RE: First atomic bomb - 58 years ago today

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

Milton,

I was not refering to carpet bombing, but the use of

aircraft to hit cites as strategic targets.  Since I

did not keep notes of my readings, let's call it a

"wash."



Because atomic weapons were to be the strategic weapon

of choice, I guess you can say that wars since WWII

have become more humane, with the limited attacks on

cities and the use of smart bombs.



I am sure this comment will open up another wave of

postings on cities that have been shelled and bombed

in recent conflicts.  However, I cannot see how the

damage done recently can compare to cities like Tokyo

and Dresden during WWII.



--- "Chilton, Milton W." <chilton@nv.doe.gov> wrote:

> John, I believe one correction is in order based on

> your comments. I am only

> an amateur historian, however, I believe it was the

> Germans that initiated

> "Carpet Bombing" against not only Industrial targets

> but also including

> civilian targets in Europe. Then yes the British and

> eventually the US

> followed suit (One reason for carpet bombing was the

> difficulty in

> accurately hitting a discrete target such as a

> munitions plants particularly

> while being attacked by fighter aircraft and

> anti-aircraft fire that at

> times destroyed 30% or more of the attacking

> forces.). Also I believe the

> Japanese were using such bombing well before the war

> in Europe in order to

> create chaos and confusion on the highways to

> prevent movement of the

> Chinese forces. The idea from the Japanese

> perspective was to bomb civilian

> targets to force evacuations which then clogged the

> highways so that the

> Chinese Army found it very difficult to move. My

> understanding is that it

> was a very effective strategy.

> 

> I believe if you look at history you will find it

> full of examples of gross

> inhumanity by many military powers. However, I do

> think you will find few

> examples that equal the efforts of the United States

> to limit collateral

> damage and to treat prisoners and civilian

> populations humanely. No the US

> is not perfect, however, I would definitely prefer

> to live with the history

> of the US rather than the history represented by

> many other countries. One

> thing we should all keep in mind is the number of

> Japanese lives that were

> saved by the end of the war prior to an invasion.

> Again I don't recall exact

> numbers, however, my best recollection is that while

> we were talking 1-2

> million US casualties the number of dead and injured

> Japanese were expected

> to be in the 10 million plus range.

> 

> Take care.

> 

> Milton

> . . .



=====

-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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