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Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Main Conflict: World War II
A nuclear mushroom over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) Date August 6 — August 9, 1945
Location Hiroshima, Nagasaki;
The Japanese Empire
The result is the victory of the Allied forces
Opponents
USA USA Japanese Empire
Commanders
William Sterling Parsons
Paul Tibbets Shunroku Hata
Forces of the parties
"The Manhattan Project"
509th Mixed Aviation Group Second Command
Losses
No 90,000–166,000 in Hiroshima
60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki
Audio, photo, video on Wikimedia Commons
[hide] Pacific Theater of World War II
China * Pearl Harbor • Thailand • Burma • Malaya • Hong Kong • Philippines (1941-1942) • Guam • Wake • Dutch East Indies • Portuguese Timor • Australia • New Guinea • Singapore • Indian Ocean * Raid on Tokyo • Solomon Islands • Coral Sea • Midway • Aleutian Islands • Andaman Islands • Gilbert and Marshall Islands • Philippines (1944-1945) • Mariana Islands • Borneo • Ryukyu • Manchuria Sakhalin
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945) are the only two examples of the combat use of nuclear weapons in the history of mankind
Carried out 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, an American B 29 bomber "Enola Gay", named after the mother (Enola Gay Haggard) of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibbets, dropped an atomic bomb" Little Boy "("Baby") with the equivalent of 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Three days later, on August 9, 1945, an atomic bomb "Fat Man" ("Fat Man") equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT was dropped on the city of Nagasaki by pilot Charles Sweeney, commander of the B 29 "Bockscar"bomber.
The total number of dead was from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki.
The shock of the US atomic bombing had a profound impact 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[1].
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. [2] [3]
The Act of Surrender, which formally ended the Second World War, was signed on September 2, 1945.
The role of the atomic bombings in the surrender of Japan and the ethical justification of the bombing itself still cause sharp disputes.
Content
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1 Background 2 May 1945: selection of targets 3 Chronology of events before the first bombing (August 6) 4 Preparation for bombing 5 Bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 5.1 Hiroshima during World War II 5.2 Bombing 5.3 Explosion effect 5.4 Japanese awareness of the consequences of the attack 5.5 Losses and destruction 5.6 Radioactive contamination 5.7 Comparative safety of some buildings
6 Events of August 6-9 7 Bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 7.1 Nagasaki during World War II 7.2 Bombing 7.3 Explosion effect 7.4 Losses and Destruction
8 Plans for the subsequent atomic bombing of Japan 9 The surrender of Japan and the subsequent occupation 10 Commission for the Study of the Consequences of Atomic explosions 11 Discussion on the feasibility of atomic bombing 12 Impact on culture 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 References
Background[edit / edit wiki text]
A mock up of the "Little boy" bomb dropped on Hiroshima
In September 1944, at a meeting between US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Hyde Park, an agreement was concluded, according to which the possibility of using atomic weapons against Japan was envisaged[4].
By the summer of 1945, the United States of America, with the support of Great Britain and Canada, completed preparatory work on the creation of the first operational samples of nuclear weapons within the framework of the Manhattan project.
After three and a half years of direct US participation in World War II, about 200 thousand Americans were killed, about half of them in the war against Japan.
In April June 1945, during the operation to capture the Japanese island of Okinawa, more than 12 thousand American soldiers were killed, 39 thousand were wounded (Japanese losses ranged from 93 to 110 thousand soldiers and over 100 thousand civilians).
It was expected that the invasion of Japan itself would lead to losses many times higher than those of Okinawa.
May 1945: the choice of goals[edit / edit wiki text]
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the map of Japan
See also: Bombing of Dresden
During its second meeting in Los Alamos (May 10-11, 1945), the Target Selection Committee recommended Kyoto (the largest industrial center), Hiroshima (the center of army warehouses and a military port), Yokohama (the center of military industry), Kokuru (the largest military arsenal) and Niigata (a military port and a center of mechanical engineering) as targets for the use of atomic weapons.
The Committee rejected the idea of using these weapons against an exclusively military target, since there was a chance to miss a small area not surrounded by a vast urban area[5].
Great importance was attached to psychological factors when choosing a goal:
to achieve the maximum psychological effect against Japan, the first use of weapons should be significant enough for international recognition of its importance.
The Committee pointed out that the choice of Kyoto was supported by the fact that its population had a higher level of education and, thus, was better able to appreciate the value of weapons.
Hiroshima, on the other hand, had such a size and location that, taking into account the focusing effect of the surrounding hills, the force of the explosion could be increased[6].
US Secretary of War Henry Stimson crossed Kyoto off the list due to the cultural significance of the city.
