the raids on hiroshima and nagasaki

the tope cities on the target committee initial list were

1. kyoto

2. hiroshima

3. yokohama

4. kokura

5. niigata

significance of the top cities

• the cities were put on a “reserved” list and were not subjected to conventional bombing.

yokohama and nagasaki

yokohama was later taken off the target committee list, and nagasaki was added to it after it had already been hit by attacks with conventional bombs

target committee’s may 10th 1945 meeting

resulted in the selection of cities for atomic bombing based on their military and industrial significance, prioritizing locations that would maximize impact on Japan's war efforts.

col. paul tibbets

he commanded the crew of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on hiroshima on august 6th, 1945

509th composite group

The unit of the United States Army Air Forces responsible for conducting the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, including the mission involving the Enola Gay.

project alberta

A secret military program that prepared for the deployment and use of atomic bombs in warfare during World War II, involving both logistical planning and training of personnel.

tinian

An island in the Marianas archipelago that served as a key base for U.S. forces during World War II and the launch site for the atomic bomb missions against Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

uss indianapolis

delivered the little boy bomb to tinian on the 26th of july 1945; just three days later, it was sunk by a japanese submarine

the atomic bombing order (NSA 60e)

A directive issued by President Harry S. Truman on August 6, 1945, authorizing the use of atomic bombs on Japan to facilitate a swift conclusion to World War II and minimize further American casualties.

a) drafted by gen. groves

b) signed by gen. thomas handy

c) approved by gen. george marshall and stimson

NSA document 61

from gen. leslie groves to gen. george marshall on the 30th of july 1945 which detailed plans for future production and delivery of atomic bombs

little boy complications

the little boy bomb was ready to go on sugust 1st, but bad weather over japan delayed its use until august 6th

deak parson

flew as a weaponeer on the enola gay and armed the little boy bomb in-flight before the US bombed hiroshima on august 6th 1945

enola gay and paul tibbets

paul took over robert lewis’ B-29 just before the mission and renamed it the “enola gay” after his mother

the safety and arming plugs from the little boy bomb

are the only parts of little boy that sill exist.

• in 2002, morris heppson, the assistant weaponer on the mission, sold two of the plug for $167,000

enola gay take-off

enola-gay took off from tinian at 2:45am for the 6-hour flight to japan

the aiming point for little boy

it was the distinctive t-shaped aioi bridge, but the actual ground zero was a short distance away, at the shima hospital

robert lewis

was the co-pilot of the Enola Gay during the Hiroshima mission, responsible for navigation and contributing to the bomb's deployment.

robert lewis diagram

this diagram showed how the enola gay would drop its bomb from an altitude of 30,000 feet, bank sharply, and get as far away as it could before the bomb exploded at a present height of about 1900 feet.

bob caron

served as the tail gunner on the enola gay during the hiroshima mission.

• was the first member of the crew to witness (and take a photo) of the mushroom cloud form over hiroshima

the shadow person of hiroshima

refers to the silhouettes left on surfaces by the intense heat of the atomic blast, depicting the people who were caught in the explosion.

destruction of hiroshima

the destruction of hiroshima was virtually total for a mile radium arond ground zero

• hiroshima was the headquarers of the japanese 2nd army

• about 20,000 troops were killed in the atomic building, but the bomb was not aimed at the army base

truman and hiroshima

truman was aboard the USS augusta, heading back from the potsdam conference, when he got word just before noon on august 6th of the hiroshima raid

• after telling the sailors he was eating with that “this is the greatest thing in history,” he issued a previously-prepared press release.

yoshio nishina

was the leading nuclear physicist in japan, had arrived in hiroshima on august 8th and soon confirmed that the city had been hit by an atomic bomb

plutonium complications

the fat man bomb was originally set to be dropped on august 11th, but to avoid impending bad weather, local commanders moved this up to aug. 9th.

• to meet this new deadline, project staff skipped many safety checks

fat man bomb signatures

norman ramsey and other members of the bomb crew signed the fat man bomb; admiral william r. purnell, the top navy officer on the manhattan project, added a note of his own

major chuck sweeney

he commanded the second atomic bomb mission.

• he usually flew the great artiste but for this mission he was given fred brock’s plane bockscar

bockscar and kokura

smoke and clouds obscured bockscar’s primary target, kokura, so it went on to nagasaki

bockscar v. nagasaki

after dropping its fat man bomb at 11am, bockscar did not have enough fuel to return to tinian and had to make an emergency landing in okinawa.

bockscar miscalculations

they missed its intended target, dropping its fat man bomb nearly 2 miles NW of the center of nagasaki

why nagasaki?

nagasaki was an industrial center and the main center of christianity of japan.

• the bomb wrecked both the urakami cathedral and the mitsubishi steel works, instantly killing about 50,000 people