Atomic facts

At the outset of the last war, Hitler, with the backing of the German people, invaded Poland.

Our Government, after the best efforts of Chamberlain and with the backing of the British people, declared war on Germany.

We knew from the outset that civilians and military would be involved.

Both sides did their best to outdo the other. The Germans took a significant lead with their V2 rocket attacks.

Does anyone doubt that atomic warheads would have been used if they had been developed?

Civilians who made the bullets were just as much the enemy as the soldiers who fired them. Let's have a bit less emotive use of the word 'civilians'. They were the Home Front -- a vital part of the total war effort.

The final defeat of Germany took from June 1944 to May 1945. Had they surrendered earlier, many lives would have been saved and much destruction prevented.

Warning

And so to Japan, who, without declaration of war or warning, struck devastating blows on the Americans at Pearl Harbour and the British at Singapore.

This with the agreement of the Emperor, and the Japanese people.

Again, a stage was reached when Japan could not win, nor would their mistaken pride allow them to surrender. Our troops were still fighting with loss of life in the jungles of Burma and in other areas also.

There was the desperate plight of the prisoners of war and the inhuman treatment they received at the hands of the Japanese. Having suffered four years of a living hell, their release could not come too soon.

Of the survivors, some died shortly after release. Others were to suffer ill health for the rest of their lives.

I have no time for biased, one-sided theories, plain facts speak for themselves. The atomic bombs ended the war, and not a minute too soon. That two were required was entirely the fault of the Japanese.

As Mr Mellows remarked: "It is unfortunate it required such drastic and catastrophic actions to make the enemy sit up and take notice."

John Robinson

Hughes Avenue

Horwich