Doublereed Archive - Posting 000003.txt from 2007/02

From: "Robert A. Losinno" <roblos@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [DR-L] QOD
Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:31:55 -0500

Not only is Ed on the spot but has anyone ever considered the fact that more
people perished in the fire bombing of Dresden than Hiroshima and Nagasaki
combined? This is never seems to be mentioned. It certainly wasn't done
to scare the Russians. In fact Dresden was of little if any military
significance. It was bombed basically out of revenge for the Nazi bombing
of Coventry.

Robert

-----Original Message-----
From: gtowle83@-----.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 12:45 AM
To: doublereed@-----.org
Subject: Re: [DR-L] QOD

Ed,

I was a little kid when the war ended, but based on all I have read on this
subject you are spot on.

Best,

john
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Donald MacCourt <maccourt@-----.net>
> Ed,
> I remember ane I agree.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
> To: <doublereed@-----.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 11:21 PM
> Subject: RE: [DR-L] QOD
>
>
> > <<<This bombing (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) was not to end the war ... that
> > was already about to happen diplomatically. It was done to frighten the
> > Russians, with an object lesson.>>>
> >
> > I am very reluctant to enter this conversation, which undoubtedly is
> > about as far off-topic as we could get. However, I hate to see this
> > kind of assertion disseminated without being questioned.
> >
> > Undoubtedly, whoever wrote this is not as old as I am, and probably
> > doesn't have as clear a memory of the World War II era as I do.
> >
> > In fact, in the so-called "island hopping" that the US had been engaging
> > in, along with a few allies such as Australia and New Zealand and
> > others, was getting more costly and more tragic as the action moved
> > closer to Japan itself. As long as the disputed territories were
> > isolated islands in the Pacific, the fighting, while deadly and vicious,
> > did not reach the levels of fanaticism that were triggered when fighting
> > was taking place on areas that the Japanese considered their home
> > islands.
> >
> > By the time the fighting reached Iwo Jima, about 750 miles from Tokyo,
> > the slaughter reached higher proportions. The battle cost nearly 7,000
> > American lives, and those of 21,000 Japanese, essentially the entire
> > garrison there.
> >
> > The next step was Okinawa, only 350 miles from the mainland. Here, the
> > final toll was 12,281 Americans and over 110,000 Japanese. The Japanese
> > army had convinced the natives of Okinawa that the Americans intent was
> > to torture, kill and perhaps eat them. As a result, many Okinawans
> > killed themselves and their children.
> >
> > The next step would have been the invasion of the Japanese mainland. By
> > this time, the Japanese were training women, children and elderly men to
> > fight with any and all means at their disposal, including sharpened
> > sticks if necessary. It was assumed that every Japanese person with
> > whom the Americans would come into contact would fight to the death.
> > There would be no survivors. Estimates were that fatalities resulting
> > from this type of invasion might amount to between 500,000 and 1,000,000
> > Americans and as many as 10 million Japanese.
> >
> > It was after seeing the results of the campaigns on Iwo Jima and
> > Okinawa, and after receiving estimates and projections such as these
> > that Truman made the decision to use the atomic bomb.
> >
> > In fact, a few months previously, in May of 1945, a conventional bombing
> > campaign had decimated Tokyo, killing at least 100,000 people in one
> > night. Estimates were that at least 60% to 65% of Japan's cities and
> > industrial complex had already been destroyed. Yet, the Japanese
> > doctrine of "Bushido" would not permit any consideration of surrender.
> > In addition, certain fanatical high-ranking army officers would not even
> > allow any mention of ending the war to be presented to the Emperor.
> >
> > Under those circumstances, obviously highly condensed here, who can say
> > what decision any of us would have made in similar circumstances. To
> > many people, it seems entirely possible that Truman's decision may have
> > saved lives on both sides in the long run.
> >
> > I'm not an advocate for nuclear weapons, or for weapons of any kind for
> > that matter. However, it seems to me that we are more horrified by such
> > weapons of mass destruction because the instantaneous loss of so much
> > human life seems so tragic. This extends to other areas of our lives.
> > It always seems more traumatic when an airliner crash kills several
> > hundred people in one incident that it does that about 40,000 Americans
> > and nearly 1,200,000 people around the world are killed in automobile
> > accidents every year.
> >
> > Ed Lacy
> > University of Evansville
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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