US didn't need to drop the atomic bomb on Japan

[oohrah]

The Japanese didn't have to bomb Pearl Harbor.

When I was stationed in Japan, I took my family to visit the Peace Park and A-bomb dome. My 9yo daughter was horrified, and asked how we could do such a thing. On the way home, we stopped in Oahu for R&R, and we visited the USS Arizona Memorial. After the history presentation, my daughter looked up at me and said "Now I understand".

[philip964]

A friend visited Peal Harbor and took the tour of the Arizona. A man from Japan was next to him on the boat, he asked him why he was visiting this memorial. He replied "because of this attack many Japanese died".

[jason812]

I'm not reading the article but we didn't "need" to drop the atom bombs. We chose to so that millions of lives would be saved. War is hell and it's terrible that many civilians were killed but they gave their lives so that many, many more were saved. Even some of the Japanese generals and leaders acknowledge that the US actually saved millions of lives by dropping the bombs. This is all part of 1984 to rewrite history to make the US the worst country in the world.

If you ever get a chance to visit the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, do so. It will make you mad, or at least it made me mad.

[BigGuy]

This is a bit off topic, but I always thought it interesting. Hope I can be forgiven for slightly derailing the thread.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi

[eyedoc]

The Japanese didn't have to bomb Pearl Harbor.

When I was stationed in Japan, I took my family to visit the Peace Park and A-bomb dome. My 9yo daughter was horrified, and asked how we could do such a thing. On the way home, we stopped in Oahu for R&R, and we visited the USS Arizona Memorial. After the history presentation, my daughter looked up at me and said "Now I understand".

Another uncle who was at Bataan and survived the POW camps would have told her why he wished we had dropped more.

[crazy2medic]

My great uncle robert is interned on the Arizona, if you go there the name Robert Herriott is my grandfather's brother

[oljames3]

August 6-9 is always a time of reflection for me. I am sure I'm not the only forum member who has worked with nuclear weapons. It tends to change your perception of life and engender a certain dark humor that others often find difficult to comprehend. Based on my own study, research, education, and experience, I fully agree with the decision to use Little Boy and Fat Man.

President Truman was a US Army artillery battery commander in World War I. It was the Army that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I spent my Army career with nuclear systems in the Cold War; 155mm cannons, Pershing 1a and Pershing II missiles. As a Pershing missile platoon leader, I aimed my three missiles, and their live nuclear warheads, at targets in the Warsaw Pact countries. As the Assistant Operations Officer, my battalion's 18 self-propelled howitzers trained and stood ready to deploy to the Fulda Gap to stop the Russian hordes with tactical nuclear weapons. We, the US Army field artillery community, are glad we never fired our weapons in anger. We did our job and kept the Cold War cold.

Their will always be those who fail to understand.

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

[BigGuy]

August 6-9 is always a time of reflection for me. I am sure I'm not the only forum member who has worked with nuclear weapons. It tends to change your perception of life and engender a certain dark humor that others often find difficult to comprehend. Based on my own study, research, education, and experience, I fully agree with the decision to use Little Boy and Fat Man.

President Truman was a US Army artillery battery commander in World War I. It was the Army that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I spent my Army career with nuclear systems in the Cold War; 155mm cannons, Pershing 1a and Pershing II missiles. As a Pershing missile platoon leader, I aimed my three missiles, and their live nuclear warheads, at targets in the Warsaw Pact countries. As the Assistant Operations Officer, my battalion's 18 self-propelled howitzers trained and stood ready to deploy to the Fulda Gap to stop the Russian hordes with tactical nuclear weapons. We, the US Army field artillery community, are glad we never fired our weapons in anger. We did our job and kept the Cold War cold.

Their will always be those who fail to understand.

