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![]() edHelper.com World War II |
The Final Blow |
| edHelper's suggested reading level: | grades 7 to 9 | |
| Flesch-Kincaid grade level: | 6.96 |
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The Final Blow
By Jane Runyon |
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1 Japan was being soundly beaten by the Allies. More than 100,000 Japanese soldiers had been killed on Okinawa. They held no air bases, naval bases, or supply depots in the Pacific Ocean. The only goal they had left was to protect their home islands from invasion. Civilian leaders of the country wanted to discuss a peace treaty with the United States and Europe. The military vowed to fight until the last Japanese soldier was dead. The people of Japan didn't know what to do. They were frightened by the thought of an invasion by Allied forces. They would be put in the middle of a battle zone. Allied planes had been firebombing Japanese cities since February of 1945. Over 100,000 Japanese citizens had lost their lives in these bombings. They knew an invasion would be long and cost many more civilian lives.