans at their absolute worst, 39 00:01:42,394 --> 00:01:44,604 how they treat other human beings, 40 00:01:44,604 --> 00:01:46,356 and we see them at their absolute best, 41 00:01:46,356 --> 00:01:49,151 willing to give their lives that others might live. 42 00:01:49,151 --> 00:01:51,236 - World War II was a struggle 43 00:01:51,236 --> 00:01:55,824 in which there could be one victor and vanquish. 44 00:01:55,824 --> 00:01:58,452 [dramatic music] 45 00:02:00,162 --> 00:02:02,789 [bomb exploding] 46 00:02:02,789 --> 00:02:05,584 [sirens wailing] 47 00:02:10,172 --> 00:02:13,717 [radio static crackling] 48 00:02:16,845 --> 00:02:19,014 - [Radio Host] With the Rhine's West Bank secured, 49 00:02:19,014 --> 00:02:21,683 Britain expects other crossings of Germany's river 50 00:02:21,683 --> 00:02:25,687 of Destiny after a law to build up our own strength, 51 00:02:25,687 --> 00:02:28,440 and after that, the end of the European war 52 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:29,566 should not be far off. 53 00:02:29,566 --> 00:02:32,152 [dramatic music] 54 00:02:32,152 --> 00:02:35,489 - [Tom Hanks] In America in the spring of 1945, 55 00:02:35,489 --> 00:02:39,534 there is hope that the war in Europe is nearing its end. 56 00:02:39,534 --> 00:02:41,161 Husbands and fathers, 57 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:45,624 boyfriends and brothers might finally be coming home. 58 00:02:45,624 --> 00:02:48,877 - It is front and center on the American mind. 59 00:02:48,877 --> 00:02:53,840 How quickly can we get to Berlin 60 00:02:54,716 --> 00:02:56,051 and get the soldiers home? 61 00:02:57,469 --> 00:02:59,262 - The public get this sort of an attitude 62 00:02:59,262 --> 00:03:00,847 that you know, hey, the war's almost over. 63 00:03:00,972 --> 00:03:04,643 They'll be coming home, but it's almost like a marathon 64 00:03:04,643 --> 00:03:07,562 and you see the finish line in the distance 65 00:03:07,562 --> 00:03:10,440 and so you know you can give one last kick 66 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,442 and then somebody says, 67 00:03:12,442 --> 00:03:14,903 "Actually there's another three miles to go." 68 00:03:16,196 --> 00:03:18,407 - [Tom Hanks] Victory in Europe seems within reach. 69 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,412 Victory over Tokyo remains on the far horizon. 70 00:03:23,412 --> 00:03:27,082 [dramatic music] 71 00:03:27,082 --> 00:03:29,292 For months, hundreds of B-29s 72 00:03:29,292 --> 00:03:33,672 have been striking Japanese cities to marginal effect. 73 00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:38,802 - The army air forces believed that a sufficient amount 74 00:03:38,802 --> 00:03:41,763 of pinpoint bombing from high altitude 75 00:03:41,763 --> 00:03:43,682 would take out Japanese industry 76 00:03:43,682 --> 00:03:47,102 and make it impossible for them to continue the war. 77 00:03:47,102 --> 00:03:48,145 It didn't work. 78 00:03:48,145 --> 00:03:50,522 [dramatic music continues] 79 00:03:50,522 --> 00:03:53,150 Bombing from 30,000 feet, the winds were too strong, 80 00:03:53,150 --> 00:03:54,943 blew the bombs all over the place. 81 00:03:56,445 --> 00:03:59,322 - [Tom Hanks] Under the command of General Curtis LeMay, 82 00:03:59,322 --> 00:04:01,867 the Air Force alters its tactics. 83 00:04:04,995 --> 00:04:07,956 [fast-paced music] 84 00:04:10,167 --> 00:04:12,169 [airplane roaring] 85 00:04:12,169 --> 00:04:14,880 On March 9th, 1945, 86 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:19,134 LeMay's B-29s will attack Tokyo from only 5,000 feet 87 00:04:19,134 --> 00:04:20,760 using a new weapon. 88 00:04:22,345 --> 00:04:23,680 Bombs filled with napalm. 89 00:04:25,015 --> 00:04:28,226 - Napalm is this gel combined with gasoline 90 00:04:28,226 --> 00:04:30,854 that will stick to things and then it catches fire 91 00:04:30,854 --> 00:04:33,273 and it makes it very, very hard to put out. 92 00:04:33,273 --> 00:04:35,442 It's for starting fires that are designed 93 00:04:35,442 --> 00:04:37,611 to just go out of control. 94 00:04:37,611 --> 00:04:39,654 - And the reason it's gonna be so destructive 95 00:04:39,654 --> 00:04:43,325 is that Tokyo is mostly made of wood and paper 96 00:04:43,325 --> 00:04:45,952 and this is just going to explode. 97 00:04:45,952 --> 00:04:47,871 It'll be incredibly imflamable. 98 00:04:49,206 --> 00:04:52,000 - [Craig] The argument was that if you destroy the housing units 99 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,961 of the Japanese workers, they wouldn't be able to go to work 100 00:04:54,961 --> 00:04:56,671 and build the planes and the tanks. 101 00:04:56,671 --> 00:04:58,840 They needed to continue the conflict. 102 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:01,593 [dramatic music] 103 00:05:01,593 --> 00:05:04,304 But the outcome was absolutely horrific. 104 00:05:04,304 --> 00:05:05,972 [dramatic music] 105 00:05:05,972 --> 00:05:08,767 [bombs whirring] 106 00:05:11,603 --> 00:05:14,356 [fire crackling] 107 00:05:15,565 --> 00:05:18,109 - [Historian] It is just complete devastation in Tokyo. 108 00:05:18,109 --> 00:05:20,445 [soft music] 109 00:05:20,445 --> 00:05:22,948 A hundred thousand people were killed. 110 00:05:22,948 --> 00:05:24,866 [soft music continues] 111 00:05:24,866 --> 00:05:27,869 - [Saul] We think of Dresden as being the worst single moment 112 00:05:27,869 --> 00:05:29,913 in the European Theater of Operations. 113 00:05:29,913 --> 00:05:33,917 The fire storm at Dresden, 25,000 were lost there, 114 00:05:33,917 --> 00:05:36,920 but in Tokyo there's a hundred thousand killed 115 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,672 in a single operation. 116 00:05:38,672 --> 00:05:41,800 The whole city was a sea of fire. 117 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:43,677 [soft music] 118 00:05:43,677 --> 00:05:46,888 - [Christopher] It was so hot that canals start to boil 119 00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:49,391 and the fires eat up so much of the oxygen 120 00:05:49,391 --> 00:05:51,518 that a lot of the people who die asphyxiate 121 00:05:51,518 --> 00:05:53,603 because there's no oxygen left. 122 00:05:53,603 --> 00:05:56,731 A huge proportion of the city is simply gone in one night. 123 00:05:56,731 --> 00:05:58,483 [soft music] 124 00:05:58,483 --> 00:06:01,278 - [Tom Hanks] The destruction is immense. 125 00:06:01,278 --> 00:06:04,906 16 square miles of Tokyo are obliterated. 126 00:06:06,116 --> 00:06:07,534 After this one raid, 127 00:06:07,534 --> 00:06:10,161 a million Japanese no longer have a home. 128 00:06:11,288 --> 00:06:12,998 - It's unprecedented. 129 00:06:14,374 --> 00:06:18,920 General LeMay later I recall that he would've been tried 130 00:06:20,171 --> 00:06:25,135 as a war criminal if United States lost in the war. 131 00:06:26,469 --> 00:06:28,847 [soft music] 132 00:06:30,974 --> 00:06:33,310 - [Tom Hanks] To survey the damage, 133 00:06:33,310 --> 00:06:36,521 Emperor Hirohito emerges from his bunker 134 00:06:36,521 --> 00:06:38,773 beneath the Imperial Palace. 