The Second World War effectively ended today, eighty years ago, with the dropping of the Fat Man bomb over Nakasaki from the B-29 Bockscar. Fighting did continue for a bit; future MOH awardee Michael Novosel piloted a B-29 on the of the last raids.
The bombing marked the last use, so far, of a nuclear weapon in combat. As time goes on, the first-hand memories of what it was like to nuke a city will fade. The revisionists wil claim that "oh, it wasn't as bad as all that" and, eventually, some asshole will order the use of a nuclear weapon. Chances are that it will be done, as it was the first time around, against an enemy who does not have the capacity to respond in kind.
Every military of any significance will then clamor to have nuclear weapons. For mutual assured destruction does work. India and Pakistan would have gone to war a few times in the last quarter-century, but each time, the crisis cooled off over the threat of their major cities burning from nuclear strikes.
But they will be used again.
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3 comments:
Like has been said: WW III will be fought with Nukes. WWIV will be fought with rocks.”
If it is *only* nukes I'd be surprised. I'm more worried about bio weapons, which potentially have a 'half-life' equaling the remaining time of existence of humans on earth.
True, no sane government or dictator would order the use of such, but then sanity seems to be in short supply in much of the world these days.
Nukes kept my dad out of a shooting war, He was only part of the occupation force since he didn't turn 18 until 1945. One uncle went into the Navy after Pearl another Uncle was a navigator on a bomber in the European theater.
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