The Atomic Age

[spidge]

We probably could not let this 60th anniversary pass without comment.

July 16th 1945.

First atomic bomb detonated.

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This day meant the beginning of the end for Japan and WW2.

The cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki would in weeks to come, unknowingly be the Japanese martyrs of their people. Their deaths, suffering and total desolation from the new weapon would save as many as 10 million of their people from battle death and starvation. The Japanese people would have fought with sticks against the allies and died in "vain".

Many numbers have been bantered around over the years (up to 2 million) of how many casualties the allies would have received from the invasion of the Japanese homeland.

Was it the better outcome to singularise the weapons power in two cities or invade and utterly destroy the culture of all for the "with honour" request of the Japanese generals.

Hiroshima and Little Boy.........200,000 deaths with Nagasaki and Fat Man 150,000 deaths and a huge number of long term effects.

I, and possibly the majority, look at the long term effects on the surviving allied soldiers that would have had to fight for every inch of the homeland.

"Tradeoff" is not the best word..............however it fits here.

[angie999]

I have discussed this question on the boards many times and I have come firmly to the position that the use of nuclear weapons against Japan was the correct decision in 1945.

Thanks for reminding us of the date of the Trinity test.

[Gnomey]

I agree that the use of the weapons was the correct dicision. Thanks for reminding us on this anniversary.

[Kiwiwriter]

Thanks for that post.

I am reminded every time I think about that event, of Oppenheimer's epiphany, remembering the Bhagavad Ghita, "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."

He knew that he had sprung Pandora's Box.

And I don't think we've seen the end of it.

[Dac]

Harry Trumans' first resposibility was the welfare of American servicemen and women. The atomic attacks were terrible, but as Angie points out they saved many lives.

I've listened as my step-fathers father described the horror of a kamikaze attack.
This weapon alone would have claimed thousands of Allied lives even before the first troops set foot on Japanese soil.