135 00:06:40,483 --> 00:06:44,696 - Emperor Hirohito has been pretty isolated 136 00:06:44,696 --> 00:06:46,448 throughout the war, 137 00:06:46,448 --> 00:06:51,036 but he does have a sense that the war is not exactly going 138 00:06:51,036 --> 00:06:54,122 as his generals and admirals are telling him. 139 00:06:54,122 --> 00:06:57,042 So when the fire bombing in Tokyo happened, 140 00:06:57,042 --> 00:06:59,711 that only intensifies his desire 141 00:06:59,711 --> 00:07:01,921 to start looking for ways to end the war. 142 00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,592 - [Christopher] For Emperor Hirohito the big concern 143 00:07:05,592 --> 00:07:09,346 is not what might happen to the ordinary Japanese people, 144 00:07:09,346 --> 00:07:11,848 but if the Americans make it onto Japanese soil, 145 00:07:11,848 --> 00:07:13,642 what might happen to him? 146 00:07:13,642 --> 00:07:15,685 What might happen to the imperial ine 147 00:07:15,685 --> 00:07:18,521 that goes back centuries in Japan? 148 00:07:18,521 --> 00:07:22,317 He says, "I can't possibly face my ancestors 149 00:07:22,317 --> 00:07:24,152 having sacrificed the throne." 150 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:27,322 - [Tom Hanks] The emperor of Japan is considered 151 00:07:27,322 --> 00:07:31,576 to be divine with immense authority over his people. 152 00:07:31,576 --> 00:07:35,038 But Hirohito rarely exerts that authority in political 153 00:07:35,038 --> 00:07:36,998 or military matters. 154 00:07:36,998 --> 00:07:39,250 - There's the committee for the supreme direction 155 00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:42,671 of the war, which is six people, two people from the army, 156 00:07:42,671 --> 00:07:44,923 two people from the Navy, the prime minister 157 00:07:44,923 --> 00:07:46,091 and the foreign minister. 158 00:07:46,091 --> 00:07:47,842 Those six are the only six 159 00:07:47,842 --> 00:07:50,053 that had any real say within Japan. 160 00:07:51,805 --> 00:07:53,765 - The civilian leaders understood they 161 00:07:53,765 --> 00:07:56,434 couldn't win the war, but the military are determined to 162 00:07:56,434 --> 00:07:57,936 fight on. 163 00:07:58,144 --> 00:08:00,397 - Japanese military leaders have lived their whole life 164 00:08:00,397 --> 00:08:02,107 under a professional code. 165 00:08:02,107 --> 00:08:06,236 That surrender is so dishonorable you 166 00:08:06,236 --> 00:08:07,987 would rather die, no matter what the suffering, 167 00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:11,282 the warrior does not surrender. 168 00:08:11,282 --> 00:08:12,992 - [Jon] For all the firebombing, 169 00:08:12,992 --> 00:08:16,413 for all the destruction already rained on Japan, 170 00:08:16,413 --> 00:08:18,081 there's no sign of surrender. 171 00:08:18,081 --> 00:08:20,667 - [Craig] The American high command now believes 172 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:24,713 that the Japanese would not surrender short of an invasion 173 00:08:24,713 --> 00:08:27,841 and occupation of the Japanese home islands. 174 00:08:27,841 --> 00:08:30,427 [dramatic music] 175 00:08:30,427 --> 00:08:32,804 - [Tom Hanks] The United States is gathering its forces 176 00:08:32,804 --> 00:08:36,433 for the next phase of its assault on Imperial Japan. 177 00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:40,770 [boat whirring and dramatic music] 178 00:08:40,770 --> 00:08:42,731 The capture of Okinawa, 179 00:08:42,731 --> 00:08:46,234 the largest island on the Ryukyu chain. 180 00:08:46,234 --> 00:08:50,113 - Okinawa is just 400 miles south of Kyushu, 181 00:08:50,113 --> 00:08:52,866 which is the most southerly of the Japanese home islands, 182 00:08:52,866 --> 00:08:56,786 and therefore can be used to launch an invasion fleet. 183 00:08:56,786 --> 00:08:59,998 So Okinawa is absolutely vital to the Americans. 184 00:08:59,998 --> 00:09:03,626 [dramatic music continues] 185 00:09:07,297 --> 00:09:09,132 - [Craig] Okinawa would be defended 186 00:09:09,132 --> 00:09:12,844 by about a hundred thousand Japanese frontline troops 187 00:09:12,844 --> 00:09:16,723 and also native Okinawan militia forces. 188 00:09:16,723 --> 00:09:20,769 They know that the Americans have overwhelming superiority 189 00:09:20,769 --> 00:09:23,605 in the air and at sea. 190 00:09:23,605 --> 00:09:25,482 [dramatic music continues] 191 00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:28,401 - [Christopher] The plan for the defense of Okinawa 192 00:09:28,401 --> 00:09:30,403 is don't go for a Banzai charge. 193 00:09:30,403 --> 00:09:33,698 Instead, they will prepare these defensive fortifications, 194 00:09:33,698 --> 00:09:38,536 let the Americans come to them and take them out that way. 195 00:09:38,536 --> 00:09:40,330 [dramatic music continues] 196 00:09:40,330 --> 00:09:43,124 - [Tom Hanks] Using native Okinawans as forced labor, 197 00:09:44,626 --> 00:09:48,088 the Japanese build a network of bunkers and tunnels. 198 00:09:48,088 --> 00:09:51,174 - [Craig] And the idea was kill four, five Americans 199 00:09:51,174 --> 00:09:53,009 before you are killed yourself. 200 00:09:54,636 --> 00:09:57,722 The Japanese overall strategy is to make the Americans pay 201 00:09:57,722 --> 00:10:00,391 so much for Okinawa that an invasion 202 00:10:00,391 --> 00:10:03,561 of the Japanese home islands would be unthinkable. 203 00:10:03,561 --> 00:10:06,481 [dramatic music] 204 00:10:08,775 --> 00:10:12,320 - [Saul] The garrison on Okinawa is only half the Japanese 205 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:13,613 strategy for defending the island. 206 00:10:13,822 --> 00:10:16,991 The other element of the plan is to use kamikaze, 207 00:10:16,991 --> 00:10:20,370 but in far greater numbers than ever been used before. 208 00:10:20,370 --> 00:10:21,830 - The Japanese recognize 209 00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:23,206 that when the Americans conduct 210 00:10:23,206 --> 00:10:25,083 these amphibious landing operations, 211 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:27,710 the ships offshore are the lifeline 212 00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:30,880 that's keeping the battalions ashore in the fight. 213 00:10:32,173 --> 00:10:35,510 So they came up with this idea of these organized waves 214 00:10:35,510 --> 00:10:36,761 of kamikaze attacks. 215 00:10:38,763 --> 00:10:43,518 - [Dan] And if you launch 300 kamikaze at the American fleet 216 00:10:43,518 --> 00:10:46,521 and you take out seven aircraft carriers or something, 217 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,233 that is a war changing thing. 218 00:10:50,233 --> 00:10:53,027 [bombs exploding] 219 00:10:56,156 --> 00:10:57,866 - [Tom Hanks] The Battle of Okinawa starts 220 00:10:57,866 --> 00:11:00,410 with the largest invasion of the war in the Pacific. 221 00:11:02,036 --> 00:11:05,957 A massive effort combining naval, air and ground support. 222 00:11:07,125 --> 00:11:09,294 60,000 soldiers and marines are bound 223 00:11:09,294 --> 00:11:11,212 for Okinawa's western beaches. 224 00:11:12,630 --> 00:11:15,842 The invasion force will land on Hagushi Bay, 225 00:11:15,842 --> 00:11:17,760 then the Marines will sweep north 226 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,556 and the army south to take control of the entire island. 227 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,268 [guns firing] 228 00:11:26,436 --> 00:11:28,688 - [Saul] The biggest danger in an amphibious operation 229 00:11:28,688 --> 00:11:32,692 is the actual landing because you are incredibly vulnerable. 230 00:11:32,692 --> 00:11:34,611 You are out in the open. 231 00:11:34,611 --> 00:11:36,696 The combat troops going up first. 232 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:39,908 Both marine and army have been told to expect up 233 00:11:39,908 --> 00:11:41,451 to 80% casualties. 