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I mean in relative terms ... It never ceases to amaze me that demonstrating such a weapon on civilian targets somehow made it past the entire chain of command.

I mean in relative terms ... It never ceases to amaze me that demonstrating such a weapon on civilian targets somehow made it past the entire chain of command. One of those things that I just can't wrap my head around no matter how many times I come back to it.

15155 8mo ago
They weren't exclusively civilian targets, they were considered "mixed" targets. Hirohito's home wasn't considered strategically-important enough and therefore didn't make the cut. The sites in question were also specifically selected because they hadn't previously faced conventional attack, enabling a more accurate damage assessment.
- fc417fc802 8mo ago
  No sir that's not a school we're proposing to bomb, it's a complex containing both a school and a vehicle maintenance facility. So it's mixed, meaning there's valid logistical reasons to attack it. Yes, hundreds of children will perish in the attack, but the action will also provide us with legitimate benefits. Just try not to think about the former and focus on the latter. I'm sure no one in the future will judge us too harshly for the decision.
  - 15155 8mo ago
    So an automatic cheat code to win any and all conflicts is simply to put strategic assets in schools?
    - Pay08 8mo ago
      You'd be surprised how many people's "morality" boils down to that.
    - fc417fc802 8mo ago
      Is that what the Japanese were doing? (Bit of a pointless diversion though because this is a nuclear bomb we're talking about here. Not exactly a surgical strike.)
      - Pay08 8mo ago
        Yes and no. They were doing that, but AFAIK they did so because it was deemed more efficient, not to use people as human shields. Also, at the time, there was no such thing as a surgical strike.
- anonymars 8mo ago
  > they hadn't previously faced conventional attack Which, by the way, illustrates a related point: Hiroshima and Nagasaki had stiff competition. WWII was devastating, to cities and civilians all over the map. More people died in the conventional bombing of Tokyo than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. I think the atomic bombs represented some 2 weeks worth of casualties in a war that lasted 300.

15155 8mo ago

They weren't exclusively civilian targets, they were considered "mixed" targets. Hirohito's home wasn't considered strategically-important enough and therefore didn't make the cut. The sites in question were also specifically selected because they hadn't previously faced conventional attack, enabling a more accurate damage assessment.

fc417fc802 8mo ago
No sir that's not a school we're proposing to bomb, it's a complex containing both a school and a vehicle maintenance facility. So it's mixed, meaning there's valid logistical reasons to attack it. Yes, hundreds of children will perish in the attack, but the action will also provide us with legitimate benefits. Just try not to think about the former and focus on the latter. I'm sure no one in the future will judge us too harshly for the decision.
- 15155 8mo ago
  So an automatic cheat code to win any and all conflicts is simply to put strategic assets in schools?
  - Pay08 8mo ago
    You'd be surprised how many people's "morality" boils down to that.
  - fc417fc802 8mo ago
    Is that what the Japanese were doing? (Bit of a pointless diversion though because this is a nuclear bomb we're talking about here. Not exactly a surgical strike.)
    - Pay08 8mo ago
      Yes and no. They were doing that, but AFAIK they did so because it was deemed more efficient, not to use people as human shields. Also, at the time, there was no such thing as a surgical strike.
anonymars 8mo ago
> they hadn't previously faced conventional attack Which, by the way, illustrates a related point: Hiroshima and Nagasaki had stiff competition. WWII was devastating, to cities and civilians all over the map. More people died in the conventional bombing of Tokyo than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. I think the atomic bombs represented some 2 weeks worth of casualties in a war that lasted 300.