re: On this day in 1945, the city of Nagasaki is wiped off the face of the earth...

I had a late uncle about to graduate Army bootcamp when WWII ended. He was sent to Nagasaki. They had them stay on the ships for two months before disembarking. The guys were never told why but now believe it had to do with the radiation. The thing that he remembered the most was nothing over 6 ft was standing. Interesting enough, the Japanese didn't build weapons and ammunition factories outside of cities. They were built inside so any attack on them would result in civilian casualties.

He was over there destroying weapons and apparently the Japanese had literally cut out large areas inside mountains and installed numerous heavy artillery. Some of those guns he said,(he was a smaller guy and skinny) could practically crawl through. Artillery like that would most certainly pose a nasty threat to ships and landing craft. Most certainly would have made D-day look like a walk in the park.

When first hand account like that is taken and the realization that Japan still controlled the Far East, one realizes those two bombs saved lives.

Just look at how much the Japanese controlled prior to the bombs dropped. Huge eye opener.

war in pacific everday