[Captain Kirk]

As I’ve always said to anyone who has a problem with the bombings: there are penalties for helping guys load Jews into boxcars. Now you know what they are.

In what way does this relate to INTENTIONALLY incinerating thousands of Japanese babies, little old ladies, and Christians (Nagakasi was the historic center of Japanese Christianity).

[WayneS]

You really ARE a one trick pony, aren’t you?

[SoCal Pubbie]

The same way it relates to using firebombs to do the same thing. Now, on the other hand, I'm not sure what German atrocities committed against European Jews has to do with Japan, except that they were allied, but that's another matter.

[Charlespg]

Would you have dropped the bomb on Berlin to stop the Holocaust ?

Thousands of funny little yellow and brown people being killed by Japanese fascists don't matter matter to you do they ? /s

[domenad]

The bombing of civilian centers was a common and accepted use of warfare at the time. London took V2 rockets, Dresden took firebombs, Nagasaki and Hiroshima got the special distinction of being the first and only nuclear casualties. That’s how wars were conducted back then. I, for one, am glad we did it better than they did.

[tanknetter]

In what way does this relate to INTENTIONALLY incinerating thousands of Japanese babies, little old ladies, and Christians (Nagakasi was the historic center of Japanese Christianity).

Nagasaki was also a major industrial center. The Japanese superbattleship Musashi was built there, for instance. It was as legitimate a target as every other Japanese city we bombed, possibly even more than most given it's industrial capacity.

[DustyMoment]

In what way does this relate to INTENTIONALLY incinerating thousands of Japanese babies, little old ladies, and Christians (Nagakasi was the historic center of Japanese Christianity).

This is going to sound cold, cruel and heartless but, here goes . . . . .

NO ONE is happy that innocent people were killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but, to save hundreds of thousands more lives by avoiding an invasion of Japan, dropping those bombs was necessary. Japan had already suffered very high losses of its fighting men and, had an invasion been necessary, the invading force would take VERY heavy casualties as would more of the Japanese civilians.

An invading force would have had to literally fight its way across Japan house by house and the war would have lasted as much as 3 more years. The Japanese were a very tough opponent that was well trained, well equipped, clever, extremely intelligent and dedicated to their cause. There was no way they were going to capitulate except by the use of extreme force, showing them the absolute horrors that war could bring.

I don't doubt that, were he still alive today, President Truman would be having sleepness nights wondering if he made the right decision. Some 60+ years afterward, it's easy to judge things we weren't there for but, by the same token, we haven't walked an inch in Truman's shoes. Until/unless we ever do, judging whether or not it was the right decision is left to God and each individual to decide for themselves.

[PAR]

“As I’ve always said to anyone who has a problem with the bombings: there are penalties for helping guys load Jews into boxcars. Now you know what they are.”

“In what way does this relate to INTENTIONALLY incinerating thousands of Japanese babies, little old ladies, and Christians (Nagakasi was the historic center of Japanese Christianity). “

To the extent that ONE American soldier’s life was saved (and it was) as a result of the bombings, it was completely justified.