The Hiroshima Bombing

Hiroshima was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing mission on August 6, with Kokura and Nagasaki being alternative targets. August 6 was chosen because clouds had previously obscured the target. The 393d Bombardment Squadron B-29 Enola Gay, piloted and commanded by 509th Composite Group commander Colonel Paul Tibbets, was launched from North Field airbase on Tinian in the West Pacific, about six hours flight time from Japan. The Enola Gay (named after Colonel Tibbets' mother) was accompanied by two other B29s. The Great Artiste, commanded by Major Charles W. Sweeney, carried instrumentation; and a then-nameless aircraft later called Necessary Evil (the photography aircraft) was commanded by Captain George Marquardt.

After leaving Tinian the aircraft made their way separately to Iwo Jima where they rendezvoused at 2,440 meters (8,000 ft) and set course for Japan. The aircraft arrived over the target in clear visibility at 9,855 meters (32,330 ft). During the journey, Navy Captain William Parsons had armed the bomb, which had been left unarmed to minimize the risks during takeoff. His assistant, 2nd Lt. Morris Jeppson, removed the safety devices 30 minutes before reaching the target area.

The energy released was powerful enough to burn through clothing. The dark portions of the garments this victim wore at the time of the blast were emblazoned on to the flesh as scars.

About an hour before the bombing, Japanese early warning radar detected the approach of some American aircraft headed for the southern part of Japan. An alert was given and radio broadcasting stopped in many cities, among them Hiroshima. At nearly 08:00, the radar operator in Hiroshima determined that the number of planes coming in was very small—probably not more than three—and the air raid alert was lifted. To conserve fuel and aircraft, the Japanese had decided not to intercept small formations. The normal radio broadcast warning was given to the people that it might be advisable to go to air-raid shelters if B-29s were actually sighted, but no raid was expected beyond some sort of reconnaissance.

The release at 08:15 (Hiroshima time) went as planned, and the gravity bomb known as "Little Boy", a gun-type fission weapon with 60 kilograms (130 lb) of uranium-235, took 57 seconds to fall from the aircraft to the predetermined detonation height about 600 meters (2,000 ft) above the city. Due to crosswind, it missed the aiming point, the Aioi Bridge, by almost 800 feet (240 m) and detonated directly over Shima Surgical Clinic. It created a blast equivalent to about 13 kilotons of TNT (54 TJ). (The U-235 weapon was considered very inefficient, with only 1.38% of its material fissioning.) The radius of total destruction was about one mile (1.6 km), with resulting fires across 4.4 square miles (11 km2). Americans estimated that 4.7 square miles (12 km2) of the city were destroyed. Japanese officials determined that 6-9% of Hiroshima's buildings were destroyed and another 6-7% damaged.

70,000 to 80,000 people, or some 30% of the population of Hiroshima were killed immediately, and another 70,000 injured. Over 90% of the doctors and 93% of the nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured—most had been in the downtown area which received the greatest damage.
Although the U.S. had previously dropped leaflets warning civilians of air raids on 12 other Japanese cities, the residents of Hiroshima were given no notice of the atomic bomb.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Hiroshima
• Atomic
• Bomb
• Reenactment
• nuclear
• atomic
• bomb
• Enola
• Gay
• wwii
• World
• War
• Two

[MrNickjrich]

It makes you wonder if the people that woke up after the bomb actually thought they had died and were in hell

[susanaya2]

i actually started crying. this is too sad

[TheUup115]

The first step towards the apocalypse.

[kentamitchell]

@4fuksakeletmesignin No, when he says "Remember the Arizona", he means the battleship USS Arizona- and the more than one thousand Americans who died on that ship on the morning of Dec 7, 1941.

[dread7769]

I hope these chickens sent over some 60 some years ago..to finish off the Japanese never come home to roost. But we know what goes around comes around. What is good for the goose is good for the gander

[4fuksakeletmesignin]

@dgelevators1 "remember the arizona" you mean the alamo you fucking retard. How do you even have the brainpower to think?

[KasplazmTV]

@Jallawackbar

This is not a crime against humanity. THIS IS FUCKING WAR. War is war, no matter the rules. Even some Japanese back then felt they deserved it for randomly attacking the US. What if you got punched in the face by some random person? What would you do? You have a bleeding nose, and it hurt fucking badly. IT IS YOUR DUTY to get physical revenge on that person.

[runsaber1]

@vosab no, your emperor is. He's the one that allowed all of this to happen.

(and was never actually held accountable for his actions)

But hey... where are all the conspiracy theorists...

shouldn't they be claiming japan attacked itself at the end of WWII

it's better to say they did or Godzilla attacked them to save face.

over having to admit that the USA beat them in a world war (which is pretty embarassing...)

They should of surrendered when they had the chance

[Jallawackbar]

@KasplazmTV Yes it is exactly that, retaliation, that is not war, that is a crime against humanity. Even in war there are rules, but yet they get broken all the time. Japan has after WWII put extreme regulations on its military. Redneckistan seems to go the complete opposite. Having MORE soldiers, bombs and guns does not create peace. Only stopping hate and greed will create peace.

[KasplazmTV]

This is war. Those fuckers got what they asked for. This is retaliation. It was the Japanese government that killed all those people.