Question about hiroshima bombing,?

Question

In hiroshima bombing u.s. military said it would cost a million lives.

-what evidence do you have that this was not accurate? or not.

Japan was already beaten.

-Provide proof such as how many aircraft carriers or planes the Japanese had to fight with.

IT WOULD BE ALOT BETTER IF U GUYS PUT SOURCE ON

Answer 1

Well, without employment of the A-Bombs, many believed that an extended World War II would have cost as many as 3,000,000 (3 million) more lives.

PLEASE READ THIS AIRMAN'S PERSONAL VIEW

As he relaxed on his cot that night 60 years ago, Milton Sprouse heard the announcer on U.S. Armed Forces Radio report what had happened in Japan that day.

"They said some outfit dropped a bomb, and it destroyed a town of Hiroshima and killed thousands of people," Sprouse recalled. "I wondered what the hell that was."

None of the six men in the tent made the connection with what had been their own mission that day. Suddenly, a friend who had been listening to the radio in the next tent ran in.

"That was us!" he told the others.

Finally, after more than a year in the dark, Sprouse knew the 509th Composite Group's mission.

"That's when I knew what the hell we'd done," he said.

What the 509th had done, Sprouse, many veterans and many historians believe, was hasten the end of World War II, saving countless lives that would have been lost had the United States been compelled to invade Japan.

They also had ushered in the atomic age, and in the 60 years that followed, mankind has lived with the image of the mushroom cloud and the knowledge that the stakes of war had reached a heretofore unimaginable threshold.

In later years, some historians have questioned America's use of the atomic bombs, saying that Japan was ready to surrender and that the bombings were unnecessary and downright barbaric.

'We didn't know beans'

At 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, a 9,000-pound atomic bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima from the Enola Gay, a B-29 flown by Col. Paul Tibbets from an air station on Tinian, a Pacific island about 1,270 miles south of Tokyo.

Three days later at 11 a.m., the atomic bomb "Fat Boy" was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, from the B-29 Bock's Car, flown by Maj. Charles Sweetney.

On Aug. 14, President Harry Truman announced that Japan had surrendered. Historians believe the two bombs killed up to 120,000 people.

Sixty years later, Sprouse, 83, lives in Escondido and speaks several times a year to high school students about his days with the 509th Composite Group.

"We didn't know beans back then," the Mississippi native said. "They didn't talk to us about when we were going, what we were going to do."

Sprouse was drafted into the Army in 1943, studied with the Army Air Corps for 18 months in Florida, and was then sent to a base in Topeka, Kan., where he assumed he was waiting to be sent to the European Theater.

But then one night, well after lights out, an officer walked down the aisle of his barracks, calling his name. When Sprouse finally responded, he was told, "Pack your bags. You're leaving immediately." He had no idea where he was going or why he had been selected, and still doesn't.

Mysterious assignment

There was no official train stop for Wendover Air Force Base ---- Bob Hope used to call it Left Over Base because of its desolate location on the Arizona/Utah border ---- and Sprouse remembers the train barely stopping when their bags were thrown out and the men told to step off.

Without a building in sight, the seven men waited until a military policeman arrived to drive them to the base, where they were greeted with the cryptic sign: "What you see here/What you do here/What you hear here/Stays here."

By 1943, scientists working on the top-secret Manhattan Project were close to designing a working atomic bomb, and the government began preparing for its use. Top aviator Col. Paul Tibbets was directed to form a self-sufficient group specifically to drop the bomb, and he chose remote Wendover to train the 509th.

"He was one of the few who knew what was going on there, and we kept pressing him: 'Colonel, what are we doing here?' " said Sprouse, one of more than 3,000 men at the base.

Tibbets fed them various stories, at one time telling crews they were training to drop one-man rafts for downed pilots in the Pacific.

Cpl. Sprouse was assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, where he was on the ground crew for engine four of Big Stink, one of 15 modified B-29 Superfortress aircraft at the base.

After training for a year at Wendover, the 509th arrived on Tinian on May 30, 1945. Marines had secured the island the previous summer after a fierce, monthlong battle, but still were fighting Japanese on the southern end.

