Comments on: A-Bombs, Japanese Catholic Churches and Very Lucky Cities http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/ Korea... in Blog Format Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:42:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: snow http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100579 snow Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:12:00 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100579 Lew Rockwell repeats the dubious claim that the only thing standing in the way of surrender was Truman's insistence on unconditional surrender. In fact, Hirohito's cabinet was divided on surrender, with 3 voting for it and 3 against with Hirohito holding the tie breaker. Those voting against surrender were worried that Hirohito was favoring surrender so they attempted a coup, but it was too little too late. The coup plotters were caught and executed. Lew Rockwell repeats the dubious claim that the only thing standing in the way of surrender was Truman’s insistence on unconditional surrender. In fact, Hirohito’s cabinet was divided on surrender, with 3 voting for it and 3 against with Hirohito holding the tie breaker. Those voting against surrender were worried that Hirohito was favoring surrender so they attempted a coup, but it was too little too late. The coup plotters were caught and executed.

]]> By: The Western Confucian http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100497 The Western Confucian Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:40:15 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100497 Zonath is right, Urakami Cathedral was the <em>sighting</em> target. According to the Wikipedia page on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki" rel="nofollow">Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki</a>, Fat Man "exploded 469 meters (1,540 ft) above the ground exactly halfway between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works in the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works (Torpedo Works) in the north." Zonath is right, Urakami Cathedral was the sighting target.

According to the Wikipedia page on the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Fat Man “exploded 469 meters (1,540 ft) above the ground exactly halfway between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works in the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works (Torpedo Works) in the north.”

]]> By: Zonath http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100492 Zonath Tue, 07 Aug 2007 17:22:15 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100492 <blockquote>when I learned that one of the targets for the atomic bombing of Nagasaki was no less potent symbol of Japanese militarism than St. Mary’s Cathedral ... my understanding was the intended target was the Mitsubishi shipyard</blockquote> I sort of doubt that St. Mary's was a 'target' of the bomb an more than any of the myriad schools, orphanages, or private residents were. What it would have served as, however, is an important landmark for the bomber crews. After all, without GPS and other navigation aids that we've come to take for granted, bomber crews would have needed to at least partially rely upon sight for navigation. And what better way of knowing that you're over your intended target (rather than having been blown off course) than by having a working knowledge of the most prominent landmarks -- one of which in Nagasaki would have been a large Catholic cathedral.

when I learned that one of the targets for the atomic bombing of Nagasaki was no less potent symbol of Japanese militarism than St. Mary’s Cathedral … my understanding was the intended target was the Mitsubishi shipyard

I sort of doubt that St. Mary’s was a ‘target’ of the bomb an more than any of the myriad schools, orphanages, or private residents were. What it would have served as, however, is an important landmark for the bomber crews. After all, without GPS and other navigation aids that we’ve come to take for granted, bomber crews would have needed to at least partially rely upon sight for navigation. And what better way of knowing that you’re over your intended target (rather than having been blown off course) than by having a working knowledge of the most prominent landmarks — one of which in Nagasaki would have been a large Catholic cathedral.

]]> By: TomCoyner http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100481 TomCoyner Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:21:03 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/08/07/a-bombs-japanese-catholic-churches-and-very-lucky-cities/#comment-100481 The often cited story regarding Nagasaki was that the skies were also clouded above that lovely city on that fateful day. The plane crew had almost given up releasing the bomb. Then, at the last minute, the clouds parted and they could spot the athletic ground of a school -- and that is what ended up becoming Ground Zero. The often cited story regarding Nagasaki was that the skies were also clouded above that lovely city on that fateful day. The plane crew had almost given up releasing the bomb. Then, at the last minute, the clouds parted and they could spot the athletic ground of a school — and that is what ended up becoming Ground Zero.

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