Love, Matthew

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it caused a chain reaction that in the long run would save more lives than can be imagined. This was the event that brought the United States into World War II, and the U.S. helped the allied forces bring an end to the war, saving countless innocent lives. Although it may seem anomalous, the dropping of the atomic bombs over Japan actually saved millions of innocent people (Sluyter 1). Also, with the help of the U.S., the allies could put an end to the horrors of the concentration camps, saving the extant victims of these discrimination prisons (Tuchel 262). Not only did the allies rescue innocent victims, but also saved German troops by forcing them to surrender at Stalingrad (Messenger 3). In addition to German troops, other axis powers such as some Japanese troops were saved when the allied forces captured Okinawa on June 21, 1945 (Stein 98). Thousands were also saved in Mili Atoll (in the Marshalls), the Halmahera group (east of Celebes), and Marcus Island when the allies brought them to their defeat (Weintraub 662). A lot of attacks in WWII were made from the air, and the Japanese had an island they used as an air base that was overthrown by American forces, which prevented the Japanese from planning more air attacks (Oleksy 21). Lastly, there were many American military leaders in WWII to save thousands of both innocent civilians and enemy lives. However, thousands can almost seem like nothing knowing that millions were saved in Asia. Early in the morning on August 6, 1945, the United States was forced to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and three days later, drop yet another over Nagasaki, Japan (Stein 107). Although hard to comprehend, the U.S. decision to drop these bombs actually saved millions of people (Sluyter 1). In light of dropping these bombs of mass destruction, Japan finally admitted their defeat, and released a quarter of a million of the surviving allied prisoners held captive in their concentration camps (Sluyter 1). Also, if the Americans had not dropped the atomic bombs, Japan might not have surrendered so quickly, and it is known that millions of people in Asia “would have fallen victim to Japan’s war atrocities” (Sluyter 1). Lastly, if Harry S. Truman had not made the decision to drop these A-bombs, then the allies would have had to invade Japan. An estimated number of 1,000,000 American soldiers would have been killed if the allied powers chose to initiate this battle (Stein 105). It truly was the right decision to drop these bombs, because it did not only save millions of American allies, but also the millions of lives in Asia. Having the United States siding with the allied forces, the murders of the vile concentration camps in Germany could be put to an end (Stein 105). “Altogether, there were 1,600,000 registered prisoners and 450,000 deaths are documented, though a number exceeding 600,000 dead is more probable” (Tuchel 262). This means that 1,000,000 of the registered prisoners in the concentration camps were saved when Germany was put to defeat. Without the defeat of Germany, every one of those 1,000,000 prisoners could have been subject to be murdered by the Nazis. Not only were the blameless victims of the camps saved, but German troops were also spared when they were overpowered at Stalingrad (Messenger 3). 91,000 of the German soldiers at Stalingrad were secured when taken prisoners by the allies (Messenger 3). Although the POW’s (prisoners of war) were forced to rebuild the city, it did give them the chance to avoid being slaughtered, and also they were allowed another chance to reside (Messenger 3). When the allies gained support from the United States in this war, Germany could be defeated, and even more lives could be saved. Germany, however, was not the only axis power saved by the allies. The Japanese were the main reason the United States got involved into WWII, and while the U.S. defeated the Japanese in most battles, a lot of Japanese troops were allowed to subsist. To start, even though the battle at Okinawa was extremely brutal, 30,000 wounded soldiers lasted through the fierce fight (Stein 98). Also, Japanese people on Mili Atoll, in the Marshalls, were saved by an ally, Captain H.B. Grow. The Japanese had these “intention-to-surrender symbols that could be seen out at sea or from the air” (Weintraub 662). A man on Mili Atoll painted one of these symbols, and Grow was ordered to save the Japanese, so he took action and prevented 2,395 Japanese civilians from starving (Weintraub 662). Another man, Major General H.H. Johnson, saved 41,700 Japanese troops and civilians (Weintraub 662). When the people on Morotai surrendered, Johnson brought his troops over to “accept the surrender” of these inhabitants in the Halmahera group (Weintraub 662). Lastly, Rear Admiral F.E.M. Whiting forced 2,500 troops to surrender to him on Marcus Island, which allowed those thousands of troops to survive (Weintraub 662). Therefore, even though the Japanese were an enemy to the Americans, the U.S. soldiers still ended up saving numerous Japanese lives. Grow, Johnson and Whiting were only a few of the military leaders in the war that helped to save lives. Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson, the fierce chief of “Carlson’s Raiders,” was an American military leader who also saved many lives (Oleksy 14). Outnumbered at Guadalcanal, Carlson and his troops fought viciously to their triumph over the Japanese (Oleksy 21). The Japanese were using this island as an air base, and they could plan many attacks at Guadalcanal on the Americans and their allies (Oleksy 21). Due to the victory of the Americans, it prevented the Japanese from using the island any longer, therefore their numbers of air attacks were decreased (Oleksy 21). Obviously, with a diminished number of attacks, fewer people would be subject to die. Another location of a Japanese air base was at Tarawa, which was also taken over by Carlson and his raiders (Oleksy 23). Not only did attainment in taking over Tarawa prevent the Japanese from planning a number of air attacks, but it also allowed Americans to use it as a base for their own air attacks on the Japanese mainland (Oleksy 24). Again, there are still more military leaders that rescued victims of the war. There were many more American military leaders in World War II, and a lot of them made decisions and took actions that would save lives. One leader, General Omar Bradley, and his troops, were fighting against the Germans and Italians (Oleksy 106). With Bradley leading these troops, a lot of the enemies could be saved (Oleksy 106). “On May 7, the Americans with the British 1st and 8th armies captured Bizerte and Tunis, cutting the enemy forces in Tunisia in two” (Oleksy 106). With Bradley’s war strategy, the German artillery commander, Fritz Krause, surrendered unconditionally to the Americans, which prevented 40,000 German soldiers from possibly being killed at war in the future (Oleksy 106). Another military leader, General Douglas MacArthur, also had strategic war plans that would avert death for the enemies of America (Oleksy 35). Japanese Major General Edward King commanded the Bataan forces, and although many of his men were sick, he received reinforcements in the Philippines and then there was a six day battle starting on April 3rd (Oleksy 35). 76,000 of his men, almost double the number of Krause’s, were spared when forced to surrender unconditionally after the battle (Oleksy 35). Although General Omar Bradley and General Douglas MacArthur were just a couple of American military leaders, if the numbers are combined, they saved more than 100,000 enemy lives. Statistics say that 2,395 people were killed on the morning of December 7, 1941, but when that number is compared to the millions of lives that the Americans and their allies saved in World War II, it is understood that the attack on Pearl Harbor did rescue more lives in the long run. The difficult decision America made to drop the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved millions of lives in Asia (Sluyter 1). Also, millions of people were suffering in the murderous concentration camps set up by the axis powers, and they were saved when the Americans and their allies had defeated Germany (Tuchel 262). Along with their prisoners, some Germans were also saved by the allied forces when forced to surrender at Stalingrad (Messenger 3). Another axis power, the Japanese, was overthrown at Okinawa, which actually saved some of their troops (Stein 98). Not only were Japanese people saved at Okinawa, but also in Mili Atoll, Morotai, and Marcus Island (Weintraub 662). An American military leader, Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson, prevented the Japanese from planning a number of air attacks by defeating the massive Japanese army at Guadalcanal (Oleksy 21). Along with Carlson, other American generals Omar Bradley (Oleksy 106) and Douglas MacArthur (Oleksy 34) saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Although unaware of it at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, America would end up helping the allies to save millions of troops and civilians and put an end to the tragedies of World War II.