When the Shooting Stopped: August 1945

Victory in Japan Day on August 15, 1945 officially marked the end of World War II, but in fact conflict continued throughout the month. This history details the true final weeks of the war.

Despite the Allied grand strategy of “Germany first,” after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. especially was committed to confronting Tokyo as a matter of urgent priority.

But from Oahu to Tokyo was a long, sanguinary slog, averaging an advance of just three miles per day. The U.S. human toll p...