VE Day celebrations.

[D.A.F.C]

Didn't the yanks only have the two A-bombs which were dropped anyway? I'm sure I read a while back that had the Japanese not surrendered, an invasion would have been necessary as developing another a-bomb would have taken too long.

More people died from conventional bombing in japan. Pretty sure they had more than two bombs, even the threat of more would be enough.

[GordonS]

16 minutes ago, Day of the Lords said:

12 hours ago, GordonS said:

There was an attempted coup d'etat in Japan the night before the surrender, by senior military figures who wanted to fight on. In the history of zoomers these guys must have been right up there in the VIP section. The Americans would have reduced the entire country to radioactive ash one city at a time until an unconditional surrender came.
Regardless of what the IJN wanted in the early 40s, Japan's strategic needs weren't in the USSR. Their invasion of China and South East Asia - where they committed heinous atrocities that don't get properly remembered in the West - meant that they needed more natural resources they didn't have at home, especially oil. The US had imposed sanction on Japan because of their aggression, so they decided they needed Borneo. That meant sailing past the US-controlled Philippines, which wouldn't be possible with the power of the US Navy around. Hence, Pearl Harbor.
Like authoritarian regimes very often do, they assumed a democracy would be too soft and fluffy to fight back after a brutal blow. Man, did they ever read that wrong.

Didn't the yanks only have the two A-bombs which were dropped anyway? I'm sure I read a while back that had the Japanese not surrendered, an invasion would have been necessary as developing another a-bomb would have taken too long.

There wasn't one ready imminently but it wouldn't have taken too long, IIRC it would have been 2-3 months. After the unspeakable horrors of Okinawa it's extrememly unlikely they'd have sent soldiers to the Japanese home islands, they'd just have waited and dropped A bombs as they made them until the Japanese accepted the inevitable. 

They'd likely have continued with the conventional aerial bombardment too, which, incredibly, was worse than the atomic bombings. In one night, 9-10 March, about 100,000 were killed in the firebombing of Tokyo. 

[Fullerene]

1 hour ago, Day of the Lords said:

13 hours ago, GordonS said:

There was an attempted coup d'etat in Japan the night before the surrender, by senior military figures who wanted to fight on. In the history of zoomers these guys must have been right up there in the VIP section. The Americans would have reduced the entire country to radioactive ash one city at a time until an unconditional surrender came.
Regardless of what the IJN wanted in the early 40s, Japan's strategic needs weren't in the USSR. Their invasion of China and South East Asia - where they committed heinous atrocities that don't get properly remembered in the West - meant that they needed more natural resources they didn't have at home, especially oil. The US had imposed sanction on Japan because of their aggression, so they decided they needed Borneo. That meant sailing past the US-controlled Philippines, which wouldn't be possible with the power of the US Navy around. Hence, Pearl Harbor.
Like authoritarian regimes very often do, they assumed a democracy would be too soft and fluffy to fight back after a brutal blow. Man, did they ever read that wrong.

Didn't the yanks only have the two A-bombs which were dropped anyway? I'm sure I read a while back that had the Japanese not surrendered, an invasion would have been necessary as developing another a-bomb would have taken too long.

Third bomb was planned for Sapporo in Hokkaido.

[peasy23]

This thread reminded me to reconnect with my big German pal. He’d got run over a few months back but is on the mend. Thanks P&B for the inspiration to extend the hand of friendship to a German.

Is this him?

[Jacksgranda]

55 minutes ago, GordonS said:

There wasn't one ready imminently but it wouldn't have taken too long, IIRC it would have been 2-3 months. After the unspeakable horrors of Okinawa it's extrememly unlikely they'd have sent soldiers to the Japanese home islands, they'd just have waited and dropped A bombs as they made them until the Japanese accepted the inevitable. 

They'd likely have continued with the conventional aerial bombardment too, which, incredibly, was worse than the atomic bombings. In one night, 9-10 March, about 100,000 were killed in the firebombing of Tokyo. 

