LITTLE BOY AND FAT MAN

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

On Aug 6,1945, Col. Paul Tibbets piloted a modified B-29 , called Enola Gay, from a base on Tinian Island. Using the Aioi Bridge in the city of Hiroshima, Japan as an aiming point, the plane dropped the first ever combat atomic bomb, "Little Boy". The bomb exploded at 2,000 feet above Hiroshima, destroying five square miles of the city.

The Japanese failed to surrender, so on Aug 9, Maj. Charles Sweeney flew another B-29, Bockscar, from Tinian to the secondary target of Nagasaki. He dropped the plutonium bomb, "Fat Man".

On Aug 15, 1945, Japan surrendered. The formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay the following month.

Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.
Me in front of the Hiroshima Genbaku Dome, one of the few buildings left standing after the bomb. The bridge to the left in the photo is the aiming point, Aioi Bridge.
A closer view of the Hiroshima Genbaku Dome.
The USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor where the war with Japan began.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

August 6, Hirohshima, August 9, Nagasaki. The Japanese Government announces that on August 15, Emperor Hirohito will address the nation in what will become know as "The Jewel Voice Broadcast". The Japanese are stunned by this, given his god-like and rather remote status, it would be the same as if we were told The Man is going to address us, and yes, it's Him.
The Imperial Rescript was recorded them smuggled out of the Imperial Palace to thwart an attempt by hot heads and die-hards to prevent its broadcast. He tells his people that "the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is , indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives." and Japan will accept the
Potsdam Declaration (which they didn't know about).
He spoke in such archaic Court Japanese-imagine FDR"s Fireside Chats in Shakesperean- or Middle English that an interpreter had to tell them them, yes, Japan was surrendering.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

And the USA has been apologizing for these actions ever since.

Plans were in place for invasion of the Japanese home islands, with friendly casualties estimated in the hundreds of thousands and Japanese casualties estimated in the low millions, and a two-year campaign to complete the task (likely to result in many more casualties due to starvation and disruption of any type of medical care possible).

Mr. Truman made the decision. Hundreds of thousands of lives (perhaps a million or more) were saved by that decision, but the end result has been vilification of the United States ever since.

Questions for the history buffs: (1) Who started the war in the Pacific? (2) Was war declared prior to hostilities, or was the outbreak of hostilities a sneak attack designed to cripple our forces while Japanese troops gobbled up huge territories into their "economic co-prosperity zone"? (3) How do the people of China (remember Nanking?) and Korea remember the late 1930's until the mid-1940's under Japanese occupation and rule? (5) Define slave labor, as administered by the Japanese forces throughout the 1930's and early 1940's wherever they were successful. (6) For extra credit, describe the living conditions under Japanese occupation, the Bataan Death March, Phillipine occupation, and concentration camps for U.S. and allied military and civilian populations.

 

[DWalt]

"(3) How do the people of China (remember Nanking?) and Korea remember the late 1930's until the mid-1940's under Japanese occupation and rule?"

It has been estimated that upward of 200,000 Chinese were executed by the Japanese in retribution for the 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo.

 

[TomkinsSP]

In today's environment one wonders why the thousands of Korean, Chineese and Philipino women forced to become prostitutes for the "Master Race" are forgotten.

Oh, it doesn't fit the narrative.

 

[jag312]

After VE Day, my father was told that he would be transferred from duty in the Atlantic to the Pacific for preparation for the invasion of Japan. he told my mother that he didn't know if he would survive the war, but he knew that a lot of young men in his command would not. That was the reality.



It would have rained gold nuggets long before my mother and father would have apologized for the bombs. The bombs ended the war and saved countless lives.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My Aunt's (by marriage) parents were in the vicinity of Nagasaki and killed in the blast. Why were they there? They were slave laborers from Okinawa! My Aunt told our family that the A-bomb meant the end of suffering for her parents. While Okinawa is and was a Japanese island, the native residents were considered below human status. The political slogan 'Asia for Asians' really works if everyone not Japanese isn't a person!

When my cousin lived in Japan for about 10 years, she had at least 3 strikes against her, 1) she was half Okinawan, 2) she was half White, & 3) she was a US citizen! [#4 would be, she was a female engineer. #5 would be, she was very smart.] She and her Japanese husband (married during college in Florida) left Hell, and live a good life in Indiana now.

