Operation Downfall, the logistical side
The logistical problems supporting Downfall were immence. The American line of supply streatched for thousands of miles back to the United States. It was necessary to build bases, support facilites and warhouse faciliteis.
Downfall called for a force of forty-two divisions. This included thirteen reserved for Olympic and twenty-nine for Coronet. Twenty-seven of these divisions were already present in the Pacific, another fifteen would have to be redeployed from Europe and a strategic reserve of an additional fifteen divisions would be maintained in the United States.
The Philippines, Okinawa and other Pacific islands would be developed as base areas for Downfall. Not only would the massive combat force need to be sustained, but the tens of thousands of support troops, the engineers, supplu, ordnance, medical, transport and administrative personnel would have to be housed and supplied.
Initially, the plan was to abandon existing bases and build new, much larger bases. But this would require far too much transportation effort to move the existing bases. Two choices were made, first was to expanded the existing bases, coupled with new base construction at strategic areas, and second was to make shipments of men and material, straight from the United States and directly to the assault areas. There were even plans to invade the northenmost island of Hokkaido, to open supply lines to Russia in the event of Soviet participation in the invasion of Japan.
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The reason that the American Army does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices chaos on a daily basis.
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