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RolandRahn_MatrixForum -> (7/4/2001 7:45:00 PM)
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Hello everybody,
I am sorry if this is a little off-topic, but I think that earlier in this thread there were some posts about the use of the atomic bomb with opinions about their use in WWII.
1st:
1 000 000 US casualities.
The original estimates where around 250 000 US casualties for Olympic (Invasion of Kyushu, November 1945) and Coronet (Invasion of Honshu, March 1946)
This would lead to some 60000 KIA/MIA, the rest wounded.
For the Japanese, the death rate would be very likely 10+ Millions. One of the main (and today often forgotten) reasons is that there would have been a mass starvation in Japan if the war had continued. Japan depends on fishing much more than most other countries, and the situation in late 1945 prevented fishing.
And the Japanese transportation system was going to collapse under the allied air raids, this would have prevented the transportation of food into the urban areas.
It is often forgotten that a mass starvation in 1946 was prevented only due to the shipment of approx. 800 000 tons of food from the US to Japan.
2nd:
There were other people dying on the asian mainland (mostly in China).
The Japanese were using biological weapons in China resulting in outbreaks until 1948. Had the war continued, there are estimates that every additional months of warfare would have resulted in up to 100 000 additional deaths on the asian mainland.
3rd:
There was a "peace fraction" in the Japanese goverment. However, even the doves were rejecting the idea of unconditional surrender.
Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo was one of the advocates of a quick end to the War. However, when the Japanese ambassador of Japan in the Soviet Union (Naotake Sato) advised that an unconditional surrender should be accepted if it is modified by the extension of retention of the Imperial Institution, he [Togo] rejected this proposal.
This was intercepted by the US Intelligence. The cover page of the Magic diplomatic summary of July 22, 1945, started with:
"Tokyo again says no unconditional surrender; Sato pleads for peace"
All this leads me to the conclusion that there were militarily justifiable reasons for the use of the Atomic Bombs in 1945. While I do fully sympathize with every innocent person killed or harmed by the atomic bombs in 1945 (and all other innocent victims of airraids in WWII), I think that these people were victims of the imperialist Japanese goverment.
To get a better picture of what happened in August, 1945, I can only recommend the following books:
Richard B. Frank:
Downfall. The end of the Imperial Japanese Empire.
John Ray Skates:
The Invasion of Japan. Alternative to the bomb.
Also usefull:
Dunnigan, James and Nofi, Albert:
The pacific war encyclopedia.
I must apologize for posting this here, but I could not resist to say something regarding some earlier posts in this thread. Maybe we should continue (if this is desired) to disuss this under "Matrix games general discussions" or some other place.
Kind regards,
Roland
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