Last Surviving Enola Gay Crew Member Who Nuked The Japs Over Hiroshima Dies

[LoneLaugher]

Here's a pretty good summary.

Was Hiroshima Necessary?

 

[R.C. Christian]

Too be perfectly pragmatic, the first drop was as much an experiment as it was a necessity. That sounds harsh, but in the minds of a scientist it's simply data. Be that as it may, they didn't have enough for a 3rd so they put it all on the line.

I always thought Tibbets was a little to gung ho on camera. A little too mean, but then again I wasn't born until 69 so I can't put it all in context. I'll leave to God to sort it out.

 

[Peach]

If the U.S. had to invade Japan it's self military planners estimated the death toll would have been well over a million if anyone thinks that number is inflated look at the death toll in the battles of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa then look at the population of Tokyo and keep in mind anyone who could carry any type of weapon no matter their age would be sent into battle. As destructive and harsh as they were the atomic bombs likely saved lives on both sides.

Truman's advisors believed this to be the case, and while Hitler's meglomaina is better known, Tojo also would accept nothing but Japan as predestined ruler of all Asia. Nanking was a horror, and the Japanese people, both military & civilian, warned of torture & destruction should they surrender. Thus, "fight to the last soldier" was the "only option" available, sayeth Tojo.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

These men had to live with the knowledge of what they had done - the horrendous murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents for no reason at all.

For all time, this will be a stain on humanity and on the US.

May he rest in peace and know that he was not to blame for the terrible decision made by his superiors who never had to face the consequences for their crimes.

Shall I once again link to the page on source documents that PROVE Japan had no intention of surrendering? That even after the first Atomic Bomb they had no intention of surrendering and after the second the only reason they surrendered was because the Emperor intervened? And even then the Army attempted a Coup to stop the Surrender?

An invasion of Japan proper would have resulted in the deaths and wounding of around a million troops on our side and the loss of MILLIONS of Japanese civilians. The Japanese intended to human wave assault the beach landings with civilians armed with Bamboo spears all able bodied civilians old enough to arm themselves was to charge the beaches.

Your IGNORANCE is proven once again by idiotic statements based on lies and misinformation.

The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources

 

[shart_attack]

Here's a pretty good summary.

Was Hiroshima Necessary?

Nobody wants to read your blog, idiot.

It sucks enough that we hafta read your posts here.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The Nips were done, they had no fuel supplies, faced a total blockade, and unrest at home.
It wasn't necessary for any other purpose other to impress Stalin.

Liar. Moron and charlatan. The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources Proof the bombs were needed. SOURCE Documents that prove the Japanese would not surrender and even after the Emperor ordered the Surrender the Army attempted a Coup to stop it.

 

[Peach]

The Nips were done, they had no fuel supplies, faced a total blockade, and unrest at home.
It wasn't necessary for any other purpose other to impress Stalin.

Liar. Moron and charlatan. The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources Proof the bombs were needed. SOURCE Documents that prove the Japanese would not surrender and even after the Emperor ordered the Surrender the Army attempted a Coup to stop it.

The Emperor had been on the equivalent of house arrest; after Hiroshima, some civilians lost faith in the monster Tojo, civil war was also possible........in any event, many more deaths ;olely than the two horrors. Yes the USA warned, in ever dialect of Japanese known, but where could the civilians go; a few escaped to the mountains. The firebombing of Dresdan took 25,000+ live, by comparison.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Here's a pretty good summary.

Was Hiroshima Necessary?

Nobody wants to read your blog, idiot.

It sucks enough that we hafta read your posts here.

Did I tell you that I was linking to my blog?

 

[blackhawk]

If the U.S. had to invade Japan it's self military planners estimated the death toll would have been well over a million if anyone thinks that number is inflated look at the death toll in the battles of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa then look at the population of Tokyo and keep in mind anyone who could carry any type of weapon no matter their age would be sent into battle. As destructive and harsh as they were the atomic bombs likely saved lives on both sides.

Truman's advisors believed this to be the case, and while Hitler's meglomaina is better known, Tojo also would accept nothing but Japan as predestined ruler of all Asia. Nanking was a horror, and the Japanese people, both military & civilian, warned of torture & destruction should they surrender. Thus, "fight to the last soldier" was the "only option" available, sayeth Tojo.

