Quote:
Originally Posted by Nippelspanner
I really don't think so and it baffles me when people justify mass murder of civilians. Nothing can justify this for me.
Yes, an invasion would have been a catastrophe. Then again, why not blockade Japan completely, cut it off, wait it out, threaten Japan and drop a bomb off-shore as a demonstration, whatever I don't know but just dropping them? Shocks me.
They dropped the bomb(s) as soon as they could, without warning as far as I know.
The reason was not to prevent millions of dead, the reason was to test the funky new toy and to show the Russian bear who's running the show.
I totally understand this, looking at it from a certain perspective.
But that doesn't make it right in the end.
As I said, for me - nothing - justifies these two bombs.
But I'm just some sissy liberal anyways, who cares about a few thousand fried civilians, as long as they are on the right side.
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The problem with your argument NS is you admit you have no other alternative to offer. You are happy to see 250,000 allied troops die and 750,000 be maimed so you can feel good about yourself.
Why not blockade? as I pointed out in my original post. starvation and starvation of the most vulnerable people in Japan (women, children, the old and infirm) as scarce resources are diverted to the military, plus how many Chinese, Malays, Singaporeans, Koreans and POWs get to die while you dither?
A demonstration of the bomb? the only effects would be take away the shock value and possibly provide propaganda to the Japanese - these were people who wanted to fight to the death, if you read "a glorious way to die", at the end a Japanese naval officer who survived his ship being sunk, was returning to his barracks past a field where school girls were drilling with bamboo pikes.
You assume the bomb was dropped to test a "new toy" (since they already knew it worked, that opinion is ludicrous), Truman was faced with the choice of killing a quarter of a million mostly US troops and maiming 3/4 of a million more, or authorising the use of a bomb.
Can you honestly say that you would sign the death warrant for 250,000 mostly conscripts who it was your sworn duty to protect as best you can?
Since "nothing justifies the two bombs" I assume that you would have been happy to volunteer to be first up the beach had invasion been necessary?