The first A-bombs - now you can see them.

Fascinating photo's of history. They expected a minimum of the tens of thousands of casualties if a invasion were to take place. No mention that the bomb was not fully armed. Navy Capt. Deak Parsons assisted by Lt. Morris Jeppson, finished the assembly and armed the bomb in the bomb bay after takeoff.

Interesting read about the invasion plans here.
"Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan during World War II"

How the Atomic Bomb Saved 4,000,000 Lives
How the Atomic Bomb Saved 4,000,000 Lives

Interesting. The plans for the invasion that never took place included a key first attack by the 158th Regimental Combat team. The "Bushmasters" were an Arizona National Guard unit, in which I was privileged to serve when it became the 158th Infantry Regiment. MacArthur himself lauded the unit.

John

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I also saw one of those Nevada A-bomb tests. When I was kid, my parents and I were driving to San Diego from Phoenix. We left in the wee small hours to avoid the heat, as it was summer and this was before most folks had AC in their cars. It was just before daylight when we hit the AZ-CA state line. To our north the sky lit up brightly. It was like a second sun was breaking, except it only lasted for a few moments. We knew there would be tests, and we knew right away we had just witnessed one. It was both beautiful and frightening. It's one of those things you never forget.

In later years, when I was in the Army as a young officer, I was assigned to classified work in atomic weapons training, logistics and security. I never imagined when I was a kid that I would get to know nukes on a more intimate basis. I was on active duty when the Cuban Missile Crisis developed. Even today I have nightmares about an atomic attack after that close scrape with universal annihilation that a lot of people knew nothing about at the time. I did, and it was absolutely chilling. Many of the people I served with then were certain that the balloon was going to go up, and we were all mentally preparing to kiss our rear ends goodbye. Luckily, good sense prevailed way above my pay grade with both the Russians and the U.S. If that had not been the case, the survivors, if any, would probably still be sifting ashes.

John
John, isn't it strange how events sort of string together and in hindsight, a clear path was laid for us... That is a thought provoking post you made there, thanks.
 
I was a Nuclear Weapons Technician in the USAF from 1966 - 1970 and worked on many different weapon systems. I spent two years supporting SAC assigned to an Aviation Depot Squadron and two years with Field Command, Defense Atomic Support Agency supporting operational units worldwide. I got to know the internal workings of the weapons quite well.

Upon my team being chosen to prep & repair some retired units for Program 437, we were sent to Sandia Base and to Los Alamos for advanced training before heading to Johnston Island. While there, we were given tours of their classified museums. I can tell you that, if you think that the pictures posted here are interesting, I only wish that I could share some of the things that I saw in the museums and in the field.
 
Today is VJ Day, the busiest weekend of the summer here.
 
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