Myth 7: The bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the most dangerous ones in the war
While two of the most important cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, suffered immediate death tolls, the United States reserved their heaviest bombing strikes for the Japanese metropolis of Tokyo.
It’s believed that between 70,000 and 135,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and between 60,000 and 80,000 died in Nagasaki, as a result of both immediate explosion exposure and long-term radioactive side effects.
As for the capital of Japan, 279 American bombers unleashed 1,665 tons of bombs on the city of Tokyo on March 9 and 10, 1945. These disasters damaged 16 square miles of the city and killed at least 100,000 people, injured 1 million people, and left another million homeless.
Some sources say that it doesn’t matter if we talk about atomic bombs or regular ones. If you detonate tons of bombs at once, you will notice that the end results are nothing but catastrophic.
66 Responses
Don’t forget the problems in South Africa that was basis of movie “Power of One” that included the native population of South Africa! And the atrocities endured by those people!
Some I knew and true. Some just your version of truth and your opinion.
Japanese did capture part of the Aleutian Islands (part of Alaska) as well.
The fact that Japan remained undeterred after the Tokyo bombings was a major factor in why we decided to to try and “bluff” our way into bringing them to their knees with the atomic bombs. We implied we had many more bombs that we would continue to drop on Japan should they continue to fight. We did allow them time to surrender after dropping the first atomic bomb but they remained defiant. Only after the second bomb did they realize further resistance would only bring more destruction to the country. What they didn’t know was that we only had one other bomb ready for use should they refuse to surrender. Of course, we could have and would have made more bombs but it would have prolonged the war while we produced them.
The Soviet Union only declared war because they saw it in their best interest to do so prior to Japan surrendering to the Americans.
One of the “Facts” i would dispute:
Japanese military (especially the army)were still planning to fight to the end. In fact a faction of army personnel attempted to force the emperor to denounce surrender after he announced it. The semi secret peace negotiations had failed because Japan insisted on keeping occupied territory including Korea and parts of Manchuria and China. The A-bomb option was actually the least destructive to Japan of all the available options. These other options included continued fire bombing, invasion, blockade each of which would have taken many months and literally millions of Japanese lives. Russia had begun positioning invasion troops near Manchuria before the bombs and had the bombs not been dropped they were already planning to invade several other Japanese strongholds which would have been very bloody.
Number 4 is really really flaky. About Americans collecting skulls. Easily proven or disproven and you did neither!
The draft was lot different in the 2nd world war , everyone got drafted not by numbers, there was unfair deferrments I think. I remember it my dad was drafted and went he even had 5 kids but still went.
There is always some who do stupid things on all sides. History tells you how cruel war is, and if you have been there you know, some just commit more than others.
History is fascinating but you have to look for all the reasons things happen. Even the counties who were nuetral was involved some how. This year I did not hear Pearl Harbor even mentioned on Dec. 7, this is terrible to forget it.
I agree!
Yes Globe & Anchor trooper. It was a day that changed America forever. You guys were amazing all through the Pacific War. We lack toughness with spoiled kids of GenZ. How do you think they would match up against North Korean troops ? That wouldn’t be a Mama’s Play Date !
America did rescue the day. It was our “arsenal of democracy” that provided the war materiel to the Russians and the Brits, among others, that carried the day. Our factories and shipyards were churning out the weaponry that defeated Nazi Germany and Japan. Read up on the convoys that went to Murmansk before writing about “myths.”
Yep. We supplied Russia with half their transport vehicles in 1942/43.
My grandfather worked for Cal-Ships during WW2. It took them two weeks to construct a entire ship. They were used for transport of goods only and constructed of wood.
I grew up in Dunkirk, New York and remember when German prisoners of war were housed in some of the buildings at the county fairground. Every day I saw prisoners (most of whom seemed to be quite young) being bussed to work for the farmers in the area. Many of our young men who normally worked in the fields were in the United States army.
I remember my dad and uncles stating that the German prisoners were allowed to enter first and buy items from the PX before Black troops could go in. By the time the Blacks troops were allowed in most of the good items were gone.