Here is a little more background on Japan of that era the Japanese of that time considered surrender the act of a coward and doing so would dishonor themselves and their family and at that time honor was one of if not the most important thing to the Japanese. Second going into late 1944 into 1945 Japan knew they could not win the war and their goals went from not trying to win the war or even hold the islands the Americans were advancing across but to inflict the maximum number of causalities on the Americans to try and get us to agree to a conditional instead of unconditional surrender of Japan. This mindset was highlighted in the book The Ultimate Battle Okinawa when the Japanese defending Okinawa were told there goal was to kill ten Americans before they were killed last even after the two atomic bombs were dropped a group of military officers launched a coup to try and overthrow the Emperor and prevent his surrender announcement from being broadcast.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

No. There's never a good reason to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

Like Bush and Iraq - its just wrong.

The US should better than this and I'm very sorry we're not.

Typical lib.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

I wished I would have got around to shake this brave American patriot's hand for a noble deed he did for the United States of America. He and the Enola Gay crews actions saved America from sending in up to a million servicemen from having to invade the Japanese homeland.


Last surviving Enola Gay crewman dies in Stone Mountain | www.ajc.com

And in fact speaking of shaking hands, I did just that about twenty years ago, as I was fortunate enough to stand in line and shake the hand of Paul Tibbets.

 

[2aguy]

Yeah, the America haters are out...it is nice to be able to second guess decisions made in a time of global warfare with the benefit of having years of research after the war when it can be comfortably studied from our easy chair...here is an article looking at the attempt to lie about Japan's willingness to surrender...

History News Network | The Greatest Hoax In American History: Japan?s Alleged Willingness to Surrender During the Final Months of World War II

 

[DigitalDrifter]

It didn't have to be done.

Quite right, we could have continued a campaign of fire bombing, and then eventually a ground invasion which would have been protracted, and would have cost the lives of thousands of GI's, and in the end would have probably led to an ebbing support back home, and would have ended up in a vague defeat of the Japanese military.

Or we drop a bomb the world had never seen, and so convincingly broke the back of the enemy, that they surrendered in just a handful of days after both targets were obliterated.


In the end, it's fortunate for America and the American people that war protesters were scarce during WWII.

 

[2aguy]

With the modern left in control of the media, Hollywood and education we could not have fought and won World War 2....

 

[2aguy]

and more on why we had to drop those bombs...

Articles: No more self-flagellation on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The historical record is rich with examples of barbaric Japanese behavior towards its enemies, some dating as far back as ten years prior to the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But few people outside of Asia remember that Japan exploited millions of slave laborers, forced hundreds of thousands of women and girls to work as prostitutes serving their armed forces and killed outright millions of civilians and several hundred thousand Allied prisoners—of—war. Even fewer realize that Japanese scientists developed and used biological weapons on Chinese civilians and American prisoners—of—war—the only use of such weapons during World War 2—and were in the process of developing atomic weapons themselves when the war ended.

 

[hazlnut]

So sad that a true hero gets remembered here by a bigot pig like StevieG.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Had no idea so many of you fought in WWII.

 

[Vandalshandle]

The Soviets had just declared war on Japan, and were advancing rapidly from the East. Our failure to end the war quickly would have given the Soviets an opportunity to spread their influence over the Pacific, just like they did in North Korea and China. Truman did the right thing.

 

[auditor0007]

These men had to live with the knowledge of what they had done - the horrendous murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents for no reason at all.

For all time, this will be a stain on humanity and on the US.

May he rest in peace and know that he was not to blame for the terrible decision made by his superiors who never had to face the consequences for their crimes.

War is ugly. While Japan would have surrendered eventually, at what cost would it have come? It never would have happened had Japan not attacked Pearl Harbor.

 

[auditor0007]

It didn't have to be done.

Quite right, we could have continued a campaign of fire bombing, and then eventually a ground invasion which would have been protracted, and would have cost the lives of thousands of GI's, and in the end would have probably led to an ebbing support back home, and would have ended up in a vague defeat of the Japanese military.

Or we drop a bomb the world had never seen, and so convincingly broke the back of the enemy, that they surrendered in just a handful of days after both targets were obliterated.


In the end, it's fortunate for America and the American people that war protesters were scarce during WWII.

There was one other major reason for our dropping those two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagisaki; the US government was out of money and may not have been able to sustain a continuing war against Japan.