Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Soviets entered as the bombs were being dropped, so that point is moot.
quote]
I agree with everything you said but this and I'll tell you why. The Soviets had already moved a massive amount of troops in to Asian Russia. If we had not dropped the bombs when we did Japan would (90%) have become a divided nation. This is because we would have had to take more time in preparing our invasion and this to minimize the number casualties among our own troops. The Soviets did not have a philosophy of this type and would have been willing, as they had all through the war, to sacrifice a massive number of troops to obtain territory and advance world communism. This idea was more important to them than human life..especially since many and perhaps most of the troops would not have been Russians but soldiers of other republics. But their leaders, as we have seen were as fanatical and as ruthless as the Japanese so they would have sacrificed thousands to accomplish their ends. If we wanted to stop communism in its tracks in East Asia there was nothing else we could do and even that was no guarantee. I am speaking of strategy here without arguing the moral points. That is an entirely different subject.
Nonetheless, the USSR had kept to the sidelines of the Pacific theater of war. Entering as the Bombs are being dropped was per the Potsdam Agreement, but it did not make them a factor until that moment.
Nonetheless, the USSR had kept to the sidelines of the Pacific theater of war. Entering as the Bombs are being dropped was per the Potsdam Agreement, but it did not make them a factor until that moment.
As I said that is so but because of their (the Soviets') ideology and the expansion of that ideology as well as thei disregard for human life and the size of the military it would have made them a formidable factor and japanese historians agree that they would have been on the main Island had Japan tried to prolong the war. The Japanese did not want their country divided. They had already lost Karafuto and worse the Chishima islands.
There was no need to drop the bomb in order to end the war. Japan was quickly suffocating and as an island it was cut-off from much needed supplies. They would not have lasted much longer and a ground invasion would have been quick. America dropped the bombs as a message to Russia.
There was no need to drop the bomb in order to end the war. Japan was quickly suffocating and as an island it was cut-off from much needed supplies. They would not have lasted much longer and a ground invasion would have been quick. America dropped the bombs as a message to Russia.
What message was that?
Despite the bombs, nobody stopped the USSR from turning Eastern Europe into a prison. They were not threatened with the bombs, even when they blockaded Berlin, pressured Finland or raised hell in Iran and Turkey.
Indeed we sat down with them and treated them as a partner, the agreed joint-occupations of Germany and Korea being but two examples of cooperation.
The US had a nuclear monopoly for a whopping 4 years. During that time we did not overtly threaten them and we certainly did not nuke them.
The major decision to drop the A-Bomb on Japan was to scare the **** out of them and also to save American lives from further hand to hand combat. I saw first hand the damage our incendery bombs did on being dropped on factories. Holes in the roof and the machinery all char coal black inside the bldgs which doors were boarded up and not cleaned up. Also Japan was losing raw material to repair/replace airplane damage and had resorted to using wood on some aircraft (mainly Kamakazie). I spent time at a former Kamakazie air base. Germany on the other hand was being closed in on all fronts and a A-Bomb would have been a waist as I recall. Cities and factories had been wiped out and dropping the bomb would have killed too many civiiians and maybe some non-germans too boot. It was a matter of time as Germany was being dropped to its knees. Lived it and experienced it. Steve
People can speculate to their hearts content as to what the future may hold. Recent History is best explained by those who have LIVED and EXPERIENCED the past decades of the 20th century. Books are written by many who profess vast knowledge of the past. Most of which is obtained via interviews of peoples experiences and information compiled to write their book thereby creating their own expert background of history. Too many times, credit regarding info is referred too as being from reliable sources etc. Steve
I think also that each nation writes history in the manner that best suits them or justifies their actions.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
