Just do a little reading to get the facts, or failing that watch a few movies. The truth is that the Japanese were already attacking Pearl Harbor when they declared war. To some it would seem fitting that the bombs were dropped after the Japanese surrendered. That isn't true though. Sure, the bombings were an atrocity, and should never have taken place, however...
The official surrender by the Japanese didn't happen until several days after "Fat Man" was detonated 1800 feet above Nagasaki. The surrender was not only the result of the second detonation, but also in response to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria which happened on the same day.
Moreover, I would like to reinforce the fact that OMD are not in awe of the bombings. The song is deliberately melancholic because it is intended to evoke an emotional response to these terrible events.
And for anyone who really wonders why the bombs were dropped: they were intended as a display of power for the benefit of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Soviets already had a functional nuclear program and the Cold War was already underway in Germany when the USSR took control of what became East Germany.
@sugarfish that's factually balderdash. NUCLEAR weapons weren't around until the 1950s, but even the atomic bomb (which is different) wasn't in Soviet hands until 1949, four years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Cold War arguably began when Truman walked up to Stalin at Potsdam and, in English, told him that the US had a functioning weapon of mass destruction, as if to gloat. Indeed, the dropping of those two atomic bombs was intended as a power play by the United States, but it was nothing to do with the Japanese surrender. 250,000 people died to boost Truman's ego. Even top...
@sugarfish that's factually balderdash. NUCLEAR weapons weren't around until the 1950s, but even the atomic bomb (which is different) wasn't in Soviet hands until 1949, four years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Cold War arguably began when Truman walked up to Stalin at Potsdam and, in English, told him that the US had a functioning weapon of mass destruction, as if to gloat. Indeed, the dropping of those two atomic bombs was intended as a power play by the United States, but it was nothing to do with the Japanese surrender. 250,000 people died to boost Truman's ego. Even top US generals of the time admitted openly that the Japanese were on the verge of surrender before the atomic bombs were dropped, and that those atrocities were simply unnecessary. Whilst it is true that Japan failed to surrender until a few days later, you may want to check history for any surrender finalised within a day or two - it just doesn't happen unless the enemy literally knocks on your palace door and shoves the armistice in your face. It was common knowledge among leaders of the war effort on both sides that Japan was about to end the war, but Truman seized the opportunity before they had chance to get his fill of slaughter and bloodshed. There is no justification whatsoever for the events of the 06th and 09th August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that is what this song portrays perfectly. I absolutely agree with those other comments which highlight the appropriacy of an upbeat, synth dance track about such a devastating and at the time entirely repeatable event.
To anybody who is interested...
Just do a little reading to get the facts, or failing that watch a few movies. The truth is that the Japanese were already attacking Pearl Harbor when they declared war. To some it would seem fitting that the bombs were dropped after the Japanese surrendered. That isn't true though. Sure, the bombings were an atrocity, and should never have taken place, however...
The official surrender by the Japanese didn't happen until several days after "Fat Man" was detonated 1800 feet above Nagasaki. The surrender was not only the result of the second detonation, but also in response to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria which happened on the same day.
Moreover, I would like to reinforce the fact that OMD are not in awe of the bombings. The song is deliberately melancholic because it is intended to evoke an emotional response to these terrible events.
And for anyone who really wonders why the bombs were dropped: they were intended as a display of power for the benefit of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Soviets already had a functional nuclear program and the Cold War was already underway in Germany when the USSR took control of what became East Germany.
@sugarfish that's factually balderdash. NUCLEAR weapons weren't around until the 1950s, but even the atomic bomb (which is different) wasn't in Soviet hands until 1949, four years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Cold War arguably began when Truman walked up to Stalin at Potsdam and, in English, told him that the US had a functioning weapon of mass destruction, as if to gloat. Indeed, the dropping of those two atomic bombs was intended as a power play by the United States, but it was nothing to do with the Japanese surrender. 250,000 people died to boost Truman's ego. Even top...
@sugarfish that's factually balderdash. NUCLEAR weapons weren't around until the 1950s, but even the atomic bomb (which is different) wasn't in Soviet hands until 1949, four years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Cold War arguably began when Truman walked up to Stalin at Potsdam and, in English, told him that the US had a functioning weapon of mass destruction, as if to gloat. Indeed, the dropping of those two atomic bombs was intended as a power play by the United States, but it was nothing to do with the Japanese surrender. 250,000 people died to boost Truman's ego. Even top US generals of the time admitted openly that the Japanese were on the verge of surrender before the atomic bombs were dropped, and that those atrocities were simply unnecessary. Whilst it is true that Japan failed to surrender until a few days later, you may want to check history for any surrender finalised within a day or two - it just doesn't happen unless the enemy literally knocks on your palace door and shoves the armistice in your face. It was common knowledge among leaders of the war effort on both sides that Japan was about to end the war, but Truman seized the opportunity before they had chance to get his fill of slaughter and bloodshed. There is no justification whatsoever for the events of the 06th and 09th August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that is what this song portrays perfectly. I absolutely agree with those other comments which highlight the appropriacy of an upbeat, synth dance track about such a devastating and at the time entirely repeatable event.
@Queenfan1991 No, the first nuclear weapon test was in the mid-1940s, not the 1950s.
@Queenfan1991 No, the first nuclear weapon test was in the mid-1940s, not the 1950s.