The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bomb

The Atom Bomb: Why?
On the morning of August 6, 1945, Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Little Boy was the first nuclear weapon to be used during a time of war. The explosion immediately killed an estimated 70,000 people. On August 9, 1945, the B-29 Superfortress carrying “Fat Man” dropped its payload on the city of Nagasaki, killing approximately 39,000 suddenly (Burr). This was the second and last time nuclear weapons would be used during wartime. Six days later, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender and signed the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri on September 2. Many questions arose after the end of the War concerning whether the United States should have dropped the atomic bombs. The use

The invasion was planned to take place towards the end of the year. The invasion of the Japanese mainland would have been an extremely costly and difficult operation. The United States would have had to fight millions of trained Japanese soldiers on Japanese soil. Conservative estimates calculated 500,000 American casualties; this was considered a best-case scenario where the military would be able to devise the most effective tactics to defeat Japanese defenses. Some estimates even reached into the millions (Giangreco 539). Many soldiers who had just finished fighting the war in Europe were redeployed in the Pacific in preparation for the invasion. Operation Downfall would require for many young American men, Japanese soldiers, and civilians to die in order for the United States to capture the Japanese islands and force the Japanese to

In a desperate attempt they ordered “Kamikaze” pilots to die for their country and emperor by flying airplanes loaded with fuel and explosives into American ships. Many soldiers volunteered as it would be considered an honor to die. As the United States eased closer to the Japanese homeland, The Japanese leadership formulated Ketsu-Go, or the Decisive Operation. This plan called for extinction before surrender. Many civilians including women and children would have been involved in this operation. According to Total War, “The people would defend their nation with sharpened bamboo spears. They would strap explosives on their children and throw them under American tanks” (Davis 23). The thought of this is horrifying. The use of the most destructive weapons ever created was the only way to break the warrior’s will and forced the Japanese to surrender, ending the kamikaze attacks and prevented the horrendous “Decisive