Was The Bombing of Hiroshima Necessary?

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by Oberon

War is war and people die. How many Chinese civilians did the Japanese kill?

Chinese suffering during the war is almost indescribable. A recent careful estimate based on Chinese archives suggests a figure of four million military and eighteen million civilian dead. Another 95 million Chinese are estimated to have become refugees. Pretty comparable to the misery that went on in the Soviet Union during the German invasion.

Hind sight is so GREAT!
Just think if we could stop all the really bad things done in the past!
Jesus would still be alive,
(Well, I guess he is if you look at the Mexican names)
We in the U.S.A. would still be British,
(No nasty new type Warfare allowed)
Those pesky Upsidedowners would still be prisoners in Australia.
And Hitler would have been shot dead in WWI.
But it don't work that way!
We do what is decided to be best at the worst of times.
Then live with the results!
Japan started the crap.
Japan got far less then should have been delivered!
They, along with Germany were working towards the A-Bomb!
Both would have used it to a much greater extent them the U.S.A. did.
So I feel no remorse that it was used as it was.
I only think maybe it should have been used in a wider context.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by privateer

Hind sight is so GREAT!

Amen

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by privateer

Hind sight is so GREAT!

I for one refuse to use hind sight to judge anything I may have done in the past.
I did what I did in many cases based on REAL TIME events and results!
I can see everyone I terminated as if it was just a few moments ago.
I will NEVER feel sorry I put a bullet through them!
I feel sorrow for thier families but not them.
I'd do it all again in the wink of an eye!
You want a fight?
Be ready for a fight!
Death in all it's horror awaits in such a situation!
To use todays bleeding heart feelings means nothing to those who died in the '40's!
I can see many here who would change thier outlooks very quickly should the same situations appear today.

You'll say you would not.
But I know better!

When your Wife or your Children or your Mothers or Fathers are at risk?
You will become a killer of extreme skills!
That is our nature.
And for a very good reason!

[yubba]

Very well said.

This is the 11th time that this discussion has gone around. You can come after me as much as you like, but the Hiroshima topic is much like the American Civil War topic that comes up now and then. It is a discussion that ruffles feathers on all sides, changes no minds, decides nothing and ultimately goes nowhere

Takeda, you are wrong.
Do not judge looking at an issue solely on the minds of those that will not even really look at an issue.
For example on air bombardments it was good to see the holocaust denier Zeewolf popping his head in, I used to share similar views on Dresden as he still holds .....but when you further explore the issue and take in lots more information then you do realise that commonly held shallow views do lead to bollox conclusions.

[Castout]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Is that DCS new flight sim?

Look at the cockpit and scenery textures!!! Simply awesome.

[MothBalls]

Was The Bombing of Pearl Harbor Necessary?

[MH]

Originally Posted by MothBalls

Was The Bombing of Pearl Harbor Necessary?

Best argument so far

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by Castout

Is that DCS new flight sim?

Look at the cockpit and scenery textures!!! Simply awesome.

Meh, it's not that good...

[NeonSamurai]

Originally Posted by MothBalls

Was The Bombing of Pearl Harbor Necessary?

Military target vs civilian target. Also just because the enemy does something, it doesn't justify you doing it in return (or worse).

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

@Feuer Frei
If I am schizo you must be a parrot.

I never called you schizo. Truman, I was referring to. Being quoted as saying one thing, at one time, then quoted as saying another. Hypocritical would have been apt as well, perhaps. With Truman.

The people that had to make the decision thought it necessary at the time and got paid the big bucks to make it happen. Agonize and cast ex post facto judgments about it all you like...

Yea, well, just because people get paid the Big Bucks doesn't mean we can't question their decisions, nor does it mean that they were necessarily right either.

[Subnuts]

Thank God August 6th is over in two hours, so we can go back to not thinking about Hiroshima for the other 364 days of the year.

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

I never called you schizo. Truman, I was referring to. Being quoted as saying one thing, at one time, then quoted as saying another. Hypocritical would have been apt as well, perhaps. With Truman.


Yea, well, just because people get paid the Big Bucks doesn't mean we can't question their decisions, nor does it mean that they were necessarily right either.

Apologies, my error.

Truman wasn't schizo however, just an ethical man forced by situations beyond his control to act in a way seen by some here as criminal. Richard Rhodes quotes him after Nagasaki as saying he "can't stand killing all those kids." when he ordered the third atomic mission cancelled and the 'pit' to remain at Los Alamos. Perhaps he feared if it was sent to Tinian the attack would happen anyway. Or not.

Until next year then...