234 00:11:41,451 --> 00:11:43,828 [dramatic music] 235 00:11:43,828 --> 00:11:46,831 So if you've drawn the unlucky straw of being one 236 00:11:46,831 --> 00:11:48,875 of the first units, you're pretty convinced not many 237 00:11:48,875 --> 00:11:50,793 of you're gonna survive. 238 00:11:50,793 --> 00:11:52,837 [dramatic music continues] 239 00:11:52,837 --> 00:11:54,797 They to the beaches start walking up it, 240 00:11:54,797 --> 00:11:57,592 body's tense waiting for the bullets to come 241 00:11:58,635 --> 00:12:00,303 and there is nothing. 242 00:12:00,303 --> 00:12:03,723 [dramatic music] 243 00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:07,310 - [Martin] They're experiencing virtually no opposition. 244 00:12:07,310 --> 00:12:08,603 And so there was a thought that hey, 245 00:12:08,603 --> 00:12:10,063 maybe Okinawa's not gonna turn out 246 00:12:10,063 --> 00:12:12,190 to be a big bloodbath after all. 247 00:12:12,190 --> 00:12:15,235 [fast-paced music] 248 00:12:15,235 --> 00:12:16,527 - [Saul] The first few days go very well for the 249 00:12:16,527 --> 00:12:17,987 landing forces. 250 00:12:17,987 --> 00:12:20,365 They cut across all the way to the other side 251 00:12:20,365 --> 00:12:23,201 of the island against minimal opposition. 252 00:12:23,201 --> 00:12:24,369 [fast-paced music continues] 253 00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:26,913 It's looking too good to be true at this stage. 254 00:12:26,913 --> 00:12:29,791 [dramatic music] 255 00:12:33,544 --> 00:12:37,465 - [Yuki] Military leaders believed that Japan must fight 256 00:12:37,465 --> 00:12:40,802 to protect the honor of the country. 257 00:12:40,802 --> 00:12:45,556 And these kamikaze pilots are the chosen ones 258 00:12:45,556 --> 00:12:48,893 to go to this divine mission to protect their homeland. 259 00:12:50,353 --> 00:12:51,604 They really believe that 260 00:12:51,604 --> 00:12:54,148 that would turn the tide of the war. 261 00:12:55,525 --> 00:12:59,320 - [Craig] The pilots are young, many of them are teenagers, 262 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:00,863 they're ill trained. 263 00:13:00,863 --> 00:13:02,282 They don't even have enough fuel 264 00:13:02,282 --> 00:13:04,993 to come back from this flight if they wanted to. 265 00:13:04,993 --> 00:13:06,327 They know they're going to die 266 00:13:08,413 --> 00:13:13,584 and so when they get to the first American ship they see, 267 00:13:15,878 --> 00:13:17,005 they attack. 268 00:13:20,341 --> 00:13:22,218 [dramatic music] 269 00:13:25,138 --> 00:13:26,681 - [Tom Hanks] For the first five days 270 00:13:26,681 --> 00:13:29,726 of the invasion of Okinawa, there's no opposition 271 00:13:29,726 --> 00:13:32,645 to the massive US fleet surrounding the island. 272 00:13:32,645 --> 00:13:35,440 [dramatic music] 273 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,192 But just after noon on April 6th, 274 00:13:38,192 --> 00:13:40,695 the Japanese arrive in force. 275 00:13:40,695 --> 00:13:45,867 [dramatic music] [signals beeping] 276 00:13:47,285 --> 00:13:48,911 - Imagine we're on the bridge of one 277 00:13:48,911 --> 00:13:52,832 of these destroyers 80 miles north of Okinawa. 278 00:13:52,832 --> 00:13:55,251 The kamikaze come from starboard, from port, 279 00:13:55,251 --> 00:13:56,919 from high, from low. 280 00:13:56,919 --> 00:14:01,049 [dramatic music and planes whirring] 281 00:14:01,049 --> 00:14:03,092 So you feel like you're in a boxing ring 282 00:14:03,092 --> 00:14:05,553 with about five other boxers attacking you 283 00:14:05,553 --> 00:14:06,846 from every direction. 284 00:14:06,846 --> 00:14:11,809 [planes whirring and dramatic music continues] 285 00:14:12,894 --> 00:14:15,605 - Hundreds of kamikaze at a time thrown 286 00:14:15,605 --> 00:14:18,733 against the invading fleet. 287 00:14:18,733 --> 00:14:21,444 They thought with the sheer numbers they could take out 288 00:14:21,444 --> 00:14:24,655 the capital ships that's battleships 289 00:14:24,655 --> 00:14:25,823 and aircraft carriers and drive off the US fleet 290 00:14:25,823 --> 00:14:27,366 in its entirety. 291 00:14:27,366 --> 00:14:29,994 [bomb exploding] 292 00:14:29,994 --> 00:14:32,914 - [Craig] The kamikaze don't really have much success 293 00:14:32,914 --> 00:14:35,041 against aircraft carriers, 294 00:14:35,041 --> 00:14:37,960 [bombs whirring] 295 00:14:39,170 --> 00:14:43,841 but 300 plus ships are targeted by the kamikazes. 296 00:14:44,801 --> 00:14:46,969 More than 36 of them sink. 297 00:14:46,969 --> 00:14:49,680 [dramatic music] 298 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,476 It is more devastating than any conventional bombing attack 299 00:14:53,476 --> 00:14:58,481 has been in the war so far, but it's not enough. 300 00:14:59,357 --> 00:15:01,150 - What the kamikaze tells me is 301 00:15:01,150 --> 00:15:04,278 that the Japanese knew the war was lost, 302 00:15:04,278 --> 00:15:06,280 at least by conventional means. 303 00:15:07,573 --> 00:15:09,325 There's nothing more dangerous in warfare 304 00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:11,244 than a cornered enemy. 305 00:15:11,244 --> 00:15:14,122 The Japanese are gonna go down in flames 306 00:15:14,122 --> 00:15:17,041 but will never surrender, never. 307 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,669 - [Tom Hanks] For the US Navy, 308 00:15:19,669 --> 00:15:22,922 the battle against the kamikaze at Okinawa is bloodier 309 00:15:22,922 --> 00:15:27,051 than any previous confrontation of the entire Pacific War. 310 00:15:29,345 --> 00:15:31,722 And American ground forces are now facing 311 00:15:31,722 --> 00:15:33,683 increasing resistance as well. 312 00:15:35,393 --> 00:15:38,563 - [Martin] The force that had landed on the beaches is pushing 313 00:15:38,563 --> 00:15:41,232 south toward a place called Kakazu Ridge 314 00:15:41,232 --> 00:15:44,193 where they encounter the first line of Japanese defenses. 315 00:15:44,193 --> 00:15:45,361 [dramatic music] 316 00:15:45,361 --> 00:15:48,573 [bomb exploding] 317 00:15:48,573 --> 00:15:50,533 - [Saul] It's the first time the Americans 318 00:15:50,533 --> 00:15:53,411 meet serious opposition and it stops them dead. 319 00:15:53,411 --> 00:15:57,081 [dramatic music continues] 320 00:15:59,417 --> 00:16:01,711 The Japanese have created a defensive system 321 00:16:01,711 --> 00:16:04,881 that goes right across the whole width of the island, 322 00:16:04,881 --> 00:16:06,424 so they can't be out flanked. 323 00:16:07,675 --> 00:16:09,802 - [Tom Hanks] American troops endure days 324 00:16:09,802 --> 00:16:11,721 of nonstop enemy fire. 325 00:16:11,721 --> 00:16:14,682 [guns shooting] 326 00:16:14,682 --> 00:16:18,561 - [Saul] This is attritional, grizzly, meat grinding fighting, 327 00:16:20,396 --> 00:16:22,982 and that's just the first line of defense 328 00:16:22,982 --> 00:16:25,401 there are gonna be many more beyond this. 329 00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:29,322 What we thought was gonna be a cakewalk is anything but. 330 00:16:29,322 --> 00:16:32,241 [dramatic music] 331 00:16:33,784 --> 00:16:35,536 - [Tom Hanks] April 12th. 332 00:16:35,536 --> 00:16:39,123 The American people learn Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 333 00:16:39,123 --> 00:16:42,710 the man they elected four times is dead. 334 00:16:42,710 --> 00:16:45,046 [soft music] 335 00:16:46,589 --> 00:16:49,884 Vice president Harry S. Truman, a former judge 336 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:53,763 and senator from Missouri is sworn in hours later. 