I knew that the Soviet Union had played a major part in the Second World War having lost over 20 million people more than all the Allied put together and the Germans and the Italian and Japanese the single largest loser of people what the Soviet Union which we never mentioned I always say if it hadn’t been for the Soviet Union we would have lost the second world war to Nazi Germany and when you say 80% of their casualties were on the Eastern Front that is proof in itself if those 80 were fighting us we would have never been in Normandy for more than a day
As far as the draft numbers go, my Dad wanted to enlist but wasn’t allowed to because he didn’t “qualify” . But he qualified for being drafted. Go figure.
John Wayne was deferred during the Second World War because he was married & had 4 kids.
(not a myth)
It is a shame. But America has been built on lies .This never changes! a lot American have died for endless wars. JUst like Biden is doing now. Ukran is another endless war burning through tax payer money. We need another hero to help us. But I guess they are all dead! Nothing but fools left.
Very enlightening article. If not for American industry the war would have been lost. No one else
had the capability to produce such mass numbers of weapons.
I got 15 out of 15 correçt
I have been a student of military history since I visited Gettysburg for the battle’s centennial in 1963. The one thing I have learned is true for every war is that the people are nothing but pawns for the handful of evil people in search of ever greater power. The old saying “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” couldn’t be more true. Our Founders in the USA had the right idea with a system of checks and balances to prevent any one person or party from gaining too much power, however, decades of corruption in Washington DC have pretty much negated that
Spot on Jeff!
Unfortunately, the Allies were also guilty of war crimes. I had a good friend, now deceased, who was a member of the Waffen SS in WWII. He was a 16 year-old motorcycle dispatch rider and as nice a guy as you’d ever want to meet. I once asked him if he had ever witnessed any war crimes. He said “Yes, I saw Allied troops shoot surrendering soldiers on sight if they were wearing an SS uniform”. For that reason, when the end was near his CO told them all to head west and ditch their SS uniforms. He and a young buddy dumped their uniforms, medals, weapons, etc. in a lake in Austria and got some civilian clothes from a local resident. Many, however, were not so lucky.
How awful, there are no innocents in wars, perhaps those Germans should have been “shown” the Camps and other sites where millions were butchered!
As well as the Catholics, Protestants and anyone else who disagreed with Hitler’s policies.
Except perhaps for the Pope,(Less than Pious”), who was an absolute “Germanophile” and who also made deals with another dictator…Mussolini, and mainly spoke German in the Vatican!
There is also ample evidence that the R.C. Church helped Nazis escape to So. America at the end of the war!
Finally, it is to be noted that Hitler proposed to tithe German Catholics and send money to the Pope in exchange for his “indifference” to his own “flock”.
Later in the war, those POWs brought to America were happy to be able to eat real nutritious foods. I was friends with two of those POWs here in Montana, who stayed and had families.
My grandma was a WAC pilot and my Navy dad served 25 years in WW2 and I found out after his death he was a Iwo Jima vet! Neither one ever spoke about it! I only know what was in the history class in school.
I know there were a lot who were volunteers in the 2nd world war and I knew a lot who was drafted(my dad for one) . The draft had about been done away with in Viet Nam they were using a number system. The draft was a good thing more found out things are not free.
OK, a few moments ago I left a reply stating that I anticipated that the info on this website was going to be questionable but I have now explored the myths and I apologize. And I respect the info I found because I agree with these “Incredible Facts Few People Know!”
Biden in a prime example of interfering in other countries. Trying to fight Russia, China, Taiwan,. It is like the Military is trying its best for more useless wasteful war. They should concentrate on our borders stop the invasion there.! If they want war make it at border?
Playing Santa clause to other nations with huge amours of money. While American suffer. Giving money to other nations to protect their borders while our border is being over run. Why is he so horrible! to America?
While cozying up to China. What is he doing? His entire staff is a joke with no competence. Only qualities necessary .gay brown or black, he she or it. must act bizarre and dumb when ever ask an important serious questions. Must lie at all times with straight face . Never tell America the truth.
I have to agree with you, Edith. Biden is a clown and a puppet for others to do what they want. He’s the worst President ever. Giving away money this country doesn’t have while the American people suffer.
Uhhh… It was George Bush, a Republican, who sent troops to Afghanistan; twenty-two freakin’ years ago!
