The Atomic Bomb -

[observer]

65 years ago. the atom bomb was used in anger for the first (and hopefully last) time, vapourising the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the sad fact is, that man will use all and any means to win a war of survival. In this instance, President Trueman based his decision on the planners estimates of US and Allied losses that would be suffered in an invasion of mainland Japan (Operation Olympic); based on their previous high losses at Siapan, Iwa Jima etc, where the Japanese literally fought to the last man.

[Davy51]

To be honest, considering the horrors inflicted on thousands of Allied servicemen & civilians captured by the Japs , i have very little compunction about the way WW2 ended. The "lucky ones" are still haunted by their memories to this day.

[Lt Kije]

Got to say I agree with wavydavy on this

[observer]

The use of the A-bomb was based on a simple pragmatic analysis of the projected casualties involved. Operation Olympic (the planned ,invasion of Kyushu) and Operation Coronet (the later invasion of Tokyo area), was estimated to cost the Allies well over 1million men. The Japanese had lined up: 2.3million regular troops and 28million local militia (home guard), to defend the home islands. They had over 5,000 conventional aircraft and over 5,000 kamikazi planes. They had over 3,000 special attack (kamikaze) boats and mini-subs. And most importantly, they had an absolute conviction to fight to the death for their Emperor. The Hiroshima bomb killed around 80,000 and wounded a similar number: the Nagasaki bomb killed 35,000 and wounded 60,000: the previous "fire" raids on Japan by US Strategic Air Forces had killed around 70,000 civilians. As many Generals have commented throughout history - "It is good that war is so horrible, otherwise we may begin to like it".

[Lt Kije]

A good post Obs

[Jerry]

Yes, Obs, I recently read a full report of our planned invasion with details to terrain and forces to be used. As it happened, we did not invade Kyushu, and my wife was a little girl there at the time. She would have been appalled to read all those details had she survived to this year. (my first wife -- the one whose uncle died on Iwo Jima)

[Mary]

There are no doubts in my mind that war IS HELL!

[observer]

Jezz, believe the proposed invasion of Japan would have been an even bigger enterprise than the D-Day Normandy landings - which to this day, remains the biggest armada ever assembled by man.

[Sha]

There are no doubts in my mind that war IS HELL!

 

I agree with you Mary, but sadly men seem to glorify it.

 

In war, so many have to suffer for the greed of so few.

I think most women would prefer to see 'the few' bumped off and the rest of us left to live in peace.

[tonymailman2]

As long as there is land, riches and religion there will NEVER be peace ......... the big difference nowadays is that the 'few' who create it are never at the front leading it !!

[observer]

But even in the good old days Tone, the rich had horses to allow them to flee the battlefield; the poor bloody infantry (the peasants) would finish up getting slaughtered.

[tonymailman2]

I'll agree to disagree on the first part of that

[observer]

In those instances where the (rich) leaders fought on foot, they would suffer like the peasants - like the Jocks at Flodden.