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To: Oatka

“Gremany had the good sense to cave in after Hitler committed suicide and that was the only reason they were spared.”

Defense of Germany was untenable once the Rhine was crossed. The Germans themselves knew it. Hitler did not commit suicide until the Battle of Berlin, and the Allies had occupied most of what became West Germany.

As for dropping the Atomic bomb to keep Russia out - that’s contrary to the opinion that dropping it was necessary to win the war, is it not?


147 posted on 08/10/2013 12:38:37 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge
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To: JCBreckenridge
As for dropping the Atomic bomb to keep Russia out - that’s contrary to the opinion that dropping it was necessary to win the war, is it not?

No, from what I understand, after reviewing the casualty rates on Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima, the main reason was the predicted horrendous casualties we would suffer if we had to invade. The Russian thingy was just another nail in the Japanese coffin. As it was, the Russians demanded co-equal footing at the conference table. They took over the Kurile Islands and still own them today, so you can imagine what the story would be if they have taken more terrirtory.

A sidebar was that we found a letter that was sent out to the Jap prison commanders. To wit: when they heard that Americans had invaded the homeland, words to the effect of "do what is necessary" with all prisoners. Some commanders didn't wait for the invasion. Read about Palawan for just one instance.

There was also another political angle in that the Democrats feared a major backlash (with good reason), if we suffered anywhere near those predicted casualties when the president had the means to end the war sooner by dropping the bombs.

158 posted on 08/10/2013 3:14:25 PM PDT by Oatka (This is America. Assimilate or evaporate.)
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To: JCBreckenridge

The Germans fought the Soviets tooth and nail right up to the end. The Red Army lost 100,000 men to take Berlin. In the West, they surrendered in droves, because they realized the Western Allies would treat them much better than if they fell into Soviet hands.


161 posted on 08/10/2013 4:01:10 PM PDT by dfwgator
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