According to Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, Stimson "knew and appreciated Kyoto since his honeymoon there several decades ago"[7].
Chronology of events before the first bombing (August 6)[edit / edit wiki text]
On July 16, the world's first successful test of an atomic weapon was carried out at a test site in the state of New Mexico.
The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons in TNT equivalent.
On July 24, during the Potsdam Conference, US President Harry Truman told 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 did not show much interest, noting only that he was glad and hoped that the United States would be able to effectively use it against the Japanese.
Churchill, who carefully watched Stalin's reaction, remained of the opinion that Stalin did not understand the true meaning of Truman's words and did not pay attention to him[8].
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, he noted that "It will be necessary to talk with Kurchatov about speeding up our work"[9].
After the declassification of the operation of the American special services "Venona", it became known that Soviet agents had long reported 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 calmly accepted Truman's message[10].
Hall had been working for Soviet intelligence since 1944[11].
On July 25, Truman approved an order starting from August 3 to bomb one of the following targets: Hiroshima, Kokuru, Niigata or Nagasaki — as soon as possible, as soon as the weather allows, and also in the future — the following cities, as bombs arrive[12].
On July 26, the governments of the United States, Great Britain and China signed the Potsdam Declaration, which set out the demand for the unconditional surrender of Japan.
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, was rejected.
The Japanese government has not expressed a desire to accept the ultimatum.
On July 28, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki said at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration is 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 the Soviet response to evasive diplomatic moves[what?] the Japanese, did not change the government's decision.
On July 31, in a conversation with Koichi Kido, he made it clear that the imperial power should be protected at all costs[source not specified 992 days].
Preparation for bombing[edit / edit wiki text]
During May June 1945, the American 509th Mixed Aviation Group arrived on Tinian Island[13].
The group's base area on the island was located several miles from the rest of the units and was carefully guarded[13].
On July 26, the cruiser "Indianapolis" delivered the atomic bomb "Little Boy" to Tinian[13].
On July 28, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed an order for the combat use of nuclear weapons[13].
This order, developed by the head of the Manhattan project, Major General[14] Leslie Groves, ordered a nuclear strike "any day after the third of August, as soon as weather conditions allow"[13].
On July 29, the commander of the US Strategic Aviation, General Karl Spaats, arrived on Tinian, delivering Marshall's order to the island[13].
On July 28 and August 2, the components of the Fat Man atomic bomb were brought to Tinian by aircraft[13].
The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945[edit / edit wiki text]
Hiroshima during the Second World War[edit / edit wiki text]
Hiroshima was located on a flat terrain, slightly above sea level at the mouth of the Ota River, on 6 islands connected by 81 bridges.
The population of the city before the war was over 340 thousand people, which made 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.
The factories were located on the outskirts of the city.
Outdated fire equipment and insufficient training of personnel created a high risk of fire even in peacetime.
The population of Hiroshima reached a maximum of 380 thousand people during the war, but before the bombing, the population gradually decreased due to systematic evacuation by order of the Japanese government.
At the time of the attack, the population was about 245 thousand people[15].
Bombing[edit / edit wiki text]
Paul Tibbets before takeoff, the morning of August 6, 1945
The main target of the first American nuclear bombing was Hiroshima (Kokura and Nagasaki were the reserve ones).
Although the order given by Truman provided for an atomic bombing starting from August 3, up to August 6, this was prevented by cloud cover over the target.
On August 6, at 1: 45[16], an American B 29 bomber under the command of the commander of the 509th Mixed Aviation Regiment, Colonel Paul Tibbets, carrying an atomic bomb "Baby" on board, took off from the island of Tinian, which was located about 6 hours of summer from Hiroshima.
Tibbets ' plane ("Enola Gay") was flying as part of a compound that included six other aircraft: a spare plane ("Top Secret"), two controllers and three scouts ("Jabit III", "Full House" and "Street Flash")[13].
The commanders of the reconnaissance aircraft sent to Nagasaki and Kokura reported significant cloud cover over these cities[13].
The pilot of the third reconnaissance aircraft, Major Izerli, found out that the sky over Hiroshima was clear, and sent a signal "Bomb the first target" [13].
Around seven o'clock in the morning, a network of Japanese early warning radars recorded the approach of several American aircraft heading for the southern part of Japan.
An air alert was declared and radio broadcasting was stopped in many cities, including Hiroshima.
At about 08: 00, the radar operator in Hiroshima determined that the number of approaching aircraft was very small — perhaps no more than three and the air alert was canceled.
Small groups of American bombers, in order to save fuel and aircraft, the Japanese did not intercept.
