[rmvh]

re your # 9...Bombing by air is notorious for NOT hurting the morale of the people.

What you say is pretty much true except for the detonation of the "fat man" over Japan.

When I flew it was mantra that strategic bombardment from the air will destroy the enemy'e will to fight....but in Germany it didn't work at all.

What really nailed them was destroying oil and ball bearing manufacturing....when things can't roll or engines have no fuel the military has a big problem.

Have a nice day.

[KirklandJunction]

Some historians suggest that Japan was domestically inert prior to the nukes...they couldn't support their troops, anywhere. Was an American invasion pragmatic? We had 'em surrounded.

[Starrgaizr]

An old (Nobel Prize-winning) economist professor of mine claimed that he did a study for the War Department and determined that more ball bearings were lost by the U.S. and salvaged by the Germans from B-17s shot down than were ever successfully taken out of production.