Great documentary!!

[JoeCorrado]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

Yes but most of what was left of the Japanese merchant marine was not in any shape to contribute to the Japanese war effort anymore
In poor repair and trapped behind extensive air dropped minefields and with no place left to go to pick up the vital resources Japan so badly needed

And the pertinent point that I am making is simply this:

That those ships that remained, most certainly would have tried to run the blockade regardless of the odds that they could ever succeed. Not implying that Japan had a chance of supplying their industry with the materials for war- simply stating that their merchant marine was still kicking- and they would most likely have continued as they had... risk going against anything that we had standing in their way in an effort (futile or not) to do what they likely viewed as their solemn duty.

Perhaps the fact that the Japanese still had fight in them- that they still believed in their Emperor and still held to the warriors mind set for better or worse... perhaps THAT truth is what made the decision to drop the bombs a military necessity that is still believed to have saved a hundred thousand lives.

Think about it- for them, they still had a chance. Their Emperor, they believed- was after all, a living God.

Know what I mean?