| | Three times in as many days now I have read something on different sites that condemns America's use of the A-Bomb on Japan in 1945. It seems that we are finally at the point were we have collectively lost sight of the facts about the war in the Pacific and why the United States dropped the Atom Bomb on Japan. I'd like to present a brief history for the benefit of those who may not be fully aware of what the situation was.
During the entire duration of that war in the Pacific, no Japanese troops ever surrundered during any skirmish, any firefight, or any battle either on land or sea. They repeatedly fought to the death of the last man, losing on average 3 men for every 1 of our men lost.
For months before the dropping of the A-bomb we offered to negotiate a peace. For weeks before the dropping of the A-bomb, we had been inviting the Japanese to surrender. We had even quietly backed away from our demand for unconditrional surrender. They consistently refused our offers. Why should they? What nation would surrender when they still had between 3 and 4 million fresh, fully supplied troops protecting their islands; troops who had already proved they they were willing to die to the last man rather than surrender?
As a consequence of this, a bitter and protracted fight was certain. Casualities among our own troops were estimated to reach a million men if we had to invade the islands, and casualities among Japanese troops and civilians were estimated to go as high as 4 million.
Now realize that Japan had been carpet bombed for many months by planes using non-nuclear explosives. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians had already died in these attacks. The country's cities had been devastated by incendary munitions, and that nation was no closer to surrender than it was at the beginning of the war.
So there we are on their door step. Offers to negotiate have failed, and we are no closer to peace than we were on December 7th 1941. You are the commander-in-chief. You must decide. What do you do Mr./Madam President?
1. Do you commit our troops to a house to house, street by street battle that will run the casualities up on both sides and extend the war for 2 or 3 more years?
2. Do you withdraw saying, "Well, I'm sorry. We made a good go of it, but I guess we just can't beat you, so if you don't want to surrender I guess we'll go home? Sorry 'bout all the blood spilt across the Pacific over the last four years, but you win some and you lose some. And by the way, we'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bomb Pearl Harbor any more." Or
3. Do you drop the bomb and end the war with a minimum number of casualities?
This is the real thing Mr./Madam President. You are in charge, and you must do something! Worldwide estimates already put the total dead and missing at over 60 million since 1938, and you have already lost over 400,000 of your own troops in the war. What's in gonna be? Choose now. Every moment you delay your answer results in more casualities.
I'm sorry if you don't like the options. Hell, I don't like them either! But there are times when we are left with no good choices. And remember, we were the ones attacked, not they.
By the way, it might interest you to know that even after the bombs were dropped, there was an element within the Japanese Army that did not want to surrender, and a coup to prevent the emperor from doing so had to be put down. Many high ranking army officers committed sucide rather than accept surrender. It may also interest you to know that the total Japanese dead from the bomb were less than we had already killed with conventional bombing.
Oh how I wish that our schools would teach, not just the names, events, and dates, of history, but would also teach the "why" of history. Perhaps then we might have fewer armchair generals so quick to condemn that which they have no direct knowledge of sixty years after the fact. |
| | Posted 11/16/2006 3:31 AM - 941 Views - 22 eProps - 24 comments
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