The first Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 60 years ago today

Currently Japan is a friendly nation but 60 years ago the country of Japan was a much different place. Today is the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the question "Was it necessary" has been asked. The answer is no, but the result of of not dropping such a powerful bomb would have been far worse for both Japan and Allied forces if we had invaded the island country. It is a fact that more people were killed in the coventional bombing of cities than in the atomic blast. It is a fact that the Japanese government was preparing every citizen to fight in the event of an amphibious landing on their shores.

Looking at the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa as examples, you will see that the Japanese were dedicated to their country and were willing to fight to the last man rather than giving up to save themselves. No estimate of casualties was below 2 times the number of deaths caused by the bombing. It was expected that we would have over 200,000 killed while Japan would suffer 3 to 400,000 killed during an invasion. We would have pounded every inch of every city to dust and had to face mobs of civilians fighting with sticks to take that island. It is hard to say how many would have given up and how many would have fought with no chance of success.

The Japanese war department wanted to fight on after Hiroshima and again after Nagasaki but is was the Emperor Hirohito that put an end to the war.

In Germany, the Allies bombed cities in response to Hitler attacking England's cities with V-1 and V-2 rockets. This carried over to the pacific theater of war because the plants that made war material were placed in the cities. Today we have the ability to pick our targets with care but back then we could only flatten the city block that held the factory with the hope that we wouldn't need a second bombing run to finish the job.

Some have chosen to try to show American as evil for dropping the atomic bomb but how many know what the Japanese did in Nanking? How about in Nanjing in the 1930's?

I have no hatred for the Japanese but I want to show that they were not victims, they were a ruthless enemy and President Truman did what he felt had to be done to put an end to this war once and for all.

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