The standard message was transmitted over the radio that it would be wise to go to the bomb shelters if the B 29s were actually spotted, and that it was not a raid that was expected, but just some kind of reconnaissance[17][18].
At about eight o'clock in the morning local time at 29, being at an altitude of over 9 km, he dropped an atomic bomb on the center of Hiroshima.
The bomb exploded at an altitude of 576 meters.
Many stopped clocks at the time of the explosion accurately recorded this moment of time 08 hours 15 minutes[source not specified 108 days].
The first public announcement of the event came from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on the Japanese city.
The explosion effect[edit / edit wiki text]
The shadow of a man who was sitting on the stairs in front of the bank entrance at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter
Those who were closest to the epicenter of the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned into coal.
Birds flying by burned up in the air, and dry combustible materials (for example, paper) ignited at a distance of 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 the houses described a blinding flash of light, with which a wave of suffocating heat simultaneously came.
The blast wave for everyone who was near the epicenter followed almost immediately, often knocking them off their feet.
Those who were in buildings, as a rule, avoided exposure to light radiation from the explosion, but not the blast wave — glass fragments hit most rooms, and all buildings, except the most durable, collapsed.
One teenager was thrown from his house across the street by an explosive wave, while the house collapsed behind him.
Within a few minutes, 90 % of people who were at a distance of 800 meters or less from the epicenter died[19].
The blast wave shattered windows at a distance of up to 19 km.
For those who were in the buildings, the typical first reaction was the thought of a direct hit by an air bomb.
Numerous small fires that simultaneously arose in the city soon merged into one large fire tornado, which created a strong wind (at a speed of 50-60 km/h[15]), directed towards the epicenter.
The fire tornado captured over 11 km2 of the city, killing everyone who did not have time to get out within the first few minutes after the explosion.
According to the memoirs of Akiko Takakura, one of the few survivors who were at the time of the explosion at a distance of 300 m from the epicenter:
Three colors characterize for me the day when 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 from the body, exposed to the light radiation from the explosion[20].
A few days after the explosion, doctors began to notice the first symptoms of radiation exposure among the survivors.
Soon, the number of deaths among the survivors began to rise again, as patients who seemed to have begun to recover began to suffer from this new strange disease.
Deaths from radiation sickness peaked 3-4 weeks after the explosion and began to decline only after 7-8 weeks.
Japanese doctors considered vomiting and diarrhea characteristic of radiation sickness to be symptoms of dysentery[source not specified 1263 days].
The increased risk of malignant tumors and other delayed effects of radiation haunted the survivors for the rest of their lives, as well as the psychological shock from the experience during the explosion[19].
The first person in the world whose cause of death is officially indicated as a disease caused by the consequences of a nuclear explosion (radiation poisoning) was actress Midori Naka, who survived the Hiroshima explosion, but died on August 24, 1945[21][22].
Journalist Robert Jung believes that it was Midori's disease and its popularity among ordinary people that allowed people to learn the truth about the "new disease" that had arisen.
Until Midori's death, no one paid any attention 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 an incentive to accelerate research in the field of nuclear physics and medicine, which soon managed to save the lives of many people from radiation exposure[23].
Japanese awareness of the consequences of the attack[edit / edit wiki text]
The Tokyo operator of the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan noticed that the Hiroshima station stopped transmitting a signal on the air.
He tried to re establish broadcasting 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.
Unofficial and confused reports of a terrible explosion came from a stop 16 km from Hiroshima.
All these messages were forwarded to the headquarters of the Japanese General Staff.
Military bases have repeatedly tried to call the Hiroshima Command and Control Center.
The complete silence from there baffled the General Staff, because they knew that there was no major enemy raid in Hiroshima and there was no significant warehouse of explosives.
A young officer from the headquarters was instructed to immediately fly to Hiroshima, land, assess the destruction and return to Tokyo with reliable information.
The headquarters mostly believed that nothing serious had happened there, and the reports were explained by rumors.
An officer from the 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 in disbelief.
All that remained of the city was a zone of continuous destruction, still burning and covered with a thick cloud of smoke.
They landed south of the city, and the officer, having reported the incident to Tokyo, immediately began to organize rescue measures.
The first real understanding by the Japanese of what really caused the disaster came from a public message from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on Hiroshima.
Losses and destruction[edit / edit wiki text]
Hiroshima after the atomic explosion
The number of deaths from the direct impact of the explosion was from 70 to 80 thousand people[15][19].
By the end of 1945, due to the effect of radioactive contamination and other delayed effects of the explosion, the total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people[24].
After 5 years, the total number of deaths, taking into account those who died from cancer and other long term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 200 thousand people[19].
