As I understand it, upwards of 100 major cities in Japan were firebombed, destroying upwards of 50% or more of the city.
I will have to admit to not being a big fan of that or what took place at Dresden.
It’s easy for me to say from the comfort of my home office, not privy to the realities of the time, particularly to the commanders that had access to information I don’t, under pressures I am not.
At the end of a conflict, you need to be able to look back and know that you didn’t become an evil part of civilization.
In many instances, with victory comes exoneration. In some instances it may not be deserved.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been a very tough call for me. Knowing what he did, and facing what he faced, I don’t fault Truman at all. I think he made the right call. I detest that Japan’s leadership left very little choice there.
Imagine us proving we had that ability, and Japan waffling for three days more, so we had to do it again. Seriously, the leadership were truly vile men.
“..Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have been a very tough call for me. Knowing what he did, and facing what he faced, I don’t fault Truman at all. I think he made the right call. I detest that Japan’s leadership left very little choice there....”
Having one Uncle who was seriously wounded on Okinawa, and another who died on Iwo Jima at 22 years old, I guess maybe my viewpoint is somewhat different regarding Japan.
But objectively, looking back at what Truman saw through the prismatic lens of history, with all we know now about the Empire of Japan, the atomic destruction of those two cities WAS what ended the war in the Pacific.
Knowing that there were innocent civilians there - who were being handed sharpened bamboo spears, anti-tank magnetic mines to slap onto American tanks, suicide boats to ram American landing craft... it would have been a complete and total bloodbath for the Japanese civilian population as well as the American landing forces.
Hard call Truman had to make... but I think history proves it the correct one.
“....At the end of a conflict, you need to be able to look back and know that you didn’t become an evil part of civilization.....”
I don’t think we did. We took land, and gave it back, unlike most conquering armies throughout history. We disarmed the militant psychopaths in Japan and Germany (my father was part of that for two years in Germany after the war), helped the people rebuild their shattered nations, gave them money, food, aid, and turned them into prosperous, peaceful members of the world.
Are we perfect? No, not at all. But overall, I think we’re damn better than almost everyone else out there for doing so.
We ARE the “Bigger Man” at the end of the day. Regardless of what this current clown does/is doing.
“...Seriously, the leadership were truly vile men....”
Yes indeed... they would kill millions of their own people just to get their own “glorious death”.
Thank God the Emperor wasn’t as stupid. And thank God MacArthur didn’t order him arrested and hanged as a war criminal - we’d STILL be fighting them.