The month of August has become central to the history of humanity. Look back over 5000 years and you will be able to pick out events that have changed humanity and the destiny of the world.
The events that I bring to you are the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on 6th and 9th August 1945.
Germany had already surrendered on 8th May 1945. This gave the western nations (the Allies) the opportunity to focus all their fire power on Japan. Of course, if the Allies wanted, they could have used the nuclear bombs on mainland Europe, but the inherent racism in Europe and the USA guided them to test their new technology on those who they considered inferior.
On 6th August 1945 they dropped ‘Little Boy’ (name given to the 1st nuke) on Hiroshima. The estimated death toll was 129000, most of them civilians. Three days later they dropped ‘Fat Boy’ (name of the next nuke) on Nagasaki where some 226000 people died, again mostly civilians. In total the Allies had selected four targets, Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, and Nagasaki – all chosen because they were large urban centres. The war strategy of the Allies was to devastate urban centres, even if it meant killing the civilian population. So the next time any western nation dares to talk about ‘not targeting civilians’, just remind them of this fact.
President Truman then warned Japan: "If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware." American hell fire was now a reality.
We should always remember it was the USA (with help from UK and Canada) that used nuclear weapons for the first time. It was the west that started the nuclear arms race because it became clear in 1945 that unless you also possess a nuclear capability, you can never trust any western nation not to use such power against you. Today, thanks to the madness of western nations, in particular USA, France, and UK, the world now has more than 13000 nuclear bombs. Each bomb many times more powerful than the ones exploded at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
So where are we in August 2022? Ukraine is on fire. The same Allies are involved in a proxy war against their new target Russia. However, this time the ‘enemy’ is not without its own power to cause mayhem to the nexus of European Allies. The bear has been poked time and again, and if there is one thing the west should be mindful about, Russia is not Japan of 1945. It has the capability, and it has a leader who can and would embark on a nuclear war if push comes to shove. It does not matter which side you support. One thing is for sure, a miscalculation by the west will result in hell fire raining down on every major urban centre in Europe.
In 1945 Germany and Japan were brought to their knees by weapons of mass destruction and overwhelming power. Today the USA enjoys a partnership and a friendship with those very same nations. Let us hope we don’t have to invite our mutual destruction before we can find a way to be on better terms with Russia.
Remember, war does not determine who is right, it only leaves behind those who will write their version of history.