337 00:16:55,389 --> 00:16:57,934 - Roosevelt had led the country through the Great Depression 338 00:16:57,934 --> 00:16:59,435 and through the war. 339 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,648 In the 82 days that Truman had been vice president, 340 00:17:04,648 --> 00:17:07,401 he met with Roosevelt all of twice. 341 00:17:07,401 --> 00:17:09,862 He really knows nothing about what's going on 342 00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:11,446 with the war effort. 343 00:17:11,446 --> 00:17:13,241 - He didn't think he was up to the job 344 00:17:13,241 --> 00:17:16,243 and there are people who would say he was right. 345 00:17:16,243 --> 00:17:19,079 - [Tom Hanks] The new president is immediately confronted 346 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:20,748 with enormous challenges. 347 00:17:22,124 --> 00:17:24,835 - [Jonathan] It's important for the wartime president to 348 00:17:24,835 --> 00:17:26,671 demonstrate that he has a plan for bringing this war 349 00:17:26,671 --> 00:17:30,007 to a successful conclusion and as rapidly as possible. 350 00:17:30,007 --> 00:17:31,926 It's clear to the American population 351 00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:34,720 that Germany is on its last legs, 352 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:37,306 but Japan is still fighting hard. 353 00:17:37,306 --> 00:17:40,268 - The question really is, how many American lives am I going 354 00:17:40,268 --> 00:17:42,562 to lose to end this war? 355 00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:45,147 That's the whole ball game for Harry Truman. 356 00:17:45,147 --> 00:17:48,025 [dramatic music] 357 00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:53,114 - [Tom Hanks] Truman meets with Secretary of War 358 00:17:53,114 --> 00:17:57,243 Henry Stimson and Army General Leslie Groves. 359 00:17:57,243 --> 00:17:59,495 The agenda is classified. 360 00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:01,622 - [A.J.] They hand Truman a document. 361 00:18:02,456 --> 00:18:04,041 Truman opens it up and reads it 362 00:18:04,041 --> 00:18:06,627 and the memo begins with these dramatic words. 363 00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:08,004 "Within four months, 364 00:18:08,004 --> 00:18:10,965 we shall in all probability have completed 365 00:18:10,965 --> 00:18:14,760 the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, 366 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,681 one bomb which can destroy a whole city." 367 00:18:18,681 --> 00:18:20,474 [dramatic music] 368 00:18:20,474 --> 00:18:22,602 - [Tom Hanks] The Manhattan Project, 369 00:18:22,602 --> 00:18:25,187 the top secret American program 370 00:18:25,187 --> 00:18:28,190 to develop the world's first atomic bombs. 371 00:18:29,525 --> 00:18:33,487 For three years, thousands of scientists and engineers 372 00:18:33,487 --> 00:18:36,365 have worked on the most powerful weapon in history. 373 00:18:37,450 --> 00:18:39,744 It is set to be tested midsummer. 374 00:18:41,203 --> 00:18:44,206 - [Robert] Truman and his commanders are ready to pay any 375 00:18:44,206 --> 00:18:46,125 price to bring this war to an end. 376 00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:48,586 But an invasion of the Japanese home islands 377 00:18:48,586 --> 00:18:51,255 will be bloody on an unimaginable scale. 378 00:18:51,255 --> 00:18:54,175 Higher losses than any previous campaign 379 00:18:54,175 --> 00:18:57,762 either in the Pacific War or in the war in Europe. 380 00:18:58,596 --> 00:19:00,681 - The Manhattan project, 381 00:19:00,681 --> 00:19:04,560 the attempt to develop atomic weapons. 382 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:05,436 If that proves to be successful, 383 00:19:05,436 --> 00:19:07,146 If that proves to be successful, 384 00:19:07,146 --> 00:19:11,192 if those tests prove out, then that is an alternative. 385 00:19:14,362 --> 00:19:17,365 [bells ringing and fast-paced music] 386 00:19:17,365 --> 00:19:19,241 - [Tom Hanks] The war in Europe is over. 387 00:19:20,409 --> 00:19:22,286 The Nazi Third Reich has been destroyed. 388 00:19:22,286 --> 00:19:26,290 [fast-paced music continues] 389 00:19:26,290 --> 00:19:28,376 [whistle hissing] 390 00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:31,003 But for war weary America and its allies, 391 00:19:32,713 --> 00:19:34,715 the war in the Pacific continues 392 00:19:35,883 --> 00:19:38,678 and many of the men who helped defeat Germany 393 00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:42,306 may now be required to fight Japan. 394 00:19:42,306 --> 00:19:44,809 - At this point, people in the military knew that a lot 395 00:19:44,809 --> 00:19:47,687 of these units are gonna need to be transferred. 396 00:19:47,687 --> 00:19:49,647 Just because the war in Europe is over, 397 00:19:49,647 --> 00:19:51,190 don't get excited. 398 00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:53,526 We're gonna need those troops in the Pacific. 399 00:19:53,526 --> 00:19:56,195 [guns firing] 400 00:19:58,906 --> 00:20:01,867 - [Tom Hanks] After two months of ceaseless combat, 401 00:20:01,867 --> 00:20:03,744 Marine and Army units break 402 00:20:03,744 --> 00:20:07,081 through the main Japanese defensive line on Okinawa. 403 00:20:08,290 --> 00:20:11,001 Japanese troops are forced to retreat 404 00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:14,922 and attempt a last stand on the Kiyan Peninsula. 405 00:20:14,922 --> 00:20:17,007 - [Christopher ] By this point, the Japanese soldiers on Okinawa 406 00:20:17,007 --> 00:20:18,926 are low on ammunition, 407 00:20:18,926 --> 00:20:22,513 they are starving, they're exhausted, 408 00:20:22,513 --> 00:20:24,682 but they realize that the next step for the allies 409 00:20:24,682 --> 00:20:27,184 after Okinawa is the home islands. 410 00:20:27,184 --> 00:20:29,562 They are all that stand between the allies 411 00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:31,772 and their families, their homes. 412 00:20:31,772 --> 00:20:34,567 They are the last line of defense 413 00:20:34,567 --> 00:20:36,318 and everyone is depending on them. 414 00:20:36,318 --> 00:20:39,113 [dramatic music] 415 00:20:42,283 --> 00:20:44,869 - [Martin] Although the Americans have gained ground, 416 00:20:44,869 --> 00:20:47,913 [bombs exploding] 417 00:20:47,913 --> 00:20:49,957 the more you push and the more terrain 418 00:20:49,957 --> 00:20:52,376 that has been captured, the more dangerous 419 00:20:52,376 --> 00:20:54,211 and costly the battle is becoming. 420 00:20:54,211 --> 00:20:56,422 [dramatic music continues] 421 00:20:56,422 --> 00:20:58,632 - But the Americans know we're making progress. 422 00:20:58,632 --> 00:21:01,010 If war is a clash of wills, 423 00:21:01,010 --> 00:21:03,429 the United States is a nation willing to fight it out 424 00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:04,513 to the end. 425 00:21:04,513 --> 00:21:07,641 [dramatic music] 426 00:21:07,641 --> 00:21:09,769 - [Tom Hanks] Organized resistance on Okinawa 427 00:21:09,769 --> 00:21:11,479 ends On June 22nd. 428 00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:15,107 The Japanese Army's commanding general 429 00:21:15,107 --> 00:21:18,444 and his chief of staff both commit suicide 430 00:21:18,444 --> 00:21:20,070 by ritual seppuku. 431 00:21:21,363 --> 00:21:24,074 - [Saul] A hundred thousand Japanese servicemen are killed. 