The Atomic Bombing of Japan
Today, August 6th, is the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima, Japan. That strike was followed three days later by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. The blasts inflicted heavy casualties as approximately 66,000 were killed and 69,000 were injured at Hiroshima and 39,000 were killed and 25,000 injured at Nagasaki. In both cities the blast totally destroyed everything with a radius of one mile from the center of the explosion.
After the rise of modern liberalism in the 1970s, many have come to denounce the bombings as "terrorist attacks," and "war crimes." Such simplistic arguments ignore the situation in 1945. While Germany had been defeated and American military aircraft dominated the skies above Japan, the Emperor of Japan would not unconditionally surrender to the Allies. Over six million Japanese were still in various parts of Asia and many Japanese leaders hoped to kill enough Americans during an invasion to convince them that the cost was too high to continue. A relentless "Die for the Emperor" propaganda campaign had motivated many Japanese civilians to fight to the death and volunteers lined up for kamikaze "Divine Wind" suicide missions.
Faced with the daunting task of completely defeating the Japanese, President Truman realized he needed to "break the will" of the Japanese Emperor and convince him that unconditional surrender was the only option. An invasion would have been slow and cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. While the total casualties from the atomic bombs were expected to be high, they were nothing in comparison to costs in lives an invasion would have entailed. In fact American military leaders estimated that total American deaths alone would have been between 400,000 and 800,000 as a result of such an invasion. The option that minimized the number of total casualties was clearly to drop the atomic bombs on Japan and force an unconditional surrender.
Others might concede these points but insist that America could have negotiated a slightly less favorable surrender and ended the war without unleashing the power of the atomic bomb. Such arguments seemingly do not realize the stakes in 1945. America and her allies had expended much blood and treasure in the world-wide fight between totalitarianism and democracy. Anything less than an unconditional surrender would have left the Japanese military in control of the country and would have given long-term credibility to the Japanese military regime. Can one honestly believe Japan would have been better off in the long-term under the boot of its dictatorial military?
War is ugly and every country, including the United States, makes mistakes that result in the loss of innocent life. But the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ultimately saved the lives of thousands of America soldiers and Japanese civilians. The bombings forced a complete surrender which allowed democracy to slowly take root in Asia and which, in turn, led to the development of the great and peaceful nation of Japan today. President Truman's decision to destroy the Japanese cities was surely a difficult one, but it was necessary to bring complete closure to the devastating chapter in history that was World War II.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
After the rise of modern liberalism in the 1970s, many have come to denounce the bombings as "terrorist attacks," and "war crimes." Such simplistic arguments ignore the situation in 1945. While Germany had been defeated and American military aircraft dominated the skies above Japan, the Emperor of Japan would not unconditionally surrender to the Allies. Over six million Japanese were still in various parts of Asia and many Japanese leaders hoped to kill enough Americans during an invasion to convince them that the cost was too high to continue. A relentless "Die for the Emperor" propaganda campaign had motivated many Japanese civilians to fight to the death and volunteers lined up for kamikaze "Divine Wind" suicide missions.
Faced with the daunting task of completely defeating the Japanese, President Truman realized he needed to "break the will" of the Japanese Emperor and convince him that unconditional surrender was the only option. An invasion would have been slow and cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. While the total casualties from the atomic bombs were expected to be high, they were nothing in comparison to costs in lives an invasion would have entailed. In fact American military leaders estimated that total American deaths alone would have been between 400,000 and 800,000 as a result of such an invasion. The option that minimized the number of total casualties was clearly to drop the atomic bombs on Japan and force an unconditional surrender.
Others might concede these points but insist that America could have negotiated a slightly less favorable surrender and ended the war without unleashing the power of the atomic bomb. Such arguments seemingly do not realize the stakes in 1945. America and her allies had expended much blood and treasure in the world-wide fight between totalitarianism and democracy. Anything less than an unconditional surrender would have left the Japanese military in control of the country and would have given long-term credibility to the Japanese military regime. Can one honestly believe Japan would have been better off in the long-term under the boot of its dictatorial military?
War is ugly and every country, including the United States, makes mistakes that result in the loss of innocent life. But the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ultimately saved the lives of thousands of America soldiers and Japanese civilians. The bombings forced a complete surrender which allowed democracy to slowly take root in Asia and which, in turn, led to the development of the great and peaceful nation of Japan today. President Truman's decision to destroy the Japanese cities was surely a difficult one, but it was necessary to bring complete closure to the devastating chapter in history that was World War II.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
10:41 AM
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