Why did America get away with bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

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Targeted bombing, surely they had the technology. It may have been a long time ago, but I don't see why couldn't have carried out targeted bombing with low flying aircraft.
You said yourself, they knew the areas were densely populated with civilians and yet they still carried out the nuclear attack. How is this not a warcrime, a genocide even? Perhaps it isn't the latter, but only in specifics; because the laws are different in times of war.

'Accurate' bombing in the context of WWII was getting a bomb within half a mile of the target [or anything inside 5miles when dropped at altitude]. Kindly know what you're talking about before spouting twoddle.

Reply 81

lonelykatana

Original post by Sani-Insanity

Just wondering

Simple: Because We won the war.
Its not right, or fair but true.

Reply 82

milkytea

The same reason that Britain got away with Dresden. They won.

The USA only really nuked Japan to test it and to show the USSR who was boss, imho. They could have ecomically sanctioned and isolated Japan until they were forced to resign/there was a revolution and the new govt resigned. There would not have been need for a land invasion, which would admittedly have been costly.

Reply 83

Sani-Insanity

When people say that people thought differently then. Did humanity and compassion only develop recently? I know that it is unavoidable for some civilians to die but for any side to deliberately target civilians, for revenge, to show power, for ANY reason cannot be justified as plausible even during war time.
If Germany had to apologise for their war crimes at the Nuremberg trials than America, whether they lost or not, should apologise for the nuclear bombs.
The bombings had a long term effects not just physically (in the term of death tolls) but also psychologically. Maybe that was America's intent, to have the whole world live in fear. To do something so dreadful that no-one dear challenge why.
I think Britain and other parts of the Allies largely let America get away with it because of the help the Americans had provided against Germany. But I think it's clear that America only really cared about protecting itself from the Japanese ever since the threat caused from Pearl Harbour.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 84

LaughingBro

Original post by Sani-Insanity

Western media says it right and it's the culture to follow blindly.

Reply 85

Komakino

Original post by Drewski

No, they shouldn't.

Stop being ridiculous. We have no more right or ability to hold the US Government to account for the actions of those that went before them [some 70yrs before them] than we have the right to chastise the modern German Government for the Holocaust, the Mongolians for Genghis Khan, the Macedonians for Alexander the Great or Berlusconi for the Romans.

This being a power that has persistently chastised other countries for seeking the bomb, and yet has never apologized for it's own use of the bomb. The people responsible for the Holocaust were, when possible, all held to account. Your argument is preposterous, the actions of the USA have left repercussions on the Japanese society, the causal effect is very much evident and far more direct than your other examples, bar Germany, but I've already covered that.

Reply 86

Charzhino

Japan will get revenge again some day

Reply 87

Komakino

Original post by Drewski

I posed a question did I not. When did I make a claim about what should of happened. Well, shut up then.
Edit: note that I said low flying, so the point about altitude is nonsense.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 88

Delaney

Original post by sango

1) Because it was seen as the most viable solution to the problem that was, at the time, Japan.
2) They were on the winning side.
3) Nuclear weapons were not seen to be such a bad thing 70 years ago.
4) Because it's America. I mean who is going to challenge them, Italy?

Sad but true.

Mainly #2.

Reply 89

Drewski

Original post by Komakino

I posed a question did I not. When did I make a claim about what should of happened. Well, shut up then.

No, you didn't. A question is usually denoted with a question mark, and a subtle turn of phrase. What you said was:

Original post by Komakino

Targeted bombing, surely they had the technology. It may have been a long time ago, but I don't see why couldn't have carried out targeted bombing with low flying aircraft.

Note specifically the "I don't see why" part. You "don't see why" because you don't know anything about the matter.

If you're going to get picky, do it right.

Reply 90

Lord Hysteria

Original post by Komakino

Nevertheless, they launched a nuclear weapon and have been the only country to ever do so. They must be held to account for this, indeed it is with the greatest level of hypocrisy that they never have been. Have they actually apologized for it?

What is this nonsense?

It is the Japanese's fault entirely, and they should be apologising to their own people.

Reply 91

Rooster523

Original post by loafer

A pretty weird precedent and moral standard to set.

You can use nuclear weapons on civilians if you reckon that an invasion would kill more people.

So - could we just have nuked Baghdad? I bet there would have been no insurgency or sectarian massacres if we had nuked the place.

Because there's no point destroying a dictator's regime if there is nobody alive to reap the benefits...

Every Japanese person would've fought to their untimely deaths

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 92

No Man

The same reason why they got away with attacking Iraq.

Because they're America aka the self-proclaimed ruling empire of the world . :rolleyes:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 93

Komakino

Original post by Drewski

No, you didn't. A question is usually denoted with a question mark, and a subtle turn of phrase. What you said was:

Note specifically the "I don't see why" part. You "don't see why" because you don't know anything about the matter.

If you're going to get picky, do it right.

True enough, I meant to put a question mark.

Reply 94

Sakapaka

Original post by meebodied

The bombing of Hiroshima cemented America's place as the new strongman on the world stage - no other country had technology approximating the a-bomb.

The US were only able to make the a-bombe because of the "Tube Alloys program"

.

Reply 95

Lord Hysteria

Original post by No Man

The same reason why they got away with attacking Iraq.

Because they're America aka the self-proclaimed ruling empire of thee world . :rolleyes:

You f*ing moron!

It's people like you that would have left Saddam Hussein to gas more Kurds. You'd probably oppose an intervention to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Kosovo. You need help!