VJ Day

[Derk 265]

...today, 68 years ago.... My father (narrowly survived working on the Birma railway) and my mother, 2 brothers and sister (almost starved to death in the Japanese Banju Biru camps near Ambarawa at Java) came out alive. I was born after the war and owe my life to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, it's as simple as that, as the Japs were not going to let anyone survive in the camps in case of an invasion of the Jap mainland....

Edited August 26, 2013 by Derk

[MAKO69 186]

On this day in 1945, Japan learned of the official surrender of Japan through Emperor Hirohito's radio broadcast. Just one of many examples of how war has a lasting effect on people of such a proud nations. Remember their are veterans on both sides of a war. For the soldiers on the line they may not want to be there, but a good soldier will follow orders. I feel the perfect warrior is one who is a highly trained soldier who is never called upon to use their horrific skills of their trade, however; as long as there are those out there that not only wish, but actually do harm to others and their nations. I'm afraid the perfect warrior will not exist for a long time.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw90C4MpHrQ

...today, 58 years ago.... My father (narrowly survived working on the Birma railway) and my mother, 2 brothers ans sister (almost starved to death in the Japanese Banju Biru camps near Ambarawa at Java) came out alive. I was born after the war and owe my life to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, it's as simple as that, as the Japs were not going to let anyone survive in the camps in case of an invasion of the Jap mainland....

68 years ago right?

[Derk 265]

 

On this day in 1945, Japan learned of the official surrender of Japan through Emperor Hirohito's radio broadcast. Just one of many examples of how war has a lasting effect on people of such a proud nations. Remember their are veterans on both sides of a war. For the soldiers on the line they may not want to be there, but a good soldier will follow orders. I feel the perfect warrior is one who is a highly trained soldier who is never called upon to use their horrific skills of their trade, however; as long as there are those out there that not only wish, but actually do harm to others and their nations. I'm afraid the perfect warrior will not exist for a long time.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw90C4MpHrQ

68 years ago right?

 

Oooops, you're right.....

[+DoctorQuest 119]

I am just glad it ended before my dad (a B-29 gunner) ever had to see combat. I may not be here otherwise.

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

It is sad that Peace occured only after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after terrible bombings on anything urbanized in the Home Islands, after Japan had passed the edge of starvation. But to be honest, most of Eastern Asians would not have felt sad if the whole Archipelago and all of the Japanese race had been erased by nukes from the face of the World. The problem is that most of Eastern Asia would probably not feel sad either would it happen today. Japan should have shown repentance for mass crimes then, and humble modesty thereafter, in the way Germany has, which made this country reputable again to its neighbours.

[Derk 265]

It is sad that Peace occured only after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after terrible bombings on anything urbanized in the Home Islands, after Japan had passed the edge of starvation. But to be honest, most of Eastern Asians would not have felt sad if the whole Archipelago and all of the Japanese race had been erased by nukes from the face of the World. The problem is that most of Eastern Asia would probably not feel sad either would it happen today. Japan should have shown repentance for mass crimes then, and humble modesty thereafter, in the way Germany has, which made this country reputable again to its neighbours.

Very mixed experiences with that. My brother was president of the National Remembrance Committee for a couple of years and knew some Japanes ambassadors who did very well in these matters (but part of it off the record) . In Japan however things are different in lots of cases..........

[+Jug 99]

_{I don't share the 'Nuclear Guilt' of some Americans.  The Jap military ate some of our captured PoWs for dinner, literally, and some of their other atrocities, like Nanking, do not approach the scale of Hitler's reprisals or Stalin's purges, but are, nevertheless, vicious and appalling.  The fact that the samuri sons of the rising sun needed to see a rising sun on their own turf to realize that they are only part of the human race and not the Lords-of-All they perceived themselves as at that time was just the price they paid for the error of their ways.}

[+Dave 2,321]

_{I don't share the 'Nuclear Guilt' of some Americans.  The Jap military ate some of our captured PoWs for dinner, literally, and some of their other atrocities, like Nanking, do not approach the scale of Hitler's reprisals or Stalin's purges, but are, nevertheless, vicious and appalling.  The fact that the samuri sons of the rising sun needed to see a rising sun on their own turf to realize that they are only part of the human race and not the Lords-of-All they perceived themselves as at that time was just the price they paid for the error of their ways.}

 

Well said Jug. They started it, we finished it. No guilt here about using the bomb. Saved over a possible million US and Allie causalties.

[FrankTB 14]

Interesting story Derk I no doubt they ultimately ended up saving many allied lives. My much older brother was in the J force which helped rebuild the infrastructure in Japan and brought home quite a few photo's from they A bomb sites interestingly he did not glow in the dark but he did die a couple of decades ago of bone cancer. think I may still have those photo's some where.

[shotdown 8]

Well said Jug. They started it, we finished it. No guilt here about using the bomb. Saved over a possible million US and Allie causalties.

 

I don't think allies would suffer so many casualties if they had invaded. BUT I think japanese casualties might have been much more than that, so I think the nuclear bombs were the lesser evil in the end.

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

WE WON.

[Fubar512 1,350]

I don't think allies would suffer so many casualties if they had invaded. BUT I think japanese casualties might have been much more than that, so I think the nuclear bombs were the lesser evil in the end.

 

The projected combined casualties were 1.27 million for Kyushu alone, nevermind the remaining home islands.  http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2009/June%202009/0609invasion.aspx