432 00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:26,827 On the American side, 433 00:21:26,827 --> 00:21:28,913 the casualties are 50,000 killed and wounded. 434 00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:31,248 These are the worst 435 00:21:31,457 --> 00:21:34,084 of battle casualties in the Pacific War for the Americans, 436 00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:39,173 worse than all of that are the number of civilians killed. 437 00:21:40,424 --> 00:21:43,594 Up to 125,000, which is a third 438 00:21:43,594 --> 00:21:45,763 of the population caught in the crossfire. 439 00:21:46,931 --> 00:21:48,390 - [Col. Douglas] This is just Okinawa. 440 00:21:48,390 --> 00:21:50,851 What happens when we get to their home islands? 441 00:21:50,851 --> 00:21:53,354 The cost is gonna be enormous. 442 00:21:54,188 --> 00:21:55,481 This war ain't over. 443 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,108 It's not even close to being over. 444 00:21:58,108 --> 00:22:00,986 [dramatic music] 445 00:22:02,696 --> 00:22:04,615 - [Tom Hanks] American leaders understand 446 00:22:04,615 --> 00:22:07,910 the Battle of Okinawa is a frightening preview 447 00:22:07,910 --> 00:22:12,122 of what to expect when Japan's home islands are invaded. 448 00:22:12,122 --> 00:22:14,083 - Truman has a meeting with General Marshall 449 00:22:14,083 --> 00:22:17,670 and the joint chiefs of staff on Operation Downfall, 450 00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:20,798 the invasion of the Japanese home islands. 451 00:22:20,798 --> 00:22:23,509 This plan goes back to the Roosevelt presidency. 452 00:22:23,509 --> 00:22:24,885 Planning is going forward 453 00:22:26,136 --> 00:22:28,013 and the most interested person at the meeting 454 00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:29,390 is George Marshall. 455 00:22:29,390 --> 00:22:31,892 He wants Truman to sign off on it. 456 00:22:31,892 --> 00:22:34,854 - Operation Downfall will be a two-pronged operation, 457 00:22:34,854 --> 00:22:37,064 the first called Operation Olympic. 458 00:22:38,357 --> 00:22:39,567 The idea of Operation Olympic is 459 00:22:39,567 --> 00:22:42,152 to invade the southern island of Kyushu 460 00:22:42,152 --> 00:22:43,654 and seize naval bases 461 00:22:43,654 --> 00:22:47,074 and air bases while pushing Japanese forces north. 462 00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:49,243 The critical phase though of Operation Downfall 463 00:22:49,243 --> 00:22:51,954 is what's code named Operation Coronet. 464 00:22:51,954 --> 00:22:53,163 It's the invasion of Honshu, 465 00:22:53,163 --> 00:22:55,082 which is where Tokyo itself sits. 466 00:22:55,082 --> 00:22:57,334 So this would inevitably end in either the destruction 467 00:22:57,334 --> 00:22:59,169 or capture of the Japanese capital. 468 00:22:59,169 --> 00:23:01,589 [dramatic music] 469 00:23:01,589 --> 00:23:03,424 - [Saul] Think about the scale of Operation Downfall 470 00:23:03,424 --> 00:23:04,717 as a whole. 471 00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:07,803 5 million men involved, up to a million British 472 00:23:07,803 --> 00:23:10,598 and Commonwealth troops, 4 million American troops, 473 00:23:10,598 --> 00:23:13,642 and this is gonna dwarf D-Day in the logistics 474 00:23:13,642 --> 00:23:16,562 and the naval of forces that are gonna be involved. 475 00:23:16,562 --> 00:23:18,856 Then the forces that are actually gonna land 476 00:23:18,856 --> 00:23:21,442 and most importantly of all is gonna dwarf the number 477 00:23:21,442 --> 00:23:22,693 of casualties. 478 00:23:22,693 --> 00:23:24,945 [soft music] 479 00:23:24,945 --> 00:23:26,614 - [Dan] If the allies had to invade Japan, 480 00:23:26,614 --> 00:23:29,533 that would be the largest amphibious assault 481 00:23:29,533 --> 00:23:30,868 ever undertaken. 482 00:23:31,911 --> 00:23:33,704 And when the Americans were gonna bear 483 00:23:33,704 --> 00:23:35,080 almost the entire weight of it 484 00:23:36,874 --> 00:23:38,292 and the President understood that better 485 00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:40,044 than most of the American public did. 486 00:23:40,044 --> 00:23:42,546 [soft music continues] 487 00:23:42,546 --> 00:23:45,049 - [Saul] Truman specifically says to his chiefs of staff, 488 00:23:45,049 --> 00:23:48,802 I don't want an Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other. 489 00:23:48,802 --> 00:23:52,723 [soft music continues] 490 00:23:52,723 --> 00:23:56,602 - [Jon] So Truman in June of '45 is looking 491 00:23:56,602 --> 00:24:00,481 at a brutal final act against Japan. 492 00:24:00,481 --> 00:24:02,983 But it is very important to Harry Truman 493 00:24:04,151 --> 00:24:06,445 that he always be seen as the decider. 494 00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:07,488 The buck stops here. 495 00:24:09,281 --> 00:24:13,202 - Truman understands that this war with Japan needs to end, 496 00:24:13,202 --> 00:24:15,454 the invasion looks horrible. 497 00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:18,082 But what's option B in this situation? 498 00:24:19,249 --> 00:24:21,835 - Even at this late date in June, there's no sense 499 00:24:21,835 --> 00:24:24,213 that the Manhattan Project is going to work. 500 00:24:24,213 --> 00:24:27,216 They really don't know if they have a bomb yet. 501 00:24:27,216 --> 00:24:30,636 - [Robert] And so Truman signs off on Operation Downfall, 502 00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:33,430 the two big invasions of Japan. 503 00:24:33,430 --> 00:24:38,310 Stage one, Operation Olympic is set for November 1st. 504 00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:39,436 The clock is ticking. 505 00:24:39,436 --> 00:24:42,356 [dramatic music] 506 00:24:43,649 --> 00:24:47,403 - [Noriko] The Japanese Army's plan is to fight to the bitter 507 00:24:47,403 --> 00:24:53,283 end with a decisive and final battle in the home islands. 508 00:24:55,035 --> 00:24:57,121 - [Christopher] For a while now, the Japanese army had been 509 00:24:57,121 --> 00:24:58,831 planning what they call Operation Ketsugo, 510 00:24:58,831 --> 00:25:00,791 which means operation decisive. 511 00:25:00,791 --> 00:25:02,876 It's a plan to defend Kyushu. 512 00:25:02,876 --> 00:25:04,878 They think they've got perhaps a million men 513 00:25:04,878 --> 00:25:06,797 that they can put into the field. 514 00:25:08,007 --> 00:25:10,718 They also want to put civilians into the field. 515 00:25:12,011 --> 00:25:14,972 Their idea is that they will make things so terrifying 516 00:25:14,972 --> 00:25:17,391 that it will stop the Americans trying 517 00:25:17,391 --> 00:25:20,477 to do anything anywhere else in the home islands. 518 00:25:20,477 --> 00:25:24,732 - [Yuki] Women and children we're going through the military 519 00:25:24,732 --> 00:25:27,401 drills where everybody was given a bamboo spear. 520 00:25:29,611 --> 00:25:33,032 They are essentially mobilizing everybody 521 00:25:33,032 --> 00:25:38,037 older than 12 years old to fight to the death. 522 00:25:39,038 --> 00:25:41,123 [crowd chanting and dramatic music] 523 00:25:44,418 --> 00:25:46,545 [fast-paced music] 524 00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:55,012 - [Tom Hanks] In July for the first time, 525 00:25:55,220 --> 00:25:57,848 President Truman meets with both British Prime Minister 526 00:25:57,848 --> 00:26:01,518 Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin 527 00:26:01,518 --> 00:26:05,522 at Potsdam, formerly the home of Prussian Kings 528 00:26:05,522 --> 00:26:06,774 and the German Kaiser. 