Dropping the Atomic Bombs on Japan was a Necessary Evil

I regret that you did not get to define what you wanted but appreciate that you respected the initial request. I also am thankful for the chance to engage in this debate. Main points: 1) The alternative to dropping the bombs would have been worse for both the Japanese and the Americans in the long run in terms of resources by shortening the length of WWII. 2) Both American and Japanese lives were saved by dropping the atomic bombs.3) The alternative would not have ensured an American victory.4) Therefore the dropping of the bombs was necessary in order to secure beyond a doubt an American victory while saving lives and resources in the process. Operation Downfall: my whole argument will be based on this operation. Downfall was an American plan to invade and occupy Japan. 1) - The alternative to the dropping of the atomic bombs would have been Operation Downfall, an American plan to invade and occupy the main islands of Japan. This invasion would have been long, expensive and bloody for both the United States and the Empire of Japan. The plans, planned ahead to January of 1946, six months later than the war actually lasted (August, 1945). [http://www.ww2pacific.com...] Operation Downfall was composed of two parts, Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet. This extension of the war would have expended countless resources for both sides. Example of resources planned: "The Strike Force, 3rd Fleet, had 21 carriers and 10 fast battleships to range up and down the length of Japan to suppress Japanese forces with priority to destroy aircraft and transportation. The Assault Force, 5th Fleet, had 26 carriers, plus 8 detached from Strike force for the invasion period, 13 slow battleships, 20 cruisers, 139 DD, 167 DE, and support ships for a total of 800 warships. Troops and their equipment were to come from the Philippines and Marianas in 1,500 transports. All combat troops were from the Pacific theater ; none redeployed from Europe. The plan called for a diversionary display by the floating reserve on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four islands, before their landing on Kyushu. Support troops including engineers to build airfields were to land starting on Y-Day + 2 ; some of these were to come from Europe." [http://www.ww2pacific.com...]"The following "special weapons" were established on southern Kyushu [the location for Operation Olympic]. Kamikazes -- 2,100 army planes and 2,700 navy planes. Baku - suicide missile carried by a bomber. Mini-subs, each with 2 torpedoes, 500 were building. Fleet submarines -- rearm the 57 remaining that had been dedicated to re supply of outposts. Kaiten - suicide torpedoes with a 20 mile range. Shinyo - suicide motorboats. The army had 1-man, 17 foot motorboats. The navy had 2-man, 22 foot boats. The largest surviving warships were destroyers that were prepared for suicidal attack on the invasion convoys. On the land, human mines in which soldiers had explosives strapped to their bodies and were to crawl under a tank. Other explosives were packed with a suction cup to be attached to the side of a tank. And shaped charges on a long pole were to be detonated on the side of a tank. Japanese paratroopers were to attack Okinawa to disrupt flight operations during the invasion period." [http://www.ww2pacific.com...] All of these resources are now saved from use by ending the war early and bypassing Operation Downfall.2) The projected casualties from Operation Downfall were staggering. The "low" projections showed America alone losing 456,000 soldiers in Operation Olympic [http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk...]. Total "high" projections showed America losing 1,200,000 men in casualties. [http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk...]These numbers far outstrip the deaths at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Casualties by atomic bombs - Projected Operation Downfall Casualties: Hiroshima: 135,000 Olympic: 456,000Nagasaki: 64,000 vs. Coronet: 744,000 Total: 199,000 Total: 1.2 million (high)[http://www.atomicarchive.com...], [http://www.ww2pacific.com...]The US loss projections show numbers far higher than these. Even if the Japanese surrendered after Operation Olympic the losses would still be higher. Japanese loss projections were not officially calculated by the US but there were 216,000 soldiers present on Kyushu in August, two months before Operation Downfall was planned to begin. These numbers were higher than first thought and these were the numbers of soldiers alone. Civilian casualties would have also been extremely high due to American plans to bomb all key Japanese cities throughout the operation. Similar bombings earlier in the war showed casualties near 100,000. (90,000+ in the Tokyo bombings alone). I know these numbers aren't official but invading any country is bloody for the natives.3) Invasions are unpredictable. There was no guarantee that the operation would have been successful if attempted. If the US had botched the invasion or lost too many soldiers then the Japanese could have forced us to sue for peace and such a decisive victory would not have been achieved. The atomic bombs were almost guaranteed to cause the Japanese to surrender (because we hid the number of bombs we possessed.) Of course there are no guarantees in life but the US government thought it was necessary to drop the bombs in order to avoid the bloody mess that Operation Downfall would have caused. 4) In light of these numbers and statistics it is safe to say that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was necessary in order to save lives, save resources and shorten the war with an American victory. If we had not done this we could have possibly lost the war or the support of the American people. Personal Experience: I lived in Japan for three years while my dad was serving in the Navy there. I learned a lot about Japanese history and I know that the Japanese would never have given up, never. They were teaching their kids and elderly how to sharpen bed posts, brooms and other household items in order to stab American invaders as they came through. It would have been a fight for every inch. Also I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and saw how awful the results of the bombings really were but I truly and wholeheartedly believe that that outcome was better for both sides than a prolonged conflict and invasion.