Ivan

 

[Onomea]

I’ve lived in Japan for over 30 years and like it fine.

Here’s a list of Japanese apologies for WWII, and their treatment of other peoples during that time, for the apology buffs among us: List of war apology statements issued by Japan - Wikipedia

The “apologize for the atomic bombs” phenomenon is a US, not Japanese, thing, insofar as I know.

 

[crsides]

Paul Tibbets was a skilled skeet shooter and often took money from George Patton on the skeet field. Tibbets was Patton's pilot in the African campaign. I once owned one of his skeet guns, a browning superpose 410 with custom stock.

 

[Westie1]

My Dad was a B29 flight engineer, and was based on Tinian at that time. He admitted that like a lot of others, he didn't think much of the 509th until they found out what was going on. Then it was a total different story.

 

[muddocktor]

You know, if Japan hadn't surrendered after the second bomb, the third bomb would have been made with the "Demon Core", which was later involved in 2 criticality accidents which ended the lives of Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin. Both happened at separate times while testing how close the core was to being a critical mass. After the second incident, that core finally ended up being melted down and reused later.

 

[Joe Kent]

Col. Tibbets was from the same hometown that HRichard and I live in. When he last was here my father {WW11 and Korea vet} went to see him for a book signing. Dad was also slated for the invasion of Japan and most likely would not have survived. His ship, a DE , was slated for close in gunfire support and would have faced 100's if not thousands of suicide pilots. Dad believed the A Bomb saved way more people both US and Japanese , than died when the use of it ended the war, as did Col. Tibbets. He was a fine gentleman and we had a good visit. God Bless and Keep all of our veterans and active duty military who continue to stand on the wall and protect the rest of us. All my very best, Joe.

 

[ExRanger714]

If you are interested and got an Amazon page at the "demon core" link in muddockter's post here's wikipedia:

Demon core - Wikipedia

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Great history. Thanks.

 

[crazyphil]

I once read about a Japanese travelling salesman who was in Hiroshima
on business when the bomb came. He survived and rushed home.
His home was Nagasaki. So he got to see both bombs.

My cousin, Capt. Elmer Hahn was commander of a B-29 shot down
over Tokyo. His prison camp was bombed by "friendly fire" and he
was killed May 26, 1945. Less than 3 months later Japan surrendered.
August 18, 1945.

He was my main motive for enlisting in the USAF on my 17th birthday.
Feb. 11, 1952.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Harsh as it sounds, we did them a favor.

A sharp blade cuts the cleanest.

Demonstrating complete dominance was the only language they understood at the time.

Saved an innumerable amount of their people.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...my Dad was an Army medic in the South Pacific...

...he was in Japan several times after the war...

..he said he thought the incendiary bombs dropped on the wood frame and paper buildings there had actually wrought more total destruction than the atom bombs...just not as quickly...

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[tlawler]

When I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, I dated an Air Force Brig. General's daughter for a time. Her dad was the Inspector General for Pacific Air Forces and based out of Hickam Field. She told me a story one time that her father was escorting some Japanese dignitaries around the base and on the facade of one of the buildings, there were still bullet or shell fragment craters. The Japanese, not realizing the significance of the damage, asked why it was like that. General Beyer looked each of them in the eye, one at a time, then replied: "We keep it like that as a reminder to never let our guard down again". When the realization dawned on them that it was damage from 07Dec1941, they were reduced to tears. After that, it must have been a pretty awkward tour. I always wanted to ask the man himself to tell the story, but as an enlisted sailor dating the daughter of a highly decorated flag officer with over 200 combat missions, I was slightly in awe of him.

 

[bushmaster1313]

After VE Day, my father was told that he would be transferred from duty in the Atlantic to the Pacific for preparation for the invasion of Japan. he told my mother that he didn't know if he would survive the war, but he knew that a lot of young men in his command would not. That was the reality.



It would have rained gold nuggets long before my mother and father would have apologized for the bombs. The bombs ended the war and saved countless lives.

My uncle was training on an island in the South Pacific to pilot a bomber for the invasion of Japan. The men getting ready fly in those planes knew that many of them would not come back.

After the bombs were dropped all the training flights were grounded and my uncle played six months of touch football on a pretty island before while waiting to ship Stateside.

IMHO, dropping the A-Bombs was the lesser of two evils.