529 00:26:08,358 --> 00:26:09,777 - [A.J.] Europe is devastated. 530 00:26:09,777 --> 00:26:12,279 [soft music] 531 00:26:12,279 --> 00:26:14,531 It's a massive disaster zone. 532 00:26:16,241 --> 00:26:18,911 The point of the Potsdam Conference is 533 00:26:18,911 --> 00:26:21,455 for these three governments to come together 534 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:24,374 and figure out how these countries are gonna be rebuilt. 535 00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:29,963 - But Truman has his eyes on a completely different problem. 536 00:26:29,963 --> 00:26:32,382 He huddles with Secretary of War Stimson, 537 00:26:32,382 --> 00:26:34,593 and what are they talking about? 538 00:26:34,593 --> 00:26:36,887 They're talking about the Pacific. 539 00:26:36,887 --> 00:26:39,973 [soft music] 540 00:26:39,973 --> 00:26:42,601 - [Tom Hanks] With Operation Downfall months away, 541 00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:44,561 President Truman seeks assurance 542 00:26:44,561 --> 00:26:47,189 that the Soviets will participate in the war 543 00:26:47,189 --> 00:26:50,067 against Japan as pledged. 544 00:26:50,067 --> 00:26:52,194 - [Craig] All this time, Japan 545 00:26:52,194 --> 00:26:54,238 and the Soviet Union had been neutral. 546 00:26:54,238 --> 00:26:56,824 They had not been at war with one another. 547 00:26:56,824 --> 00:26:59,993 - [Robert] Stalin promised within 90 days of the end 548 00:26:59,993 --> 00:27:02,955 of the war in Europe, he'll join the war against Japan. 549 00:27:02,955 --> 00:27:05,791 He promised that to Roosevelt back at Yalta. 550 00:27:05,791 --> 00:27:07,584 So Truman hopes that's a go. 551 00:27:09,044 --> 00:27:10,921 - [Tom Hanks] But at the start of the conference, 552 00:27:10,921 --> 00:27:15,509 Stimson receives a coded cable from the War Department. 553 00:27:15,509 --> 00:27:19,930 - "Operated on this morning, diagnosis not yet complete, 554 00:27:19,930 --> 00:27:22,474 but results seem satisfactory. 555 00:27:22,474 --> 00:27:24,309 Dr. Groves is pleased." 556 00:27:24,309 --> 00:27:25,686 [dramatic music] 557 00:27:25,811 --> 00:27:28,438 - [Robert] Truman now knew that the atomic bomb 558 00:27:28,438 --> 00:27:30,440 had been detonated successfully. 559 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,360 [dramatic music] 560 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,946 - [A.J.] In this moment we have this amazing window 561 00:27:35,946 --> 00:27:38,448 into Truman's thinking because he was keeping a diary. 562 00:27:40,576 --> 00:27:43,662 Truman realizes this bomb could be a short circuit 563 00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:45,038 to ending the war. 564 00:27:46,415 --> 00:27:51,545 - [Saul] When Truman hears that the atomic bomb actually works, 565 00:27:51,545 --> 00:27:53,547 he knows they have to use it, 566 00:27:53,547 --> 00:27:56,174 but he wants to give the Japanese one last chance 567 00:27:56,174 --> 00:27:57,926 to surrender before he does. 568 00:27:57,926 --> 00:27:59,678 [dramatic music] 569 00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:01,722 - [Tom Hanks] President Truman, along with Churchill 570 00:28:01,722 --> 00:28:05,684 and Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Republic of China, 571 00:28:05,684 --> 00:28:09,563 issue the Potsdam Declaration, a warning to Japan 572 00:28:09,563 --> 00:28:12,441 of what awaits if they don't surrender unconditionally. 573 00:28:14,026 --> 00:28:17,321 But Stimson suggests they consider allowing Hirohito 574 00:28:17,321 --> 00:28:18,322 to keep his throne. 575 00:28:19,531 --> 00:28:22,200 - [Saul] Stimson understands the constitutional 576 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,912 and cultural position that the emperor plays 577 00:28:24,912 --> 00:28:27,956 in Japanese life, this kind of demigod status. 578 00:28:27,956 --> 00:28:31,293 And so he insists on inserting into the declaration, 579 00:28:31,293 --> 00:28:34,212 assurance that they won't try the emperor for war crimes. 580 00:28:34,212 --> 00:28:37,758 But beyond that, it will be unconditional surrender 581 00:28:37,758 --> 00:28:39,843 and no other terms will be acceptable. 582 00:28:40,886 --> 00:28:43,597 - [A.J.] Also in this document is wordage 583 00:28:43,597 --> 00:28:46,016 that does not mention the atomic bomb, 584 00:28:46,016 --> 00:28:49,645 but it does say that if unconditional surrender 585 00:28:49,645 --> 00:28:53,732 is not coming, the destruction was going to be historic 586 00:28:53,732 --> 00:28:55,067 and massive. 587 00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:57,945 [dramatic music] 588 00:28:59,404 --> 00:29:01,323 - [Tom Hanks] The Office of War Information 589 00:29:01,323 --> 00:29:03,951 releases the Potsdam Declaration 590 00:29:05,285 --> 00:29:08,622 and the Japanese receive it via radio from San Francisco. 591 00:29:10,165 --> 00:29:14,586 - [Noriko] Prime Minister Suzuki and Emperor Hirohito 592 00:29:14,586 --> 00:29:19,549 are the opinion that the Potsdam Declaration 593 00:29:20,384 --> 00:29:24,304 is not really vindictive. 594 00:29:24,304 --> 00:29:28,600 They see some hope. 595 00:29:29,685 --> 00:29:32,104 - [Yuki] Emperor Hirohito himself at this point, 596 00:29:32,104 --> 00:29:34,481 he is open to accepting it, 597 00:29:34,481 --> 00:29:39,361 but he understands his role as an emperor. 598 00:29:39,361 --> 00:29:42,280 There are only certain times for him to weigh in. 599 00:29:43,490 --> 00:29:44,866 - [Saul] The emperor and the Peace Party 600 00:29:44,866 --> 00:29:46,326 are in an impossible position here. 601 00:29:46,326 --> 00:29:49,413 I mean, if they respond positively to the ultimatum, 602 00:29:49,413 --> 00:29:51,081 the military might turn against them, 603 00:29:51,081 --> 00:29:53,792 but if they completely ignore it, there's a danger 604 00:29:53,792 --> 00:29:55,252 that the Americans are actually gonna carry out 605 00:29:55,252 --> 00:29:56,294 what they suggest. 606 00:29:58,171 --> 00:30:00,924 - [Tom Hanks] Two days later, Japan's Prime Minister 607 00:30:00,924 --> 00:30:04,386 Kantaro Suzuki holds a press conference. 608 00:30:05,595 --> 00:30:08,890 - [Yuki] When press asks about Potsdam Declaration, 609 00:30:08,890 --> 00:30:11,643 Suzuki uses the word mokusatsu. 610 00:30:12,853 --> 00:30:16,523 The best translation for that is no comment 611 00:30:16,523 --> 00:30:20,110 or I'm not going to respond to that question. 612 00:30:21,361 --> 00:30:24,322 However, the word mokusatsu can also mean 613 00:30:24,322 --> 00:30:26,116 we're going to ignore it. 614 00:30:26,116 --> 00:30:27,367 - [Christopher] And I think the Japanese media, 615 00:30:27,367 --> 00:30:29,202 they're very quick to interpret it 616 00:30:29,202 --> 00:30:31,121 in the most hostile and negative way. 617 00:30:32,372 --> 00:30:34,082 And then the American media pick it up. 618 00:30:34,082 --> 00:30:35,375 And then that becomes the view 619 00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:38,045 of the American administration as well 620 00:30:38,045 --> 00:30:41,757 that the Japanese are rejecting the Potsdam Declaration. 621 00:30:41,757 --> 00:30:43,800 - [A.J.] And to Truman, the Japanese response is 622 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,844 plain and clear. 