The Pacific

[Norrin Radd]

It's incorrect to say that the US dropped the bomb on a surrendering country. We dropped the bomb on Japan because they refused to unconditionally surrender. It's a subtle difference, but an important one nonetheless.

The argument for the atomic bomb is basically that it saved a lot of Japanese and American lives in the long run. If you look at the fierce resistance the Japanese offered up at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, a full land invasion of the home islands would have resulted in massive casualties on both sides. Additionally, many Japanese cities including Tokyo had been bombed back to the stone age and there was a full naval blockade. Even in these dire circumstances Japan still refused to surrender. From this perspective, it might have been reasonable to conclude that only an atomic bomb would have adequately forced a surrender.

As for arguments against the dropping of the bombs, you could say that part of it was a political move to force Japanese surrender to the Americans before the Russians invaded Japan. Critics also say a "demonstration" of the bomb in Japan without killing anyone would have sufficied, or that the US should have at least dropped the bomb on military targets instead of just killing civilians.

Was it wrong to force an unconditional surrender on Japan by dropping the bomb? Should we have settled for less? I don't know, maybe, but if you look at how prosperous Japan is now and what American occupation did for Japan post-WWII, its hard to argue with the results. Now if we could emulate that great clean-up job in Iraq...

All they ultimately wanted was no more U.S. occupation of their country. Ultimately, that's what it was.

So, the States dropped a nuke on the from their floating island fortress of a country (That was never in danger), and swept the credit up and have fed off it for decades.

You'll understand why it comes across as contentious.

[Lawliet1]

The US actually didn't give a shit about the jews.

It wasn't until Hitler decided to attack Europe did the USA decide to respond.

"Oh noez,the muther land this madman haz to be stopped!".

[Kintou]

wow this thread went in different way lol

[Ronin]

After I had served my time, I thought about joining up for UN peace missions. In fact it's an easy well paid job. Than I woke up and realized that i had been captured by keeping in the same way of thinking for too long and had completely lost perspective.

The whole idea is insane.

@the series:
I am missing the analyses of conflict that the others where (Generation Kill and Band of Brothers) . There is no 2 sides to the trailer, which leaves my wondering if it will be pure propaganda.

In GK, they left a lot of the book out which was a tad more critical, but the complete picture remained a critique, though a glorification.

I am not "technically" interested in the pacific theater, so this aspect doesn't tempt me either.

I guess that I will watch it, because I liked BoB (though their supposed "ridiculousely hard bootcamp" was pretty chill).
The show had a sense of being told "from memory" over really being there in the moment, but it had some good parts.

@Norrin:
People are voyeurs. They can't help it.