The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively) are the only two examples in the history of mankind of the combat use of nuclear weapons. Implemented by the US Armed Forces at the final stage of World War II in order to accelerate the surrender of Japan within the Pacific theater of World War II.
On the morning of August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber "Enola Gay", named after the mother (Enola Gay Haggard) of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the "Fat Man" atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki by pilot Charles Sweeney, commander of the B-29 "Bockscar" bomber. The total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki.
The shock of the US atomic bombings had a profound effect on Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki and Japanese Foreign Minister Togo Shigenori, who were inclined to believe that the Japanese government should end the war.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. The act of surrender, formally ending World War II, was signed on September 2, 1945.
The role of the atomic bombings in Japan's surrender and the ethical justification of the bombings themselves are still hotly debated.
Prerequisites
In September 1944, at a meeting between US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Hyde Park, an agreement was concluded that included the possibility of using atomic weapons against Japan.
By the summer of 1945, the United States of America, with the support of Great Britain and Canada, as part of the Manhattan Project, completed preparatory work to create the first operational nuclear weapons.
After three and a half years of direct US involvement in World War II, about 200 thousand Americans were killed, about half of them in the war against Japan. In April-June 1945, more than 12 thousand people died during the operation to capture the Japanese island of Okinawa. American soldiers, 39 thousand were wounded (Japanese losses ranged from 93 to 110 thousand soldiers and over 100 thousand civilians). It was expected that an invasion of Japan itself would result in losses many times greater than those in Okinawan.
Model of the Little boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima
May 1945: selection of targets
During its second meeting at Los Alamos (May 10-11, 1945), the Target Selection Committee recommended Kyoto (a major industrial center), Hiroshima (an army storage center and military port), and Yokohama (a military center) as targets for the use of atomic weapons. industry), Kokura (the largest military arsenal) and Niigata (a military port and mechanical engineering center). The committee rejected the idea of using these weapons against a purely military target, since there was a chance of missing small area, not surrounded by a large urban area.
When choosing a goal, great importance was attached to psychological factors, such as:
achieving maximum psychological effect against Japan,
the first use of a weapon must be significant enough for its importance to be recognized internationally. The committee pointed out that the choice of Kyoto was due to the fact that its population had a higher level of education and was thus better able to appreciate the value of weapons. Hiroshima was of such a size and location that, taking into account the focusing effect of the surrounding hills, the force of the explosion could be increased.
US Secretary of War Henry Stimson removed Kyoto from the list due to the city's cultural significance. According to Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, Stimson "knew and appreciated Kyoto from his honeymoon there decades ago."
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on a map of Japan
On July 16, the world's first successful test of an atomic weapon was carried out at a test site in New Mexico. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons of TNT.
On July 24, during the Potsdam Conference, US President Harry Truman informed Stalin that the United States had a new weapon of unprecedented destructive power. Truman did not specify that he was referring specifically to atomic weapons. According to Truman's memoirs, Stalin showed little interest, saying only that he was glad and hoped that the United States could use it effectively against the Japanese. Churchill, who carefully observed Stalin's reaction, remained of the opinion that Stalin did not understand true meaning Truman's words and did not pay attention to him. At the same time, according to Zhukov’s memoirs, Stalin understood everything perfectly, but did not show it and, in a conversation with Molotov after the meeting, noted that “We will need to talk with Kurchatov about speeding up our work.” After the declassification of the American intelligence services' operation "Venona", it became known that Soviet agents had long been reporting on the development of nuclear weapons. According to some reports, agent Theodore Hall even announced the planned date of the first nuclear test a few days before the Potsdam Conference. This may explain why Stalin took Truman's message calmly. Hall had been working for Soviet intelligence since 1944.
On July 25, Truman approved an order, beginning August 3, to bomb one of the following targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki, as soon as weather permits, and the following cities in the future as bombs become available.
On July 26, the governments of the United States, Great Britain, and China signed the Potsdam Declaration, which set out the demand for Japan's unconditional surrender. The atomic bomb was not mentioned in the declaration.
The next day, Japanese newspapers reported that the declaration, the text of which was broadcast on the radio and scattered in leaflets from airplanes, had been rejected. The Japanese government did not express any desire to accept the ultimatum. On July 28, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki said at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration was nothing more than the old arguments of the Cairo Declaration in a new wrapper, and demanded that the government ignore it.
Emperor Hirohito, who was waiting for a Soviet response to the evasive diplomatic moves of the Japanese, did not change the government's decision. On July 31, in a conversation with Koichi Kido, he made it clear that imperial power must be protected at all costs.
Preparing for the bombing
During May-June 1945, the American 509th Mixed Aviation Group arrived on Tinian Island. The group's base area on the island was several miles from other units and was carefully guarded.
On July 28, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed an order for the combat use of nuclear weapons. This order, drafted by the head of the Manhattan Project, Major General Leslie Groves, ordered a nuclear strike "on any day after the third of August as soon as weather conditions permit." On July 29, the commander of US strategic aviation, General Carl Spaatz, arrived on Tinian, delivering Marshall's order to the island.
On July 28 and August 2, components of the Fat Man atomic bomb were brought to Tinian by plane.
Bombing of Hiroshima August 6, 1945 Hiroshima during World War II
Hiroshima was located on a flat area, slightly above sea level at the mouth of the Ota River, on 6 islands connected by 81 bridges. The city's population before the war was over 340 thousand people, making Hiroshima the seventh largest city in Japan. The city was the headquarters of the Fifth Division and the Second Main Army of Field Marshal Shunroku Hata, who commanded the defense of all of Southern Japan. Hiroshima was an important supply base for the Japanese army.
In Hiroshima (as well as in Nagasaki), most of the buildings were one- and two-story wooden buildings with tiled roofs. Factories were located on the outskirts of the city. Obsolete fire equipment and the insufficient level of personnel training created a high fire danger even in peacetime.
Hiroshima's population peaked at 380,000 during the war, but before the bombing the population gradually declined due to systematic evacuations ordered by the Japanese government. At the time of the attack the population was about 245 thousand people.
Bombardment
The primary target of the first American nuclear bombing was Hiroshima (the alternate targets were Kokura and Nagasaki). Although Truman's orders called for atomic bombing to begin on August 3, cloud cover over the target prevented this until August 6.
On August 6 at 1:45 a.m., an American B-29 bomber under the command of the commander of the 509th Combined Aviation Regiment, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, carrying the Baby atomic bomb on board, took off from the island of Tinian, which was about 6 hours flight from Hiroshima. Tibbetts' plane (Enola Gay) was flying as part of a formation that included six other planes: a reserve plane (Top Secret), two controllers and three reconnaissance aircraft (Jebit III, Full House and Street Flash). The commanders of reconnaissance aircraft sent to Nagasaki and Kokura reported significant cloudiness over these cities. The pilot of the third reconnaissance aircraft, Major Iserli, found that the sky over Hiroshima was clear and sent the signal “Bomb the first target.”
