Seventy years ago today:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/firebombing-of-tokyo
From the article:.
The denizens of Shitamachi never had a chance of defending themselves. Their fire brigades were hopelessly undermanned, poorly trained, and poorly equipped. At 5:34 p.m., Superfortress B-29 bombers took off from Saipan and Tinian, reaching their target at 12:15 a.m. on March 10. Three hundred and thirty-four bombers, flying at a mere 500 feet, dropped their loads, creating a giant bonfire fanned by 30-knot winds that helped raze Shitamachi and spread the flames throughout Tokyo. Masses of panicked and terrified Japanese civilians scrambled to escape the inferno, most unsuccessfully. The human carnage was so great that the blood-red mists and stench of burning flesh that wafted up sickened the bomber pilots, forcing them to grab oxygen masks to keep from vomiting.
Occasionally we write about these things so that we who take our religion seriously keep a proper perspective on world events past and present, and also, perhaps, to keep us humble, to keep us from viewing ourselves as the "indispensable nation"
[More: http://www.dw.de/tokyo-firebombing-survivors-recall-most-destructive-air-raid-in-history/a-18300080]
5 comments:
Unfortunately many people, often those of exemplary character, do exactly as they are told by their leaders. So we should not blame those young men flying the B29's. Their commanders, particularly those in political power and at high levels of government, bear the greatest responsibility for their shameful decisions.
Is our generation any better with their willing and eager compliance with the elites and their program of destruction waged by abortion, usury and sodomy.
By that logic, the Nuremberg Trials were a farce. Poor exemplary Nazis were stuffing Jews into ovens because their nefarious bosses were telling them so.
When we come to judgement, it won't work that way. Those exemplary murderers will face the Just Judge who will not accept excuses for their actions.
I think that if you look into it, you will find that there were a number of military men who dumped their ordnance on non-target areas because they could not bring themselves to engage in mass murder. Whether they faced court-martial or not, they were not often in the news. It is men who stand by their principles and values that keep civilization on track. Men that do not are the ones that inevitably bring it down.
Exemplary means a bit more than "fun to have a beer with," or "doesn't kick his dog much," or "follows order." Lots of regular Joes around who won't flinch at incinerating folks. Exemplary? Not so much.
Anon@4:14pm
Thank you for your comment, though I;m not quite sure what you mean when you use the word "exemplary". I am sorry if I have misunderstood you but I am certainly not suggesting that what was done in the bombing of civilian populations is in any way praiseworthy.
I did not know that there were military men who refused to engage in mass murder. That speaks well for them.
A bit of confusion here, probably my fault for using the word 'exemplary'. The meaning intended was, men of above average character.
Aircrew, were selected and trained to carry out orders without question or consideration of the consequences of their actions. (Anon. 9:54).
Yes, I was referring to the use of the word "exemplary" in the first anon's comment. While those men do not bear the entire weight of guilt for what they did, they can not be absolved of it.
I can't hold up people who "carry out orders without question or consideration of the consequences of their actions" exemplary. I find it to rather be an example of cowardice and selfishness.
That quote is from Anon 6:31. I am not trying to pick a fight with the other anon, by the way. I have been cowardly and selfish many times myself. In one particular case, it only resulted in the death of one person - my son or daughter (I don't even know.) I have not yet been tested with the responsibility for the deaths of many. God forbid that I should be and fail again.
Never the less, I am a bit more aware of the long term consequences of my actions, and those of others, as well.
I hope that all who fall have the grace to repent, and the courage to take the hard road, when such situations arise again.
Nowadays, murder of the innocent is common, and does not make headlines like when it happens in war or terrorism.
On a lighter note, I'm fun to have a beer with, 'cause I like to buy rounds, and I have yet to kick my dog.
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