Fuel Scarcity
Oil fueled modern warfare, and Japan had almost none left by the summer of 1945. Naval vessels sat in harbor, conserving precious fuel for a final decisive battle that would never come. Military trucks converted to burning charcoal or pine resin—inefficient substitutes that reduced range and power. Factory machinery stood silent without petroleum. Synthetic fuel experiments failed to scale. American submarines and aircraft specifically targeted oil tankers, understanding that without fuel, Japan’s war machine would grind to a permanent halt.
