Dropping The Atomic Bomb On Japan
August 6, 1945, a bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later a second bomb was dropped on the City of Nagasaki, thus marking the end of the bloodiest war in human history. In all there were 60 million military and civilian casualties from all countries involved. Germany had been defeated and Hitler had committed suicide in his bunker, however in the Pacific war raged on with no end in sight. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito vowed not to surrender as long as there was a single Japanese standing. The only other way to defeat Japan was a direct invasion on there mainland. This would have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and possibly over a million Japanese.
President Harry S. Truman had a difficult decision to make. He could either risk the lives of thousands of US troops, or he could use a new weapon that had just been developed. A weapon with such destructive power that it’s use would put a curtain end to the war. Its code name was the “Manhattan Project”. It had been in the works for many years but only had recently been tested secretly at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The US Navy and Marines were inching closer to the Japanese mainland. The closer they got the bloodier the battles became. Harry Truman made the only responsible decision he could have. He ordered the bombs to be delivered and dropped on Japan. His decision would cost the lives of over 300,000 Japanese citizens, but it would save a lot more on both sides.
The debate rages on to this day whether it was the right decision. Those questioning Truman’s decision do it in absolute hindsight and will never be privy to the information he had at the time. They question the decision comfortably in their homes never having experienced the Hell that was World War 2. Would it have been better to lose a million people to not drop the bomb? I say defiantly not. It was the right decision. It was the only decision.
On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM. An Aircraft named the Enola Gay dropped an Atomic bomb called “Little Boy” on the city of Hiroshima. It was a warm summer morning, with the sun just above the horizon. Then out of nowhere a new sun appeared over the city. It would be the rising sun of a new age.