LEST WE FORGET - TODAY 73 YEARS AGO

[Vincent]

1945:At 8:15 am today 73 years ago, a US B-29 dropped a single bomb over Hiroshima, and the first atomic weapon used in warfare detonated with a 13-kiloton blast, destroying nearly 5 square miles of the Japanese city.

Over 70,000 died instantly, and tens of thousands will later perish from injury and sickness.

My boarding school mathematics teacher hated the Japs. He had been taken prisoner in Burma. There were no fingernails left on the six fingers they didn’t cut off.

Read “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” by E.B. Sledge and you will see why it was necessary to drop the A-bombs.

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[Paul S.]

Gil,

I well remember reading in the newspaper or hearing on the news of seemingly dozens of Japanese soldiers being sighted or 'captured' back in the 1950s and very early 1960s. I remember that many of them were in the Philippines and all had their rifles, ammo and what remained of their kit ready to fight to the death. From the reports, most were sighted whilst stealing food or crops from native farms, or came out voluntarily because of illness or injury (including being wounded trying to avoid capture).

What struck me then as a teenager was two things; the total dedication they had to duty and emperor, and that they wasted a part of their lives for nothing, not knowing or believing the war was over. As I got into my teens and understood more, I realised that the former, their dedication, was absolutely total - that for them, there was no option duty to death. I also understood that Truman (and Roosevelt before him) given the belief that the entire Japanese nation shared that kind of Bushido mentality, with the Okinawa campaign to support that belief, had no option but to use the bombs and end the war then and there.

[Cosine26]

Hi BAR
Lest you think that I am unfamiliar with nukes, let me assure you that, as an AOB (aircraft Observer, Bombardment) I flew in nuclear capable B47’s with SAC (Strategic Air Command) during the Cold War. I was well versed in nuclear weapons and their use and capability.

As I have indicated previously, nuclear weapons are a Pandora’s Box (probably best left unopened). However I am glad that, if it had to be opened, better the US than either Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan.
IMHO
FWIW

[browningautorifle]

Lest you think that I am unfamiliar with nukes,

No sir, perhaps you misunderstand me, we follow you. We came after and follow in your footsteps. You went ahead of us, I served 35 years as an infantryman. Your words are gospel because you had more to lose if the bombs hadn't been dropped.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Paul Tibbets - Wikipedia
Was wondering last week if Capt. Tibbets was related to the missing girl in Iowa. Spelled different though.
RIP Paul Tibbets and all those brave souls who did what unfortunately had to be done and prayers for the safe return of Mollie Tibbetts.

[CINDERS]

Paul S remember they have had hundreds & hundreds of years with feuding war lords gaining control of Japan with the code of the Samurai and later the Bushido code total dedication to their lord & master or emperor where surrender was not an option the beliefs put into the civilian minds that the emperor was a demi-god and the Americans would eat them spurred the populace to a frenzy of dedication to defend till the death.
I mean they were training people to strap explosives on their backs to dive under US tanks and then detonating the charge!

[Paul S.]

Mate, My dad served in the islands, every adult male (and some of the women) his age I knew, had served and fought in some nation's (UK, US, or Commonwealth, a couple of Poles, and a few from Italy and Germany) armed forces and every theatre of war.

There were blokes I knew growing up who had been captured by the Japanese. Not one of them who had been shipped to Japan as slave labour expected to survive the war. They knew they would be butchered or used as human shields if the home islands were invaded. They knew, and made it clear to us growing up, that every Japanese man, woman and child would die defending the emperor - there would be no surrender, but for the bomb. There was a very real reason that the Allies required all Japanese aircraft have their propellers removed, etc before the US fleet sailed into Tokyo harbour for the surrender of Japan.

[CINDERS]

Operation Gunnerside: The Norwegian attack on heavy water that deprived the Nazis of the atomic bomb

[Gil Boyd]

Yes how close they were....................."Broadsword calling Danny Boy" Broadsword Calling Danny Boy" Over..........thank God for the Norwegian Resistance Movement and the Intel they captured, Where Eagles Dare...............

[Peter Laidler]

Said many times on this forum. When I was in Australia (and NZ too), all/most of the blokes who worked in our camps, the boilermen, groundsmen, maintenance workers, firemen, storemen etc etc....., you know the sort of blokes, were ex POW's and had blazer badges with the FEPOW logo. Being a singlie (a single bloke) and living in, I got to know those that worked in our workshops. What they used to say about them was horrendous beyond words. The general Australian and NZ population of the mid 60's was one of total hatred.

One day I'll mention the tree planting ceremony..............

Maybe Cinders can remind me about an incident with Japanese POW's at Cowra and how they repaid the kindness shown to them.