The Marshall War - The Nuclear Testing of the Pacific

So I have put it upon myself to really delve in-depth with Gareth Edward’s new canon for the background of his Godzilla movie, and that is the idea that the nuclear tests in the Pacific weren’t trials but operations to destroy a hellish leviathan the US accidentally uncovered. This is a summary of the Marshall War.

“In 1954, we’ve awakened something.” – Ichiro Serizawa

It all started on the morning of Monday March the 1st, the sky flashed in deep blood red and the yellow mushroom cloud rose over the seas of the Bikini Atoll. This is Operation Castle and Bravo was the first in its intended line of testing. I will assume that it was here when Godzilla was awakened and that this atoll was indeed its ancient resting place. Bravo is much known for being the biggest US nuke ever detonated and the unwanted fallout that touched a Japanese fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, spread a wide radiation scare across Japan, which is what came to inspire Ishiro Honda’s original Godzilla.

Of course, Bravo was not the first nuclear bomb that detonated in the Marshall Islands however, or exactly in the Bikini Atoll for that matter, the first couple of nukes in the Pacific came from Operation Crossroads in 1946. Testing at Bikini didn’t continue until Operation Castle after the US abandoned the islands for radiation reasons and instead focused the next five years with three Operations (Sandstone, Greenhouse and Ivy) at the Enewetak Atolls (Roughly 200 miles West). I’ll assume Crossroads simply stirred Godzilla in his sleep as the nukes there weren’t truly powerful enough to inflict major shock. Able and Baker were only 21 kilotons (Which were the size of the ones dropped in Nagasaki) and they were miniscule in comparison to Bravo, which was at least 600 times stronger, twice than what it was first predicted. The unintended damages from Bravo very much pushed the rest of the schedule weeks ahead, presumably after the US government began realizing that something went very much wrong.

On March 27th, Castle Romeo delivered 11 megatons at the exact site where Bravo detonated. A little more than a week later, Castle Koon delivered 110 kilotons 15 miles south from Bravo and Romeo. The yield was less than what was intended, and it is considered the weakest of the bunch.

On April 26th, Castle Union detonated with 6.9 megatons. The last two were Castle Yankee on May 5th, 13.5 megatons and Castle Nectar on May 13th, 1.7 megatons.

This ended Operation Castle, if Godzilla withstood through all of these detonations, he would have felt nearly 50 megatons total of TNT in a span of a couple of months. It’s easy to assume that the Operation ended after a false pretense that the creature they attempted to kill has died as the site was left to cool down for the next two years. Or they were completely unaware until the next operation.

“Well there’s nuclear tests in the Pacific. Not tests.” – Vivienne Graham

“They were trying to kill it.” – Ichiro Serizawa

Then came Operation Redwing, I sincerely believe that the testing began when they weren’t aware of the fact that Godzilla was still very much alive, until they realized how wrong they were. The operation moved back and forth in the Enewetak and the Bikini Atolls. What’s interesting is that the weakest bombs were concentrated in Enewetak (ranging from less than 10 kt to 2 mt.), while the stronger nukes were focused in Bikini (ranging from 360 kt up to 4.5 mt). As it is pretty silly to consider that Godzilla moved in and out of two specific atolls, the act was probably an effort to obscure the more deliberate ‘offensive’ operation by not simply sticking their guns entirely on a single atoll.

However, just like Castle, Hardwing mysteriously stopped once more. I’m not quite certain if the US believed that they’ve managed to destroy Godzilla yet again or because of many other plausible reasons, such as the exhaustion of a limited arsenal, sufficed to say, the next testing in Bikini resumed in 1958. This was Operation Hardtack I.

Hardtack was more chaotic than Redwing, its trials mostly switched back and forth at Enewetak and Bikini with the last ones centering thousands of miles away at the Johnston Atoll, clueing that Godzilla finally fled the site. Ultimately, Hardtack also discontinued its operation. It is ridiculous to think that the US forces would believe Godzilla perished now, especially knowing that through the subsequent four years, they began to prepare for the last ultimate battle plan: Dominic.

Perhaps it was their last chance under high command to terminate the Leviathan threat, considering that Dominic is the second most powerful testing in the Pacific and by the amount of TNT unleashed they must have decided to give it their all.

At this time Godzilla was probably spotted around the Line Islands which is situated directly south from Hawaii and nearly three thousand miles East from Bikini. From April to July a long brutal engagement spent 24 nukes that continuously bombarded a single patch of sea south of Kiritimati. By October, the last five turned back to the Johnston Atoll. Could it be that Godzilla retreated? However the battle went on and ended there, he was undoubtedly the victor. The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was rectified a year later, ceasing all operations in the Pacific and any more attempts to face the King of the Monsters was never uttered in Washington again. The MONARCH agency was formed (during or after the war is unknown) to cover up all details and data which was entrusted with the highest confidentiality.

“The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around.” – Ichiro Serizawa

The Marshall War must have exhausted the nuclear program and its forces (mostly for morale reasons), leaving the US desperate enough to seek any other viable option, some of these files being called MUTO. But all unanimously agreed to leave the world at the Leviathan’s mercy and abandon any attempts to rile it further. Circumstances considered, those who participated behind the scenes very likely prayed that the monster would see deep in it enough to forgive. Some however, thought that their experience in the war doomed mankind.

“We knew the world would not be the same… Few people laughed, few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”

– Robert J. Oppenheimer. (Two years after the Marshall War.)