Before we dropped the bomb we had total mastery of the sea around Japan, and the air above Japan. Before we invaded we would have bombed each and every city, industrial complexes, electrical grid, and everything it takes to be a functioning society. Millions would die from our bombing, even more millions would have died of disease and starvation.
We would have lost many good men in an invasion. Their brothers in arms would have done the same thing they did when they captured Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa etc. The bomb saved several hundred thousand American lives. The bomb saved millions of Japanese lives.
The part of revisionist history that really pisses me off is the mime where they say, “We should have demonstrated to the Japanese what the bomb would do before we dropped it on them.” We did demonstrate it a Hiroshima and they did not surrender. We demonstrated it again at Nagasaki and they did surrender. They realized that we had the means and will to erase the Japanese nation, culture and people from the face of the earth. We only had two bombs that were ready and we used them. There were many other bombs in the making. We would have been able to drop a new one every few weeks after a hiatus of a few months. We had the means to destroy them completely
Oddly enough the Emperor demanded of the Japanese War Lords, Tojo etc. that they surrender. He was nothing but a figure head with no power but the respect of the people. Prior to the dropping of the bomb, the war lords would have ignored him or worse. After the dropping of the bomb, it gave the a “face saving exit” to stop the war and they did.
My dad was in the Pacific in WWII. If it were not for the bomb, I might not even be here typing these words.
Sound reasoning all. Which is scorned by those who swallow liberal fantasy about the nature of man and means of dealing with it. Likewise they condemn Biblical wars.
“...Before we dropped the bomb we had total mastery of the sea around Japan, and the air above Japan. ...”
False.
By August Allied naval forces were not opposed by the Imperial Japanese Navy (submarines excepted) in their actions south and east of the Home Islands. They still drew hostile fire when they came within range of the coasts.
Allied submarines had sortied into the Sea of Japan and waters north and west of the Home Islands in small numbers and for brief periods. No Allied surface vessels had yet ventured there. And no land air bases existed, close enough to allow Allied air power to go there.
Air superiority had not yet been established over the home Islands. USAAF’s B-29s struck targets pretty much at will, succeeding in getting in and coming back out only because of their high speed and high altitude cruise capabilities; they sustained daily losses, right to the end of hostilities. Losses were minimized only because massed B-29 raids were conducted almost exclusively at night - no Japanese night air intercept capability - and Japanese air defenses rarely attacked small bomber formations in daylight.
Despite the taking of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the Home Islands still lay at extreme range for Allied fighters. USN carrier air capabilities were too small, and possessed of such short range capabilities, that they were of no help. Too, coordination between USN and USAAF forces was poor, in some cases on purpose.