70th anniversary of atomic bombing of Hiroshima

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

He does have a point Nippelspanner, I mean look at the plans for Operation Downfall. The casualties on the civilian population of Japan would have been horrendous, seven to fifteen nuclear weapons would have been dropped, biological and chemical weaponry options were available, the bombing would have been vast in scale. It would have been hell, absolute hell.
Now whether the second bomb at Nagasaki was necessary is another matter entirely, it's possible that the Soviet entry into the war would have been enough to eventually bring about a Japanese surrender, once the Emperor and the civilian movements within the Empire had been able to bring the Army to heel, Nagasaki speeded up the progress somewhat.
Now, the firebombings of Tokyo, they likely killed more people than the atomic bombs, and yet they are oft forgotten amidst the spectre of the mushroom cloud. Were they correct measures to use in the war? That I cannot say with as much clarity as I do in regards to Hiroshima, however it is a fact that all parties in the war took part in city bombing with a view to causing maximum civilian casualties. Does this make it right? No, but that is war.

Most importantly though, and I think it is the sole positive legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is that it gave a demonstration of the power of the atom, in more graphic detail than tests in the middle of a desert could do. It gave the world the reason to say 'never again', it helped create Mutually Assured Destruction and in the Cold War that came after it helped scare millions of people, both civilian and military alike, into not using the weapons that they had so carefully created and stockpiled.