Figure we needed a bit more in the American section. So the topic is: Was the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan the right one?
Personally, I have to say it was. Drop that thing twice. Not to say I dont feel sorry for the Japanese but they did start it. Plus i have to add that Japan probably fought more ferociously than any other country. An invasion of Japan would have been hell for both sides.
yup,it was.it was a great opportunity for testing the a-bomb.where(and when) else one can use this weapon on civilian targets without dire consequnces?
Well dropping the a-bomb i think has helped as a deterent to nuclear war. We have seen the destructive power of this bomb and it is horrible effects. Hopefully by burning the images of Nagasaki and Hiroshima into the peoples of the world we can prevent future use of this weapon. I would like to think all those Japanese people died to prevent future loss of life…but im not sure thats the case.
If the a-bomb had not been dropped on Japan by the USA you can be assured that someone would have used it. Could have been the Russians and Americans on each other. That being said we might not be here today. Dont forget Germany wasnt that far off from developing the a-bomb either. Then we all might be speaking German or dead.
lol 
yes, quite possibly, however the Germans where stuck on something, I cant remember what, but my science teacher told me, and it was quite technical… I actually think the Germans could never have dropped an a-bomb, before they lost WW2.
And I dont exactly know who leaked the secrets of how to make the bomb, but I wouldnt say that what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki will prevent us using a nuclear bomb. Im sure deffinetely now and for a very long time 1st world countries would never use a nuclear bomb against each-other. The only risk is with dictatorships, and countries like that, who have somehow got enough research in making a crude bomb. I think they would never care of wht happened.
I believe I heard somewhere Werner Hisenberg purposely held up the german atomic research. Also the norwegian resistence and british commandos in norway hampered the supply of hard water needed for research.
I believe it was justified. I mean the Japanese were looking into it if they had it do you think they would hesitate to use it on us? Had we had an all out invasion you are looking at very high death count. You have the POW’s that would have been killed and due to the Code of Bushido everyone down to the last woman would have had to fight. Regardless of what they had to fight with since it was the, “honorable” thing to do. I mean you look at the death toll with the islands, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and so forth the death count was bad but an invasion of Japan mainland would have been worse. Many Japanese and Americans died on the islands I believe one island had more deaths than Hiroshima I think it was just that so many people died at an instant did people seem ify about it. I bet if everyone that died on the island were to have died all of a sudden at once in one location then that event would be highly debated today too.
Cactus we are in agreement. Im assuming your an American as well?
You have assumed correctly kind sir. 
Yes I agree with you there, the Japanese civilians were being armed to fight to the death. Plus the thousands of American Pow’s who had been transfered to Japan would have been excecuted. I feel it was justified as we would have lost a large number of men in an invasion of the Japanese mainland. The thing you seem to be forgetting is the effects of radiation on the Japanese people in the years following the war. Thousands of people died far after the dropping of the the bombs due to the radiation effects. Those in the future generations had to pay for the mistakes of the past generation, which I feel is wrong.
Yes I agree with you. I feel that the dropping the bomb was justified, however the impact on children and the later generation because of the radiation was horrible.
Good way to remember what you do now will always effect future generations. We can only hope that cooler heads will prevail in the future as more and more countries get nukes.
General MacArthur’s staff estimated U.S. casualty totals for the invasion of Japan at 290,000. The first phase, Operation Olympic-invasion of Kyushu, was set for November, 1945. He could not know that the Japanese had managed to transfer a large portion of their Manchurian Army to Kyushu by March of '45. Probably more would have made it to Honshu for Operation Coronet in March of '46. Casualties would certainly have been more than the estimate. The Japanese would have suffered more than a million casualties in the event of invasion. Dropping the bomb was cruel, but it resulted in fewer overall deaths than invasion would have.
General MacArthur’s staff estimated U.S. casualty totals for the invasion of Japan at 290,000. The first phase, Operation Olympic-invasion of Kyushu, was set for November, 1945. He could not know that the Japanese had managed to transfer a large portion of their Manchurian Army to Kyushu by March of '45. Probably more would have made it to Honshu for Operation Coronet in March of '46. Casualties would certainly have been more than the estimate. The Japanese would have suffered more than a million casualties in the event of invasion. Dropping the bomb was cruel, but it resulted in fewer overall deaths than invasion would have.[/quote]
How can someone calculate the death of the Japanese to be over a million, but the death of the Americans only 290,000?
How can someone calculate the death of the Japanese to be over a million, but the death of the Americans only 290,000?[/quote]
They based it on recent experience; Japanese casualties were uniformly several times higher than the Americans during the previous years of island-hopping. In the last stages of the war, the U.S. had total air superiority. Many painful lessons had been learned about Japanese defensive methods, and American tactics had evolved to deal with them.
The best tactic was to approach enemy strong points with flame-throwing tanks. When the Japanese revealed their positions, call in the air force with suffocating napalm attacks. In the final stages of the assault, the Japanese were prepared to fight using millions of civilians with bamboo
spears. It would have been hopeless slaughter.
I agree that it was justified to bring an end to the war and save many thousands of lives. And I also agree that the japanese would have lost more than the Americans because of total air superiority.
I don’t believe it was possible that Germany might have been able to drop an atomic bomb before the war ended. They had too far to go to develop it, Germany’s best mathematicians had already left germany for the US before the war broke out, and everything was working against them… the Norweigan resistance, American and British bombing on those facilities and Germany itself, the economic and industrial demise of germany was hampering everything the Germans tried to do.
I agree and I think most just wanted to see the war come to an end. Crappy way to end it but was a crappy war so…was a kind of damned if you do and a damed if you dont situation.
Started the poll in this topic and it is on going so please vote. Continue to post the reasons for your vote.
by the end of the war, japanese have very little ship and very little planes left, i suggest americans should continue the bombings in japan and force japan to make a choice whether to let their citizens to live in fear everyday and possibly starve to death due to no resource or surrender with honour
I see what your are saying but surrender was almost not in the Japanese vocabulary. I think it was on Okinawa…might be wrong but doesnt really matter you will get my point… out of the 20000 Japanese defenders 17 surrendered and the rest fought to their deaths. :shock:
I see what your are saying but surrender was almost not in the Japanese vocabulary. I think it was on Okinawa…might be wrong but doesnt really matter you will get my point… out of the 20000 Japanese defenders 17 surrendered and the rest fought to their deaths. :shock:[/quote]
i understand japanese soldiers have really high morale and seldom surrender, but if we put ships surround japan and try to cut off any supplies to japan, while bombing their civil facility to make sure japanese have no access to food or clean water, i believe they would have no choice but to surrender