According to official Japanese data, as of March 31, 2013, there were 201,779 "hibakusya" — people who suffered from the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This number includes de children born to women who were exposed to radiation from explosions (mostly living in Japan at the time of data calculation)[25].
Of these, 1 %, according to the Japanese government, had serious oncological diseases caused by radiation exposure after the bombing[26].
The number of deaths as of August 31, 2013 is about 450 thousand: 286,818 in Hiroshima[27] and 162,083 in Nagasaki[28].
Radioactive contamination[edit / edit wiki text]
Hiroshima before the bombing.
Hiroshima after the bombing.
There are texts on the topic in Wikitek
Report of the USSR Ambassador to Japan on visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The concept of "radioactive contamination" did not exist in those years, and therefore this issue was not even raised at that time.
People continued to live and rebuild the 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 bombing, were not initially associated with exposure to radiation.
Evacuation of the population from the infected areas was not carried out, since no one knew about the very presence of radioactive contamination[29].
It is quite difficult to give an accurate assessment of the degree of this contamination due to lack of information, however, since the first atomic bombs were relatively low power and imperfect in technical terms (the " Kid " bomb, for example, contained 64 kg of uranium, of which only about 700 g of fission reaction occurred), 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 Chernobyl accident, several tons of fission products and transuranic elements[30] — various radioactive isotopes accumulated during the reactor operation were in the reactor core.
Comparative safety of some buildings[edit / edit wiki text]
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 widely known as the "Gambaku Dome", or "Atomic Dome"), designed and built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, stood, which was only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion (at a bomb detonation height of 600 m above the surface).
These ruins became the most famous exhibit of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima and in 1996 were elevated to the rank of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, despite objections expressed by the governments of the United States and China[31].
Events of August 6-9[edit / edit wiki text]
On August 6, after receiving news of the successful atomic bombing of Hiroshima, US President Truman said that
We are now ready to destroy, even faster and more completely than before, all the Japanese ground 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 management immediately rejected his conditions.
If they do not accept our conditions now, let them expect a rain of destruction from the air, the like of which has not yet been on this planet[32].
After receiving the news of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government met to discuss its reaction.
Starting in June, the emperor advocated peace negotiations, but the Minister of Defense, as well as the leadership of the army and Navy, believed that Japan should wait to see if attempts at peace negotiations through the Soviet Union would yield something better than unconditional surrender.
The military leadership also believed that if it was possible to hold out until the invasion of the Japanese islands began, it would be possible to inflict such losses on the Allied forces that Japan would be able to end the war without unconditional surrender[33].
On August 9, the USSR declared war on Japan and Soviet troops launched the Manchurian operation.
Hopes for the mediation of the USSR in the negotiations collapsed.
The top leadership of the Japanese army began preparations for the declaration of martial law in order to prevent any attempts at peace negotiations.
The second atomic bombing (Kokura) was scheduled for August 11, but was postponed 2 days earlier to avoid a five day period of bad weather, which was predicted to begin on August 10[34].
The bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945[edit / edit wiki text]
Nagasaki during World War II[edit / edit wiki text]
Nagasaki in 1945 was located in two valleys, through which two rivers flowed.
A mountain range divided the districts of the city.
The construction was chaotic: 12 residential blocks were built up out of the total area of the city of 90 km2.
During the Second World War, the city, which was a large seaport, also acquired special importance as an industrial center, where the steel production and the Mitsubishi shipyard, 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 the shipyards and docks in the southwestern part of the city.
The bombs also hit the Mitsubishi steel and gun factories[15].
The result of the raid on August 1 was a partial evacuation of the population, especially schoolchildren.
Nevertheless, at the time of the bombing, the population of the city was still about 200 thousand people[35].
Bombing[edit / edit wiki text]
Nagasaki before and after the atomic explosion
The main target of the second American nuclear bombing was Kokura, the backup was Nagasaki.
At 2: 47 on August 9, [36] an American B 29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney, carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb on board, took off from Tinian Island.
Unlike the first bombing, the second one was fraught with numerous technical problems.
Even before takeoff, a fuel pump malfunction was detected in one of the spare fuel tanks.
Despite this, the crew decided to carry out the flight as planned.
At about 7:50, an air alert was declared in Nagasaki, which was canceled at 8: 30.
At 8: 10, after reaching the rendezvous point[37] with other B 29s participating in the departure, the absence of one of them was detected.
For 40 minutes at 29, Sweeney described circles around the rendezvous point, but did not wait for the missing plane to appear.
At the same time, reconnaissance aircraft reported that the cloud cover over Kokura and Nagasaki, although present, still allows bombing under visual control[38].
