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aero10 wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 10:40 pm The Japanese didn't have to bomb Pearl Harbor.

oohrah wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 9:47 am

aero10 wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 10:40 pm The Japanese didn't have to bomb Pearl Harbor.

When I was stationed in Japan, I took my family to visit the Peace Park and A-bomb dome. My 9yo daughter was horrified, and asked how we could do such a thing. On the way home, we stopped in Oahu for R&R, and we visited the USS Arizona Memorial. After the history presentation, my daughter looked up at me and said "Now I understand".

oljames3 wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:59 pm August 6-9 is always a time of reflection for me. I am sure I'm not the only forum member who has worked with nuclear weapons. It tends to change your perception of life and engender a certain dark humor that others often find difficult to comprehend. Based on my own study, research, education, and experience, I fully agree with the decision to use Little Boy and Fat Man.

President Truman was a US Army artillery battery commander in World War I. It was the Army that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I spent my Army career with nuclear systems in the Cold War; 155mm cannons, Pershing 1a and Pershing II missiles. As a Pershing missile platoon leader, I aimed my three missiles, and their live nuclear warheads, at targets in the Warsaw Pact countries. As the Assistant Operations Officer, my battalion's 18 self-propelled howitzers trained and stood ready to deploy to the Fulda Gap to stop the Russian hordes with tactical nuclear weapons. We, the US Army field artillery community, are glad we never fired our weapons in anger. We did our job and kept the Cold War cold.

Their will always be those who fail to understand.

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

AF-Odin wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:18 pm Like many others here, my Dad was in a P-38 Fighter Group that had gone through the fighting in New Guinea, invasion of Moratai, attacks on Borneo and the invasion of the Philippines. In late July 1945 they went from Luzon south to Mindanao to re-equip with the latest model P-38 in preparation for providing close air support for the invasion of Japan. He truly believed that dropping the atomic bombs saved his life, the lives of many of his squadron mates, and actually of millions of Japanese.

I personally sat alert for a week at a time (every third week) for more than three years in the B-52 so I know what a nuke can do. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle. Declared and non-declared nuclear powers include the US, UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, China, north Korea, and a few others. Obviously in this list are countries that are at odds with us. I believe the key thing keeping them from using one against us is the certainty that if they did, we would retaliate not only in kind, but in an overwhelming manner.

We must judge historical acts from the historical context.

Charles L. Cotton wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:56 pm The Japanese military was not going to surrender, even after being hit with two atomic bombs. They were going to kidnap and likely kill the Emperor to keep him from surrendering. A few brave men got him to a hideout and ultimately got his surrender message broadcast to the Japanese people. At this point, the military leaders were dead in the water; the people would have revolted had they defied the Emperor's surrender order.

Yes, it was necessary to use atomic bombs against Japan, for humanitarian reasons. It saved millions of lives.
Chas.