Around seven o'clock in the morning, the Japanese early warning radar network detected the approach of several American aircraft heading towards southern Japan. An air raid warning was announced and radio broadcasts were stopped in many cities, including Hiroshima. At approximately 08:00, the radar operator in Hiroshima determined that the number of incoming aircraft was very small - perhaps no more than three - and the air raid alert was canceled. In order to save fuel and aircraft, the Japanese did not intercept small groups of American bombers. The standard radio message was that it would be wise to head to bomb shelters if the B-29s were actually spotted, and that it was not a raid but just some form of reconnaissance that was expected.
At 08:15 local time, the B-29, being at an altitude of over 9 km, dropped an atomic bomb on the center of Hiroshima.
The first public report of the event came from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on the Japanese city.
The shadow of a man who was sitting on the steps of the stairs in front of the bank at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter
Explosion effect
Those closest to the epicenter of the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to coal. Birds flying past burned up in the air, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited up to 2 km from the epicenter. The light radiation burned the dark pattern of clothing into the skin and left silhouettes of human bodies on the walls. People outside their houses described a blinding flash of light, which was simultaneously accompanied by a wave of stifling heat. The blast wave followed almost immediately for everyone near the epicenter, often knocking them off their feet. Occupants of the buildings generally avoided exposure to the light radiation from the explosion, but not the blast wave - glass shards hit most rooms, and all but the strongest buildings collapsed. One teenager was thrown from his house across the street by the blast wave, while the house collapsed behind him. Within a few minutes, 90% of people who were 800 meters or less from the epicenter died.
The blast wave shattered glass at a distance of up to 19 km. For those in the buildings, the typical first reaction was the thought of a direct hit from an aerial bomb.
Numerous small fires that broke out simultaneously in the city soon combined into one large fire tornado, creating strong wind(speed 50-60 km/h) directed towards the epicenter. The firestorm captured over 11 km² of the city, killing everyone who did not manage to get out within the first few minutes after the explosion.
According to the recollections of Akiko Takakura, one of the few survivors who were at a distance of 300 m from the epicenter at the time of the explosion,
Three colors characterize for me the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima: black, red and brown. Black because the explosion cut off the sunlight and plunged the world into darkness. Red was the color of blood flowing from wounded and broken people. It was also the color of the fires that burned everything in the city. Brown was the color of burnt skin falling off the body, exposed to the light radiation from the explosion.
A few days after the explosion, doctors began to notice the first symptoms of radiation among the survivors. Soon, the number of deaths among the survivors began to rise again, as patients who had seemed to be recovering began to suffer from this strange new disease. Deaths from radiation sickness peaked 3-4 weeks after the explosion and began to decline only 7-8 weeks later. Japanese doctors considered vomiting and diarrhea characteristic of radiation sickness to be symptoms of dysentery. Long-term health effects associated with exposure, such as an increased risk of cancer, haunted survivors for the rest of their lives, as did the psychological shock of the blast.
The first person in the world whose cause of death was officially listed as illness caused by the consequences of nuclear explosion(radiation poisoning), became the actress Midori Naka, who survived the Hiroshima explosion, but died on August 24, 1945. Journalist Robert Jung believes that it was Midori’s disease and its popularity among ordinary people allowed people to find out the truth about the emerging “new disease”. Until Midori's death, no one attached any importance to the mysterious deaths of people who survived the explosion and died under circumstances unknown to science at that time. Jung believes that Midori's death was the impetus for accelerating research in nuclear physics and medicine, which soon managed to save the lives of many people from radiation exposure.
Japanese awareness of the consequences of the attack
A Tokyo operator from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation noticed that the Hiroshima station had stopped broadcasting. He tried to re-establish the broadcast using another telephone line, but this also failed. About twenty minutes later, the Tokyo railway telegraph control center realized that the main telegraph line had stopped working just north of Hiroshima. From a stop 16 km from Hiroshima, unofficial and confused reports came about a terrible explosion. All these messages were forwarded to the headquarters of the Japanese General Staff.
Military bases repeatedly tried to call the Hiroshima Command and Control Center. The complete silence from there baffled the General Staff, since they knew that there was no major enemy raid in Hiroshima and there was no significant stockpile of explosives. A young officer from headquarters was instructed to immediately fly to Hiroshima, land, assess the damage and return to Tokyo with reliable information. The headquarters generally believed that nothing serious happened there, and the messages were explained by rumors.
An officer from headquarters went to the airport, from where he flew to the southwest. After a three-hour flight, while still 160 km from Hiroshima, he and his pilot noticed a large cloud of smoke from the bomb. It was a bright day and the ruins of Hiroshima were burning. Their plane soon reached the city, around which they circled, not believing their eyes. All that was left of the city was a zone of complete destruction, still burning and covered in a thick cloud of smoke. They landed south of the city, and the officer, reporting the incident to Tokyo, immediately began organizing rescue measures.
The Japanese's first real understanding of what really caused the disaster came from public message from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on Hiroshima.
Hiroshima after the atomic explosion
Losses and destruction
The number of deaths from the direct impact of the explosion ranged from 70 to 80 thousand people. By the end of 1945, due to the effects of radioactive contamination and other post-effects of the explosion total The death toll ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people. After 5 years, the total death toll, including deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 200 thousand people.
According to official Japanese data, as of March 31, 2013, there were 201,779 “hibakusha” alive - people who suffered from the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This number includes children born to women exposed to radiation from the explosions (mostly living in Japan at the time of the calculation). Of these, 1%, according to the Japanese government, had serious cancer caused by radiation exposure after the bombings. The number of deaths as of August 31, 2013 is about 450 thousand: 286,818 in Hiroshima and 162,083 in Nagasaki.
Nuclear pollution
The concept of “radioactive contamination” did not yet exist in those years, and therefore this issue was not even raised then. People continued to live and rebuild destroyed buildings in the same place where they were before. Even the high mortality rate of the population in subsequent years, as well as diseases and genetic abnormalities in children born after the bombings, were not initially associated with exposure to radiation. Evacuation of the population from contaminated areas was not carried out, since no one knew about the very presence of radioactive contamination.
It is quite difficult to give an accurate assessment of the extent of this contamination due to lack of information, however, since the first atomic bombs were technically relatively low-power and imperfect (the Baby bomb, for example, contained 64 kg of uranium, of which only about 700 g reacted division), the level of contamination of the area could not be significant, although it posed a serious danger to the population. For comparison: at the time of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there were several tons of fission products and transuranium elements in the reactor core - various radioactive isotopes that accumulated during the operation of the reactor.