623 00:30:45,844 --> 00:30:49,139 He believes that the Japanese told him to go to hell. 624 00:30:52,392 --> 00:30:54,227 [dramatic music] 625 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,065 - [Tom Hanks] By early 1945, 626 00:30:58,065 --> 00:31:00,484 Tinian Island in the Marianas 627 00:31:00,484 --> 00:31:03,236 is the largest air base on Earth. 628 00:31:05,197 --> 00:31:08,992 Hundreds of B-29s have taken off from its multiple runways 629 00:31:08,992 --> 00:31:10,285 to bomb Japan. 630 00:31:10,285 --> 00:31:13,163 [dramatic music] 631 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:20,962 - But there's a very mysterious restricted area 632 00:31:20,962 --> 00:31:23,090 at one part of the base. 633 00:31:23,090 --> 00:31:25,842 No one really knows what's going on up there. 634 00:31:25,842 --> 00:31:30,639 It belongs to some unit called the 509th Composite Group. 635 00:31:30,639 --> 00:31:33,642 These are the preparations for the arrival 636 00:31:33,642 --> 00:31:35,310 of the atomic bomb. 637 00:31:35,310 --> 00:31:37,187 [dramatic music] 638 00:31:37,187 --> 00:31:39,231 - [Tom Hanks] Components for the atomic bombs 639 00:31:39,231 --> 00:31:40,482 are delivered in late July 640 00:31:41,691 --> 00:31:44,611 and carefully assembled over the following days. 641 00:31:44,611 --> 00:31:46,613 [dramatic music continues] 642 00:31:46,613 --> 00:31:48,907 - [A.J.] So the Manhattan Project was able 643 00:31:48,907 --> 00:31:52,994 to produce enough uranium and plutonium for three bombs. 644 00:31:52,994 --> 00:31:54,788 And after the Trinity test, 645 00:31:54,788 --> 00:31:58,250 the Americans only had two bombs in the arsenal. 646 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:01,044 - [Robert] Truman makes the decision to drop the bomb. 647 00:32:01,044 --> 00:32:03,630 He legitimately wants to save US casualties 648 00:32:03,630 --> 00:32:06,133 and bring this war to an end rapidly. 649 00:32:06,133 --> 00:32:07,884 At the same time, he wants 650 00:32:07,884 --> 00:32:10,387 to assert his authority as president. 651 00:32:10,387 --> 00:32:13,265 [dramatic music] 652 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:19,563 - [Jon] It is one of the most consequential decisions 653 00:32:19,563 --> 00:32:24,484 that any nation has ever made, 654 00:32:26,570 --> 00:32:30,323 and no one knows what was gonna happen. 655 00:32:32,033 --> 00:32:36,121 But President Truman did understand that this was 656 00:32:36,121 --> 00:32:38,415 of a different scale and scope. 657 00:32:38,415 --> 00:32:42,043 He compares it to the biblical flood in his diary, 658 00:32:42,043 --> 00:32:45,922 "As the world was once destroyed by water for Noah, 659 00:32:47,591 --> 00:32:50,051 perhaps now it'll be destroyed by fire and destruction." 660 00:32:50,051 --> 00:32:52,929 [dramatic music] 661 00:32:54,723 --> 00:32:57,601 - [Tom Hanks] By design, the target of the first atomic bomb 662 00:32:57,601 --> 00:33:00,645 is a city relatively unscathed by the war. 663 00:33:02,147 --> 00:33:05,358 American military leaders want the Japanese 664 00:33:05,358 --> 00:33:08,987 to understand the awful destructive power 665 00:33:08,987 --> 00:33:10,614 of this new weapon. 666 00:33:10,614 --> 00:33:13,408 - That morning in Hiroshima is an ordinary morning. 667 00:33:13,408 --> 00:33:15,202 People are going about their business. 668 00:33:15,202 --> 00:33:17,871 Some people are going into the factories to work. 669 00:33:17,871 --> 00:33:20,665 They're still wondering why they've not yet been bombed 670 00:33:20,665 --> 00:33:23,668 and they're expecting it more or less any day. 671 00:33:23,668 --> 00:33:26,963 And then people see this light in the sky, 672 00:33:26,963 --> 00:33:29,716 sun shining off a single aircraft. 673 00:33:30,634 --> 00:33:33,386 [dramatic music] 674 00:33:53,490 --> 00:33:56,534 [airplane whirring] 675 00:34:02,666 --> 00:34:04,251 [soft music] 676 00:34:04,251 --> 00:34:08,505 - [Yuki] The first thing is the flashing light 677 00:34:08,505 --> 00:34:10,172 as if sun explodes, 678 00:34:11,174 --> 00:34:15,053 then a noise and a shock. 679 00:34:15,053 --> 00:34:18,514 [soft music] 680 00:34:18,514 --> 00:34:23,520 The people who were near the epicenter evaporate. 681 00:34:24,062 --> 00:34:25,605 [soft music] 682 00:34:25,813 --> 00:34:28,525 - [Christopher] The casualties mount until you get between 683 00:34:28,525 --> 00:34:31,360 90,000 and 160,000 people who've died. 684 00:34:33,321 --> 00:34:36,824 The dominant image that survivors give of Hiroshima 685 00:34:36,824 --> 00:34:39,244 is of one of the Buddhist hells. 686 00:34:39,244 --> 00:34:41,913 [soft music] 687 00:34:45,125 --> 00:34:47,252 - [A.J.] One thing that's really difficult for historians to jive 688 00:34:47,252 --> 00:34:51,630 with is this idea that Truman has chosen military targets 689 00:34:51,630 --> 00:34:53,466 and he writes even in his diary, the words, 690 00:34:53,466 --> 00:34:55,135 "And not women and children." 691 00:34:56,136 --> 00:34:58,096 We'll never really know. 692 00:34:58,096 --> 00:35:01,641 Did he really feel that this was a military target 693 00:35:02,684 --> 00:35:04,269 or was he writing that in his diary 694 00:35:04,269 --> 00:35:06,104 understanding that history 695 00:35:06,104 --> 00:35:08,648 for generations was gonna judge him for this. 696 00:35:08,648 --> 00:35:11,318 [soft music] 697 00:35:14,029 --> 00:35:16,656 - [Robert] Truman is at sea coming home from Potsdam 698 00:35:16,656 --> 00:35:18,992 when he received the news. 699 00:35:18,992 --> 00:35:21,202 Later that same day, he goes on the airwaves 700 00:35:21,202 --> 00:35:22,787 to address the American people 701 00:35:22,787 --> 00:35:24,873 and to tell them what has just happened. 702 00:35:24,873 --> 00:35:28,918 He says it's a new type of bomb that America has used it 703 00:35:28,918 --> 00:35:32,547 and will continue to use it until Japan surrenders. 704 00:35:32,547 --> 00:35:35,425 - If they do not now accept our terms, 705 00:35:35,425 --> 00:35:38,511 they may expect a rain of ruin from the air 706 00:35:38,511 --> 00:35:41,306 the like of which has never been seen on this earth. 707 00:35:41,306 --> 00:35:44,184 [dramatic music] 708 00:35:48,605 --> 00:35:51,024 - [Tom Hanks] Even with Hiroshima in ruins, 709 00:35:51,024 --> 00:35:53,568 Japanese leaders do not surrender. 710 00:35:53,568 --> 00:35:57,322 - [Yuki] The peace camp pushed for immediate acceptance 711 00:35:57,322 --> 00:35:59,324 of the Potsdam Declaration, 712 00:35:59,324 --> 00:36:03,495 but the military side insists on continuing the war. 713 00:36:03,495 --> 00:36:05,163 The reasoning is 714 00:36:05,163 --> 00:36:08,208 that may be the only atomic bomb that they had. 715 00:36:08,208 --> 00:36:10,669 So they're still at the stalemate. 716 00:36:12,045 --> 00:36:14,839 And then the Soviet Union declares war in Japan. 717 00:36:14,839 --> 00:36:17,717 [dramatic music] 718 00:36:21,763 --> 00:36:25,517 - [Tom Hanks] Just as Stalin promised exactly 90 days 719 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,394 after the surrender of Germany, 720 00:36:29,229 --> 00:36:32,190 one and a half million Soviet troops 721 00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:36,194 pour across the border into Japanese occupied Manchuria. 722 00:36:37,404 --> 00:36:39,197 - [Christopher] The Japanese aren't aware that for months 723 00:36:39,197 --> 00:36:41,199 the Soviets have masked their armor 724 00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:43,535 on the borders with Manchuria. 725 00:36:43,535 --> 00:36:46,413 But now the Russians are rolling into Manchuria 726 00:36:46,413 --> 00:36:49,040 and they're rolling over the Japanese. 