Little Boy dropped 64 years ago, today.

Cosimo · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:43

cheets64 said:
What did it achieve, we came out of WW2 into the cold war and are to this day we are still fighting in wars in the name of peace.

There will always be wars but we are not chucking nukes at each other.

Westyfield2 · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:43

Jeff Lynne said:
It was a necessary evil wasn't it?

Correct.

Japan would not have surrendered, ever. Even though it was blatantly obvious they couldn't win they were going to carry on until the bitter end, wasting more and more lives on both sides.

Flukester · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:43

cheets64 said:
What did it achieve, we came out of WW2 into the cold war and are to this day we are still fighting in wars in the name of peace.

We have not had a world war since... cold war was a good war, a war that no one fights, thats the good that came out.

Fighting 'in the name of peace' has to be done, you cant burry head in sand and hug tree's to make rogue states back down

Makunouchi · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:44

Nomisf said:
I think either way you look at it, at some point in history this had to happen for our own development and understanding - mind you, doesnt make it any less horrific.

That's terrible reasoning. Are you saying it's only possible for us to learn through mistakes? There are some mistakes we can't afford to make.

Captain_Slick · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:44

cheets64 said:
What did it achieve

The end of WW2 in the Pacific, and safeguarded the 1,000,000+ American soldiers and many millions of Japanese lives it would have taken to conventionally end the war. :confused:

cheets64 · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:44

RDM said:
Weren't more killed in the firebombing of Tokyo? As for sickening attacks surely it depends on how you define attack? Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler all perpertrated many more deaths than the atom bombs.

I think the fact that people were going to work/school and next minute they are gone, turned into ash from the 4000c fireball. Hell on earth, I don't think anything else comes close to being more sickening.

RDM · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:44

cheets64 said:
What did it achieve, we came out of WW2 into the cold war and are to this day we are still fighting in wars in the name of peace.

However since it has been dropped there have been no full wars between the major international powers. Without the atomic bomb acting as deterent Russia and the West would have come to blows and a third world war would likely to have ensued.

Chimerical · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:45

Makunouchi said:
Rubbish, you talk as if there was no lead up or contributing factors at all, one day the war just 'started' and the Japanese became evil overnight?

As ryujinjakka said they had this new bomb they had just invented and were itching for an excuse to see it's effects.

World's smallest violin...

Then Japan shouldn't have been so retarded as to attack them. No-one forced them to do it and by doing so, they brought the full weight of American retaliation down upon themselves. I'm no fan of nukes and I don't think any of America's wars after WW2 can be justified but dropping a bomb on a country that attacked you? Yeah, fine.

cheets64 said:
I think the fact that people were going to work/school and next minute they are gone, turned into ash from the 4000c fireball. Hell on earth, I don't think anything else comes close to being more sickening.

Well no, the sickening part was with those who survived the blast somehow but got radiation poisoning. Those killed in the blast would have been dead in a instant, no suffering.

Jeff Lynne · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:46

And weren't both sides developing their own atom bombs? It was just a case of the allies getting in there first. It was either us or them.

(or am I wrong about that?)

Richeh · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:46

The Japanese would never surrender, if the bomb wasn't dropped there is a good chance the war could have gone on for a couple of years more.

Shock value was really the only thing they could hope for to make the Japanese surrender, luckily they realised after Hiroshima that they couldn't win and if they did keep fighting could have lost half of Japan in the struggle.

As people have said, a necessary evil. Bombing a military base wouldn't have shown the scale of what could happen so unfortunately it needed to be a city with civilians.

RDM · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:46

cheets64 said:
I think the fact that people were going to work/school and next minute they are gone, turned into ash from the 4000c fireball. Hell on earth, I don't think anything else comes close to being more sickening.

I would disagree, there are many worse ways of dying than being turned instantly to ash.

Tefal · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:46

Makunouchi said:
Yes, because deterrents really work don't they? If that was true there would have never been another war ever again...

emm yes they do work. If it weren't for nuclear weapons the cold war would not have stayed cold.

And they only work between nuclear powers.

Captain_Slick · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:47

cheets64 said:
I think the fact that people were going to work/school and next minute they are gone, turned into ash from the 4000c fireball. Hell on earth, I don't think anything else comes close to being more sickening.

Well, I'd argue that the Holocaust was more sickening.

Nitefly · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:47

If people are trying to justify Hiroshima, can anyone try to justify Dresden?

V4NT0M · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:47

RDM said:
I would disagree, there are many worse ways of dying than being turned instantly to ash.

I guess that makes it ok then.

Someone lock this thread, it's going nowhere.

Captain_Slick · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:48

Nitefly said:
If people are trying to justify Hiroshima, can anyone try to justify Dresden?

No. The Bombing of Dresden was truely unnecassery and I won't try to defend it.

RDM · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:49

Skyfall said:
I guess that makes it ok then.

Someone lock this thread, it's going nowhere.

Where did I say it was OK? I just disagree with it being the worst example of humanity and the worst way to die.

Tefal · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:49

cheets64 said:
Hell on earth, I don't think anything else comes close to being more sickening.

Vivisection of live pows is more sickening tbh.

Fenris · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:50

Personaly, I am glad a nuclear weapon was dropped early before they had the ability to rip continents apart and EVERYONE had them.

Obviousely, if the world were perfect I would wish events like that never had to occur, but in this world, it just had to to make us understand the severity of the power we posess.

cheets64 · 6 Aug 2009 at 13:51

I love the way people are saying well it stopped another world war, nobody knows what would have happened if the bombs had never been dropped. Stop talking out of your bottom .