5 Myths about the Atomic Bomb (as used in WWII)

[JosephDredd]

Article here (link).

In short:

Myth 1 - the bomb ended the war. According to minutes of the Japanese meetings, the Russians entering the war against Japan (and violating their non-aggression pact) led to Japan surrendering.

Myth 2 - the bomb saved half a million lives. The bomb saved 193 000, including 40 000 American lives.

Myth 3 - the only alternative to the bomb was an invasion of Japan. The other two options were a demonstration of the bomb or accepting Japan's conditional surrender (they agreed to Japan's only condition in the "unconditional" surrender)

Myth 4 - the Japanese were warned. There were never any warnings specifically for the cities that were targeted.

Myth 5 - the bomb was timed to gain a diplomatic advantage over Russia and proved a

 

[ultramanhyata]

At least the US wasn't specifically targeting civilians. Or attempting by means of violence and a body count to terrorize a nation state into acquiescing to political demands.

Keep your eyes focused on the real bad guys. There's a war against terror to be fought.

 

[JosephDredd]

At least the US wasn't specifically targeting civilians. Or attempting by means of violence and a body count to terrorize a nation state into acquiescing to political demands.

Keep your eyes focused on the real bad guys. There's a war against terror to be fought.

Your first thought is that this is propaganda to weaken America in the war on terror?

 

[Aegon Spengler]

The Russian bit is under quite a bit of debate. Those minutes did say they were hoping the Russians could help Japan negotiate a settlement that would have allowed them to keep some gains in the East in exchange for an Eastern buffer against the American pacific forces, but they also considered the bomb an extreme problem and it played a decisive role in Japan's decision to surrender.

It's not clear which was more important, the Russian declaration of war or the dropping of the bomb, it's only clear that Japan's hopes for a negotiated settlement via the USSR ended with the Russian decision to enter the pacific theatre.

Japan may have surrendered anyway.

 

[Harmonica]

At least the US wasn't specifically targeting civilians. Or attempting by means of violence and a body count to terrorize a nation state into acquiescing to political demands.

Keep your eyes focused on the real bad guys. There's a war against terror to be fought.

What you specifically targeted is of no importance when you used a weapon of mass-destruction on a populated area.

 

[Videer]

But what do we have left once we abandon the lie? Chaos!

 

[robotsonic]

Japan have got some balls playing the victim in World War 2 because of the US' use of A-bombs. The Japanese acted like absolute animals in China and SE Asia, they treated enemy combatants and civilians like insects, the astonishing brutality of what they did in China was easily on the level of the Nazis.

How they have the nerve to turn the argument on the US while completely trying to dodge responsibility for their atrocities is unbelievable and shows how much of a bunch of sociopaths they were (maybe still are).

 

[ndwolfwood]

Myth 6: The bombs weren't dropped from planes but smuggled in disguised as cakes. When the Japanese went to warm them up to eat them, they went off.

 

[Goonerview]

The size of the Tsar bomb (largest bomb ever detonated) compared to the Hiroshima bomb is crazy. Imagine if that had been used against a civilian population ...

 

[robotsonic]

Let's also remember that while Nazi war criminals had to go into hiding many of the psychopaths in the Japanese army just returned home and went on with their lives with no fear of prosecution or jail.

Shiro Ishii probably being the most famous of these cases.

 

[Goonerview]

Article here (link).



Myth 2 - the bomb saved half a million lives. The bomb saved 193 000, including 40 000 American lives.

I am under the impression that without the bomb, the US would have had to actually invade Japan and would have led to an all out war on the shores of Japan, leading to potentially upwards of 500,000+ deaths.

 

[Goonerview]

Let's also remember that while Nazi war criminals had to go into hiding many of the psychopaths in the Japanese army just returned home and went on with their lives with no fear of prosecution or jail.

Shiro Ishii probably being the most famous of these cases.

I literally just watched a documentary about this guy. Apparently, the US let him go on the basis that he gave them all of his experiment information. This guy was a true psycho, Dr. Frankenstein had nothing on him.

 

[uppercutbus]

The size of the Tsar bomb (largest bomb ever detonated) compared to the Hiroshima bomb is crazy. Imagine if that had been used against a civilian population ...

I just like how the picture puts soviet under tsar bomber as to indicate as if it was a soviet bomb and not another american one.

 

[lts5025]

I just like how the picture puts soviet under tsar bomber as to indicate as if it was a soviet bomb and not another american one.

Are you saying the Tsar Bomba is NOT a Soviet bomb?

 

[Diamond Jim]

I am under the impression that without the bomb, the US would have had to actually invade Japan and would have led to an all out war on the shores of Japan, leading to potentially upwards of 500,000+ deaths.

This a popular misunderstanding. Hell, I was even told this in high school but I think the evidence says otherwise. First those numbers were inflated numerous times when Truman told his decision on using the bomb. Second, primary sources of Japan tell military leaders were done once the Soviets attacked in Korea and faced a real problem of the Soviets invading Hokkaido and completely losing the nation.

Japan had already reached out for peace terms. Their main concern was the conditions of surrender regarding the status of the emperor. Picture if a Christian nation giving Christ or a Muslim country handing over Muhammad to an enemy army for execution. It was a pretty big deal.

Many of our own commanders knew Japan was done and it would be days to a couple weeks before surrender. The fire bombings of the cities were devastating.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

I just like how the picture puts soviet under tsar bomber as to indicate as if it was a soviet bomb and not another american one.

It also keep people from thinking it was actually a bomb commissioned from a cryptid ruling tzar family rather than the then current soviet party

 

[OldGoat]

The size of the Tsar bomb (largest bomb ever detonated) compared to the Hiroshima bomb is crazy. Imagine if that had been used against a civilian population ...

Would have been unpleasant.

 

[Sampsonsimpson]

I am under the impression that without the bomb, the US would have had to actually invade Japan and would have led to an all out war on the shores of Japan, leading to potentially upwards of 500,000+ deaths.

I don't buy that for a second. That is exactly the kind of bullshit damage control excuse I would come up with if I had just instantly killed hundreds of thousands of people. "Well ya see, we actually did it to save people." The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were acts of terrorism according to our very own definition of terrorism; the use of violence or intimidation for political aims. Most of us don't like to see it that way so we try to rationalize it.

I also can't help but shake the feeling that if any country had ever used nuclear weapons against the US, we would never hear the end of it today. That country would be called evil, terrorists, every name in the book.

 

[speakhandsforme]

Are you saying the Tsar Bomba is NOT a Soviet bomb?

No, he's saying that it's funny how it's just assumed that, unless otherwise stated, nuclear bombs are American.

Japan have got some balls playing the victim in World War 2 because of the US' use of A-bombs. The Japanese acted like absolute animals in China and SE Asia, they treated enemy combatants and civilians like insects, the astonishing brutality of what they did in China was easily on the level of the Nazis.

How they have the nerve to turn the argument on the US while completely trying to dodge responsibility for their atrocities is unbelievable and shows how much of a bunch of sociopaths they were (maybe still are).

Yeah, there are a lot of cases where American war politics is vulnerable to scrutiny but not in this case (in my opinion, of course). The Japanese were ruthless animals in WWII-- worse than the Nazis in several ways. The fact that the state still to this day often denies any wrongdoing is pathetic.

 

[JosephDredd]

I am under the impression that without the bomb, the US would have had to actually invade Japan and would have led to an all out war on the shores of Japan, leading to potentially upwards of 500,000+ deaths.

lol that's exactly why this article was written.