Comparative preservation of some buildings
Some reinforced concrete buildings in Hiroshima were very stable (due to the risk of earthquakes), and their frame did not collapse, despite the fact that they were quite close to the center of destruction in the city (the epicenter of the explosion). This is how the brick building of the Hiroshima Chamber of Industry (now commonly known as the "Genbaku Dome", or "Atomic Dome"), designed and built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, survived, which was only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion (at the height of the bomb detonation 600 m above the surface). The ruins became the most famous artifact of the Hiroshima atomic explosion and were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, despite objections from the US and Chinese governments.
On August 6, after receiving news of the successful atomic bombing of Hiroshima, US President Truman announced that
We are now ready to destroy, even faster and more completely than before, all Japanese land-based production facilities in any city. We will destroy their docks, their factories and their communications. Let there be no misunderstanding - we will completely destroy Japan's ability to wage war.
It was with the aim of preventing the destruction of Japan that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued in Potsdam. Their leadership immediately rejected his terms. If they do not accept our terms now, let them expect a rain of destruction from the air, the likes of which have never been seen on this planet.
After receiving news of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government met to discuss its response. Beginning in June, the Emperor advocated peace negotiations, but the Minister of Defense and Army and Navy leaders believed that Japan should wait to see whether attempts at peace negotiations through the Soviet Union would produce results better than unconditional surrender. The military leadership also believed that if they could hold out until the invasion of the Japanese islands, it would be possible to inflict such casualties on the Allied forces that Japan could win peace terms other than unconditional surrender.
On August 9, the USSR declared war on Japan and Soviet troops launched an invasion of Manchuria. Hopes for USSR mediation in the negotiations collapsed. The Japanese army's senior leadership began preparing to declare martial law in order to prevent any attempts at peace negotiations.
The second atomic bombing (Kokury) was scheduled for 11 August, but was moved up 2 days to avoid a five-day period of bad weather forecast to begin on 10 August.
Bombing of Nagasaki August 9, 1945 Nagasaki during World War II
Nagasaki in 1945 was located in two valleys, along which two rivers flowed. A mountain range separated the city's districts.
The development was chaotic: out of a total city area of 90 km², 12 were built up with residential areas.
During World War II, the city, which was a major seaport, also acquired special significance as an industrial center, where steel production and the Mitsubishi shipyard, and the Mitsubishi-Urakami torpedo production were concentrated. Guns, ships and other military equipment were manufactured in the city.
Nagasaki was not subjected to large-scale bombing before the explosion of the atomic bomb, but on August 1, 1945, several high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city, damaging shipyards and docks in the southwestern part of the city. Bombs also hit the Mitsubishi steel and gun factories. The result of the raid on August 1 was the partial evacuation of the population, especially schoolchildren. However, at the time of the bombing the city's population was still about 200 thousand people.
Nagasaki before and after the atomic explosion
Bombardment
The main target of the second American nuclear bombing was Kokura, the secondary target was Nagasaki.
At 2:47 a.m. on August 9, an American B-29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney, carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb, took off from Tinian Island.
Unlike the first bombing, the second was associated with numerous technical problems. A problem was discovered before takeoff. fuel pump in one of the spare fuel tanks. Despite this, the crew decided to carry out the flight as planned.
At approximately 7:50 a.m., an air raid alert was issued in Nagasaki, which was canceled at 8:30 a.m.
At 8:10, after reaching the rendezvous point with the other B-29s participating in the mission, one of them was discovered missing. For 40 minutes, Sweeney's B-29 circled around the rendezvous point, but did not wait for the missing aircraft to appear. At the same time, reconnaissance aircraft reported that cloudiness over Kokura and Nagasaki, although present, still made it possible to carry out bombing under visual control.
At 8:50 a.m., a B-29 carrying the atomic bomb headed for Kokura, where it arrived at 9:20 a.m. By this time, however, there was already 70% cloud cover over the city, which did not allow visual bombing. After three unsuccessful approaches to the target, at 10:32 the B-29 headed for Nagasaki. At this point, due to a problem with the fuel pump, there was only enough fuel for one pass over Nagasaki.
At 10:53, two B-29s came within sight of the air defense, the Japanese mistook them for reconnaissance missions and did not declare a new alarm.
At 10:56, the B-29 arrived at Nagasaki, which, as it turned out, was also obscured by clouds. Sweeney reluctantly approved a much less accurate radar approach. At the last moment, however, bombardier-gunner Captain Kermit Behan (English) noticed the silhouette of the city stadium in the gap between the clouds, focusing on which he dropped an atomic bomb.
The explosion occurred at 11:02 local time at an altitude of about 500 meters. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons.
Explosion effect
Japanese boy whose upper body was not covered during the explosion
The hastily aimed bomb exploded almost halfway between the two main targets in Nagasaki, the Mitsubishi steel and gun works in the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami torpedo factory in the north. If the bomb had been dropped further south, between business and residential areas, the damage would have been much greater.
In general, although the power of the atomic explosion in Nagasaki was greater than in Hiroshima, the destructive effect of the explosion was less. This was facilitated by a combination of factors - the presence of hills in Nagasaki, as well as the fact that the epicenter of the explosion was located over an industrial area - all this helped protect some areas of the city from the consequences of the explosion.
From the memoirs of Sumiteru Taniguchi, who was 16 years old at the time of the explosion:
I was knocked to the ground (off the bike) and the ground shook for a while. I clung to it so as not to be carried away by the blast wave. When I looked up, the house I had just passed was destroyed... I also saw a child being carried away by the blast wave. Large stones flew in the air, one hit me and then flew up into the sky again...
When everything seemed to have calmed down, I tried to get up and found that the skin on my left arm, from my shoulder to my fingertips, was hanging like tattered rags.
Losses and destruction
The atomic explosion over Nagasaki affected an area of approximately 110 km², of which 22 were water surfaces and 84 were only partially inhabited.
According to a report from Nagasaki Prefecture, "people and animals died almost instantly" at a distance of up to 1 km from the epicenter. Almost all houses within a 2 km radius were destroyed, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited up to 3 km from the epicenter. Of the 52,000 buildings in Nagasaki, 14,000 were destroyed and another 5,400 were seriously damaged. Only 12% of buildings remained undamaged. Although no firestorm occurred in the city, numerous local fires were observed.
The number of deaths by the end of 1945 ranged from 60 to 80 thousand people. After 5 years, the total death toll, including deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 140 thousand people.
Plans for subsequent atomic bombings of Japan
The US government expected another atomic bomb to be ready for use in mid-August, and three more in September and October. On August 10, Leslie Groves, the military director of the Manhattan Project, sent a memorandum to George Marshall, the US Army Chief of Staff, in which he wrote that "the next bomb... should be ready for use after August 17-18." That same day, Marshall signed a memorandum with the comment that "it should not be used against Japan until the express approval of the President has been obtained." At the same time, the US Department of Defense has already begun discussing the advisability of postponing the use of bombs until the start of Operation Downfall, the expected invasion of the Japanese Islands.
