“My father and father-in-law were both in the Pacific in 1945.”
I had an uncle that was on the USS Mansfield DD-728 and was in the Japanese harbor when they (Japan) surrendered.
The yahoos that bemoan dropping the bombs never talk about numbers and deal only in emotion.
Here are some numbers.
Germany
Population: 69,623,000
Military deaths: 5,533,000
Civilian deaths: 840,000 to 2,800,000
Japan
Population: 71,380,000
Military deaths: 2,120,000
Civilian deaths: 580,000 2,700,000
United States
Military deaths: 416,800
I believe any objective analysis would have to conclude that military deaths, as well as both civilian and military deaths for Japan, would have been much higher if an invasion had been necessary.
As for the group that says Japan was on the verge of surrendering without an invasion, I say (in the words of Sherman Potter)... Horse Hockey.