'Days that Changed the World' - Hiroshima

[Safeway]

Later to be known as Butlins.

 

[ChutneyStirrer]

Actually it was civilian Concentration Camps we 'invented' as opposed to Prisoner of War camps (although I believe we got the idea from the Americans). This was during the 2nd Boer War when the British rounded up the Boer families, destroyed their farms and shoved them into camps.

Actually it was the Spanish who invented concentration camps in the late 17th century in Cuba......

 

[Brovion]

I knew we got it from someone!

 

[Pavilionaire]

A couple of points here.

Firstly, since the bombs were dropped we've had 59 years of relative global peace.

Secondly, the Japanese themselves have embraced Western, Americanised ways since those bombs were dropped and are now close allies with the West. Japan has been a key ally since the end of WW2.

I believe that the Americans dropped the bombs more as a show of force to the Russians and Chinese than to finish off the Japs and, to that extent, the move has been successful.

After Pearl Harbor what did they expect?

 

[Tooting Gull]

Very powerful piece of television. As well as (obviously) the victims, you found yourself feeling sorry for the crew. After all, they were only obeying orders, and to have to carry that around with you for the rest of your life...

Within minutes of the blast, one of them said: "What have we done?" (which I presume was taken from records at the time). Normally you'd expect Americans to high-fiving it around the plane in a situation like that.

 

[n1 gull]

I also think people are getting confused about what the programme was about, it was just about what happened on that day, not whether it was right or wrong.
It showed what a terrible weapon the nuclear bomb is. Men, women, children melted. A city flattened.
Yes it might of ended the war, but I think the programme was about how normal people like you, me and our kids got melted.

I also found the footage of the crew fascinating, they were just kids following orders, they didn't have a clue of what was going to happen.

Nuclear weapons suck, if that make me PC so be it.

 

[Yorkie]

A couple of points here.

Firstly, since the bombs were dropped we've had 59 years of relative global peace.

Secondly, the Japanese themselves have embraced Western, Americanised ways since those bombs were dropped and are now close allies with the West. Japan has been a key ally since the end of WW2.

I believe that the Americans dropped the bombs more as a show of force to the Russians and Chinese than to finish off the Japs and, to that extent, the move has been successful.

After Pearl Harbor what did they expect?

After carefully reading the whole thread, this is the post I agree most with. In war, horrible things happen. Civilians do get killed (you only have to look at our own major cities here which were devastated)
This terrible act (with Nagasaki) did finish the war and nuclear weapons have not been used since.

 

[marvin]

I also think people are getting confused about what the programme was about, it was just about what happened on that day, not whether it was right or wrong.
It showed what a terrible weapon the nuclear bomb is. Men, women, children melted. A city flattened.
Yes it might of ended the war, but I think the programme was about how normal people like you, me and our kids got melted.

I also found the footage of the crew fascinating, they were just kids following orders, they didn't have a clue of what was going to happen.

Nuclear weapons suck, if that make me PC so be it.

You needed to see the programme on one or other of the cable channels talking about the Blitz in east London during WW2 and in particular the V2's.

All indiscriminate bombing of civilians is bad not just those caused by WMD.

 

[alan partridge]

I take your points. For me though it was a devastation that crossed the line ,and as the true effects upon people weren't truly known at the time the bombs were dropped, it was not right. In wars horrible things do happen as you say Yorkie. In these two cases horrible things continued to happen long after the bombs were dropped. Also from evidence I have read I don't believe it was necessary to use them to end the war. However, just my humble opinion!

 

[Yorkie]

I agree Alan but the effects of radiation sickness etc where not truly known then.

Even in the 1950's our own forces were still discovering what happens after nuclear explosions - hence the experiments in the Pacific with our own troops.

Once it was realised, then nuclear testing was banned.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we cannot criticise decisions made then with the knowledge we have now.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Good programme. It's not for any of us to say either way whether it was 'right' to drop the bombs but the opinions put forward are indeed interesting and show how hard the decision must have been. Weighing human lives cannot be too easy by any means.