PugJesusJapanese schoolgirls training with a machinegun for the anticipated American invasion of Japan, WW2, 1945
Semi-Hemi-DemigodIn 9th grade US history we held a mock trial about the nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I was assigned the role of Harry Truman, one of the defendants. I did a ton of research about the plans for invasion of Japan on both sides, and it was terrifying. The Japanese were teaching children to fight with garden tools, and US casualty estimates were over a million soldiers.
However, in the end I came to the conclusion that the nuclear strikes weren't necessary, and I wouldn't have ordered them simply because a the war was already incredibly one-sided, and an invasion wouldn't have been necessary in the first place since Japan was already on its last legs.
The class ended up convicting me of a war crime, which was nice.
LinkerbaanI don’t understand why they threw two bombs. Only would have been plenty if they wanted to prove a point.
PugJesusAfter the first bomb, there was still hesitance in Japan’s high command about surrendering. After the second, a group of officers tried to coup the Japanese government to stop it from surrendering in response to the bombs.
So much emphasis is put on the fanatical atrocities of the Nazis that the fanatical atrocities of the Japanese are often overlooked in popular history. It wasn’t a matter like fascist Italy, where they were ready to give up as soon as they lost.
rodbirenSupernova in the East is an amazing series as part of Hardcore History and goes into detail about how one works their way up to bombing someone with nuclear weapons as a perceived act of mercy. Many voices thought the only way to make war less terrible was to make it quick.
If you only detonate one they think you only have one. If you detonate two they know you can make more than one, and they don't know how many you have.