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How many U.S. casualties did planners expect from an invasion of Japan after the Battle of Okinawa?
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Battle of Okinawa
U.S. Marines battling for control of a ridge near Naha, Okinawa, May 1945.
Based on the experience of the Battle of Okinawa, American planners developed projections for the cost of a full-scale invasion of the Japanese home islands. Conservative estimates projected that the United States would suffer 225,000 casualties during such an invasion, while more pessimistic assessments suggested the figure could reach as high as 1,000,000.12