In China… In the north, Soviet forces begin an offensive against the Japanese army occupying Manchukuo (Manchuria) about 10 minutes after midnight. The Soviets have assembled about 1,500,000 troops in three army groups for the operation: 1st Far East Front, 2nd Far East Front and the Transbaikal Front. They are equipped with 3900 aircraft, 5500 tanks and 26,000 artillery tubes. The outnumbered 1,000,000 men of the poorly equipped Japanese Kwantung Army (Yamada) lack armor, artillery and aircraft. Japanese defenses are quickly overcome. Meanwhile, Chinese paratroopers are dropped on the Canton-Hankow rail line.

Over Japan… The second atomic bomb (nicknamed “Fat Man”) is dropped on Nagasaki by a specially equipped B-29 named “Bock's Car” and piloted by Major Charles Sweeney. This is a plutonium fission device similar to the one tested at Alamagordo, New Mexico. The bomb weighs about 10,000 pounds and its detonation yields an explosion equivalent of about 20,000 tons of TNT. About 40,000 Japanese ultimately die from the attack and 60,000 are injured.

In Tokyo… Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki says that the entry of the USSR into the war “makes the continuance of the war impossible.” Towards midnight Emperor Hirohito calls the Supreme Council together and tries to make the military leaders accept the proposed surrender. At about 0300 hours, the meeting breaks up with nothing decided other than a cautious sounding of the possibilities of peace through Sweden and Switzerland.