Operation Olympic was the name for the two part invasion of the Japanese home islands. Operation Olympic in Kyushu and Operation Coronet for the Tokyo Bay area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall
Posted on 08/06/2006 6:27:04 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
This Day In History | World War II
August 6
1945 Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima
On this day in 1945, at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world's first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout.
U.S. President Harry S. Truman, discouraged by the Japanese response to the Potsdam Conference's demand for unconditional surrender, made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the war in order to prevent what he predicted would be a much greater loss of life were the United States to invade the Japanese mainland. And so on August 5, while a "conventional" bombing of Japan was underway, "Little Boy," (the nickname for one of two atom bombs available for use against Japan), was loaded onto Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets' plane on Tinian Island in the Marianas. Tibbets' B-29, named the Enola Gay after his mother, left the island at 2:45 a.m. on August 6. Five and a half hours later, "Little Boy" was dropped, exploding 1,900 feet over a hospital and unleashing the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT. The bomb had several inscriptions scribbled on its shell, one of which read "Greetings to the Emperor from the men of the Indianapolis" (the ship that transported the bomb to the Marianas).
There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing. Of the city's 200 doctors before the explosion; only 20 were left alive or capable of working.
(Excerpt) Read more at historychannel.com ...
What was Operation Downfall?
Everybody get the lesson in this? Ted? Nancy? John? John? Jimmy?
so, let's celebrate by dropping another on maybe tehran, mecca, medina and just for emphasis, damascus.
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The planned invasion of the Japanese home islands.
They probably regard it as a "disproportionate response" to Pearl Harbor.
It is one of the absurdities of modern Political Leftism. They want to argue that it was some how immoral to use the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs. That we could of "Besieged" the Japanese.
That utter nonsense. The infrastructure of the Japanese islands was breaking down. Japan could not feed itself and relied on food imports. Instead of killing Japanese Civilians in the tens of thousands. The Leftist "Siege" would of killing millions from disease, starvation and malnutrition. EVEN then there is NO indication that would of broke the Japanese will. Japanese soldiers hung on various pacific islands for decades after WW 2 ended. Even after the bombs dropped die hard militarists tried to stop the Emperor from surrendering.
Then their is the question. What response would the Japanese been to an invasion and occupation. The Left screams about the Iraqis "Insurgency" what do you suppose a Japanese Insurgency would of done? Also, who knows if the Japanese would of survived as a people? The Civilian and Military casualties on Siapan and Okinawa were horrific. Give the intensifying tempo of suicide attacks,the fire power brought down on the Japanese Home Island prior to and during an Invasion would of killed tens of thousands if not millions of civilians as well as military forces.
So to save a nation we kills a number of cities. We will do so again. This Baby Boomer sophomoric cant about "cannot save Lebanon by destroying its villages" is utter and complete nonsense. Yeah we can.
Question is. Will we?
Operation Olympic was the name for the two part invasion of the Japanese home islands. Operation Olympic in Kyushu and Operation Coronet for the Tokyo Bay area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall
The folks who argue against the bomb have no concept at how far the Japanese were willing to go to defend the home islands. Okinawa should be all the evidence one needs.
Agreed. Downfall would have cost the US 500,000 dead and Japan 10 million dead...minimum.
This day 61 years ago my ship, The USS Trnquillity loaded the survivors of the USS Indianapolis at Paleleu island for transport to Guam.
The Indianapolis had delivered the bomb to Tinian island for the delivery to Hiroshima.
This day marks the real end to the Pacific war.
I guess in the liberal mind it's better for a higher number of people to be killed with conventional weapons than a smaller number by nuclear weapons.
Too bad it took another one for the Japanese to realize it.
My grandfather was in the navy at the time and he feels the same way.
We owe it all to you guys. Too bad those who came after you didn't have the same grit.
Considering the political situation now; Where did all of the Americans go?
i wonder how many of us would not be here if we hadnt dropped the bombs? this country had balls in its leadership then. im not so sure now. too pc world
Japan did not surrernder. When Truman dropped the bomb the word was put out that the US had scores of atomic weapons. We actually had about 3 or 4. But Japan was convinced that we had enough atomic bombs to destroy their entire population. Some Japanese commanders did not believe we had that many and wanted to keep fighting.
What Israel has not learned is a statement attributed to Joe Stalin.. Stalin said, "In war 25 deaths is a tragedy; 25,000 deaths is a statistic."
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