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A review by andrew_russell
Hiroshima Nagasaki by Paul Ham
3.0
A topic which is perhaps relatively neglected in WW2 literature, the dropping of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was a story about which I didn't know a great deal before reading this. So Paul Ham managed to educate me in this regard, with lots of things that I knew nothing of.
The diplomatic aspect of the story forms the backbone, or spine, of this text and is intriguing and at times gripping. At other times though, it doesn't read particularly well and I found that I was itching to get onto the next part of the story. More focus on the effects of the two bombs, as well as the after effects of radiation poisoning, would have kept my interest alive but the actual dropping of the two bombs is covered in quick order by Ham, before he moves back to the politics.
Ham adopts a 'revisionist' viewpoint, providing a strong argument that there was no military purpose behind the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man, that their purpose was quasi experimental, testing the bombs capabilities, whilst demonstrating to the world at large that America was a force to be reckoned with. They were the logical progression following the theories supporting strategic bombing as a valid means of warfare, namely that terrorising a civilian population through heavy bombing raids demoralises enemy forces and can fuel insurrection amongst the populace of major population centres. His arguments are compelling, cohesive and supported by fairly robust evidence.
I think this falls under the broad brush category of 'pretty good'. It never quite gets the blood running, the emotions going (in spite of the fact that there are great dollops of emotional potential within this subject matter) and at times is weighed down by the political and diplomatic discussions taking place, neglecting the effects and after-effects on the population. Sure there are reams of numbers (this many civilians died in this raid, this many in another raid) but the stories behind the numbers, whilst touched on, are not given enough attention for my liking.
The diplomatic aspect of the story forms the backbone, or spine, of this text and is intriguing and at times gripping. At other times though, it doesn't read particularly well and I found that I was itching to get onto the next part of the story. More focus on the effects of the two bombs, as well as the after effects of radiation poisoning, would have kept my interest alive but the actual dropping of the two bombs is covered in quick order by Ham, before he moves back to the politics.
Ham adopts a 'revisionist' viewpoint, providing a strong argument that there was no military purpose behind the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man, that their purpose was quasi experimental, testing the bombs capabilities, whilst demonstrating to the world at large that America was a force to be reckoned with. They were the logical progression following the theories supporting strategic bombing as a valid means of warfare, namely that terrorising a civilian population through heavy bombing raids demoralises enemy forces and can fuel insurrection amongst the populace of major population centres. His arguments are compelling, cohesive and supported by fairly robust evidence.
I think this falls under the broad brush category of 'pretty good'. It never quite gets the blood running, the emotions going (in spite of the fact that there are great dollops of emotional potential within this subject matter) and at times is weighed down by the political and diplomatic discussions taking place, neglecting the effects and after-effects on the population. Sure there are reams of numbers (this many civilians died in this raid, this many in another raid) but the stories behind the numbers, whilst touched on, are not given enough attention for my liking.