Navy Seabees from the Sixth Brigade built the largest airfield in the world on Tinian, which had six runways and was used as a base for fire-bombing raids on Tokyo.

Shortly after his group's arrival on Tinian, Sprouse heard the taunting, English-speaking Japanese disc jockey Tokyo Rose "welcome" a new squadron of "black arrow" bombers, a reference to the black arrows painted on the tails of the 509th's bombers. Shaken that Japanese spies had so quickly spotted his top-secret squadron, Tibbets had all markings removed from the bombers, which were then scattered among other planes on the base.

A sharp-eyed spy still could pick out the 509th's modified bombers, however, as the planes had been stripped of all turret guns to make them lighter to hold the massive atomic bombs.

"Little Boy" and "Fat Man" were so large, planes could not taxi over the bombs so they could be lifted into the bomb bays. Instead, pits were dug in the airfield to hold the bombs and allow enough clearance to hoist them into the planes.

Sprouse and other crew members were kept in the dark about such details. When they were called out to the flight line in the predawn hours to witness Tibbets climbing into the Enola Gay (which he had named after his mother just that day), they did not understand the hubbub surrounding what they knew simply as Bombing Mission No. 13.

"There were all these lights and photographers," said Sprouse, who remembers someone asking Tibbets to wave from the cockpit as someone snapped what was to become a famous photo from that day.

Bombing mission 13

The Enola Gay took off with an escort of six B-29s, including its backup, Big Stink. Members of the 509th were treated to a picnic with beer and country music at the base ballpark while the planes were gone, and the crew was recalled to the flight line at midafternoon to greet the planes as they returned.

Despite the picnic, the military brass swarming the base and all the photographers, Sprouse still had no hint that anything had been unusual about the mission.

But then came the radio report about thousands dead and a city destroyed. Japan did not surrender, and President Truman gave the order to drop the second bomb.

"It was a little different then," Sprouse said about the morning Bock's Car took off on the second bombing mission. "We knew what the hell the Enola Gay did, and we knew this was going to be just as bad, if not worse."

Sweeney's target was Kokura, but the city was obscured by clouds, so Nagasaki was bombed instead. The extra flight time used more fuel, and Bock's Car barely made it back to Okinawa.

Sprouse said Truman ordered two of the 509th's B-29s back to the United States to retrieve a third atom bomb, but Japan surrendered before the crews could return to Tinian.

"We applauded because we were all glad we could go home," Sprouse said about the news of the surrender on the radio.

But the men of the 509th would not be leaving for home just yet. The squadrons had to stay until November to act as a "deterrent force," Sprouse said. The 509th then was sent to its new home in Roswell, N.M. Sprouse served for 30 years, eventually becoming a flight-crew member with 1,300 hours in B-29s. He and his wife, Peggy, moved to Escondido in 1973, and he was general manager of the Escondido Swap Meet for 25 years.

Debates about the use of the atom bomb against Japan have continued for 60 years, but Sprouse said he has no second thoughts.

"I'd do it again," he said. "I've got a lot of buddies who came up to me at reunions and said, 'I was on a ship in a harbor, waiting to go over there (Japan). When you fellows dropped those bombs, I got to go home."

Answer 2

It is true that the Japanese did not have many Aircraft Carriers to fight with. It is also true that they did not have that many planes. The Americans had about a lot of Aircraft Carriers and tens of thousands of planes. However, although the Japanese had been decimated in the field, they still were very strong in their own homeland. The invasion of Iwojima attests to this. A few thousand Japanese soldiers were able to hold out against tremendous odds for weeks. The invasion of the main Japanese homeland itself would have been a hundred times worse.

This is not to justify the horrible bombing of civilians(including women and children-and non war industry workers) in dropping the first Atomic bomb in warfare. The act in itself was a great wrong. And the effects were felt for at least a generation. The dropping of the bomb itself was not wrong, given the circumstances-and henious crimes of the Japanese military, supported by most of the Japanese people. What was wrong was the place it was dropped. There is no justification whatsoever for the wanton killing of civilians. And a city is a place where there are many civilians all together in a comparitevily confined space. What should have been done was dropped more than two atomic bombs on the Japanese military and industrial infrastructure, supplies and power. Because an invasion of Japan itself would have resulted in casualties of not only allied soldiers but also civilians on a scale that makes Hiroshima and Nakasaki look like a sunday school picnic.