Per the democrat’s “intel,” they lied then just like they are lying now!! Nothing but a bunch of liars!!
Really, try the outsized military-contractor buildup and the phony and illegal war in Central America by the Reagan administration, plus Iran Contra “exchange”, an impeachable offense!
Then skip forward to the Middle East disasters where hundreds of thousands of non-combatants, American casualties, and several trillions of dollars have been wasted by Bush 41&43!
This country has not won a conventional war since its effort in WW2, and finally give some thought to “Cui bono”, then and now!
I think this is most likely, the real truth no doubt there! As with all war, they want to hide the real truth. make America hero is the only way to make America except wasteful war.
It is awful to learn the real truth. but this is a fact. Propaganda get America in to so much trouble. WE never ask the right questions. We are a nation of sleepwalking sheep. Look at our leaders. This tells all.
So many lives loss and nations turn to dust. We need to stay out of third world countries. We have our own problems! Start with (MIcheal Jackson song?!) Man in the mirror ? That work here.
6 million jews killed? We still have zero proof this happened.
I don’t know if its a myth or the truth but I understand many American POW’s held in areas the Soviet Union occupied were not returned to the U.S. Military but instead shipped to to the Soviet Union never to be heard from again. It seems the United States didn’t want to upset the Soviet Union if possible since the division of Germany and other conquered lands were at stack.
Many German prisoners, after the war was over, was given the option to leave or stay and many had settled down in areas of Northern Michigan & Michigan’s Upper Peninsula mainly because they were treated better than returning to a corrupt country.
The efforts of Russian forces during World War II , were Herculean. Russia , at least in most American history books , was never given their due praise and gratitude. It’s unfortunate, that history is skewered in history books. If it weren’t for Russia , the world would have been completely different.
Good try to keep fascism out of an equasion so ppl forget what fascists did. WW2 was an attack of FASCHISTs countries Germany, Japan, Italy and other countries who supported fascist regime on other countries to slave them, to destroy them and take colonies. They attacked countries, killed millions and wanted to take over the world, exterminate most of not arien population. Only one force stopped them and it is not America. No wonder that in many Euro countries ppl in power still afraid of this force, needless to say what they are supporting now and what side they took.
Another B.S. answer was that the Atomic Bombs were not the straw that broke the camel’s back. Read some actual reports from the conversation the Japanese Emperor had with the government staff, especially the pro-war Army Officers. He broke tradition by inserting himself into the discussion and letting them know that he did not want to see any more such devastation on the Japanese people and homeland. The Russians were locked on the Asian continent.
You are right when you talk about the millions of other non-Jewish people who were killed., There is one big difference, the manner and treatment of the Jewish people, the torture, medical experiments, starvation that was an intentional effort to erase the Jewish people from the earth.
It was not just the Nazi army and the Einstengruppen, the locals Lithuanias, Latvians, Estonias, Poles, Romanians, Ustasha were just as guilty and led to the murder of the Jewish people by identifying the to the Germans.
The Japanese got what they deserved.
Myth #9 is your myth. True the Soviets suffered huge devastating loses of human life, as well as, infrastructure destruction. If the United States had not entered the war in Europe would the allied powers been able to win the war. Probably not, but that debate will live on in infamy.
I call 8 and 9 oversimplified. Neither the atomic bombs nor the Russian invasion didn’t end the war alone. Submarine warfare coupled with aviation directed against Japanese shipping and the mining of inland waterways by B-29’s crippled Japan’s economy. The Soviets soundly thrashed the Japanese in 1939, just prior to the joint German/Soviet invasion of Poland. Never forget that Imperial Japan bled itself against the Japanese–and losing the war in China coupled with economic sanctions imposed by the USA made Japan’s Southern Strategy very attractive–and initially very successful. As for America saving the day, in this global war it took all hands. Funny–the USSR almost sank itself by interference in American shifting from peacetime to wartime. This interference delayed the opening of the Second Front (Normandy landings) by a year. The election of 1940 featured interference by the nations of France, Italy, China, Germany, Russia, and most effectively the British Empire. At the time, the USSR was allied with Germany and without that alliance there is a good chance that Germany would not have invaded Poland in 1939 because of the danger of a two-front war breaking out. Then there was the pact between Japan and Russia–that pact made Pearl Harbor possible because Japan was mired in China and having to fight Russia as well would have been too much. No, all hands were needed–and Stalin caused some of Russia’s problems. Stalin also saved the USSR with his horrificly inhuman industrialization programs that killed almost as many Russians before World War Two as the Germans did–I’m omitting the casualties in the Russian Civil War between the world wars. Stalin was Russia’s worst enemy and her savior at the same time–the real world is complicated.
