Real Time History
Published 20 Mar 2026As the war in the Pacific develops, the United States takes the fight to Japan itself – by crippling its economy, destroying its industry, and crushing civilian morale. To do this, American submarines and heavy bombers wage campaigns beneath the sea and above the clouds. And even 80 years later, there’s a fierce debate about which of these campaigns did more to bring Japan to its knees – perhaps even more than the atomic bombs.
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Blair, Clay. Silent victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan, Naval Institute Press, 2001
Cox, Sebastian & Peter Gray. Air Power History: Turning Points from Kitty Hawk to Kosovo, Frank Cass, 2002
Crane, Conrad C. American Airpower Strategy in World War II: Bombs, Cities, Civilians, and Oil, University Press of Kansas, 2016
Gentile, Gian P. “Advocacy or Assessment? The United States Strategic Bombing Survey of Germany and Japan”, Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 66, No. 1 (1997)
Hastings, Max. Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1945, Alfred A. Knopf, 2008
Miles, Rufus E. “Hiroshima: The Strange Myth of Half a Million American Lives Saved”, International Security, Vol. 10, No. 2 (1985)
Pape, Robert. Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War, Cornell University Press, 1996
Toll, Ian W. Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific 1941-1942, W.W. Norton, 2012
Toll, Ian W. The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands 1942-1944, W.W. Norton, 2012
Toll, Ian W. Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945, W.W. Norton, 2021»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Mark Newton
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Toni Steller
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com
Research by: Mark Newton
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Executive Producer: Florian WittigChannel Design: Simon Buckmaster
Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
Music Library: Epidemic SoundAll photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image.
All rights reserved – Real Time History GmbH 2026
August 26, 2026
Who Destroyed the Japanese Economy in WW2?
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