You are right in saying that the Japanese had not much left to fight with as most of their stuff was destroyed in the great naval battles in the Pacific, the Manchurian campaign against Zukhov's Russians and in the various defeats they suffered. However, much of war is fought with the spirit and determination of a people. And Japan was far from beaten. It was defeated-but not beaten. They would have fought like lions to protect their homeland. Hence the need for something(although not the immoral thing that was done) to be done out of the ordinary if lives were to be saved. And the source-a host of history books attesting to these facts, the memories of the survivors of the period and the common knowledge of the world. I could go to the trouble of looking up books, but if I have to do so in regards to that which is so commonly well known-then I think it is wasting both our times. As I would be trying to explain something to someone who wouldn't know enought to be explained to and I would be just duplicating what I have already lean't.

The henious and terrible crimes of the Japanese military(with the support of most of their people) are well know, well documented and justly so well despised. Evil is evil whatever suit it is wearing. A Japanese suit or an American suit. What was done at Hiroshima and Nakasaka was EVIL. As were the many crimes of the other side. You are right in your view that great evil happened on those days. What I would do is hang both groups of sons of b*****s side by side. For there is a moral right and wrong or there is not. And moral choices have physical consequences.

Answer 3

The Hiroshima bombing/with Nagasaki; were moved on after consideration of a number of elements. 1st. Shock value coupled with the estimate of 1 million lost American life's ( not to mention the estimated 10 million Japanese life's) there is no available evidence that this war time assessment was In error at the time. Japan was indeed beaten; they were not however willing to give up with out an invasion. ( much historical doc,s aval.) There were not any effective carriers or aircraft of any effective number to fight. That was not the point. Bushido was.

Answer 4

The evidence saying that it could kill millions was probaly just an estimate and that a weapon of that magnitude was never used on humans before.

Japan was not beaten, they would have killed thousands of u.s troops, who with out the atomic bomb, would have been forced to invade the island.


finally japan had few carriers left, but that would not have mattered since it would have been ground combat. planes is unkown, they had jets hidden away and probally more plane s havent even been found yet. but planes and carriers would not have mattered, the jappenese were die hard at the end of the war and would have continued to fight till the last man

and it wasn't only hiroshima, nagaskai was the other city

Answer 5

Operation Olympia was the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. It was likely to cost up to 1 million American casualties (not deaths). Deaths would have likely reached 300,000 dead Americans though and probably in excess of 2,000,000 dead Japanese (or more). This does not count Russian, Chinese, Australian, British or Indian deaths. So, at least 2.3 million dead as a result of the war continuing for at least another 5 years. (Source: Downfall written by Richard Frank).

The bombing of the two cities almost did not bring about the end of the war. There was an attempted coup by the Japanese Army and they tried to imprison the emporer. The plan was to resist, even if it meant all Japanese cities would have been leveled. However, this failed when the emporer's surrender decision was aired on Japanese radio. Japan was NOT already beaten - it was hoping for a negotiated peace with the military in charge and some of its captured territories in control of Japan. Japan had hidden considerable aircraft and was employing suicide tactics that cost the US heavily at Okinawa. The Japanese still had close to a million active troops & reserves (source: Downfall, US Military records, Truman by David McCollough).

The bombing of the two cities cost no more lives than the bombing of Tokyo or of other cities during WWII - roughly about 100,000 for each city. (source: Firestorm: the bombing of Dresden by Paul Addison).

So in human lives, the bombing saved about twenty times the lives that they cost. GREAT decision by Harry Truman.

Also see:
The Fall of Japan by William Craig
Hiroshima by John Hershey

Answer 6

The result is the source. We leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki into little pieces of gravel.

The beginning of all of this was on Dec. 6, 1941, when Admiral Yamamoto told Emperor Hirohito, "Ha So! Imperial Majesty! We gonna bomb the Yankees at Pearl Harbor! We gonna sink all that stuff!"

At that moment, the Emperor could have said, "Ha so, Yamamoto san! You really think this is a good idea to bomb the Yankees? They might get pretty bent over this."

