[Brad from Tennessee]

[That is why the two atomic bombs were dropped. millions of Japanese and Allied lives were saved, and the casualties of both atomic bombings were less than the numbers killed in the B-29 fire raids.]

The nature of this weapon at first glance was supernatural. It was unprecedented in world history and there was no known defense against it. This allowed the militarists and the emperor a measure of face saving in their surrender.

[MasterGunner01]

I remember reading stories of Japanese military and civilians getting the word: One airplane and one bomb wiped out Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. They were stunned by the destructive force and realized that there was no defense against this weapon. The Emperor's speech to his people, the first time the average Japanese had heard his voice, drove home the point that Japan would have to “endure the unendurable” and surrender. In that sense, the Japanese government and Emperor were given a way to save face — and it worked.