V-J Day's 75th Anniversary: Victory Over Japan Day

[NewApp]

Thank God for the Manhattan Project. Many of us would not have been born if that bomb was not developed and used. Never ceases to amaze me when people critique Truman for using the bomb. Can you imagine the outcry if we lost 500,000 Americans invading Japan and later it was discovered that they didn’t have to die if only Truman had dropped the bomb?

There’s actually some pretty legitimate military voices on the other side of that discussion who believe we shouldn’t have.

From a historical and tactical perspective it’s actually quite a compelling discussion.

My Dad was in Europe after DDay and his entire regiment as well as many others were already receiving orders to go to the Pacific for a proposed assault on Japan.

[ah59396]

Thank God for the Manhattan Project. Many of us would not have been born if that bomb was not developed and used. Never ceases to amaze me when people critique Truman for using the bomb. Can you imagine the outcry if we lost 500,000 Americans invading Japan and later it was discovered that they didn’t have to die if only Truman had dropped the bomb?

There’s actually some pretty legitimate military voices on the other side of that discussion who believe we shouldn’t have.

From a historical and tactical perspective it’s actually quite a compelling discussion.

My Dad was in Europe after DDay and his entire regiment as well as many others were already receiving orders to go to the Pacific for a proposed assault on Japan.

I’m sure there were a multitude of options on the table including invasion.

[NewApp]

Thank God for the Manhattan Project. Many of us would not have been born if that bomb was not developed and used. Never ceases to amaze me when people critique Truman for using the bomb. Can you imagine the outcry if we lost 500,000 Americans invading Japan and later it was discovered that they didn’t have to die if only Truman had dropped the bomb?

There’s actually some pretty legitimate military voices on the other side of that discussion who believe we shouldn’t have.

From a historical and tactical perspective it’s actually quite a compelling discussion.

My Dad was in Europe after DDay and his entire regiment as well as many others were already receiving orders to go to the Pacific for a proposed assault on Japan.

I’m sure there were a multitude of options on the table including invasion.

Of course, but the best guesses pointed to another 500,000 at the least losing lives since the Japanese were using kama kazi tactics.

[ah59396]

Thank God for the Manhattan Project. Many of us would not have been born if that bomb was not developed and used. Never ceases to amaze me when people critique Truman for using the bomb. Can you imagine the outcry if we lost 500,000 Americans invading Japan and later it was discovered that they didn’t have to die if only Truman had dropped the bomb?

There’s actually some pretty legitimate military voices on the other side of that discussion who believe we shouldn’t have.

From a historical and tactical perspective it’s actually quite a compelling discussion.

My Dad was in Europe after DDay and his entire regiment as well as many others were already receiving orders to go to the Pacific for a proposed assault on Japan.

I’m sure there were a multitude of options on the table including invasion.

Of course, but the best guesses pointed to another 500,000 at the least losing lives since the Japanese were using kama kazi tactics.

Invading the island of Japan wasn’t the only option.

If you’re genuinely interested in the discussion, I think this piece from historian Ian Toll summarizes a number of the key arguments both for and against the bombs.

It’s a very complex issue and not nearly as binary as “a-bomb or invade”. And I’m someone who has a lot of admiration for Harry Truman, a President who famously had “The Buck stops here” sign on his desk.

I don’t intend to change anyone’s mind, that’s not my job. I’m just saying it’s an absolute, ongoing discussion that’s interestingly enough been going on since about 1946.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/a ... ian-w-toll