Yamamoto and the rest could have backed down and said, "Ha so! Imperial majesty! We gonna go back and give this another think."

Instead, Yamamoto, Hideki Tojo, and the rest bombed the Yankees. Unfortunately, the Yankees bombed back. The Japanese could have avoided Hiroshima. The U.S. showered the area with leaflets and warned the Japanese government. "Ha so! Who gonna believe that!"

If the life of one single U.S. soldier could be saved by the vaporization of Hiroshima, then I am glad of it.

Answer 7

1. Japan refused to surrender.

2. The Allies opted for 'total warfare' due to the fierce & intractable nature of the Japanese.

3. Despite the massive loss of life in the fire bombings of Tokyo and other cities, more loss of life than Hiroshima & Nagasaki combined, Japan still refused to surrender.

4. The Allied plans for the invasion of the Japanese home islands, "Operation Downfall" estimated that millions of Americans and allied soldiers would be killed in taking Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall

5. The atomic bombing of two Japanese cities negated the necessity of invasion, thereby saving countless American and allied lives.

Answer 8

Hey you can do some of your own homework too.

Read up on the battle for Okinawa [by which I mean don't watch some Hollywood version], and multiply that by maybe ten thousand to get an idea of what an invasion of the home islands would have been like.

Japan was ready to fight literally to the last man standing.
Remember--it took TWO atom bombs, and at that, 1) it took almost a month for the surrender to come through after the first and 2) it was only by order of the Emperor that Tojo, the defacto dictator of Japan, sued for peace.

In one sense, yes, Japan was already beaten, but that doesn't mean they were ready to stop fighting.

Answer 9

What you are asking for is difficult to do in this forum due to length. That said, the following is from a Wikipedia file:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

Following this short summary is a table of contents leading to a great deal additional information. You will notice that the table of contents ends with additional references, additional reading, and footnotes. Through these items you should be able to reach your desired goals.

In estimating the number of deaths caused by the attacks, there are several factors that make it difficult to arrive at reliable figures: inadequacies in the records given the confusion of the times, the many victims who died months or years after the bombing as a result of radiation exposure, and the pressure to either exaggerate or minimize the numbers, depending upon political agenda. That said, it is estimated that as many as 140,000 had died in Hiroshima by the bomb and its associated effects,[1][2][3] with the estimate for Nagasaki roughly 74,000.[4] In both cities, the overwhelming majority of the deaths were those of civilians.

The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender, as well as the effects and justification of them, has been subject to much debate.

On August 15, 1945 Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers, signing the Instrument of Surrender on September 2 which officially ended World War II. Furthermore, the experience of bombing led post-war Japan to adopt Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which forbids Japan from nuclear armament.


Contents
• 1 The Manhattan Project
o 1.1 Choice of targets
• 2 Hiroshima
o 2.1 Hiroshima during World War II
o 2.2 The bombing
o 2.3 Japanese realization of the bombing
o 2.4 Post-attack casualties
o 2.5 Survival of some structures
• 3 Events of August 7-9
• 4 Nagasaki
o 4.1 Nagasaki during World War II
o 4.2 The bombing
• 5 Plans for more atomic attacks on Japan
• 6 The surrender of Japan and the U.S. occupation
• 7 The Hibakusha
o 7.1 Korean survivors
• 8 Debate over bombings
o 8.1 Support
 8.1.1 Preferable to invasion
 8.1.2 Japan chose not to surrender
 8.1.3 Speedy end of war saved lives
 8.1.4 Part of "total war"
o 8.2 Opposition
 8.2.1 Inherently immoral
 8.2.2 Militarily unnecessary
• 9 Cultural references
o 9.1 Films about the events
• 10 See also
• 11 References
• 12 Further reading
o 12.1 Histories and descriptions
 12.1.1 Online
o 12.2 Debates over the bombings
 12.2.1 Online
• 13 Footnotes

Answer 10

THAT was when we knew how to win a war. A million men or not, it's the last war we won outright and turned a bunch of savages into a civilized society.

Answer 11

It would be MUCH better if you found a source yourself, or at the very least were polite about it.