At 8:50, B 29, carrying an atomic bomb, headed for Kokura, where he arrived at 9: 20.
By this time, however, there was already 70% cloud cover over the city, which did not allow for visual bombing.
After three unsuccessful approaches to the target, at 10: 32 B 29 set a course for Nagasaki.
By this time, due to a fuel pump malfunction, there was only enough fuel for one pass over Nagasaki.
At 10:53, two B 29s came into the field of view of the air defense, the Japanese took them for reconnaissance and did not declare a new alarm.
At 10:56, at 29, he arrived at Nagasaki, which, as it turned out, was also covered with clouds.
Sweeney grudgingly approved a much less accurate approach to the target on the radar.
At the last moment, however, the bombardier gunner Captain Kermit Behan (eng.) in the gap between the clouds noticed the silhouette of the city stadium, focusing on which, he dropped an atomic bomb[source not specified 1577 days].
The explosion occurred at 11: 02 local time[39] at an altitude of about 500 meters.
The explosion power was about 21 kilotons[35][40].
The explosion effect[edit / edit wiki text]
A Japanese boy whose upper body was not covered during the explosion
A hastily aimed bomb exploded almost in the middle between the two main targets in Nagasaki, the Mitsubishi steel and gun production facilities in the south and the Mitsubishi Urakami torpedo factory in the north.
If the bomb had been dropped further south, between the 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 above the industrial zone — all this helped to 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 (from my bike), and for a while the ground shook.
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 blown away by an explosive wave.
Large stones were flying in the air, one hit me and then flew up into the sky again…
When everything seemed to have settled down, I tried to get up and found that the skin on my left arm, from the shoulder to the fingertips, was hanging like tattered rags [41].
Losses and destruction[edit / edit wiki text]
The atomic explosion over Nagasaki affected an area of approximately 110 km2, of which 22 km2 is on the water surface and 84 km2 were only partially inhabited.
According to the report of the Nagasaki Prefecture, "people and animals died almost instantly" at a distance of up to 1 km from the epicenter.
Almost all houses within a radius of 2 km were destroyed, and dry, flammable materials, such as paper, ignited at a distance of 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 the buildings remained intact.
Although there was no fire tornado in the city, numerous local fires were observed.
The number of dead by the end of 1945 was from 60 to 80 thousand people[24].
After 5 years, the total number of deaths, taking into account those who died from cancer and other long term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 140 thousand people[35].
Plans for the subsequent atomic bombing of Japan[edit / edit wiki text]
The US government expected that another atomic bomb would be ready for use in mid — August, and three more in September and October[42].
On August 10, Leslie Groves, the military director of the Manhattan Project, sent a memorandum to George Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the US Army, in which he wrote that "the next bomb... should be ready for use after August 17-18."
On the same day, Marshall signed a memorandum with the comment that "it should not be used against Japan until the direct approval of the President is received"[42].
At the same time, the US Department of Defense has already begun discussing the feasibility of postponing the use of bombs until the start of Operation Downfall — the expected invasion of the Japanese islands.
The problem we are facing now [August 13] is whether, assuming that the Japanese do not capitulate, we should continue to drop bombs as they are produced, or accumulate them in order to then drop everything in a short time interval.
Not all in one day, but in a fairly short time.
This is also related to the question of what goals we are pursuing.
In other words, shouldnot we focus on the targets that will most help the invasion, and not on industry, the morale of the troops, psychology, etc.?
To a greater extent, tactical goals, and not some other ones.[42]
The surrender of Japan and the subsequent occupation[edit / edit wiki text]
Main articles: The Act of Surrender of Japan, the Occupation of Japan
Until August 9, the war cabinet continued to insist on 4 terms of surrender.
On August 9, news came about the declaration of war by the Soviet Union late in the evening of August 8 and about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at 11 o'clock in the afternoon.
At the meeting of the "big six", held on the night of August 10, the votes on the issue of surrender were divided equally (3 "for", 3 "against"), after which the emperor intervened in the discussion, speaking in favor of surrender.
On August 10, 1945, Japan handed over an offer of surrender to the allies, the only condition of which was the preservation of the emperor as the nominal head of state[33][43].
Since the terms of the surrender allowed for the preservation of imperial power in Japan, on August 14, Hirohito recorded his statement of surrender, which was distributed by the Japanese media the next day, despite the military coup attempt made by opponents of the surrender.
In his announcement, Hirohito mentioned the atomic bombing:
... in addition, the enemy has at its disposal a new terrible weapon that can take away 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 before the sacred spirit of our ancestors?
For this reason, we have ordered to accept the terms of the joint declaration
