August 6, 1945. Hiroshima

[pangaia]

[jmg257]

1. August 14, 1945. VJ day.

On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.

[virgogal]

5. I remember that day...all the

kids in the neighborhood were banging pots and pans in celebration.

[democrank]

2. .

[MineralMan]

3. Just a week and two days from the day I was born.

I'm a Atomic bomb baby, I guess. What must my mother have been thinking? And my father, who was still flying B-17s in Europe, transporting people rather than bombs by that time. What were his thoughts? Maybe I'll ask them today. They're both still alive at ages 94 and 95.

[pangaia]

4. My first marriage was August 6, 1971. What was I thinking??

[Codeine]

6. December, 1937. Nanjing.

April 9th, 1942. Bataan.



1942-1943. Burma Death Railway.

[jmg257]

7. Indeed.

Nation KIA/MIA | Wounded | POW | Civilian deaths
China 4,000,000 | 3,000,000 |----- | 8,000,000
NEI ________ | ________ | 37,000 | 4,000,000
Philippines ____________________|1,000,000
Japan 1,740,000 | 94,000 |41,4402 | 393,400


indeed.

https://www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com/C/a/Casualties.htm

[mitch96]

8. "August 14, 1945. VJ day." I was born four years later to the day...

For me, it was a good day... A child of the '40's..... just made it...
m

[MicaelS]

9. My opinion has always been....

That if the bomb has been available 6-12 months sooner, or the war lasted 6-12 months longer, then Berlin would have been the first target. Those on the Left who now condemn the use of the bombs on Japan would not have said a thing about their use on Germany. Their attitude would have been that the dirty Fascists got what they deserved.

The Nazis were executing people faster toward the end of the war in the concentration camps because they had perfected the mechanical means of the Holocaust. How many Jews, Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals and others might have been saved if the war in Europe had ended 6-12 months sooner?

Those scientists who worked on the bomb (many of the Jewish refugees from Hitler) did not seem to develop scruples until it was clear that Germany would no longer be the target. They knew for a fact that Berlin, and its civilians would certainly be the main target. They certainly didn’t have any concerns about German civilians being killed.

And for those who cry moral outrage I see no difference between the fire-bombing of Dresden, Tokyo and other Japanese cities and the atomic bombings. Dead is dead.

The Japanese were just as bad as the Nazis. But too many people weep tears for the “victims" of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as if the Japanese did nothing to start the war in Asia. The Chinese suffered between 20-35 million casualties during the Japanese invasion of China (1937-1945). The Japanese forced Korean women into sexual slavery as “comfort women” in field brothels where the women were forced to sexually service, as many as 70 Japanese soldiers a day. In other words these women were raped 70 times a day for yeasr on end. Everywhere the Japanese conquered, they acted like barbarians toward Allied POWS and civilians. The Japanese beat, starved, tortured and executed men and women. They used living human beings as living test subjects in their infamous biological warfare Unit 731.

People these days find it easy to take some moral high-ground when they are not involved in a war to the knife for the future of civilization. Hindsight is easy.

Finally, I personally think if Truman had not used the bomb out of moral scruples, and Operation Downfall had gone ahead, then America would have suffered terrible casualties. The truth about the bomb would have come out. And I think Truman would have been impeached.

[Codeine]

11. Exactly.

The annual self-loathing festival is really quite tired at this point.

[MicaelS]

12. Very much so.

I save this, and re-post it every year.

[Malmsy]

10. It's still horrifying to read about.

[struggle4progress]

13. .