The problem we now face is whether, assuming the Japanese do not capitulate, we should continue to drop bombs as they are produced, or stockpile them and then drop them all in a short period of time. Not all in one day, but in a fairly short time. This also relates to the question of what goals we are pursuing. In other words, shouldn't we be concentrating on the targets that will most help the invasion, rather than on industry, morale, psychology, etc.? To a greater extent, tactical goals, and not any others.
Japanese surrender and subsequent occupation
Until August 9, the war cabinet continued to insist on 4 conditions of surrender. On August 9, news arrived of the Soviet Union's declaration of war late in the evening of August 8 and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at 11 p.m. At a meeting of the “Big Six”, held on the night of August 10, the votes on the issue of capitulation were equally divided (3 “for”, 3 “against”), after which the emperor intervened in the discussion, speaking in favor of capitulation. On August 10, 1945, Japan submitted a proposal for surrender to the Allies, the only condition of which was that the Emperor remain the nominal head of state.
Since the terms of the surrender allowed for the continuation of imperial power in Japan, Hirohito recorded his surrender statement on August 14, which was distributed by the Japanese media the next day, despite an attempted military coup by opponents of the surrender.
In his announcement, Hirohito mentioned the atomic bombings:
... in addition, the enemy has at his disposal a new terrible weapon that can take many innocent lives and cause immeasurable material damage. If we continue to fight, it will not only lead to the collapse and destruction of the Japanese nation, but also to the complete disappearance of human civilization.
In such a situation, how can we save millions of our subjects or justify ourselves to the sacred spirit of our ancestors? For this reason, we ordered the terms of the joint declaration of our opponents to be accepted.
Within a year after the end of the bombing, a contingent of American troops numbering 40,000 people was stationed in Hiroshima, and 27,000 in Nagasaki.
Commission for the Study of the Consequences of Atomic Explosions
In the spring of 1948, to study the long-term effects of radiation on survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman ordered the creation of the Commission to Study the Effects of Atomic Explosions at the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. The bombing casualties included many non-war casualties, including prisoners of war, forced conscripts of Koreans and Chinese, students from British Malaya, and approximately 3,200 US citizens of Japanese descent.
In 1975, the Commission was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the newly created Radiation Effects Research Foundation.
Discussion about the advisability of atomic bombings
The role of atomic bombings in the surrender of Japan and their ethical justification are still the subject of scientific and public debate. In a 2005 review of the historiography on the issue, American historian Samuel Walker wrote that “the debate about the wisdom of bombing will certainly continue.” Walker also noted that "the fundamental question that has been debated for over 40 years is whether these atomic bombings were necessary to achieve victory in the Pacific War on terms acceptable to the United States."
Proponents of the bombing usually argue that it was the reason for Japan's surrender, and therefore prevented significant casualties on both sides (both the US and Japan) in the planned invasion of Japan; that the rapid conclusion of the war saved many lives in other Asian countries (primarily China); that Japan was fighting a total war in which the distinction between military and civilians was erased; and that the Japanese leadership refused to capitulate, and the bombing helped shift the balance of opinion within the government towards peace. Opponents of the bombing argue that it was simply an addition to an already ongoing conventional bombing campaign and thus had no military necessity, that it was fundamentally immoral, a war crime, or a manifestation of state terrorism (despite the fact that in 1945 no there were international agreements or treaties that directly or indirectly prohibited the use of nuclear weapons as a means of warfare).
A number of researchers express the opinion that the main purpose of the atomic bombings was to influence the USSR before its entry into the war with Japan in the Far East and to demonstrate the atomic power of the United States.
Impact on culture
In the 1950s, the story of a Japanese girl from Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki, who died in 1955 from the effects of radiation (leukemia), became widely known. While already in the hospital, Sadako learned about a legend according to which a person who folds a thousand paper cranes can make a wish that will certainly come true. Wanting to recover, Sadako began to fold cranes from any pieces of paper that fell into her hands. According to the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Canadian children's writer Eleanor Coher, Sadako managed to fold only 644 cranes before she died in October 1955. Her friends finished the rest of the figures. According to the book Sadako's 4,675 Days of Life, Sadako folded a thousand cranes and continued folding more, but later died. Several books have been written based on her story.
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August 6 at 8:15 am 69 years ago Armed forces The United States, on the personal orders of US President Harry Truman, dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb, equivalent to 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Babr prepared the history of this terrible event through the eyes of one of the participants in the bombing
On July 28, 2014, one week before the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the last crew member of the Enola Gay, which dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, died. Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk died in a Georgia nursing home at the age of 93.
Van Kirk fought in the US military during World War II. He has dozens of missions in Europe and North Africa. However, he will be remembered as a participant in one of the most horrific acts in human history.
In December 2013, Theodore Van Kirk was interviewed by British director Leslie Woodhead for his documentary for the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 2015. Here's what Kirk recalled about that day:
“I remember well what it was like on August 6, 1945. Enola Gay takes off from the South Pacific from Tinian Island at 2:45 am. After a sleepless night. I have never seen such a beautiful sunrise in my life. The weather was beautiful. While flying at 10,000 feet, I saw the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. It was a peaceful scene, but we had a tense atmosphere on the plane because the crew didn't know if the bomb would go off. After six hours of flight, Enola Gay approached Hiroshima.”
“When the bomb fell, my first thought was: “God, I’m so glad it worked...”
Nuclear mushroom over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)
“We made a 180-degree turn and flew away from the shock waves. Then they turned around to see the damage. We saw nothing but a bright flash. Then they saw a white mushroom cloud hanging over the city. Under the cloud, the city was completely engulfed in smoke and resembled a cauldron of black boiling tar. And fire was visible on the outskirts of the cities. When the bomb fell, the first thought was: “God, I’m so glad it worked... the second thought: “It’s so good that this war will end.”
"I am a supporter of peace..."
Model of the "Little Boy" bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Van Kirk gave many interviews during his life. In conversations with young people, he often urged them not to get involved in another war and even called himself a “supporter of peace.” “The Dutchman” once told reporters that seeing what one atomic bomb had done made him reluctant to see it happen again. But at the same time, the navigator did not feel much remorse and defended the use of the atomic bomb against the Japanese, calling it a lesser evil compared to the continuation of the aerial bombing of Japan and a possible American invasion.
“I have never apologized for what we did in Hiroshima and I never will...”
Japanese boy injured by explosion
To the frequent question, “Does he feel remorse for participating in the bombing that killed about 150,000 Japanese?”, he answered:
“I have never apologized for what we did in Hiroshima and never will,” he said in an interview. - Our mission was to end World War II, that's all. If we had not thrown this bomb, it would have been impossible to force the Japanese to capitulate..."
“This bomb saved lives, despite the huge number of victims in Hiroshima...”
Hiroshima after the atomic explosion
“This bomb really saved lives, despite the huge number of casualties in Hiroshima, because otherwise the scale of casualties in Japan and the United States would have been horrific,” - Van Kirk once said.
According to him, it was not about dropping a bomb on the city and killing people: “Military installations in the city of Hiroshima were destroyed,” the American justified, “the most important of which was the army headquarters responsible for the defense of Japan in the event of an invasion. It had to be destroyed."
Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima - on August 9, 1945 - the Americans dropped another atomic bomb, Fat Man, with a yield of up to 21 kilotons of TNT, on another Japanese city - Nagasaki. Between 60 and 80 thousand people died there.
The officially declared purpose of the bombing was to hasten Japan's surrender in the Pacific theater of World War II. But the role of the atomic bombings in Japan's surrender and the ethical justification of the bombings themselves are still hotly debated.
“The use of atomic weapons was necessary”
The crew of the Enola Gay
One day, late in his life, Theodore Van Kirk visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where Enola Gay is on display. a museum worker asked Van Kirk if he would like to sit on the plane, to which the latter refused. “I have too many memories of the guys I flew with.”, he explained his refusal.
Most of the pilots who bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not publicly active, but did not express regret about what they had done. In 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the three remaining Enola Gay crew members - Tibbetts, Van Kirk and Jeppson - said that they did not regret what happened. “The use of atomic weapons was necessary”, they said.
Van Kirk's funeral was held in his hometown of Northumberland, Pennsylvania on August 5 - the day before the 69th anniversary of the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, where he was buried next to his wife, who died in 1975.
Several historical photographs about the tragic events of August 6 and 9, 1945:
This wristwatch, found among the ruins, stopped at 8.15 am on August 6, 1945 -
during the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima.
The shadow of a man who was sitting on the steps of the stairs in front of the bank at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter
Atomic explosion victim
A Japanese man discovered the wreckage of a children's three-wheeler among the ruins.
bicycle in Nagasaki, September 17, 1945.
Very few buildings remain in the devastated Hiroshima, a Japanese city that was razed to the ground
caused by the explosion of an atomic bomb, as seen in this photograph taken on September 8, 1945.
Victims of the atomic explosion, who are in the tented care center of the 2nd Military Hospital of Hiroshima,
located on the banks of the Ota River, 1150 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, August 7, 1945.
A tram (top center) and its dead passengers after a bomb exploded over Nagasaki on August 9.
The photo was taken on September 1, 1945.
Akira Yamaguchi shows off his scars from burn treatment.
receivedduring a nuclear explosionbombs in Hiroshima.
Smoke rises 20,000 feet high over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 after
how an atomic bomb was dropped on it during hostilities.
Survivors of the atomic bomb, first used in warfare on August 6, 1945, await medical treatment in Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion killed 60,000 people at the same moment, and tens of thousands died later due to radiation exposure.
93 year old Theodore Van Kirk, a bomber navigator, never expressed regret about his participation in the bombing of Hiroshima. “At that moment in history, the atomic bombing was necessary and saved the lives of thousands of American soldiers,” Van Kirk said.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were carried out on August 6 and 9, 1945, on personal orders US President Harry Truman.
The direct execution of the combat mission was entrusted to the B-29 strategic bombers of the 509th mixed aviation regiment, based on the island of Tinian in the Pacific Ocean.
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Enola Gay commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbetts dropped the “Little” uranium bomb, equivalent to 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 90 to 166 thousand people.
August 9, 1945 B-29 Boxcar under the command of Major Charles Sweeney dropped the Fat Man plutonium bomb with a yield of up to 21 kilotons of TNT on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing 60 to 80 thousand people.
Nuclear mushroom over Hiroshima and Nagasaki Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Charles Levy, Personel aboard Necessary Evil
There were 24 of them
The crew of the Enola Gay during the bombing on August 6th included 12 people, and the crew of the Boxcar on August 9th included 13 people. The only person who participated in both bombings was an anti-radar specialist lieutenant Jacob Beser. Thus, a total of 24 American pilots took part in the two bombings.
The crew of the Enola Gay included: Colonel Paul W. Tibbetts, Captain Robert Lewis, Major Thomas Ferebee, Captain Theodore Van Kirk, Lieutenant Jacob Beser, US Navy Captain William Sterling Parsons, Second Lieutenant Morris R. Jeppson, Sergeant Joe Stiborik, Sergeant Robert Caron, Sergeant Robert Shumard, Code Talker First Class Richard Nelson, Sergeant Wayne Dusenburry.
The crew of the Boxcar included: Major Charles Sweeney, Lieutenant Charles Donald Albery, Lieutenant Fred Olivi, Sergeant Kermit Behan, Corporal Ibe Spitzer, Sergeant Ray Gallagher, Sergeant Edward Buckley, Sergeant Albert Dehart, Staff Sergeant John Kucharek, Captain James Van Pelt, Frederick Ashworth, Lieutenant Philip Barnes , Lieutenant Jacob Beser.
Theodore Van Kirk was not only the last living participant in the bombing of Hiroshima, but also the last living participant in both bombings - the last of the Boxcar crew died in 2009.
Boxcar crew. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Original uploader was Cfpresley at en.wikipedia
The Enola Gay commander turned the Hiroshima tragedy into a show
Most of the pilots who bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not publicly active, but did not express regret about what they had done.
In 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the three remaining Enola Gay crew members - Tibbetts, Van Kirk and Jeppson - said that they did not regret what happened. “The use of atomic weapons was necessary,” they said.
Paul Tibbetts before the attack, morning of August 6, 1945. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / US Air Force employee (unnamed)
The most famous of the bombing participants is Paul Warfield Tibbetts Jr., commander of the Enola Gay and the 509th Airlift Wing. Tibbetts, who was considered one of the best pilots in the US Air Force during World War II and was the personal pilot of Dwight Eisenhower, in 1944 was appointed commander of the 509th Airlift Wing, which carried out flights to transport components of atomic bombs, and then received the task of carrying out an atomic strike on Japan. The Enola Gay bomber was named after Tibbetts' mother.
Tibbetts, who served in the Air Force until 1966, rose to the rank of brigadier general. He subsequently worked for many years in private aviation companies. Throughout his life, he not only expressed confidence in the correctness of the atomic strike on Hiroshima, but also declared his readiness to do it again. In 1976, a scandal broke out between the United States and Japan because of Tibbetts - at one of the air shows in Texas, the pilot staged the bombing of Hiroshima. For this incident, the US government issued an official apology to Japan.
Tibbetts died in 2007, aged 92. In his will, he asked that there be no funeral or memorial plaque after his death, as anti-nuclear weapons demonstrators might use it as a protest site.
The pilots were not tormented by nightmares
Boxcar pilot Charles Sweeney graduated from aviation in 1976 with the rank of major general. After this, he wrote memoirs and gave lectures to students. Like Tibbetts, Sweeney insisted that the atomic attack on Japan was necessary and saved the lives of thousands of Americans. Charles Sweeney died in 2004 at the age of 84 in a Boston clinic.
The direct executor of the “sentence on Hiroshima” was the then 26-year-old bombardier Thomas Ferebee. He also never doubted that his mission was the right one, although he expressed regret about the high number of casualties: “I am sorry that so many people died from this bomb, and I hate to think that this was necessary in order to sooner end the war. We should now look back and remember what just one or two bombs can do. And then I think we should agree that something like this should never happen again.” Ferebee retired in 1970, lived quietly for another 30 years, and died at the age of 81 in Windemere, Florida, on the 55th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Lived long and happy life and never regretted what they did, Charles Albury (died 2009 aged 88), Fred Olivi (died 2004 aged 82) and Frederick Ashworth (died 2005 aged 93).
B-29 over Osaka. June 1, 1945. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / United States Army Air Force
"Iserli Complex"
Over the years, there has been talk about the remorse felt by those involved in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In fact, none of the main characters actually felt any guilt. The pilot Claude Robert Iserly, who really soon went crazy, was part of the crew of one of the planes that performed auxiliary functions during the raid. He spent many years in a psychiatric clinic, and a new disease was even named in his honor, associated with damage to the psyche of people who used weapons of mass destruction - the “Iserli complex.”
His colleagues’ psyches turned out to be much stronger. Charles Sweeney and his crew, who bombed Nagasaki, were able to personally assess the scale of what they had done a month later. After Japan signed its surrender, American pilots brought physicists to Nagasaki, as well as medicines for the victims. The terrible pictures that they saw on what was left of the city streets made an impression on them, but did not shake their psyche. Although one of the pilots later admitted that it was good that the surviving residents did not know that these were the pilots who dropped the bomb on August 9, 1945...
©Commons.wikimedia.org
© Commons.wikimedia.org / Hiroshima before and after the explosion.
© Commons.wikimedia.org / The crew of the Enola Gay with Commander Paul Tibbetts in the center
© Commons.wikimedia.org / B-29 "Enola Gay" Bomber
© Commons.wikimedia.org / Atomic explosion over Hiroshima
©
Work on the creation of a nuclear bomb began in the United States in September 1943, based on research by scientists from different countries that began back in 1939.
In parallel with this, a search was carried out for the pilots who were supposed to reset it. From the thousands of dossiers reviewed, several hundred were selected. Following an extremely tough selection process, Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbetts, who had served as a test pilot of Bi-29 aircraft since 1943, was appointed commander of the future formation. He was given the task: to create a combat unit of pilots to deliver the bomb to its destination.
Preliminary calculations showed that the bomber dropping the bomb would have only 43 seconds to leave the danger zone before the explosion occurred. Flight training continued daily for many months in the strictest secrecy.
Target Selection
On June 21, 1945, US Secretary of War Stimson held a meeting to discuss the choice of future targets:
- Hiroshima is a large industrial center, population about 400 thousand people;
- Kokura is an important strategic point, steel and chemical plants, population 173 thousand people;
- Nagasaki is the largest shipyard, population 300 thousand people.
Kyoto and Niigata were also on the list of potential targets, but serious controversy erupted over them. It was proposed to exclude Niigata due to the fact that the city was located much further north than the others and was relatively small, and the destruction of Kyoto, which was a holy city, could embitter the Japanese and lead to increased resistance.
On the other hand, Kyoto, with its large area, was of interest as an object for assessing the power of the bomb. Proponents of choosing this city as a target, among other things, were interested in accumulating statistical data, since until that moment atomic weapons had never been used in combat conditions, but only at test sites. The bombing was required not only to physically destroy the chosen target, but to demonstrate the strength and power of the new weapon, as well as to have the greatest possible psychological effect on the population and government of Japan.
On July 26, the United States, Britain and China adopted the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded unconditional surrender from the Empire. Otherwise, the Allies threatened the rapid and complete destruction of the country. However, this document made no mention of the use of weapons of mass destruction. The Japanese government rejected the declaration's demands, and the Americans continued preparations for the operation.
For the most effective bombing, suitable weather and good visibility were required. Based on data from the meteorological service, the first week of August, approximately after the 3rd, was considered the most suitable for the foreseeable future.
Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 2, 1945, Colonel Tibbetts's unit received a secret order for the first atomic bombing in human history, the date of which was set for August 6. Hiroshima was chosen as the main target of the attack, with Kokura and Nagasaki as backup targets (in case visibility conditions worsened). All other American aircraft were prohibited from being within the 80-kilometer radius of these cities during the bombing.
On August 6, before the start of the operation, the pilots received glasses with dark lenses designed to protect their eyes from light radiation. The planes took off from the island of Tinian, where the American base was located. military aviation. The island is located 2.5 thousand km from Japan, so the flight took about 6 hours.
Together with the Bi-29 bomber, called the “Enola Gay,” which carried the “Little Boy” barrel-type atomic bomb, 6 more aircraft took to the skies: three reconnaissance aircraft, one spare, and two carrying special measuring equipment.
Visibility over all three cities allowed for bombing, so it was decided not to deviate from the original plan. At 8:15 am there was an explosion - the Enola Gay bomber dropped a 5-ton bomb on Hiroshima, after which it made a 60-degree turn and began to move away at the highest possible speed.
Consequences of the explosion
The bomb exploded 600m from the surface. Most of the houses in the city were equipped with stoves that were heated with charcoal. Many townspeople were just preparing breakfast at the time of the attack. Overturned by a blast wave of incredible force, the stoves caused massive fires in those parts of the city that were not destroyed immediately after the explosion.
The heat wave melted house tiles and granite slabs. Within a radius of 4 km, all wooden telegraph poles were burned. The people who were at the epicenter of the explosion instantly evaporated, enveloped in hot plasma, the temperature of which was about 4000 degrees Celsius. Powerful light radiation left only shadows of human bodies on the walls of houses. 9 out of 10 people within an 800-meter zone from the epicenter of the explosion died instantly. The shock wave swept at a speed of 800 km/h, turning into rubble all buildings within a 4 km radius, except for a few built taking into account increased seismic hazard.
The plasma ball evaporated moisture from the atmosphere. The cloud of steam reached the colder layers and, mixing with dust and ash, immediately poured black rain onto the ground.
Then the wind hit the city, blowing towards the epicenter of the explosion. Due to the heating of the air caused by the flaring fires, the gusts of wind intensified so much that they tore out big trees with roots. Huge waves arose on the river, in which people drowned as they tried to escape in the water from the fire tornado that engulfed the city, destroying 11 km2 of the area. According to various estimates, the number of deaths in Hiroshima was 200-240 thousand people, of which 70-80 thousand died immediately after the explosion.
All communication with the city was severed. In Tokyo, they noticed that the local Hiroshima radio station had disappeared from the air and the telegraph line had stopped working. After some time from regional railway stations Information began to arrive about an explosion of incredible force.
An officer of the General Staff urgently flew to the scene of the tragedy, who later wrote in his memoirs that what struck him most was the lack of streets - the city was evenly covered with rubble, it was not possible to determine where and what was just a few hours ago.
Officials in Tokyo could not believe that damage of such magnitude was caused by just one bomb. Representatives of the Japanese General Staff turned to scientists for clarification on what weapons could cause such destruction. One of the physicists, Dr. I. Nishina, suggested the use of a nuclear bomb, since rumors had been circulating among scientists for some time about attempts by the Americans to create one. The physicist finally confirmed his assumptions after a personal visit to the destroyed Hiroshima, accompanied by military personnel.
On August 8, the US Air Force command was finally able to assess the effect of its operation. Aerial photography showed that 60% of the buildings located on an area of \u200b\u200ba total area of 12 km2 turned into dust, the rest were piles of rubble.
Bombing of Nagasaki
An order was issued to compile leaflets on Japanese with photographs of the destroyed Hiroshima and full description the effect of a nuclear explosion, for their subsequent spread over the territory of Japan. In case of refusal to surrender, the leaflets contained threats to continue the atomic bombing of Japanese cities.
However, the American government was not going to wait for the Japanese reaction, since it did not initially plan to get by with just one bomb. The next attack, planned for August 12, was postponed to the 9th due to the expected worsening of the weather.
Kokura was assigned as the target, with Nagasaki as a backup option. Kokura was very lucky - cloud cover together with a smoke screen from a burning steel plant, which had been subjected to an air raid the day before, made visual bombing impossible. The plane headed towards Nagasaki, and at 11:02 am dropped its deadly cargo on the city.
Within a radius of 1.2 km from the epicenter of the explosion, all living things died almost instantly, turning to ashes under the influence of thermal radiation. The shock wave reduced residential buildings to rubble and destroyed a steel mill. The thermal radiation was so powerful that the skin of people who were not covered by clothing, located 5 km from the explosion, was burned and wrinkled. 73 thousand people died instantly, 35 thousand died in terrible suffering a little later.
On the same day, the US President addressed his compatriots on the radio, thanking them in his speech higher power for the fact that the Americans were the first to receive nuclear weapons. Truman asked God for guidance and guidance on how to most effectively use atomic bombs for higher purposes.
At that time, there was no urgent need for the bombing of Nagasaki, but, apparently, research interest played a role, no matter how scary and cynical it may sound. The fact is that the bombs differed in design and active substance. The Little Boy that destroyed Hiroshima was a uranium bomb, while the Fat Man that destroyed Nagasaki was a plutonium-239 bomb.
There are archival documents proving the US intention to drop another atomic bomb on Japan. A telegram dated August 10, addressed to the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, reported that, given appropriate meteorological conditions, the next bombing could be carried out on August 17-18.
Surrender of Japan
On August 8, 1945, fulfilling the obligations undertaken within the framework of the Potsdam and Yalta conferences, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, whose government still harbored hopes of reaching agreements to avoid unconditional surrender. This event, coupled with the overwhelming effect of the American use of nuclear weapons, forced the least militant members of the cabinet to appeal to the emperor with recommendations to accept any conditions of the United States and allies.
Some of the most militant officers tried to stage a coup to prevent such a development of events, but the plot failed.
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito publicly announced Japan's surrender. Nevertheless, clashes between Japanese and Soviet troops in Manchuria continued for several more weeks.
On August 28, the American-British allied forces began the occupation of Japan, and on September 2, on board the battleship Missouri, the act of surrender was signed, ending World War II.
Long-term consequences of atomic bombings
A few weeks after the explosions, which claimed hundreds of thousands of Japanese lives, people who at first seemed unaffected suddenly began to die en masse. At that time, the effects of radiation exposure were little understood. People continued to live in contaminated areas, not realizing the danger that ordinary water began to carry, as well as the ashes that covered the destroyed cities with a thin layer.
Japan learned that the cause of death of people who survived the atomic bombing was some previously unknown disease thanks to the actress Midori Naka. The theater troupe in which Naka played arrived in Hiroshima a month before the events, where they rented a house for living, located 650m from the epicenter of the future explosion, after which 13 of the 17 people died on the spot. Midori not only remained alive, but was practically unharmed, apart from minor scratches, although all her clothes were simply burned. Fleeing from the fire, the actress rushed to the river and jumped into the water, from where soldiers pulled her out and provided first aid.
Finding herself in Tokyo a few days later, Midori went to the hospital, where she was examined by the best Japanese doctors. Despite all efforts, the woman died, but doctors had the opportunity to observe the development and course of the disease for almost 9 days. Before her death, it was believed that the vomiting and bloody diarrhea that many victims experienced were symptoms of dysentery. Officially, Midori Naka is considered the first person to die from radiation sickness, and it was her death that sparked widespread discussion about the consequences of radiation poisoning. 18 days passed from the moment of the explosion until the death of the actress.
However, soon after the Allied occupation of Japanese territory began, newspaper references to the victims of American bombings gradually began to fade away. During almost 7 years of occupation, American censorship prohibited any publications on this topic.
For those who were victims of the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a special term “hibakusha” appeared. Several hundred people found themselves in a situation where talking about their health became taboo. Any attempts to remind of the tragedy were suppressed - it was forbidden to make films, write books, poems, songs. It was impossible to express compassion, ask for help, or collect donations for the victims.
For example, a hospital established by a group of washa enthusiasts in Ujin to help the hibakusha was closed at the request of the occupation authorities, and all documentation, including medical records, was confiscated.
In November 1945, at the suggestion of the US President, the ABCS Center was created to study the effects of radiation on survivors of explosions. The organization's clinic, which opened in Hiroshima, conducted only examinations and did not provide medical care to the victims. The center's staff were especially interested in those who were hopelessly ill and died as a result of radiation sickness. Essentially, the purpose of the ABCS was to collect statistical data.
Only after the end of the American occupation did they begin to speak out loud about the problems of the hibakusha in Japan. In 1957, each victim was given a document indicating how far he was from the epicenter at the time of the explosion. Bombing victims and their descendants before today receive financial and medical assistance from the state. However, within the rigid framework of Japanese society there was no place for the “hibakusha” - several hundred thousand people became a separate caste. The rest of the residents, if possible, avoided communication, much less creating a family with the victims, especially after they began to have children with developmental defects en masse. Most of the pregnancies in women living in cities at the time of the bombing ended in miscarriages or the death of babies immediately after birth. Only a third of pregnant women in the explosion zone gave birth to children who did not have serious abnormalities.
The feasibility of destroying Japanese cities
Japan continued the war even after the surrender of its main ally Germany. In a report presented at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the estimated date for the end of the war with Japan was assumed to be no earlier than 18 months after Germany surrendered. According to the USA and Great Britain, the USSR's entry into the war against the Japanese could help reduce the duration of combat operations, casualties and material costs. As a result of the agreements, I. Stalin promised to act on the side of the Allies within 3 months after the end of the war with the Germans, which was done on August 8, 1945.
Was the use of nuclear weapons really necessary? Disputes about this have not stopped to this day. The destruction of two Japanese cities, amazing in its cruelty, was such a senseless action at that time that it gave rise to whole line conspiracy theories.
One of them claims that the bombing was not an urgent need, but only a show of force to the Soviet Union. The USA and Great Britain united with the USSR only unwillingly, in the fight against a common enemy. However, as soon as the danger passed, yesterday’s allies immediately became ideological opponents again. Second World War redrew the map of the world, changing it beyond recognition. The winners established their order, simultaneously testing out future rivals, with whom only yesterday they were sitting in the same trenches.
Another theory claims that Hiroshima and Nagasaki became testing sites. Although the United States tested the first atomic bomb on a deserted island, the true power of the new weapon could only be assessed in real conditions. The still unfinished war with Japan provided the Americans with a golden opportunity, while providing an iron-clad justification with which politicians repeatedly covered themselves later. They were “simply saving the lives of ordinary American guys.”
Most likely, the decision to use nuclear bombs was made as a result of a combination of all these factors.
- After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the situation developed in such a way that the Allies were not able to force Japan to surrender only on their own.
- The entry of the Soviet Union into the war obligated subsequently to listen to the opinion of the Russians.
- The military was naturally interested in testing new weapons in real conditions.
- Demonstrate to a potential enemy who is boss - why not?
The only justification for the United States is the fact that the consequences of the use of such weapons had not been studied at the time of their use. The effect exceeded all expectations and sobered even the most militant.
In March 1950, the Soviet Union announced the creation of its own atomic bomb. Nuclear parity was achieved in the 70s of the twentieth century.
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki are some of the most famous Japanese cities in the world. Of course, the reason for their fame is very sad - these are the only two cities on Earth where atomic bombs were detonated to deliberately destroy the enemy. Two cities were completely destroyed, thousands of people died, and the world was completely changed. Here are 25 little-known facts about Hiroshima and Nagasaki that are worth knowing so that the tragedy never happens again anywhere.
1. Survive at the epicenter
The person who survived the closest to the epicenter of the Hiroshima explosion was less than 200 meters from the epicenter of the explosion in the basement.
2. An explosion is not a hindrance to the tournament
Less than 5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, a Go tournament was taking place. Although the building was destroyed and many people were injured, the tournament was completed later that day.
3. Made to last
A safe in a bank in Hiroshima survived an explosion. After the war, a bank manager wrote to Ohio-based Mosler Safe, expressing "his admiration for a product that survived the atomic bomb."
4. Dubious luck
Tsutomu Yamaguchi is one of the luckiest people on Earth. He survived the Hiroshima bombing in a bomb shelter and took the first train to Nagasaki for work the next morning. During the bombing of Nagasaki three days later, Yamaguchi again managed to survive.
5. 50 Pumpkin bombs
Before “Fat Man” and “Little Boy,” the United States dropped about 50 Pumpkin bombs (they were named so for their resemblance to a pumpkin) on Japan. The "pumpkins" were not nuclear.
6. Attempted coup
The Japanese army was mobilized for "total war." This meant that every man, woman and child must resist the invasion to the point of death. When the emperor ordered surrender after the atomic bombing, the army attempted a coup.
7. Six Survivors
Gingko biloba trees are known for their amazing resilience. After the bombing of Hiroshima, 6 such trees survived and are still growing today.
8. Out of the frying pan and into the fire
After the bombing of Hiroshima, hundreds of survivors fled to Nagasaki, which was also hit by an atomic bomb. In addition to Tsutomu Yamaguchi, 164 other people survived both bombings.
9. Not a single police officer died in Nagasaki
After the bombing of Hiroshima, surviving police officers were sent to Nagasaki to teach local police how to behave after an atomic explosion. As a result, not a single policeman was killed in Nagasaki.
10. A quarter of the dead were Koreans
Nearly a quarter of all those killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were actually Koreans who had been conscripted to fight in the war.
11. Radioactive contamination is canceled. USA.
Initially, the United States denied that nuclear explosions would leave behind radioactive contamination.
12. Operation Meetinghouse
During World War II, it was not Hiroshima and Nagasaki that suffered the most from bombing. During Operation Meetinghouse, Allied forces nearly destroyed Tokyo.
13. Only three out of twelve
Only three of the twelve men on the Enola Gay bomber knew the real purpose of their mission.
14. "Fire of the World"
In 1964, the “Fire of Peace” was lit in Hiroshima, which will burn until nuclear weapons are destroyed throughout the world.
15. Kyoto narrowly escaped bombing
Kyoto narrowly escaped the bombing. It was removed from the list because former US Secretary of War Henry Stimson admired the city on his honeymoon in 1929. Nagasaki was chosen instead of Kyoto.
16. Only after 3 hours
In Tokyo, only 3 hours later they learned that Hiroshima had been destroyed. They learned exactly how this happened only 16 hours later, when Washington announced the bombing.
17. Carelessness of air defense
Before the bombing, Japanese radar operators detected three American bombers flying at high altitude. They decided not to intercept them because they believed that such a small number of aircraft did not pose a threat.
18. Enola Gay
The crew of the Enola Gay bomber had 12 pills potassium cyanide, which the pilots had to accept in case of mission failure.
19. Peaceful Memorial City
After World War II, Hiroshima changed its status to a "peaceful memorial city" as a reminder to the world of destructive force nuclear weapons. When Japan conducted nuclear tests, the mayor of Hiroshima bombarded the government with letters of protest.
20. Mutant monster
Godzilla was invented in Japan as a reaction to the atomic bombing. It was implied that the monster had mutated due to radioactive contamination.
21. Apology to Japan
Although Dr. Seuss advocated the occupation of Japan during the war, his post-war book Horton is an allegory about the events of Hiroshima and an apology to Japan for what happened. He dedicated the book to his Japanese friend.
22. Shadows on the remains of the walls
The explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so strong that they literally evaporated people, forever leaving their shadows on the remains of the walls on the ground.
23. Official symbol of Hiroshima
Because the oleander was the first plant to bloom in Hiroshima after the nuclear explosion, it is the official flower of the city.
24. Warning of an upcoming bombing
Before launching nuclear strikes, the US Air Force dropped millions of leaflets over Hiroshima, Nagasaki and 33 other potential targets warning of impending bombing.
25. Radio announcement
The American radio station in Saipan also broadcast messages about the impending bombing throughout Japan every 15 minutes until the bombs were dropped.
To modern man worth knowing and . This knowledge will allow you to protect yourself and your loved ones.
