The allies had overwhelming air superiority. Attacks on Hamburg, Dresden and Berlin with over 1000 bombers, killed roughly 50,000 people in each city as a result of one night's bombing. Many of them died as a result of firestorms.
Similarly, cities were being destroyed in Japan. Whether these cities were destroyed by 1,000 bomber raids or one atom bomb, is to some extent irrelevant.
It is difficult to criticise decisions taken at that time and under those conditions. I would like to think that dropping the bombs did shorten the war and saved many lives. But it is all hypothetical now. What happened happened.
™ Version 4.2
