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The shock, awe and terror of Hiroshima Why the atomic bombing of Japan still gnaws at the Western conscience, 80 years on.
Spiked ^ | August 6, 2025 | JAMES WOUDHUYSEN

Posted on 08/06/2025 6:14:22 AM PDT by artichokegrower

In the early hours of 6 August 1945, US bomber Enola Gay took off from North Field, in the Northern Mariana Islands, and headed towards Hiroshima, a naval port on the south coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island. At 8.15am that morning, Enola Gay unleashed its payload

(Excerpt) Read more at spiked-online.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: jameswoudhuysen; noitdoesnt; racism
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Academics Lakshmi Singh and Rahul Tripathi have recently described the bombings as ‘one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century, driven by experimental and political motivations rather than pure military necessity’. In many ways they’re right.


The author ignores Japan’s atrocities in the countries it occupied such as China

1 posted on 08/06/2025 6:14:22 AM PDT by artichokegrower
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To: artichokegrower

It doesn’t “gnaw” at anything. Tripe.


2 posted on 08/06/2025 6:15:46 AM PDT by johniegrad
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To: artichokegrower

It was the only thing that would stop the Japanese ultimate goal of world dominance. Their army committed unthinkable cruelties. Peace through Strength


3 posted on 08/06/2025 6:16:53 AM PDT by albie
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To: artichokegrower

There was nothing dark or undeserved about the nukes.

Imperial Japan committed crimes that would make Nazis blush, remain unrepentant believers in their racial superiority, allied themselves with Nazis, and were intent on dominating the world.


4 posted on 08/06/2025 6:17:22 AM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: artichokegrower
The author ignores Japan’s atrocities in the countries it occupied such as China

Agreed. Also ignored is the fact that Japan didn't surrender until after the second atom bomb. That tells me that the first atom bomb couldn't have been as horrific as the America haters make the bomb out to be.

5 posted on 08/06/2025 6:17:33 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: artichokegrower

More people were killed in Tokyo by fire and explosions over 48 hours in the Doolittle raids. And 10 TIMES as many people were murdered at close hand, by Japanese REGULAR ARMY (not SS-type unit) in Nanking.


6 posted on 08/06/2025 6:18:06 AM PDT by montag813
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To: artichokegrower

Pearl Harbor.


7 posted on 08/06/2025 6:18:48 AM PDT by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: artichokegrower
the bombings as ‘one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century

And all these years I thought we dropped the bomb to save tens of thousands of human lives that would have been sacrificed if we continued the war to our eventual victory.

8 posted on 08/06/2025 6:19:15 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: johniegrad

I think there are still a few libtards in town that go to the town’s Japanese garden to wring their hands on the anniversaries.


9 posted on 08/06/2025 6:19:20 AM PDT by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
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To: artichokegrower

“The argument that the Bomb shortened the war and therefore saved lives is a familiar one. But it’s been disputed, even by many US militarists”

Of course right after Nagasaki the japs- wait for it now- surrendered- making the above ridiculous point moot....


10 posted on 08/06/2025 6:19:28 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: artichokegrower

A friend’s father was in a Japanese prisoner camp during part of the war. He thought we should have dropped several hundred nukes on Japan...He was sick for the rest of his life after coming home from malnutrition and abuse, and died in his early 50’s.


11 posted on 08/06/2025 6:19:55 AM PDT by Quickgun (I got here kicking,screaming and covered in someone else's blood. I can go out that way if I have to)
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To: artichokegrower

It doesn’t gnaw at my conscience one bit.


12 posted on 08/06/2025 6:20:51 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: 1Old Pro

Anyone think the Germans or Japs would have not used the bomb, had they developed it first? Anyone?


13 posted on 08/06/2025 6:21:06 AM PDT by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
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To: artichokegrower

“”The shock, awe and terror of Hiroshima Why the atomic bombing of Japan still gnaws at the Western conscience, 80 years on.””

I don’t know about the shock part... since the US dropped flyers/leaflets warning Japan citizens to evacuate those two cities before bombing them. The only shock would have been at the power of the bombs, which was the point of the attack. To stop the Japanese leaders in their tracks. It worked. Saved no telling how many lives in the process. And after all, we didn’t start that war. They did. We just finished it.


14 posted on 08/06/2025 6:22:44 AM PDT by Danie_2023
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To: artichokegrower
Lakshmi Singh is not an "academic." She's a reporter for NPR.

Which I guess in her mind, makes her an "academic."

15 posted on 08/06/2025 6:22:58 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Michael Bennet claps on 1 and 3.)
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To: artichokegrower
Academics Lakshmi Singh and Rahul Tripathi have recently described the bombings as ‘one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century, driven by experimental and political motivations rather than pure military necessity’. In many ways they’re right.

Pure bullshit. What was Truman to do - let far more civilians in Allied countries not to mention his own country's troops as well as a huge number of Japanese die by not using the bomb? That would have been the result. There is no question about it. The quest for the bomb and its use was drive by pure military necessity. In every way, they are wrong.

16 posted on 08/06/2025 6:23:06 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: Repealthe17thAmendment

Yep. Can’t believe we only dropped two on them after Pearl harbor, and the treatment of prisoners of war...


17 posted on 08/06/2025 6:23:36 AM PDT by Quickgun (I got here kicking,screaming and covered in someone else's blood. I can go out that way if I have to)
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To: God luvs America

Yes and it’s worth noting; they didn’t surrender after just one bomb. It took two.

My uncle, having survived beach landings on Okinawa and Iwo Jima was THRILLED when he heard the news about the surrender.


18 posted on 08/06/2025 6:23:39 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim
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To: gundog
Anyone think the Germans or Japs would have not used the bomb, had they developed it first? Anyone?

From Google: During World War II, Germany was successful in developing and deploying offensive rockets, namely the V-1 flying bomb and the V-2 ballistic missile. These were referred to as "Vengeance Weapons" or "V-weapons" and were used primarily against civilian targets in Allied cities.

19 posted on 08/06/2025 6:23:56 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: johniegrad

It gnaws at feeble minds only.


20 posted on 08/06/2025 6:24:07 AM PDT by alstewartfan (Old admirals who feel the wind Are never put to sea. Al Stewart)
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