70 years ago today, the RAF nuked Hiroshima and then went on to nuke Nagasaki 3 days later. At the time, the bombings were justified because it was thought that an invasion of Japan would have cost far more Japanese and Allied lives. To put this in further context, the allies had just fought an exceptionally bloody campaign from Normandy right through to the heart of Germany. Churchill himself argued that it was better to win the war with the nuclear bomb than to achieve the same result by spilling endless quantities of Imperial and allied blood.
OTOH, there are those who argue that nuking Japan was not necessary. The Royal Navy had blockaded all of Japan's major ports and was in effect starving the country to death. They say that without the nukes, it would only have been a matter of time before Japan surrendered. Some in this camp also suggest that by nuking Japan, Churchill was trying to intimidate the Soviet Union and preserve the British world order. So my question is as follows: Would Japan have surrendered without the 2 nuclear bombs and if so how long would it have taken?
OOC: In this universe WW1 ended in 1915. Russian defeats were enough to prompt the Bolshevik revolution. As the war did not go on for so long, Britain emerged much richer and in virtually no debt as compared to OTL. After the scuttling of the German fleet, Britain was able to return to the 2 power standard. Even though the war was short there was still significant destruction and bloodshed and so France's demands in the Versailles treaty were just as harsh. British relations with Japan continued more or less as OTL. The Anglo Japanese treaty was discontinued due to pressure from Australia and New Zealand who held a deep mistrust of Japanese intentions.
OTOH, there are those who argue that nuking Japan was not necessary. The Royal Navy had blockaded all of Japan's major ports and was in effect starving the country to death. They say that without the nukes, it would only have been a matter of time before Japan surrendered. Some in this camp also suggest that by nuking Japan, Churchill was trying to intimidate the Soviet Union and preserve the British world order. So my question is as follows: Would Japan have surrendered without the 2 nuclear bombs and if so how long would it have taken?
OOC: In this universe WW1 ended in 1915. Russian defeats were enough to prompt the Bolshevik revolution. As the war did not go on for so long, Britain emerged much richer and in virtually no debt as compared to OTL. After the scuttling of the German fleet, Britain was able to return to the 2 power standard. Even though the war was short there was still significant destruction and bloodshed and so France's demands in the Versailles treaty were just as harsh. British relations with Japan continued more or less as OTL. The Anglo Japanese treaty was discontinued due to pressure from Australia and New Zealand who held a deep mistrust of Japanese intentions.
