Today...

[Yamu]

Putting the fact that the Manhattan project was a joint operation between the US and the UK aside, the nuclear bombs had a lot lesser effect then mainstream history would make you belive. From the perspective of direct effect, firebombings were more devastating. As for indirect effects, the Japanese were already prepared to surrender by that point in the war but they wanted to preserve the Emperor`s honour through a negotiated peace. The thing which finally convinced them to accept an unconditional surrender were not the atom bombs, but the quick destruction of the Kwangtung Army in Manchuria.

I'm not arguing, I'm just REALLY excited because I never get to have historical discussions with people!

It is true that firebombing was more devastating, it is why we didn't drop a nuke on Tokyo: because we had already burnt 90% of it to the ground. I argue that the A-bombs had a DEFINITE effect on the Japanese leadership. No one had seen a weapon of that scope and magnitude, that ONE-mother-fucking-BOMB could erase an entire city made them piss their pants. They had become used to our firebombs and had gone underground or had spread assets out to prevent the fires from spreading, that didn't help protect from the power of the Atom. And if Mancuria was their reasoning why were the civilian training camps meant to train every Japanese man, woman, and child to fight the American invaders they knew were coming closed almost on the hour that Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki?