Dropping the Atomic Bomb. Allishia Sewell and Ciana Hughes

Setting the background. In the spring of 1945, after the devastating suicide of the then-leader, Adolf Hitler, German military forces had almost no probability of winning the second world war. They surrendered to the western allies on May 7, and then surrendered to the Soviets two days later. Ultimately ending the war in Europe. While the Germans surrendered, the Japanese were obeying the rule of ‘Bushido’, or simply fighting to the death. Their supplies were quickly depleting as the war was coming to an unexpected end.

Setting the background. The Japanese were completely unaware that the Americans had been testing out the atomic bomb two years prior to the actual dropping in 1945. After successfully detonating it at the Trinity testing site in New Mexico, American military leaders decided to utilize the weapon as way to end the war once and for all.

Dropping the bomb. On August 6th, 1945, at approximately 8:15 am the first atomic bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima by B-29 pilot bomber, Gen. Paul Tibbets. After exploding 2,000 feet above ground, the blast killed 80,000 people instantaneously.

Dropping the bomb. 3 days later, Aug 9th, ‘Fat Man’ was dropped above Nagasaki by Charles Sweeney. After exploding 1,540 feet above ground, the second bomb kills an estimated 75,000 citizens immediately. Ultimately prompting Japan to surrender 6 days later on Aug 15, 1945.

Justification for the bomb. Pros. Japan military forces had demonstrated an enduring resistance tactic. They used mass suicide bombings and kamikaze attacks to try and fight to the end. It was believed that other militaristic methods would have ultimately killed an estimated hundreds to thousands more deaths than the dropping of the two bombs itself. It was the only way to cease Japanese resistance entirely and end the war quickly. An invasion would have ended in more casualties on both American and Japanese sides.

It asserted the capability and authority of American forces. Pros It asserted the capability and authority of American forces. Americans wanted revenge from the bombing of Pearl Harbor and torturing POWS in prison camps. Japan military forces had demonstrated an enduring resistance tactic. They used mass suicide bombings and kamikaze attacks to try and fight to the end. Innocent American civilians and soldiers were killed by the surprise attack as well as Japanese officers torturing prisoners of war by methods of starvation, execution, experimentation and forced labor.

Justification for the bomb. Cons. Japan was already devising to surrender. A ‘simple’ bombing over a Japanese naval base could’ve provoked the Japanese to surrender with a smaller death toll. Japanese militaries were beginning to run out of supplies and their troops were depleting rapidly. A bombing similar to the bombing of Pearl Harbor could have been the perfect amount of force to drive the Japanese to surrender, all while saving innocent lives.

Justification for the bomb. Cons. Not igniting the bomb would have been a huge waste in money that was spend developing the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. Government officials, including then-president Harry S. Truman, wanted to display their weaponry - especially to the Soviets – and essentially show off the American dominance at that time. It was only detonated to justify the $2 billion budget to conceive the weapon. Numerous innocent civilian lives were taken just to show political power.

Justification for the bomb. Our collective belief is that the use of the atomic bomb was in fact essential to the ending of World War II however its force was too extreme and alternate usages could have been applied. The bombing itself has drastically effected the Japanese generations to come, by afflicting them with high risks of radiations, cancer, and various other medical fatalities. Alternate Solutions: One bomb instead of two. Lower levels of toxic substance in the bombs. A strategically planned series of mini bombing s.

‘…the murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war…’ * War crime. A war crime is defined as ‘Any action carried out during the conduct of war that violates the international rules of war’. Examples of war crimes can be described as: ‘…murder, the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps…’ * ‘…the murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war…’ * ‘…the wanton destruction of cities, towns and villages, and any devastation not justified by military, or civilian necessity…’ * *According to Wikipedia

War crime. By definition, the use of the atomic bomb could have been ruled as a war crime, however since this kind of weaponry had never been used before the classification of it as a war crime cannot be entirely justified.

Aftermath. No one had anticipated the damage the atomic bomb had done, but it’s destruction has definitely made it mark on Japanese territory. Japanese citizens have reported suffering from mutations, extreme trauma, deformities in children, and innumerable other cases of medical aftermaths.

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