August 6, 1945

[68RR]

My very good friend posted this on a website we both frequent.. from the eyes of a WW2 vet:

August 6, 1945!!!!!
The day they dropped the A-Bomb!! The event that for all practical purposes ended WW II, two weeks short of six years of worldwide slaughter. Not once have I heard it mentioned either on local or Natl'l. news programs. Over the years we have been deeply criticized for using it, by bleeding heart liberals and jap(anese) sympathysers. The casualties caused by the two bombs were miniscule to what the casualties would have been had we had to invade the home islands of japan. The Armed Forces of both the U.S. and Australia. heaved a sign of relief. I had just spent 3 years in the S.W. Pacific, and like thousands of others had no desire to continue into Japan. I am a bit surprised I didn't find it mentioned on this Forum. But then I guess there are not many left on the Forum that were a part of our Armed Forces on that day. I could not let the day go by without mentioning it. Dec. 7, 1941 started it for the U.S. Aug. 6, 1945 ended it.
Jack Heyn, Photo Section
3rd Bomb. Gp., 5th Air Force

[dee]

The us casualties numbers would have been horrific if it wasn't for the two bombs.

[F8LSVT]

x2 I'm glad we had them to drop. The Japanese govt brought that destruction upon themselves.

[Gasser64]

and how many of them gutted themselves because theyd lost

[Strychnine]

Aug 9, 1945, Nagasaki

[YALE]

The us casualties numbers would have been horrific if it wasn't for the two bombs.

Theirs were also projected to be higher.

[dee]

Theirs were also projected to be higher.

I haven't seen where they expected their casualties to be higher if we had went ashore on Japan. Most I've read compared to the casualties it took to win iwo and figured it would be substantially worse. I have no doubt our guys would have wrecked shop but it would have been at a large cost. Another issue was the fact that the life they were ingrained into against anyone outside of Japan was going to be difficult dealing with.

[YALE]

I haven't seen where they expected their casualties to be higher if we had went ashore on Japan. Most I've read compared to the casualties it took to win iwo and figured it would be substantially worse. I have no doubt our guys would have wrecked shop but it would have been at a large cost. Another issue was the fact that the life they were ingrained into against anyone outside of Japan was going to be difficult dealing with.

Yup.

[Moose242]

"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one."

-Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad-Gita on the bomb