727 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:50,709 And now you've got the prospect 728 00:36:50,709 --> 00:36:53,753 of the Soviets not just making their way into Manchuria, 729 00:36:53,753 --> 00:36:56,464 but possibly across to the Japanese home islands. 730 00:36:56,464 --> 00:36:57,674 [dramatic music] 731 00:36:57,674 --> 00:36:59,884 For Japan, it's a complete disaster. 732 00:37:03,346 --> 00:37:05,598 [dramatic music] 733 00:37:05,807 --> 00:37:08,143 - [Tom Hanks] On the same day the Red Army moves 734 00:37:08,143 --> 00:37:12,480 into Manchuria, the B-29s appear over Nagasaki. 735 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:16,192 into Manchuria, the B-29s appear over Nagasaki. 736 00:37:17,193 --> 00:37:19,237 One carries an atomic bomb. 737 00:37:20,405 --> 00:37:23,533 - [Dr. Rebecca] The US has just one more atom bomb left. 738 00:37:25,076 --> 00:37:28,121 But the whole idea is to give Japan the impression 739 00:37:28,121 --> 00:37:30,749 that the US has an unlimited stock 740 00:37:32,083 --> 00:37:34,252 and that if Japan won't surrender, 741 00:37:34,252 --> 00:37:38,882 the US will continue to unleash atom bombs on Japan. 742 00:37:38,882 --> 00:37:41,760 [dramatic music] 743 00:37:42,761 --> 00:37:45,722 - [Tom Hanks] Between 60 and 70,000 people 744 00:37:45,722 --> 00:37:47,515 are killed instantly. 745 00:37:47,515 --> 00:37:50,393 [dramatic music] 746 00:37:59,235 --> 00:38:02,322 - [Saul] Prime Minister Suzuki convenes the war council 747 00:38:02,322 --> 00:38:03,531 and the discussion is, 748 00:38:03,531 --> 00:38:06,493 are we gonna accept the Potsdam Declaration? 749 00:38:08,119 --> 00:38:10,205 And the answer from the military is no. 750 00:38:10,205 --> 00:38:13,374 [dramatic music] 751 00:38:13,374 --> 00:38:15,126 - [Christopher] You've had two atomic bombs. 752 00:38:15,126 --> 00:38:17,962 You've had the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, 753 00:38:17,962 --> 00:38:21,007 and yet the Supreme War Council is still split. 754 00:38:21,007 --> 00:38:23,051 The war faction, the military, 755 00:38:23,051 --> 00:38:24,928 they're absolutely not willing to consider 756 00:38:24,928 --> 00:38:26,721 unconditional surrender. 757 00:38:26,721 --> 00:38:29,516 - [Yuki] That's when Prime Minister Suzuki 758 00:38:29,516 --> 00:38:32,602 makes the very important move 759 00:38:32,602 --> 00:38:36,481 saying that we need to ask the emperor. 760 00:38:37,649 --> 00:38:39,192 - [Christopher] This is a standout moment. 761 00:38:39,192 --> 00:38:41,402 This is something you would never normally do. 762 00:38:41,402 --> 00:38:43,988 There's a sense Hirohito is semi divine 763 00:38:43,988 --> 00:38:47,242 and shouldn't be troubled with the decision making process. 764 00:38:48,326 --> 00:38:50,036 It's a really extraordinary step. 765 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:53,206 - [Bradley] But Hirohito, I think, sees the gravity 766 00:38:53,206 --> 00:38:54,999 of the situation. 767 00:38:54,999 --> 00:38:57,502 He sees that this is a moment where it's his responsibility 768 00:38:57,502 --> 00:38:59,796 to step up as the leader effectively. 769 00:39:01,047 --> 00:39:03,633 - [Noriko] And he says, 770 00:39:03,633 --> 00:39:08,638 "We must bear the unbearable and suffer the insufferable. 771 00:39:09,681 --> 00:39:13,393 We will end the war and then move on." 772 00:39:15,103 --> 00:39:17,480 [soft music] 773 00:39:24,946 --> 00:39:27,824 - I have received this afternoon a message 774 00:39:27,824 --> 00:39:30,285 from the Japanese government. 775 00:39:30,285 --> 00:39:33,037 I deem this reply, a full acceptance 776 00:39:33,037 --> 00:39:35,707 of the Potsdam Declaration, 777 00:39:35,707 --> 00:39:37,584 which specifies the unconditional 778 00:39:37,584 --> 00:39:39,168 surrender of Japan. 779 00:39:41,129 --> 00:39:42,714 - And people go nuts. 780 00:39:42,714 --> 00:39:44,632 Tens of thousands of people gather 781 00:39:44,632 --> 00:39:46,426 at the gate of the White House. 782 00:39:47,802 --> 00:39:49,804 - [Tom Hanks] The world has been holding its breath 783 00:39:49,804 --> 00:39:51,431 since the war began. 784 00:39:52,724 --> 00:39:57,520 Now it is over and there is great celebration. 785 00:39:59,230 --> 00:40:01,357 - [Robert] One of the crucial factors in ending this war is 786 00:40:01,357 --> 00:40:04,152 that you have Harry Truman, an accidental president 787 00:40:04,152 --> 00:40:06,362 who had to be briefed on the wartime situation 788 00:40:06,362 --> 00:40:08,072 when he enters the Oval Office. 789 00:40:09,449 --> 00:40:13,953 And Hirohito, who has never really made political decisions. 790 00:40:15,163 --> 00:40:17,999 They assert themselves and bring the war to an end 791 00:40:17,999 --> 00:40:19,709 in August of 1945. 792 00:40:19,709 --> 00:40:22,754 [dramatic music] 793 00:40:22,754 --> 00:40:26,841 - [Tom Hanks] Batan, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, 794 00:40:27,884 --> 00:40:32,347 Okinawa, once obscure points on a map, 795 00:40:32,347 --> 00:40:35,975 now each place has a new meaning. 796 00:40:35,975 --> 00:40:38,561 [soft music] 797 00:40:42,190 --> 00:40:47,153 In Japan on August 15th, Emperor Hirohito addresses a nation 798 00:40:48,237 --> 00:40:49,989 that has never surrendered. 799 00:40:51,366 --> 00:40:54,452 - [Robert] Most Japanese had never heard the emperor's voice 800 00:40:54,452 --> 00:40:57,747 before, but the Jewel Voice Broadcast as it became known, 801 00:40:57,747 --> 00:41:02,210 is essential to getting most Japanese used to the idea 802 00:41:02,210 --> 00:41:05,838 of laying their arms and admitting surrender. 803 00:41:05,838 --> 00:41:10,510 [Hirohito speaking in foreign language] 804 00:41:21,104 --> 00:41:23,523 - [Dan] When the Japanese hear that the war is over, 805 00:41:23,523 --> 00:41:26,025 there has to be a combination of feelings. 806 00:41:26,025 --> 00:41:28,403 We sacrificed all these people, all this money 807 00:41:28,403 --> 00:41:31,864 and these cities of Japan, and we lost. 808 00:41:32,991 --> 00:41:35,201 - [Yuki] Shock, sadness, 809 00:41:37,036 --> 00:41:40,790 but also this incredible sense of grief 810 00:41:40,790 --> 00:41:42,834 that we let the emperor down. 811 00:41:44,043 --> 00:41:45,962 Our lack of effort let the emperor down. 812 00:41:47,672 --> 00:41:50,842 - [Craig] The Japanese accepted the idea of surrender. 813 00:41:50,842 --> 00:41:52,719 The allies accepted the idea 814 00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:55,722 of Hirohito remaining on the Japanese throne, 815 00:41:55,722 --> 00:41:57,473 and that was the end of the war. 816 00:41:58,683 --> 00:42:01,894 - [Tom Hanks] September 2nd, 1945 on the deck 817 00:42:01,894 --> 00:42:05,565 of the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, 818 00:42:05,565 --> 00:42:08,651 the Japanese sign the instrument of surrender, 819 00:42:09,986 --> 00:42:12,363 the largest conflict in world history closes 820 00:42:12,363 --> 00:42:14,574 with a signature and a speech. 821 00:42:15,992 --> 00:42:18,244 Douglas MacArthur marks the occasion. 822 00:42:18,244 --> 00:42:19,704 "It is my earnest hope 823 00:42:19,704 --> 00:42:21,998 and indeed the hope of all mankind, 824 00:42:21,998 --> 00:42:23,750 that from this solemn occasion, 825 00:42:23,750 --> 00:42:27,920 a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage 826 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:29,047 of the past."