The Atomic Bomb: A Strategic Decision in Winning

The Atomic Bomb: A Strategic Decision in Winning
World War II

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki marked the end to the world’s largest military conflict. Although many debates have surfaced over the ethics of such an attack, I feel that it was more than justified.

Looking back it is easy to see that the bomb itself caused massive amounts of casualties. In addition to that, there were many more casualties amongst the survivors of the blast due to the unknown effects of radiation. As bad as that sounds, these horrible deeds were not committed without reason. Despite the appalling effects of such a weapon, it did offer the best choice for a quick and easy defeat of Japan.

President Truman, who authorized the use of the atomic bomb, made a very wise strategic decision under the circumstances of the war. The nuclear bomb was a necessary last resort for several reasons. These reasons included the Japanese refusal to surrender, the immense amount of allied casualties involved in invading the Japanese mainland, and the inadequacy of a military blockade in forcing Japan to surrender.
In lieu of the atomic bomb, there were several other conventional methods that were suggested to force Japan to submit. These techniques included a naval blockade, an extensive aerial bombardment , and/or an invasion of the island of Japan. However, each of these options had considerable drawbacks.
Although Japan posed little or no offensive threat to American forces, the Japanese were still the most tenacious of the American foes throughout the war.

Throughout the battles of Okinawa, Wake, and Guam the Japanese exhibited their willingness to die in the face of overwhelming odds. A perfect example of their attitude in battle is seen through the kamikaze pilots. Japanese fighter pilots would strap themselves into planes filled with explosives and then fly directly into American ships, hence sacrificing their own lives for the greater…