Need opinion: Should we have dropped the bomb on Hiroshima?

Question

Was it necessary? Yes, or no and a simple reasoning/explanation to your answer. I'm sorry, I don't need vast essays. Thanks a lot

Answer 1

We needed to show Japan our superior strength, without risking anymore American lives.

Thus, the bombing of Hiroshima was a necessary, strategic show of force.

The big question is, was it necessary to bomb Nagasaki?

Answer 2

Say that the Americans didn't drop the A-bomb. It would have been necessary then to launch a land-based invasion that would of eventually cost a million or so American lives. The loss of a few thousand in Hiroshima would be far better to deal with than losing over a million US soldiers. Dropping the A bomb was the fastest way to end the war. Yes it was the right decision.

Answer 3

In short, yes.

It was estimated that over 1 million Allied soldiers would have died in the invasion of Japan. Unlike the Germans, the Japanese were indoctrinated and instructed to fight to the bitter end. The japanese government even handed out hundreds of thousands of wooden spears to the populace to defend the Japanese Islands. The Bombs were necessary to end the war quickly and relatively neatly and actually ended up saving lives when one thinks about the 1 millions Allied troops plus the countless millions of Japanese that would have died in the evnt of an invasion.

Also, the end of WWII was not so much an end of a long conflict so much as it was a face-off and grab-bag for the Soviets and Americans. The US wanted to show the USSR it had the bomb and also prevent a Soviet landing on the Japanese islands, which, would it have happened, very well may have caused Tokyo to be the Berlin of the Pacific. Had the war gone on even a little longer, things may have turned out very differently. Ultimately, the bomb ended the war quickly before things got much more complicated and with a minimal amount of lives.

Answer 4

Yes it should of been.

Simple fact, an invasion of Japan planned for November 1, 1945 on the southern islands followed up with another invasion on March 1, 1946 near Tokyo with infantry divisions redeployed from Europe, casualty estimates ranged up to 1.5-2.0 million Allied casualties and almost 3.0 million Japanese soldiers and civilians. This was known as Operation Coronet and Olympic and approved by President Truman. He dropped the bombs to save lives believe it or not. The military saw what resistance the Japanese military put up on Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was the reference points for the casualty estimates.

Answer 5

It wasn't necessary to end WWII. Japan had already agreed to the same terms we accepted after the bombs had been dropped before we used the bombs.

They did not even after the bombs were dropped surrender unconditionally. They did keep the emporer.

I don't know if it was necessary to stop the Soviets from over running Japan or not. I understand the Russians were ready to launch an invasion of Japan. They had already over ran North Korea. The bombs were a firepower demonstration to warn off the Russians. Might have saved having a North and South Japan.

Too bad we don't have leaders like that today. Iran is providing a good opportunity for another nuclear firepower demonstration. It would be a good example to other would be members to the nuclear club. Unless you have a lot of nukes you'd be better off with none.

Answer 6

Yes. To defeat Japan otherwise would have required a mainland invasion, which it is estimated would have cost 10-20 million civilian and military lives and a great deal of money. Also the invasion would have been joined by the Soviet Union and we saw what happened in Eastern Europe after WW2.

By contrast, dropping the bomb cost around 200,000 lives and was much cheaper. Fire bombing of other Japanese cities cost many more lives and didn't cause Japan to surrender.

Answer 7

Yes...when we started the Asian campaign both sides were losing thousands of lives as fast as you could count them...dropping the A bomb was the best way to save as many lives as possible and win the war.

Answer 8

YES, the Japanese Started it, We Finished it.

In the Long run it saved both American/British/Australian lives and Japanese.

Casualty estimates for the invasion of Japan were staggering in number, some est. as high as 1 Million Allied/Japanese the first week.

Answer 9

Yes....Japan said they would never surrender. It was the only way to end the war and save lives in the end. At the time, Japan was like the suicide bombers in Iraq. They sent the kamikaze people in planes to crach into buildings to blow it up while killing the pilot of course. You can't reason with someone who is willing to kill themselves for a cause.

Answer 10

yes given the cost in lives it would have taken to get to Japan at that time made it a necessary but terrible choice.