All the PoWs (In Japan, at least) would have died.

Probably most of the rest of them held elsewhere, too, if Sandakan was anything to go by.

[Marshmallo]

The armed forces and the NHS combine to give the ultimate gammon combo.

The two greatest religions this country has ever seen.

[Shandon Par]

21 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

Is this him?

That’s him! Never had a beard before the lockdown.

[Forest_Fifer]

Didn't the yanks only have the two A-bombs which were dropped anyway? I'm sure I read a while back that had the Japanese not surrendered, an invasion would have been necessary as developing another a-bomb would have taken too long.

They expected to have another ready later in August, 3 more in September, and 3 in October.

[JamesConnelly]

So if tomorrow is VE day, does this mean today is VD day?

Quite a few newsreaders today have said “VD Day” before correcting themselves. Even our very own Sally McNair on the lunchtime news

[Melanius Mullarkey]

2 minutes ago, JamesConnelly said:

Quite a few newsreaders today have said “VD Day” before correcting themselves. Even our very own Sally McNair on the lunchtime news

Sally does strike me as the type, dirty girl. 

[Fullerene]

2 hours ago, D.A.F.C said:

3 hours ago, Day of the Lords said:

Didn't the yanks only have the two A-bombs which were dropped anyway? I'm sure I read a while back that had the Japanese not surrendered, an invasion would have been necessary as developing another a-bomb would have taken too long.

More people died from conventional bombing in japan. Pretty sure they had more than two bombs, even the threat of more would be enough.

Yes.  More people died when Tokyo was bombed.  However there was one big difference.

When Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, none of the aircrew died.  No planes were lost.  Nobody had to bail out.  How do you fight a war where you incur massive casualties and the enemy incurs none?

Also what do you do when it only requires a single plane to deliver the bomb?  Are you on the lookout for every single plane?  What clues are there?

[Bairnardo]

Quite a few newsreaders today have said “VD Day” before correcting themselves. Even our very own Sally McNair on the lunchtime news

It's almost like VE day was a minor acknowledgement at most before extremely cringe military fetishism crept into official pandemic response policy

[Granny Danger]

5 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

1 hour ago, JamesConnelly said:

Quite a few newsreaders today have said “VD Day” before correcting themselves. Even our very own Sally McNair on the lunchtime news

It's almost like VE day was a minor acknowledgement at most before extremely cringe military fetishism crept into official pandemic response policy

If it weren’t for the Pandemic the VE celebrations would have been hyped up even more by Johnson.  Street parties, military parades, and more.  The jingoism would be dripping from every UK government spokesperson’s tongue.

 

[Todd_is_God]

Ive read many people, usually gammons tbf, comment on Victory over Europe rather than Victory IN Europe.

Very telling IMO on why they are so excited about it

[parsforlife]

3 hours ago, LGF said:

*Disclaimer* Not my house

Right, that’s me put the bunting up, painted the front of the house, put poppies and a sad soldier silhouette on the door and hung a flag out the window, everyone will see how much I care.

’ have you put anything on the lamppost Dave? , What about the fence Dave? They’ll think you’re one of those ungrateful foreigners if you don’t get that sorted, oh and make sure there’s something in the grass, can’t have people thinking the green is secretly showing we’re part of the other lot.

[Detournement]

22 hours ago, Fullerene said:

 

He was also a big fan of the Molotov Ribbentrop Treaty.  

 

Fantastic analysis.

[tamthebam]

I'd quite like to celebrate VE Day in the traditional way- kicking the Tories out at an election a few months later..

[Detournement]

7 hours ago, heedthebaa said:

There you go lads, don’t say I’m not good to you. Sing loud and be proud  

 

[Shandon Par]

Anybody got any Veras? Laaaahvly. Ahhahahahaa.

[Aubrey Maturin]

2 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

Anybody got any Veras? Laaaahvly. Ahhahahahaa.