world

Hiroshima bombing order offers glimpse into fateful day

18 Comments
By PHILIP MARCELO

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

18 Comments
Login to comment

Firstly, Japan did not "start" the war.

C'mon. This is simple history not rocket science physics. Martin's statement is true. The cowardly sneak attack @ pearl forced the US declare war. Japan started the war. (Pacific)

6 ( +9 / -3 )

History is always coloured by the lens you look through. Was the dropping of 2 atomic bombs on civilian populations morally wrong. Yes, it was. Was the Japanese WW2 military's decision to not sue for peace when things were clearly nearly over, but to drag the war on and put the same civilian population at deliberate risk morally wrong. Yes it was.

So what was the correct choice to make, the morally wrong one, or the morally wrong one? Those are the decisions that wars lead to... and that was the root problem... war. Stupid, power hungry leaders. Rampant, rabid nationalism. Inability to want to appear weak in the eyes of the voters / fellow leaders. Problems that we still have by the mountain-full today.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

At the time the B-29's flying weather reconnaissance took off, it was still unknown which of the possible primary targets--Hiroshima, Kokura, Nagasaki or Niigata--would be target for the first strike. It was when the weather planes reported that Hiroshima had clear weather that Enola Gay dropped the bomb on that city--the first option for the attack anyway since the geography of Hiroshima proved to be perfect to test the effects of the bomb.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The nuclear bombs did change the world forever and caused much suffering. However the suffering would have been much worse if America had been forced to invade Japan while the military waited for one last battle victory so they could surrender without losing face. Unfortunately the two bombs were a necessary evil.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

We did them a favor as well.

Unfortunately there is a whole generation of Americans who have been brainwashed into thinking that their very existence is a favor to mankind.

They did the Native Indians a favor by massacring them.

They did the blacks a favor by enslaving them.

They did the Chileans a favor by helping to topple a democratically elected regime.

They did the world a favor by helping create the Taliban and ISIS......, it goes on and on.

I just dont know how many favors this world can take.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Playing the victims card again, what about the Nanjing and so many other place, where IJA ply their criminals insane trade.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The Americans were neutral at first. Of course the blitzkriegs were well under way prior to '41. Japan started the war (pacific) by the cowardly sneak attack @ pearl.

So why don't people say "Japan started the Pacific war", instead of saying "Japan started the war"? When people see "the war" in a statement like that it's only fair for them to state the truth.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@Haa. Ha-ha in the dictionary, if we look up redundancy, it says "see redundant".

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The cowardly sneak attack @ pearl forced the US declare war. Japan started the war.

World War II was already well underway before this. Only Americans think this was the start of the war.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

The Americans were neutral at first. Of course the blitzkriegs were well under way prior to '41. Japan started the war (pacific) by the cowardly sneak attack @ pearl.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Japan refused to surrender. The bombing of Honshu was daily, the advancing allied forces, Germany's unconditional surrender and yet Japan did not surrender. What options were present in mid 1945?

The world was tired of war. Europe was in rubble, the Soviets started occupation of Japan, the rumors of the concentration camps were true and worse than expected, and Japan was not a kind foe. What rumors were were true in Japan in mid 1945? Treatment of US prisoners turned out to be correct.

As donkasai points out war is stupid. The leaders remain protected while the pawns pay the price. Unfortunately some nations step way out of acceptable limits just as individuals do in humanity.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The Japanese Navy was destroyed. The Army was intact in the Main Land. Not only we did our self a favor. We did them a favor as well.War they started ended immediately.

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

You can't say Japan started the war if you don't separate the Pacific war from WWII. It's that simple. Otherwise... Japan brought America into the war.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Cowardly, how about America sitting on the sidelines, until they were brought into the the First World War when Germany started to fund Mexico to attack the US. And you didn't learn the lesson in WWII when the British and her allies came to the defence of Europe when Hitler invaded Poland.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Not only we did our self a favor. We did them a favor as well.War they started ended immediately.

Do Americans still feel that way? Blimey... talk about believing everything you read...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Firstly, Japan did not "start" the war. World War Two began when Britain and France declared war on Germany in September, 1939.

Secondly, the war didn't end "immediately". The last USAAF bombing raid over Japan was a raid on the Nippon Oil Company's refinery at Akita on the night of 14-15 August. The bombs were dropped on the refinery after Japan had accepted the surrender terms.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

What Japan did with the Pearl Harbor attack... because the faulty "war declaration"... I like to believe that the reason for that was the Time lag, language barrier and bureaucracy sloppiness.. but any how.

What that attack did, aside of bringing US to the "party"... defined the US position towards the War and its position toward the NAZI party.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites