When bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The terrible consequences of the atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima
During World War II, on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 am, a US B-29 Enola Gay bomber dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Approximately 140,000 people died in the explosion and died over the following months. Three days later, when the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, about 80,000 people were killed. On August 15, Japan capitulated, thus ending World War II. Until now, this bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains the only case of the use of nuclear weapons in the history of mankind. The US government decided to drop the bombs, believing that this would hasten the end of the war and there would be no need for prolonged bloody fighting on the main island of Japan. Japan was strenuously trying to control the two islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, as the Allies closed in.
1. These wrist watch, found among the ruins, stopped at 8.15 am on August 6, 1945 - during the explosion atomic bomb in Hiroshima.
2. The flying fortress "Enola Gay" comes in for landing on August 6, 1945 at the base on the island of Tinian after the bombing of Hiroshima.
3. This photo, released in 1960 by the US government, shows the Little Boy atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The size of the bomb is 73 cm in diameter, 3.2 m in length. It weighed 4 tons, and the explosion power reached 20,000 tons of TNT.
4. In this image provided by the US Air Force, the main crew of the B-29 Enola Gay bomber, from which the Baby nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Pilot Colonel Paul W. Tibbets stands center. The photo was taken in the Mariana Islands. This was the first time in the history of mankind that nuclear weapons were used during military operations.
5. Smoke 20,000 feet high rises over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 after an atomic bomb was dropped on it during the hostilities.
6. This photograph, taken August 6, 1945 from the city of Yoshiura, located on the other side of the mountains north of Hiroshima, shows smoke rising from the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The picture was taken by an Australian engineer from Kure, Japan. The spots left on the negative by radiation almost destroyed the picture.
7. Survivors of the explosion of the atomic bomb, first used during hostilities on August 6, 1945, await medical care in Hiroshima, Japan. As a result of the explosion, 60,000 people died at the same time, tens of thousands died later due to exposure.
8. August 6, 1945. Pictured: Survivors of Hiroshima are given first aid by military medics shortly after the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, used in military operations for the first time in history.
9. After the explosion of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, only ruins remained in Hiroshima. Nuclear weapons were used to hasten the surrender of Japan and end World War II, for which US President Harry Truman ordered the use of nuclear weapons with a capacity of 20,000 tons of TNT. Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945.
10. August 7, 1945, the day after the explosion of the atomic bomb, smoke spreads over the ruins of Hiroshima, Japan.
11. President Harry Truman (pictured left) at his desk in the White House next to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson after returning from the Potsdam Conference. They discuss the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
13. The survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki people among the ruins, against the backdrop of a raging fire in the background, August 9, 1945.
14. Crew members of the B-29 "The Great Artiste" bomber, which dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, surrounded Major Charles W. Sweeney in North Quincy, Massachusetts. All crew members participated in the historic bombing. Left to right: Sgt. R. Gallagher, Chicago; Staff Sergeant A. M. Spitzer, Bronx, New York; Captain S. D. Albury, Miami, Florida; Captain J.F. Van Pelt Jr., Oak Hill, WV; Lt. F. J. Olivy, Chicago; staff sergeant E.K. Buckley, Lisbon, Ohio; Sgt. A. T. Degart, Plainview, Texas; and Staff Sgt. J. D. Kucharek, Columbus, Nebraska.
15. This photograph of the atomic bomb that exploded over Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, was released by the Commission on nuclear power and the US Department of Defense in Washington on December 6, 1960. The Fat Man bomb was 3.25 m long and 1.54 m in diameter, and weighed 4.6 tons. The power of the explosion reached about 20 kilotons of TNT.
16. A huge column of smoke rises into the air after the explosion of the second atomic bomb in the port city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. A US Army Air Force B-29 Bockscar bomber killed more than 70,000 people immediately, and tens of thousands more died later as a result of exposure.
17. A huge nuclear mushroom over Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945, after a US bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the city. The nuclear explosion over Nagasaki occurred three days after the US dropped the first ever atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
18. A boy carries his burnt brother on his back on August 10, 1945 in Nagasaki, Japan. Such photos were not made public by the Japanese side, but after the end of the war they were shown to the world media by UN staff.
19. The arrow was installed at the site of the fall of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki on August 10, 1945. Most of the affected area is empty to this day, the trees remained charred and mutilated, and almost no reconstruction was carried out.
20. Japanese workers dismantle the rubble in the affected area in Nagasaki, an industrial city located in the southwest of Kyushu, after an atomic bomb was dropped on it on August 9. Visible in the background chimney and a lonely building, in the front - ruins. The picture is taken from the archives of the Japanese news agency Domei.
22. As can be seen in this photo, which was taken on September 5, 1945, several concrete and steel buildings and bridges remained intact after the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II.
23. A month after the first atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, a journalist inspects the ruins in Hiroshima, Japan.
24. Victim of the explosion of the first atomic bomb in the department of the first military hospital in Ujina in September 1945. The thermal radiation generated by the explosion burned the pattern from the kimono fabric on the woman's back.
25. Most of the territory of Hiroshima was wiped off the face of the earth by the explosion of the atomic bomb. This is the first aerial photograph after the explosion, taken on September 1, 1945.
26. The area around the Sanyo-Shorai-Kan (Trade Promotion Center) in Hiroshima was left in ruins after the atomic bomb exploded 100 meters away in 1945.
27. A correspondent stands among the ruins in front of the skeleton of the building that was the city theater in Hiroshima on September 8, 1945, a month after the first atomic bomb was dropped by the United States to hasten the surrender of Japan.
28. The ruins and lone frame of the building after the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The photo was taken on September 8, 1945.
29. Very few buildings remain in the devastated Hiroshima, a Japanese city that was razed to the ground by an atomic bomb, as seen in this photograph taken on September 8, 1945. (AP Photo)
30. September 8, 1945. People walk along a cleared road among the ruins left by the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6 of the same year.
31. The Japanese found among the ruins of the wreckage of a children's tricycle in Nagasaki, September 17, 1945. The nuclear bomb dropped on the city on August 9 wiped out almost everything within a radius of 6 kilometers from the face of the earth and took the lives of thousands of civilians.
32. In this photo courtesy of the Japan Association of Aftermath Photographers nuclear explosion in Hiroshima (Association of the Photographers of the Atomic (Bomb) Destruction of Hiroshima), - victim atomic explosion. A man is in quarantine on the island of Ninoshima in Hiroshima, Japan, 9 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, a day after the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city.
33. Tram (top center) and its dead passengers after the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9. The photo was taken on September 1, 1945.
34. People pass a tram lying on the tracks at the Kamiyasho intersection in Hiroshima some time after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city.
35. In this photo provided by the Japan Association of the Photographers of the Atomic (Bomb) Destruction of Hiroshima, victims of the atomic explosion are in the tent care center of the 2nd Military Hospital in Hiroshima, located on the banks of the Ota River, 1150 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, August 7, 1945. The photo was taken the day after the United States dropped the first ever atomic bomb on the city.
36. View of Hachobori Street in Hiroshima shortly after a bomb was dropped on the Japanese city.
37. The Urakami Catholic Cathedral in Nagasaki, photographed on September 13, 1945, was destroyed by an atomic bomb.
38. A Japanese soldier wanders among the ruins in search of recyclable materials in Nagasaki on September 13, 1945, just over a month after the atomic bomb exploded over the city.
39. A man with a loaded bicycle on a road cleared of ruins in Nagasaki on September 13, 1945, a month after the atomic bomb exploded.
40. September 14, 1945, the Japanese are trying to drive through a ruined street on the outskirts of the city of Nagasaki, over which a nuclear bomb exploded.
41. This area of Nagasaki was once lined with industrial buildings and small residential buildings. In the background are the ruins of the Mitsubishi factory and the concrete school building at the foot of the hill.
42. The top image shows the busy city of Nagasaki before the explosion, and the bottom image shows the wasteland after the atomic bomb. The circles measure the distance from the explosion point.
43. A Japanese family eats rice in a hut built from the rubble left on the site where their house once stood in Nagasaki, September 14, 1945.
44. These huts, photographed on September 14, 1945, were built from the wreckage of buildings that were destroyed as a result of the explosion of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
45. In the Ginza district of Nagasaki, which was an analogue of New York's Fifth Avenue, the owners of shops destroyed by a nuclear bomb sell their goods on the sidewalks, September 30, 1945.
46. Sacred Torii gate at the entrance to the completely destroyed Shinto shrine in Nagasaki in October 1945.
47. Service at the Nagarekawa Protestant Church after the atomic bomb destroyed the church in Hiroshima, 1945.
48. A young man injured after the explosion of the second atomic bomb in the city of Nagasaki.
49. Major Thomas Fereby, left, from Moscowville and Captain Kermit Beahan, right, from Houston, talking in a hotel in Washington, February 6, 1946. Ferebi is the man who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, and his interlocutor dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.
52. Ikimi Kikkawa shows his keloid scars left after the treatment of burns received during the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima at the end of World War II. The photo was taken at the Red Cross Hospital on June 5, 1947.
53. Akira Yamaguchi shows his scars left after the treatment of burns received during the explosion of a nuclear bomb in Hiroshima.
54. On the body of Jinpe Terawama, the survivor of the explosion of the first atomic bomb in history, there were numerous burn scars, Hiroshima, June 1947.
55. Pilot Colonel Paul W. Taibbets waves from the cockpit of his bomber at a base located on the island of Tinian, August 6, 1945, before taking off, the purpose of which was to drop the first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The day before, Tibbets had named the B-29 flying fortress "Enola Gay" after his mother.
Next year, humanity will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, which showed many examples of unprecedented cruelty, when entire cities disappeared from the face of the earth for several days or even hours and hundreds of thousands of people died, including civilians. The most striking example of this is the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the ethical justification of which is questioned by any sane person.
Japan during the final stages of World War II
As you know, Nazi Germany capitulated on the night of May 9, 1945. This meant the end of the war in Europe. And also the fact that the only enemy of the countries of the anti-fascist coalition remained Imperial Japan, which at that time officially declared war on about 6 dozen countries. Already in June 1945, as a result of bloody battles, her troops were forced to leave Indonesia and Indochina. But when on July 26 the United States, along with Great Britain and China, presented an ultimatum to the Japanese command, it was rejected. At the same time, even during the time of the USSR, he undertook to launch a large-scale offensive against Japan in August, for which, after the end of the war, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were to be transferred to him.
Prerequisites for the use of atomic weapons
Long before these events, in the fall of 1944, at a meeting of the leaders of the United States and Great Britain, the question of the possibility of using new super-destructive bombs against Japan was considered. After that, the well-known Manhattan Project, launched a year earlier and aimed at creating nuclear weapons, began to function with renewed vigor, and work on creating its first samples was completed by the time hostilities in Europe ended.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: reasons for the bombing
Thus, by the summer of 1945, the United States became the only owner of atomic weapons in the world and decided to use this advantage in order to put pressure on its longtime enemy and at the same time ally in anti-Hitler coalition- THE USSR.
At the same time, despite all the defeats, the morale of Japan was not broken. As evidenced by the fact that every day hundreds of servicemen of her imperial army became kamikaze and kaiten, directing their planes and torpedoes at ships and other military targets american army. This meant that when conducting a ground operation on the territory of Japan itself, the Allied forces expected huge losses. Exactly last reason today, most often cited by US officials as an argument justifying the need for such a measure as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At the same time, they forget that, according to Churchill, three weeks before I. Stalin told him about the Japanese attempts to establish a peaceful dialogue. Obviously, representatives of this country were going to make similar proposals to both the Americans and the British, since the massive bombing major cities brought their war industry to the brink of collapse and made surrender inevitable.
Choice of goals
After obtaining agreement in principle to use atomic weapons against Japan, a special committee was formed. Its second meeting was held on May 10-11 and was devoted to the choice of cities that were to be bombed. The main criteria that guided the commission were:
- the obligatory presence of civilian objects around the military target;
- its importance to the Japanese not only from an economic and strategic point of view, but also from a psychological one;
- a high degree of significance of the object, the destruction of which would cause a resonance throughout the world;
- the target had to be undamaged by bombing so that the military could appreciate the true power of the new weapon.
Which cities were considered as the target
The "candidates" included:
- Kyoto, which is the largest industrial and cultural center and the ancient capital of Japan;
- Hiroshima as an important military port and a city where army depots were concentrated;
- Yokohama, which is the center of the military industry;
- Kokura is the location of the largest military arsenal.
According to the surviving memoirs of the participants in those events, although Kyoto was the most convenient target, the United States Secretary of War G. Stimson insisted on the exclusion of this city from the list, since he was personally acquainted with its sights and represented their value for world culture.
Interestingly, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not initially planned. More precisely, the city of Kokura was considered as the second goal. This is also evidenced by the fact that before August 9, an air raid was carried out on Nagasaki, which caused concern among residents and forced the majority of schoolchildren to be evacuated to the surrounding villages. A little later, as a result of long discussions, spare targets were chosen in case of unforeseen situations. They became:
- for the first bombing, if Hiroshima fails to be hit, Niigata;
- for the second (instead of Kokura) - Nagasaki.
Preparation
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki required careful preparation. During the second half of May and June, the 509th Composite Aviation Group was redeployed to the base on Tinian Island, in connection with which exceptional security measures were taken. A month later, on July 26, the “Kid” atomic bomb was delivered to the island, and on the 28th, some of the components for the assembly of the “Fat Man”. On the same day, the then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed an order directing the nuclear bombing to be carried out at any time after August 3, when suitable weather.
First atomic strike on Japan
The date of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki cannot be named unambiguously, since nuclear strikes on these cities were carried out with a difference of 3 days.
The first blow was dealt to Hiroshima. And it happened on June 6, 1945. The "honor" to drop the "Kid" bomb went to the crew of the B-29 aircraft, nicknamed "Enola Gay", commanded by Colonel Tibbets. Moreover, before the flight, the pilots, confident that they were doing a good deed and that their “feat” would be followed by an early end to the war, visited the church and received an ampoule each in case they were captured.
Together with Enola Gay, three reconnaissance aircraft took off into the air, designed to clarify weather conditions, and 2 boards with photographic equipment and devices for studying the parameters of the explosion.
The bombing itself went off without a hitch, as the Japanese military did not notice the objects rushing towards Hiroshima, and the weather was more than favorable. What happened next, you can see by watching the tape "The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" - documentary, edited from newsreels made in the Pacific region at the end of World War II.
In particular, it shows which, according to Captain Robert Lewis, who was a member of the Enola Gay crew, was visible even after their plane flew 400 miles from the bomb site.
Bombing of Nagasaki
The operation to drop the Fat Man bomb, carried out on August 9, proceeded in a completely different way. In general, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the photos of which are associated with famous descriptions Apocalypse, was prepared extremely carefully, and the only thing that could make adjustments to its conduct was the weather. And so it happened when, in the early morning of August 9, a plane took off from the island of Tinian under the command of Major Charles Sweeney and with the Fat Man atomic bomb on board. At 8 hours 10 minutes, the board arrived at the place where it was supposed to meet with the second - B-29, but did not find it. After 40 minutes of waiting, it was decided to bomb without a partner aircraft, but it turned out that 70% cloud cover was already observed over the city of Kokura. Moreover, even before the flight, it was known about the malfunction of the fuel pump, and at the moment when the plane was over Kokura, it became obvious that the only way to drop the Fat Man was to do it during the flight over Nagasaki. Then the B-29 went to this city and made a reset, focusing on the local stadium. Thus, by chance, Kokura was saved, and the whole world learned that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had taken place. Fortunately, if such words are at all appropriate in this case, the bomb fell far from its original target, quite far from residential areas, which somewhat reduced the number of victims.
Consequences of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
According to eyewitnesses, within a few minutes, everyone who was within a radius of 800 m from the epicenters of the explosions died. Then the fires began, and in Hiroshima they soon turned into a tornado due to the wind, the speed of which was about 50-60 km / h.
The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki introduced mankind to such a phenomenon as radiation sickness. The doctors noticed her first. They were surprised that the condition of the survivors first improved, and then they died from an illness whose symptoms resembled diarrhea. In the first days and months after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, few could have imagined that those who survived it would suffer all their lives various diseases and even produce unhealthy children.
Subsequent events
On August 9, immediately after the news of the bombing of Nagasaki and the declaration of war by the USSR, Emperor Hirohito called for immediate surrender, subject to the preservation of his power in the country. And 5 days later, the Japanese media spread his statement on the cessation of hostilities to English language. Moreover, in the text, His Majesty mentioned that one of the reasons for his decision was that the enemy had a “terrible weapon”, the use of which could lead to the destruction of the nation.
One bomb killed about 100,000 people
The American military bomber B-19 dropped the atomic bomb "Kid" on the center of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The explosion occurred at 8.15 am at an altitude of 600 meters above the ground. A single explosion claimed the lives of about 100 thousand people.
burning light radiation
The first thing that the inhabitants of Hiroshima felt when they were hit by a bomb was a monstrous light emission: a blinding flash of light and a wave of suffocating heat. The heat was so strong that those who were closer to the epicenter of the explosion instantly turned into ashes. The radiation destroyed people, leaving only dark silhouettes. human bodies on the walls, a dark pattern on clothes burned into the skin, birds instantly burned in the air, and paper ignited at a distance of 2 km from the epicenter of a nuclear strike.
Destructive shock wave
Following the light wave, which killed those who did not have time to hide in shelter, the shock wave from the explosion hit the residents of Hiroshima. Her power knocked people off their feet, throwing them across the street. Windows in buildings were shattered within a radius of 19 km from the explosion, the glass turned into deadly crumbs. From the bombing in the city, almost all the buildings collapsed, except for the most durable ones. Everyone who was less than 800 m from the epicenter died from the blast within a few minutes.
Firestorm
Light radiation and shock wave caused numerous fires in the city. A few minutes after the explosion, a fiery tornado swept over Hiroshima, which captured 11 square kilometers of the city and moved to the epicenter of the explosion at a speed of 50-60 km per hour, sweeping away everything in its path.
Radiation sickness
Those who managed to escape from light radiation, shock waves and fires, were waiting for a new unknown test - radiation sickness. And a week after the nuclear strike, the number of deaths among the inhabitants of Hiroshima began to grow again: the peak of the unexplored disease fell on 3-4 weeks after the explosion, the "epidemic" began to recede after 7-8 weeks.
But for many decades, victims of the Hiroshima bombing continued to die of cancer, and women exposed to radiation from the explosion had children with genetic abnormalities.
radioactive contamination
Residents of Hiroshima continued to become victims of radiation long after the explosions. The population of the city was not evacuated from areas contaminated with radiation, since in those years there was no concept of radioactive contamination. People continued to live and rebuild the destroyed houses at the site of the nuclear explosion. And the high mortality among the townspeople in those years was not initially associated with exposure to radiation.
Hibakusha
In addition to the severe initial shock of the bombing, many Hiroshima residents experienced the long-term psychological effects of the Hibakusha nuclear explosion, as the Japanese call atomic bomb survivors and their descendants. IN last years in the Land of the Rising Sun, there are about 200 thousand of them left. The Japanese government financially supports victims of nuclear weapons. But among ordinary Japanese, hibakusha are considered outcasts. They are not hired, it is not customary to create families with them, considering that the consequences of radiation sickness can be inherited or even be contagious.
Nuclear weapons have been used for combat purposes only twice in the history of mankind. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 showed how dangerous it could be. It was the real experience of using nuclear weapons that could keep two mighty powers (USA and USSR) from unleashing a third world war.
Bomb drop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Millions of innocent people suffered during World War II. The leaders of the world powers put the lives of soldiers and civilians on the cards without looking, in the hope of achieving superiority in the struggle for world domination. One of the worst disasters ever world history was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as a result of which about 200 thousand people were destroyed, and the total number of people who died during and after the explosion (from radiation) reached 500 thousand.
Until now, there are only assumptions that forced the President of the United States of America to order the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Did he realize, did he know what destruction and consequences would be left after the explosion of a nuclear bomb? Or was this action intended to demonstrate military power in front of the USSR in order to completely kill any thoughts of attacks on the United States?
History has not preserved the motives that moved the 33rd US President Harry Truman when he ordered a nuclear attack on Japan, but only one thing can be said with certainty: it was the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that forced the Japanese emperor to sign the surrender.
In order to try to understand the motives of the United States, one must carefully consider the situation that arose in the political arena in those years.
Emperor of Japan Hirohito
The Japanese emperor Hirohito was distinguished by good inclinations of a leader. In order to expand his lands, in 1935 he decides to seize all of China, which at that time was a backward agrarian country. Following the example of Hitler (with whom Japan entered into a military alliance in 1941), Hirohito begins to take over China, using methods favored by the Nazis.
In order to clear China of indigenous people, the Japanese troops used chemical weapon which was banned. Inhuman experiments were carried out on the Chinese, which aimed to find out the limits of the viability of the human body in various situations. In total, about 25 million Chinese died during the Japanese expansion, most of whom were children and women.
It is possible that the nuclear bombing of Japanese cities could not have taken place if, after the conclusion of a military pact with Nazi Germany, the emperor of Japan would not have given the order to launch an attack on Pearl Harbor, thereby provoking the United States to enter World War II. After this event, the date of the nuclear attack begins to approach with inexorable speed.
When it became clear that the defeat of Germany was inevitable, the question of the surrender of Japan seemed to be a matter of time. However, the Japanese emperor, the embodiment of samurai arrogance and real god for his subjects, he ordered all the inhabitants of the country to fight to the last drop of blood. Everyone, without exception, had to resist the invader, from soldiers to women and children. Knowing the mentality of the Japanese, there was no doubt that the inhabitants would fulfill the will of their emperor.
In order to force Japan to capitulate, drastic measures had to be taken. The atomic explosion that thundered first in Hiroshima, and then in Nagasaki, turned out to be exactly the impetus that convinced the emperor of the futility of resistance.
Why was a nuclear attack chosen?
Although the number of versions why a nuclear attack was chosen to intimidate Japan is quite large, the following versions should be considered the main ones:
- Most historians (especially American ones) insist that the damage caused by dropped bombs is several times less than a bloody invasion of American troops could bring. According to this version, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not sacrificed in vain, as it saved the lives of the remaining millions of Japanese;
- According to the second version, the purpose of the nuclear attack was to show the USSR how perfect the US military weapons were in order to intimidate a possible adversary. In 1945, the President of the United States was informed that there had been activity Soviet troops near the border with Turkey (which was an ally of England). Perhaps this is why Truman decided to intimidate the Soviet leader;
- The third version says that the nuclear attack on Japan was the revenge of the Americans for Pearl Harbor.
At the Potsdam Conference, which took place from July 17 to August 2, the fate of Japan was decided. Three states - the USA, England and the USSR, led by their leaders, signed the declaration. It spoke of a sphere of post-war influence, although the Second World War was not finished yet. One of the points of this declaration spoke of the immediate surrender of Japan.
This document was sent to the Japanese government, which rejected this proposal. Following the example of their emperor, the members of the government decided to continue the war to the end. After that, the fate of Japan was decided. Since the US military command was looking for where to apply the latest atomic weapon, the president approved atomic bombing Japanese cities.
The coalition against Nazi Germany was on the verge of breaking (due to the fact that one month remained before victory), the allied countries could not agree. The different policies of the USSR and the USA eventually led these states to the Cold War.
The fact that US President Harry Truman was informed about the start of nuclear bomb tests on the eve of the meeting in Potsdam played an important role in the decision of the head of state. Wanting to scare Stalin, Truman hinted to the Generalissimo that he had a new weapon ready, which could leave huge casualties after the explosion.
Stalin ignored this statement, although he soon called Kurchatov and ordered the completion of work on the development of Soviet nuclear weapons.
Having received no answer from Stalin, the American president decides to start the atomic bombing at his own peril and risk.
Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen for the nuclear attack?
In the spring of 1945, the US military had to select suitable sites for full-scale nuclear bomb tests. Even then, it was possible to notice the prerequisites for the fact that the last test of the American nuclear bomb was planned to be carried out at a civilian facility. The list of requirements for the last test of a nuclear bomb, created by scientists, looked like this:
- The object had to be on a plain so that the blast wave was not interfered with by uneven terrain;
- Urban development should be as wooden as possible so that fire damage is maximized;
- The object must have a maximum building density;
- The size of the object must exceed 3 kilometers in diameter;
- The selected city should be located as far as possible from the enemy's military bases in order to exclude the interference of the enemy's military forces;
- For a blow to bring maximum benefit, it must be delivered to a large industrial center.
These requirements mean that nuclear strike, most likely, was a matter long planned, and Germany could well have been in the place of Japan.
The intended targets were 4 Japanese cities. These are Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kyoto and Kokura. Of these, it was only necessary to choose two real goals since there were only two bombs. An American expert on Japan, Professor Reisshauer, begged to be struck off the list of the city of Kyoto, as it was of great historical value. It is unlikely that this request could affect the decision, but then the Minister of Defense intervened, who was on a honeymoon in Kyoto with his wife. The minister went to a meeting and Kyoto was saved from a nuclear attack.
The place of Kyoto in the list was taken by the city of Kokura, which was chosen as a target along with Hiroshima (although later the weather conditions made their own adjustments, and Nagasaki had to be bombed instead of Kokura). The cities had to be big, and the destruction large-scale, so that the Japanese people were horrified and stopped resisting. Of course, the main thing was to influence the position of the emperor.
Conducted research by historians various countries of the world show that the American side did not care at all about the moral side of the issue. Dozens and hundreds potential victims among the civilian population, neither the government nor the military cared.
After reviewing entire volumes of classified materials, historians have come to the conclusion that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were doomed in advance. There were only two bombs, and these cities had a convenient geographical location. In addition, Hiroshima was a very densely built-up city, and an attack on it could unleash the full potential of a nuclear bomb. The city of Nagasaki was the largest industrial center working for the defense industry. A large number of guns and military equipment were produced there.
Details of the bombing of Hiroshima
The combat strike on the Japanese city of Hiroshima was pre-planned and carried out in accordance with a clear plan. Each item of this plan was clearly implemented, which indicates careful preparation this operation.
On July 26, 1945, a nuclear bomb bearing the name "Baby" was delivered to the island of Tinian. By the end of the month, all preparations were completed, and the bomb was ready for combat. After consulting the meteorological indications, the date of the bombardment was set - August 6th. On this day the weather was excellent and the bomber, with a nuclear bomb on board, soared into the air. Its name (Enola Gay) was remembered for a long time not only by the victims of a nuclear attack, but throughout Japan.
In flight, the death-carrying plane was escorted by three planes whose task was to determine the direction of the wind so that the atomic bomb hit the target as accurately as possible. Behind the bomber, an aircraft was flying, which was supposed to record all the data of the explosion using sensitive equipment. A bomber was flying at a safe distance with a photographer on board. Several planes flying towards the city did not cause any concern to either the Japanese air defense forces or the civilian population.
Although Japanese radars detected the approaching enemy, they did not raise the alarm because of a small group of military aircraft. Residents were warned of a possible bombardment, but they continued to work quietly. Since the nuclear strike was not like a conventional air raid, not a single Japanese fighter took to the air to intercept. Even the artillery paid no attention to the approaching planes.
At 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay bomber dropped a nuclear bomb. This drop was made using a parachute to allow a group of attacking aircraft to retire to a safe distance. After dropping a bomb at an altitude of 9,000 meters, the battle group turned around and withdrew.
Having flown about 8,500 meters, the bomb exploded at an altitude of 576 meters from the ground. A deafening explosion covered the city with an avalanche of fire that destroyed everything in its path. Directly at the epicenter, people simply disappeared, leaving behind only the so-called "shadows of Hiroshima." All that was left of the man was a dark silhouette imprinted on the floor or walls. At a distance from the epicenter, people burned alive, turning into black firebrands. Those who were on the outskirts of the city were a little more fortunate, many of them survived, having received only terrible burns.
This day has become a day of mourning not only in Japan, but throughout the world. About 100,000 people died that day, and the following years claimed the lives of several hundred thousand more. All of them died from radiation burns and radiation sickness. According to the official statistics of the Japanese authorities as of January 2017, the number of deaths and injuries from the American uranium bomb is 308,724 people.
Hiroshima today is largest city Chugoku region. The city has a commemorative memorial dedicated to the victims of the American atomic bombing.
What happened in Hiroshima on the day of the tragedy
First official sources Japan was told that the city of Hiroshima was attacked by new bombs that were dropped from several American aircraft. People did not yet know that the new bombs destroyed tens of thousands of lives in an instant, and the consequences of a nuclear explosion would last for decades.
It is possible that even the American scientists who created the atomic weapon did not anticipate the consequences of radiation for people. For 16 hours after the explosion, no signal was received from Hiroshima. Noticing this, the operator of the Broadcasting Station began to make attempts to contact the city, but the city remained silent.
After a short period of time, strange and confusing information came from the railway station, which was located near the city, from which the Japanese authorities understood only one thing, an enemy raid was made on the city. It was decided to send the aircraft for reconnaissance, since the authorities knew for sure that no serious enemy combat air groups broke through the front line.
Having approached the city at a distance of about 160 kilometers, the pilot and the officer accompanying him saw a huge dusty cloud. Flying closer, they saw a terrible picture of destruction: the whole city was ablaze with fires, and smoke and dust made it difficult to see the details of the tragedy.
Landing in a safe place, the Japanese officer reported to the command that the city of Hiroshima had been destroyed by US aircraft. After that, the military began selflessly to help the wounded and shell-shocked from the bomb explosion compatriots.
This catastrophe rallied all the surviving people into one big family. Wounded, barely standing people dismantled the rubble and put out fires, trying to save as many of their compatriots as possible.
Washington made an official statement about the successful operation only 16 hours after the bombing.
Dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki
The city of Nagasaki, which was an industrial center, has never been subjected to massive air strikes. They tried to save it to demonstrate the enormous power of the atomic bomb. Just a few high-explosive bombs damaged weapons factories, shipyards and medical hospitals in the week before the terrible tragedy.
Now it seems incredible, but Nagasaki became the second Japanese city to be nuked by chance. The original target was the city of Kokura.
The second bomb was delivered and loaded onto the plane, according to the same plan as in the case of Hiroshima. The plane with a nuclear bomb took off and flew towards the city of Kokura. On approaching the island, three American planes were supposed to meet to record the explosion of an atomic bomb.
Two planes met, but they did not wait for the third. Contrary to the forecast of meteorologists, the sky over Kokura was covered with clouds, and the visual release of the bomb became impossible. After circling for 45 minutes over the island and not waiting for the third aircraft, the commander of the aircraft that carried the nuclear bomb on board noticed a malfunction in the fuel supply system. Since the weather finally deteriorated, it was decided to fly to the reserve target area - the city of Nagasaki. A group consisting of two aircraft flew to the alternate target.
On August 9, 1945, at 7:50 am, the inhabitants of Nagasaki woke up from an air raid signal and descended into shelters and bomb shelters. After 40 minutes, considering the alarm not worthy of attention, and classifying two aircraft as reconnaissance, the military canceled it. People went about their usual business, not suspecting that an atomic explosion would now thunder.
The Nagasaki attack went exactly the same way as the Hiroshima attack, only high cloud cover almost spoiled the Americans' bomb release. Literally in last minutes, when the fuel supply was at the limit, the pilot noticed a "window" in the clouds and dropped a nuclear bomb at an altitude of 8,800 meters.
The carelessness of the Japanese air defense forces, which, despite the news of a similar attack on Hiroshima, is striking, did not take any measures to neutralize American military aircraft.
The atomic bomb, called "Fat Man", exploded at 11 hours 2 minutes, within a few seconds turned a beautiful city into a kind of hell on earth. 40,000 people died in an instant, and another 70,000 received terrible burns and injuries.
Consequences of nuclear bombings of Japanese cities
The consequences of a nuclear attack on Japanese cities were unpredictable. In addition to those who died at the time of the explosion and during the first year after it, radiation continued to kill people for another long years. As a result, the number of victims has doubled.
Thus, the nuclear attack brought the United States a long-awaited victory, and Japan had to make concessions. The consequences of the nuclear bombing shocked Emperor Hirohito so much that he unconditionally accepted the terms of the Potsdam Conference. Based on official version, the nuclear attack carried out by the US military did exactly what the American government wanted.
In addition, the troops of the USSR, which had accumulated on the border with Turkey, were urgently transferred to Japan, on which the USSR declared war. According to members of the Soviet Politburo, after learning about the consequences caused by nuclear explosions, Stalin said that the Turks were lucky, as the Japanese sacrificed themselves for them.
Only two weeks had passed since the entry of Soviet troops into Japan, and Emperor Hirohito had already signed an act of unconditional surrender. This day (September 2, 1945) went down in history as the day the Second World War ended.
Was there an urgent need to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Even in modern Japan, debate continues whether it was necessary to carry out a nuclear bombing or not. Scientists from all over the world are painstakingly studying secret documents and archives from World War II. Most researchers agree that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sacrificed for the sake of ending the world war.
The famous Japanese historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa believes that the atomic bombing was started in order to prevent the expansion Soviet Union to Asian countries. It also allowed the United States to assert itself as a leader militarily, which they succeeded brilliantly. After the nuclear explosion, arguing with the United States was very dangerous.
If you stick to this theory, then Hiroshima and Nagasaki were simply sacrificed to the political ambitions of the superpowers. Tens of thousands of victims were completely ignored.
One can guess what could have happened if the USSR had time to complete the development of its nuclear bomb before the United States. It is possible that the atomic bombing would not have happened then.
Modern nuclear weapons are thousands of times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japanese cities. It is difficult even to imagine what could happen if the two largest powers in the world started a nuclear war.
The most little-known facts about the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Although the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is known to the whole world, there are facts that only a few know:
- The man who managed to survive in hell. Although everyone who was close to the epicenter of the explosion died during the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, one person who was in the basement 200 meters from the epicenter managed to survive;
- War is war, and the tournament must go on. At a distance of less than 5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima, a tournament was held in the ancient Chinese game "Go". Although the explosion destroyed the building and many of the competitors were injured, the tournament continued on the same day;
- Able to withstand even a nuclear explosion. Although the explosion in Hiroshima destroyed most of the buildings, the safe in one of the banks was not damaged. After the end of the war to American company, which produced these safes, came thank you letter from a bank manager in Hiroshima;
- Extraordinary luck. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was the only person on earth who officially survived two atomic explosions. After the explosion in Hiroshima, he went to work in Nagasaki, where he again managed to survive;
- "Pumpkin" bombs. Before starting the atomic bombing, the United States dropped 50 Pumpkin bombs on Japan, so named for their resemblance to a pumpkin;
- An attempt to overthrow the emperor. The Emperor of Japan mobilized all the citizens of the country for "total war". This meant that every Japanese, including women and children, must defend their country to the last drop of blood. After the emperor, frightened by atomic explosions, accepted all the conditions of the Potsdam Conference and later capitulated, the Japanese generals tried to carry out a coup d'état, which failed;
- Met a nuclear explosion and survived. Japanese trees"Gingko biloba" are distinguished by amazing vitality. After the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, 6 of these trees survived and continue to grow to this day;
- People who dreamed of salvation. After the explosion in Hiroshima, hundreds of survivors fled to Nagasaki. Of these, 164 people managed to survive, although only Tsutomu Yamaguchi is considered the official survivor;
- Not a single policeman died in the atomic explosion in Nagasaki. The surviving law enforcement officers from Hiroshima were sent to Nagasaki in order to teach colleagues the basics of behavior after a nuclear explosion. As a result of these actions, not a single policeman was killed in the Nagasaki bombing;
- 25 percent of those who died in Japan were Koreans. Although it is believed that all of those who died in the atomic explosions were Japanese, in fact a quarter of them were Koreans, who were mobilized by the Japanese government to participate in the war;
- Radiation is a fairy tale for children. After the atomic explosion, the American government for a long time hid the fact of the presence of radioactive contamination;
- "Meetinghouse". Few people know that the US authorities did not limit themselves to nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities. Before that, using the tactics of carpet bombing, they destroyed several Japanese cities. During Operation Meetinghouse, the city of Tokyo was virtually destroyed, and 300,000 of its inhabitants died;
- They didn't know what they were doing. The crew of the plane that dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima was 12 people. Of these, only three knew what a nuclear bomb was;
- On one of the anniversaries of the tragedy (in 1964), an eternal flame was lit in Hiroshima, which should burn as long as at least one nuclear warhead remains in the world;
- Lost connection. After the destruction of Hiroshima, communication with the city was completely lost. Only three hours later did the capital learn that Hiroshima had been destroyed;
- Deadly poison. The Enola Gay crew were given ampoules with potassium cyanide, which he had to accept in case of failure to complete the task;
- radioactive mutants. The famous Japanese monster "Godzilla" was invented as a mutation for radioactive contamination after a nuclear bombing;
- Shadows of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions of nuclear bombs had such tremendous power that people literally evaporated, leaving only dark prints on the walls and floor as a memory of themselves;
- Hiroshima symbol. The first plant to bloom after the Hiroshima nuclear attack was the oleander. It is he who is now the official symbol of the city of Hiroshima;
- Warning before a nuclear attack. Before the nuclear attack began, US aircraft dropped millions of leaflets on 33 Japanese cities warning of an impending bombardment;
- Radio signals. American radio station in Saipan before last moment broadcast warnings of a nuclear attack throughout Japan. The signals were repeated every 15 minutes.
The tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened 72 years ago, but it still serves as a reminder that humanity should not thoughtlessly destroy its own kind.
According to the official point of view, the bombing of Japanese cities was the only weighty argument to convince the Japanese government to capitulate. According to historians, the proud Japanese were ready to fight to the last soldier, and seriously prepared for the American intervention.The proud Japanese were ready to fight to the last soldier, and seriously prepared for the intervention of the Americans // Photo: whotrades.com
Japanese intelligence knew that the US had no choice but to land on the island of Kyushu. Here they were already waiting for fortifications. Tokyo planned to force a fight on Washington that would cost them dearly, both materially and in terms of human lives. The Japanese were not very interested in their losses. American intelligence learned about these plans. Washington did not like this alignment of forces. American government wanted the complete and unconditional surrender of the enemy on their terms. And this meant occupation and the creation of institutions in the state that Washington would consider necessary. The Japanese, according to some reports, were ready to capitulate. But they categorically did not accept the conditions of America. Tokyo was determined to keep the current government and avoid occupation.
It is noteworthy that at the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, Roosevelt insisted that the USSR should undertake to enter the war with Japan. At the end of the summer of 1945, the Soviet leadership informed the Allies that its troops were ready to cross the border of Manchuria and enter the war with Japan. In the White House, Stalin was given to understand that he was not against such a scenario. But if this does not happen, then there will be no claims either. Thus, America already had a trump card ready in the war with Japan. But the spread of the influence of the USSR also to the East was extremely undesirable for her.
hit list
Initially, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not the main contenders for a meeting with the American nuclear bomb. Moreover, Nagasaki was not even on the list of cities that the American generals considered as targets. The United States admitted the possibility of dropping a nuclear bomb on Kyoto, as the cultural and industrial center of Japan. Yokohama was next on the list because of its military factories, as well as Hiroshima, because there was a huge concentration of ammunition depots here. Niigata had a major military port, so the city was on the "hit list", and the city of Kokura was considered as a target as it was considered the country's largest military arsenal.
The death of Kyoto could really break the Japanese // Photo: sculpture.artyx.ru
From the very beginning, Kyoto was considered as the main target. The death of this city could really break the Japanese. Kyoto has long been the capital of the state, and is now considered the largest cultural center. He was saved by sheer luck. The fact is that one of the American generals spent his honeymoon in the cultural capital of Japan. He felt very sorry for the beautiful city, and he used all his eloquence in order to convince the authorities to spare him.
After Kyoto disappeared from the list, Nagasaki appeared on it. Later, the choice of the American command was stopped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Judgment Day
On August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. The city was surrounded by hills, and the United States expected that the terrain would further enhance the consequences of the attack. The city was destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people died. Survivors of the explosion tried to escape the heat in the river, but the water literally boiled, and some were boiled alive. Three days later, on August 9, hell repeated in Nagasaki. It is noteworthy that the pilot with a nuclear bomb on board had two targets - Kokura and Nagasaki. Kokura was saved by the fact that on this day there was a thick fog over him. Ironically, Nagasaki hospitals treated victims of the Hiroshima bombing.
According to experts, the explosions cost almost half a million human lives. And almost all of them belonged to civilians. Many of the survivors then died due to radiation sickness.
Hidden motives
The nuclear bomb finally convinced the Japanese government of the need for surrender. Emperor Hirohito accepted all the conditions of the Americans. And the whole world saw how devastating the consequences of using new weapons of mass destruction can be. Already at that moment, the understanding began to come to world leaders that the next global conflict would be the last for humanity.
After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on the terms of the Americans // Photo: istpravda.ru
Although at that time the United States and the USSR were considered allies in the war against the Nazis, the first signs of a cold between the superpowers were already visible. According to many experts, the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were largely indicative. They were supposed to demonstrate the power of America. But as a result, this led to the fact that Moscow in urgently created its own nuclear bomb, and then other states. Thus began the arms race, which kept the whole world in suspense throughout the second half of the 20th century.
