MadraptorMan
Member
What evidence was there of an immenent surrender? Even as Hirohito was to signal a surrender there was a failed attempt of a coupe by Japanese generals to stop the surrender and continue fighting. Okinawa and Iwo Jima showed just how far the military was willing to go in the face of imminent defeat. 200k is an enourous number but put that in comparison to figure of 1000000 + on the allied side alone and you have a tough choice but one that is lesser of two evils. Also if you look at photos of the aftermath of Hiroshima/ Nagasaki and. Compare it to any other allied target city and the difference would be minimal. The main difference was the A-bomb was in 1 strike. It was the factor of the end of the war and ensured the end of the conflict. Looking back in hindsight maybe the Japanese would have surrendered without it, but the choice of the A-bomb was the best at the time.
That figure of a million allied soldiers dying in a land invasion of Japan is no longer considered accurate, you know. But you are right about the other bombings of Japan being just as (or more) devastating as the A-bombs. It was just the timing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end result they produced that seem questionable to many people today, I think.