General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: No Choice: Why Harry Truman Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan [View all]zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)No single one is the sole reason. Each reason contributed. Inertia is possibly the largest single one. Some of the island hopping fell into that category as well. The need for taking some of the later/closer islands was becoming less necessary. But the plans were in place and the machine of war kept moving forward. It's sort of in military doctrine these days. During the American Civil war, the north had a tendency not to pursue and "finish" battles. Grant changed much of that. The result has lived on. After WWII, they discovered how many soldiers didn't fire their weapons, even when under attack. The result is that we now teach them to fight and finish.
Towards the end of a war, it is very often difficult to put the breaks on the machine. Look at the "highway of death" in Kuwait. There was no tactical reason for what they did. But no one took the time to suggest that it be stopped. It went on for 10 hours.