Et Al
TRUMP WAS DISQUALIFIED FOR ‘HEEL SPURS’!! Hummmmmmm!!
Excellent analysis of numerous events, more importantly, however, the fact that our educational system does not teach accurate history.
The old saw of “winners write the history” is true, simply look at the alleged history of the U.S. genocide of Native Americans and the nonsense of “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence!
Thank you for this site!
My late USMC sargeant father-in-law was in the 2nd wave at Iwo Jima.. He said it was the worst day of his life. 10,000 US casualties the first 2 days.
“Myth 5: The number of Jews who died in the Holocaust was 6 million” implies this did not happen. Many people believe this and may quote this article as proof. I don’t need to argue this as you refuted the myth in your opening statement: “It is without a doubt…..” Poor choice of headline.
Given the title of this article “10 Myths You Need to Stop Believing” about WW2, and particularly since you wanted to give the Soviet Union much of the credit for defeating Germany:
“Sources say that the Soviet Union is mostly to blame for the Nazis’ defeat, not any other nation. More than 80% of Germany’s military deaths happened on the eastern front, which lost nine times as many soldiers as the western front.”
…one would also think you would want to set the record straight about the Soviet Union’s involvement in starting the war to begin with. There are many who believe, for instance, that it was the Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact which green-lighted Hitler’s invasion of the West. And there is absolutely no debate about the fact that Soviet troops entered Poland during the German invasion there. In other words, Poland was partitioned between NAZI Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union.
For more details see Victor Davis Hanson’s “The Second World Wars.”
In other words, those same “victims” of Nazi Germany (ie the Russians) were instrumental in UNLEASHING Hitler to begin with.
If you read Churchill’s memoirs, the situation went from one of the UK warning the Soviets about an upcoming invasion of their country, to one of STALIN demanding an immediate second front in France…almost overnight.
Karma is a bitch.
Spilting hairs i think.
Nothing you stated is new to me.
I learned in history class
Maybe we dont talk about this in current history classes but we definitely should
Society should never forget the horrors of any war
I fault news media and current historians who seem to be trying to rewrite history
There were not even 6 million Jews in Europe in 1939. This figure had been written in newspapers decades before WWII even began. The real history of WWII has yet to be revealed, but it will be.
Fascinating and previously unknown facts about WWII!!! I find all these fact astounding and truly eye-opening as well as horrifying!!
During WWII a lot of the men enlisted because of social pressure or the anger of having a friend die in combat and hoping to feel “revenge” by fighting the enemy. During Vietnam many (perhaps most) of the enlisted did so to prevent being drafted. You knew if you were prime for being drafted (no deferment, or later a low lottery number) so many enlisted to have some choice which branch of the military they went into or sometimes what they would be doing (hopefully)—like electronics, communications, food prep, etc.
I believe the exterminated Roma or Gypsies too
“So here’s the thing: two-thirds of the American military in WWII were drafted, not enlisted. The opposite happened when the war in Vietnam took place: two-thirds of American soldiers were enlisted, not drafted.” YOUR WORDS.
You are using the words enlisted and drafted like they have opposite meanings. Drafted simply means you did not volunteer. When you are in the service, you are either a commissioned officer. or enlisted. You can be a volunteer as an officer or enlisted. It is unusual to be a drafted officer.
This is written confusingly.
Know of an Italian Pilot who was shot down by British and transported to U.S. and later released. He found an American Woman, married her and became a U.S. Citizen.
War is NEEDED to stay free there is ALWAYS some one that thinks they are the smartest one to rule and they get the power And Yes it is up to the Young to stop them if they want to stay free thinking
I wish that there were not separate click on pages and just a one article. What is the justifiucation? Ads? Better way to do it that is less irritating.