こちらは戦後に書かれた手紙だが、そこには「At the time(注:ポツダム会談当時) we were anxious for Russian entry into the Japanese War. Of course we found later that we didn?t need Russia there and the Russians have been a head ache to us ever since.」とある。 ポツダム会談の直前、アメリカは原爆実験に成功していた。だから、もし原爆で日本が降伏すると確信していたなら、 ソ連の参戦など熱望するわけがない。 http://netakirigaryu.blogspot.jp/2010/07/05.html
COMBINED SUMMARY OF 20TH AIR FORCE & 9TH GROUP OPERATIONS 20TH AIR FORCE 9TH BOMB GROUPC From June 5, 1944 on From February 9, 1945 on Missions 380 75 Sorties Combat 31,387 1843 Other 1,617 169 Total 33,004 2012 Bomb and mine tonnage 171,060 11,376 B-29 losses Combat losses 494 14 + 5 non-combat Training losses in U.S. 260 1 Air crew losses Killed 576 26 + 1 ground crewman Missing 2,406 96 (12 repatriated) Wounded or injured 433 30 http://www.9thbombgroup.org/9thHistoryBook.pdf
議事録には次のようなイーカーの言葉が引用されている。 「日本にたいし航空兵力のみの使用を主張する者はきわめて重大な事実を見過ごしています。それはつまり、 航空機のみが敵と対決するときは、航空兵の死傷者数は決して低下しないという事実です。現在の航空兵の 死傷者数は一度の任務につきおよそ二パーセントであり、一月当たりでは約三〇パーセントです」 イーカーは続けた。「時期を逸すれば、敵が有利になるだけです」 「日本殲滅 日本本土侵攻作戦の全貌」(T・アレン&N・ボーマー著) "GENERAL EAKER said that he agreed completely with the statements made by General Marshall in his digest of the memorandum prepared for the President. He had just received a cable in which General Arnold also <page 559> expressed complete agreement. He stated that any blockade of Honshu was completely dependent upon airdromes on Kyushu; that the air plan contemplated employment of 40 groups of heavy bombers against Japan and that these could not be deployed without the use of airfields on Kyushu. He said that those who advocated the use against Japan of air power alone overlooked the very impressive fact that air casualties are always much heavier when the air faces the enemy alone and that these casualties never fail to drop as soon as the ground forces come in. Present air casualties are averaging 2 percent per mission, about 30 percent per month. He wished to point out and to emphasize that delay favored only the enemy and he urged that there be no delay. http://www.endusmilitarism.org/casualty_projections_Giangreco.html
The break-down of German and Italian losses against American, British, and French forces in the war in Europe follows: Battle dead Permanently disabled Captured Total Tunisia 19,600 19,000 130,000 168,600 Sicily 5,000 2,000 7,100 14,100 Italy 86,000 15,000 357,089 458,089 Western Front 263,000 49,000 7,614,794 7,926,794 Total 373,600 85,000 8,108,983 8,567,583 http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/COS-Biennial/COS-Biennial-3.html