Qwark said:
Nogamez said: Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the second A bomb dropped after japan surrendered? Not sure how that isn't a war crime bordering on genocide. But I may be wrong |
Nuking a city is pretty much genocide already since you don´t hurt the millitairy with it. War is millitairy vs millitairy, while nuking a city is effectively wiping out a country´s civillians. To answer your question nuking civillians is defenitly a war crime.
|
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both part of Japan's Military infrastructure. Hiroshima was a command center for the entirety of Japan's southern forces, most significantly the forces on Kyushu where the Allies planned to land at the onset of Operation Downfall. Over 40,000 military personnel were stationed there. Hiroshima was significant to Japan's defensive war effort.
Nagasaki was significant in Japan's industrial ability to make war.
Both would have been bombed to oblivion anyway as part of the firebombing campaign leading up to the invasion in an attempt to soften Japan for invasion.
And also, these facts illustrate why your vision of war as pure military vs military is just an idealistic fantasy. In times of war, the nation as a whole is part of the effort and military and civilian infrastructure will inevitably intertwine. Today we have the benefits of precision weapons. Then though? Whether by a nuke or a firebombing run, Hiroshima and likely Nagasaki were doomed.
And the other thing is that while civilian casualties are always regrettable, civilian suffering is part of war. Because victory in war is by breaking your opponents will to fight OR obliterating them utterly. Finding the best, least costly way to achieve the former is all a commander can hope for. Not every decision is perfect. But I'll not sit here and coldly dismiss Hiroshima cause if you put the lives of millions of people on both sides on my in my hands and told me my choice could save or doom them, I don't know what my decision would be.