If we had a atomic bomb before Germany surrendered would we have used it against them?

Question

Some people have said that we used the bomb on Japan and not Germany because of raceism. Japan is a non-white country. Were they seen as somhow lower in statice then Germans?

Answer 1

No, we used the bomb on Japan because it was apparent that they were not going to surrender. When we looked at what it would cost in human lives to invade the Japanese home islands, we decided to use the bomb and see if that would induce Japan to surrender.

After using the first bomb, Japan held firm, and since we had two bombs available, we dropped the other. At this point, Japan surrendered.

As for Germany, we probably wouldn't have since we were invading from the west and Russia was invading from the east, it was pretty apparent that we could take Germany with acceptable losses.

Answer 2

There's no easy 'yes' or 'no' answer to this question. While, yes, Japanese were viewed as inferior by most Americans (why else would we put Japanese American citizens in concentration camps?), Japan was the only country during WWII that actually attacked American soil. One could argue that the US had a personal grudge against Japan for Pearl Harbor and so decided to use the A-bomb on two major population centers. It was an incredible blow to morale for their country, which then helped to hasten their surrender to the US.

What many people forget is that German-American citizens were also treated very poorly during WWII. It seems that the only nationality that Americans haven't shown racism towards are white people of British decent - British meaning England, because the Irish and Scottish were both shown disdane in the US.

As far as dirty politics go and whether or not the US would have dropped the A-bomb on Germany to win the war: There were still enough voters in this country who had family in Eastern and Western Europe who would have been devastated by the A-bomb that, my guess is, the US would not have dropped the bomb on Germany. The politician who gave that go-ahead would not have stayed in office for very long.

Answer 3

FDR received the letter written by Fermi (and others) and signed by Einstein warning what an atomic bomb could do and that Germany had an atomic program (which was headed by Heisenberg--the only Jewish scientist to not flee Germany when the Nazis took over; some say to make sure their atomic program did not succeed). FDR received this letter in the middle of 1941--i.e. before we even entered the war. One of the reasons Pearl Harbor was permitted to be bombed was so we could enter the war and make sure Germany did not develop the bomb. The Manhattan Project started at the beginning of the war in 1942. Had Germany not surrendered, our project was directed at them, not Japan. Truman had received word that the only way to get Japan to surrender was to invade. He did not want to commit to a sure loss of more casualties than had died up to that point in the Pacific theater, so Fat Man and Little Boy were dropped to shock Japan into surrender.
But, try this perspective: The US may be the only nation in history to use an atomic weapon against an enemy, but Japan is the only nation [known] to have used biological weapons on an enemy--Chinese POWs.

Answer 4

The Germans certainly thought so! They had to give the Japanese a special exemption to be considered 'legally Aryan'!

However, the more likely explanation is that we simply were not able to prepare a weapon that fast. The technology was in its infancy back then, and we are lucky that it worked at all.

We certainly didn't hesitate to use other weapons of mass effect on the Germans. Consider Dresden, a beautiful city, bombed to saturation with incendiaries, causing even stone to reduce to powder, and people in sealed bomb shelters were killed from the heat and the lack of air. Ground Zero Dresden was described as ashes, like the surface of the moon. (by the noted author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., who was an eyewitness.)

What took several hundred planes hours to do to Dresden, we did to the Japanese cities with one plane each in a moment. But we would have used atomic weapons on Germany if we had had them in time.

Indeed, if we had had evidence of the concentration camps before we physically entered Germany, it would have been difficult to restrain ourselves from using atomic weapons against the German people.

So it doesn't seem that there was any significant racism involved. On the part of the Americans.

Answer 5

Well everyone seems to like to beat up on Americans. Let me remind you that the Japanese believed they were the master race. What they did in china and to the people in the islands they conquered was pure evil. Based on a racist belief the Japanese were worse. They invaded china raped and killed women and children enslaved prisoners and worked them to death. The united states stopped trading with them due to there actions in china. They then attacked us at pearl harbor. To turn that around and call us racist after the death marches in Philippines is totally offensive.

Answer 6

Using "the bomb" on the german forces would have killed more allies in the underground than it would have saved. We didn't have that problem w/ Japan. Besides, The firebombing raids were more effective anyway.

Answer 7

We used atomic weapons to place an end to WWII. Unbelievably it took 2 of them to do the job. this is the variety of enemy we've been up against. this is beneficial to envision into what share American lives have been lost in that conflict. We had a thank you to offer up the conflict and we used it. It wasn't an easy decision by potential of ways. Now Iran is a rustic that needs to start wars and not supply up them. we don't choose volatile international places with idiots in skill to have get right of entry to to this technologies because of the fact they are going to use it to truly wreck Israel. right here interior the U.S. it demands somewhat some OKs to get the circulate forward to make a nuclear strike against yet another united states. In Iran i'm assuming that it would purely take one person and a set off. The scientists that stepped forward the A-Bomb did no longer opt to do it yet they new what the outcomes would be if Germany have been given one first. they chosen the lesser of evils. it would be obvious that we don't opt to apply our very own huge stockpile of nuclear weapons. we've them as a deterrent no longer as a potential of combating conflict. A-Bombs are undesirable for all and sundry. purely be grateful that this is oftentimes the extra responsible international places that have them. we don't choose some retard from Iran to have one. it would be a brilliant threat to peace. it would probably be a assure to an end of peace. right this is YOUR answer. Do you rather think of we've a extra useful clarification for Iran to no longer have a nuclear weapon? right that's what you mentioned. BTW how you could spell. "utilizing bombs to shop lives ,what a stuid statment! do you recognize how MANT INOCENT PPL THAT STUPIB element KILLED ,THE EFECT OF THAT BOMB nevertheless MAKES little ones TO BE BORN ill." the united statesa.and China and Russia and others tried to artwork out a cope with Iran so as that they might have get right of entry to to the technologies of coming up electrical energy utilizing nuclear reactors. The deal wasn't stable adequate for Iran and that they rejected the supply. To me it become evidence that they are not being truthful in what they say their objectives are for nuclear technologies. in the event that they get adequate centrifuges going they might strengthen weapons grade plutunium. We heavily would have enjoyed to construct a relationship with Iran even though it rather is not our fault that they are stupid.

Answer 8

one word.....
YES!