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Dad (and family) was stationed in Oberammergau from sometime in 1963 to 1965. He worked with the Sergeant and Corporal delivery systems. As a special forces member with his particular MOS, even his family was treated somewhat differently. Growing up overseas, with the constant expectation of hostilities gave me a view of the world somewhat different from the people with whom I went high to school and College.
I answered a Quora question that addressed this:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-family- ... 0513199695

[E150GT]

I'm glad they didn't drop it on Kyoto. My mom is half Japanese and born in kyoto in the 50's.

[AF-Odin]

Like many others here, my Dad was in a P-38 Fighter Group that had gone through the fighting in New Guinea, invasion of Moratai, attacks on Borneo and the invasion of the Philippines. In late July 1945 they went from Luzon south to Mindanao to re-equip with the latest model P-38 in preparation for providing close air support for the invasion of Japan. He truly believed that dropping the atomic bombs saved his life, the lives of many of his squadron mates, and actually of millions of Japanese.

I personally sat alert for a week at a time (every third week) for more than three years in the B-52 so I know what a nuke can do. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle. Declared and non-declared nuclear powers include the US, UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, China, north Korea, and a few others. Obviously in this list are countries that are at odds with us. I believe the key thing keeping them from using one against us is the certainty that if they did, we would retaliate not only in kind, but in an overwhelming manner.

[philip964]

Like many others here, my Dad was in a P-38 Fighter Group that had gone through the fighting in New Guinea, invasion of Moratai, attacks on Borneo and the invasion of the Philippines. In late July 1945 they went from Luzon south to Mindanao to re-equip with the latest model P-38 in preparation for providing close air support for the invasion of Japan. He truly believed that dropping the atomic bombs saved his life, the lives of many of his squadron mates, and actually of millions of Japanese.

I personally sat alert for a week at a time (every third week) for more than three years in the B-52 so I know what a nuke can do. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle. Declared and non-declared nuclear powers include the US, UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, China, north Korea, and a few others. Obviously in this list are countries that are at odds with us. I believe the key thing keeping them from using one against us is the certainty that if they did, we would retaliate not only in kind, but in an overwhelming manner.

I’m not so certain that if the US was attacked with a limited nuclear attack from a small country we would respond in an overwhelming manner, if certain persons were elected to Commander in Chief. The past few months have shown us that right is wrong and wrong is right. The upside down world we see today in America, creates editorials like we see in the LATimes and creates the thinking that protecting this vision of America and its people is now wrong.

[Chaparral]

The conventional incendiary bombing of Tokyo (not to mention Kobe) killed more Japanese than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs combined. Ending the war this way, without a land invasion, or more fire-bombing, certainly saved many, many, American lives, but saved far more Japanese lives.

We must judge historical acts from the historical context.

[Charles L. Cotton]

The Japanese military was not going to surrender, even after being hit with two atomic bombs. They were going to kidnap and likely kill the Emperor to keep him from surrendering. A few brave men got him to a hideout and ultimately got his surrender message broadcast to the Japanese people. At this point, the military leaders were dead in the water; the people would have revolted had they defied the Emperor's surrender order.

Yes, it was necessary to use atomic bombs against Japan, for humanitarian reasons. It saved millions of lives.
Chas.

[AF-Odin]

[

We must judge historical acts from the historical context.

Unfortunately, in today's Cancel Culture climate no one wants to understand the historical context of anything or the historical significance of anything.

If certain segments are allowed to take power in the US, Philip964 may be correct in his statement.

[oohrah]

The Japanese military was not going to surrender, even after being hit with two atomic bombs. They were going to kidnap and likely kill the Emperor to keep him from surrendering. A few brave men got him to a hideout and ultimately got his surrender message broadcast to the Japanese people. At this point, the military leaders were dead in the water; the people would have revolted had they defied the Emperor's surrender order.

Yes, it was necessary to use atomic bombs against Japan, for humanitarian reasons. It saved millions of lives.
Chas.

And probably one of the reasons we didn't bomb Kyoto - that's where the Emperor's palace is.