Mrs. Miller
English 12A
20 March, 2016
The Atomic Bombing of Japan
After forty-four months of increasingly brutal fighting between the Japanese and the Allies in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, an American B-29 bomber loaded with the most powerful weapon ever created by man, was headed for the city of Hiroshima. The crew was preparing to unleash the beast on an unsuspecting civilian and military population. The United States needed to do something drastic because Japan was not going to stop with their suicide bombing and threats to destroy the world. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was completely necessary to stop the Japanese and bring WWII to a close, despite the tragic outcome of the bombing.
During the second world …show more content…
He warned them to “expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” President Truman issued a statement announcing the use of the new weapon. He stated, “We may be grateful to Providence” that the German atomic bomb project had failed, and that the US and its allies had “spent two billion dollars on the greatest scientific gamble in history - and won” (Truman). In 1945, the Pacific War between the Empire of Japan and the Allies was in its fourth year. The fight was vicious and the Japanese fought fiercely. They wanted to make sure a US victory would come at an enormous cost. The US had 1.25 million battle casualties incurred during World War II. Nearly 1 million occurred during the 12 month period from June 1944 to June 1945 as a result of the German Ardennes Offensive. With this fresh in the Allies mind’s invading Japan and risking losing another Million men was not something President Truman was going to let …show more content…
The people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered the worst, most losing everything. The conclusion in which this war ended was far greater than letting Operation Downfall play out which would have killed over an estimated 2 million men, women and children.
Works Cited
Allen, Thomas, and Norman Polmar. The Radio Broadcast That Ended World War II. The Atlantic, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016. .
Cauchon, Barry. BOCKSCAR … THE FORGOTTEN PLANE THAT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB. A LITTLE TOUCH OF HISTORY, 7 Aug. 2008. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. .
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. N.p., 3 Aug. 2015. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. .
Smith, Lydia. International business times. Ed. lydia smith. N.p., 5 Aug. 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2016. .
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Long Term Health Effects. N.p., 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. .
Ham, Paul. The Bureaucrats Who Singled Out Hiroshima for Destruction. The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2016. .
Vigeland, Tess. Hirohito 's Speech: The Surrender Of Japan 's 'Living God '. NPR.org, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016. .
Wong, Herman. How the Hiroshima bombing is taught around the world. Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.