[Ryzorian]

Japan was ready to fight to the death, we know that from all the war material we found hidden all over after we took over Japan. Potential losses would have been stagering.

I know Horshima was not the orginal target, but the primary was also relatively undamaged. As to why didn't we drop it on an island to demonstrate...we weren't sure it would actually work, makeing a "demonstration only to have it be a dud" woulda been a disaster. The second one was droped so soon to kinda prod Japan along quickly, Russia had joined the pacific fight and we didn't want Japan divided up like Germany was.

Is there a sort of barbaric quality to the whole thing, certainly. You also have to take into account all the propaganda from both sides back then, Neither country really liked each other, hated would be a better term, despised even.

Two nations, that utterly hated each other at the time, threw themselves into one of the most viscious wars every fought. I don't see it as wich nation was more evil or not. Both sides committed atrocious acts, both sides felt justified in doing them. It was hammer and tongs the whole way and niether would call it quit's unless something massive interevened. The BOMB, was that one thing. Like it or not, it prolly saved both countries from years of relentless bloodletting and hatred.

I'm not kidding, go look at some of the old war propaganda from back then, complete obliteration seems to be the mindset between the two countries back then.