Yeah people often forget that the axis also were developing nuclear weapons.

Do you think a country like 1940s Japan would not use them if they were given enough time to make one?

its a safe bet that any one of the axis powers would have bombed a major US city , if they had atomic weapons.

Yeah and germany was developing self-propelled rockets like the V1 and V2. A nuclear warhead on a V2 Rocket could have easily been launched from an Axis battleship to London or Paris, and maybe even Washington.

It was horrible. No doubt about it. The pictures that I saw in Hiroshima will forever be etched in my brain, but stories such as the ones you have told stick with me as well. Hiroshima has a couple of rivers or canals running through right where the bomb went off. I remember the guide telling us about the intense heat and that people were jumping in the rivers to get away from the fire ball but the water was boiling from the heat and they were boiled alive. Nasty stuff. But, as Gen. Forrest said, "War means fightin' and fightin' means killin'." What difference does it make if you die in an instant from a bomb or from being riddled with M1 rounds? Is there a difference in dying from radiation and starving to death due to food shortages? Dead is dead. Ultimately the bombs resulted in a lot less suffering.

So sensitive...... rolleyes:

The difference I see is that if the bomb haden't of been dropped, the casualties would have mostly been military. With the bomb being dropped, nearly all the casualties were civilian. The people that died didn't really have any control over their government or its policies.

Ninty I think you should look into the civilian deaths on Okinawa. You will find that the Japanese army made civilians jump to their dearths from the cliffs. They conscribted civilians whenever they could to augment their ranks. If the Allies would have invaded the home islands I think the Japanese people would have been wiped out.

It never happned.. so we can never really find out. + I thought Japenese culture forbid conscripting their own women to fight..

[quote="Short Hand":babdd] + I thought Japenese culture forbid conscripting their own women to fight..[/quote:babdd]i'm pretty sure that the japanese military left stockpiles of grenades and things for the women and children to give the americans hell.

Someone said that here..... but that was second hand knowledge...I am sure they did but I need something more solid backing up that they were handing out zee grenades like candy.

yeah, i dunno. I only remember hearing it somewhere--history channel or someone's word.

I've heard and read that plenty of times....It's true. Women and children were taught how to deal with paratroopers, by gouging eyes, biting, kicking etc etc

you also have to consider the technology availble at the time. There were no laser guided missles. Those bombs were state of the art at the time. A surgical strike was not possible at the time

[url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8853603/site/newsweek/:e6e18]Here[/url:e6e18] is an article from Newsweek that shows how far the Japanese were willing to go to keep from surrendering.

[quote:11fd7]A kamikaze plane came right at the Defense, but at the last instant it tilted its wings and flew right behind the ship's smokestacks. "I was staring right at the pilot," recalls Bowell. "He had a look of absolute terror. It was 'Errr, what am I doing?'"[/quote:11fd7]


[quote:11fd7]Surrounded by the Americans, they were trapped behind an outcropping of rocks. When the Americans called on them to surrender, the Japanese held grenades to their chests and blew themselves up.[/quote:11fd7]


stupid: stupid: