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Fat man detonated between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works to the south, and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Torpedo works to the north.
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The cast of Kaze wo atsumete - 2011 includes: Mitsuru Hirata Noriko Nakagoshi as Setsu urakami
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Yes, there is a church in Hiroshima called the Urakami Cathedral that survived the atomic bombing in 1945. The church was located near the hypocenter of the blast and its structure was damaged, but it remained standing. The church has since been rebuilt and serves as a symbol of hope and resilience in the city. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide pictures in this text-based format, but you can easily find images of the Urakami Cathedral online.
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The only building that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War II was the Urakami Cathedral.
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The atomic bomb hit Nagasaki at the Urakami district, near the city's center. The explosion devastated the area and caused widespread destruction.
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nagasaki and hiroshima
Nagasaki.
While its target was Nagasaki an error due largely to significant cloud cover caused it to actually be dropped 1.9 miles away over the Urakami valley.
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The mortality was greater in Hiroshima because the city was located in a flat delta, in contrast to Nagaski's Urakami Valley. The Nagasaki-Urakami is enclosed by mountain ridges that shielded the city. Nevertheless, the instant lethal effect revealed consideration of the use of these annihilative weapons in warfare can be tolerated by man now that nukes of far greater destructive power are now available.
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The real mortality of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan will never be known. The destruction and overwhelming chaos made orderly counting impossible. It is not unlikely that the estimates of killed and wounded in Hiroshima (150,000) and Nagasaki (75,000) are over conservative.
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The radius of total destruction in Hiroshima was over 1 mile, with destruction of all flammable buildings within a 4.7 square mile area, and some outlying areas by the firestorm that followed two or three hours after the blast.
The radius of destruction in Nagasaki was a little less than 1 mile, because the bomb fell northwest of the city center, primarily impacting the Urakami River valley. The destruction extended to almost everything flammable within 2 miles to the north or south along the river valley.
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Maiko Kikuchi has: Played herself in "Iitabi yume kibun" in 1986. Played Kaori in "Usureyuku kioku no nakade" in 1992. Played Actress in "Rampo" in 1994. Played Reiko (adult) in "Futarikko" in 1996. Performed in "Otona no otoko" in 1997. Performed in "Aoi tokugawa sandai" in 2000. Performed in "Jonan kisha Urakami Shinsuke Toku dane jiken fairu 2: Nakasaki ijinkan no shisen" in 2002. Played Shizuka Onogawa in "Waterboys" in 2003. Performed in "Shinano no koronbo jiken fairu 10: Mori no miyako satsujin jiken" in 2006. Played Hisako in "Perfect Blue" in 2012.
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It was actually the lower yield MK-I Little boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima that did more damage.
The higher yield MK-III Fatman bomb was accidentally dropped much further from its target (almost 2 miles away) and the blast wave was contained by the surrounding hills.
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Kaori Mizushima has: Played Amamiya in "Nerawareta gakuen" in 1981. Played Okiku in "Yari no gonza" in 1986. Played Aya in "Tomorrow - ashita" in 1988. Played Eleven in "Ganheddo" in 1989. Performed in "Youkai tengoku: Ghost Hero" in 1990. Played Chie Asai in "Shiko funjatta" in 1992. Performed in "Saigo no drive" in 1992. Played Ikumi Asakawa in "Nurse Call" in 1992. Played Miki Shirai in "Seishun dendekedekedeke" in 1992. Performed in "Yubiwa" in 1995. Performed in "Romansu" in 1996. Played Momoyo Nohara in "Fukigen na kajitsu" in 1997. Performed in "Doggusu" in 1998. Played Naomi in "Tokyo Eyes" in 1998. Played Mrs. kashiwagi in "ABC... XYZ" in 1999. Performed in "Urakami Shinsuke jiken fairu: Michinoku kakunodate satsujin jiken" in 2001. Performed in "Hanamizuki" in 2010.
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"Fat Man" was dropped over Nagasaki from the B-29 bomber Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles Sweeney of the 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, and exploded at 11:02 AM (JST), at an altitude of about 1,650 feet (500 m), with a yield of about 21 kilotons of TNT or 88 terajoules. The Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works, the factory that manufactured the type 91 torpedoes released in the attack on Pearl Harbor, was destroyed in the blast. Because of poor visibility due to cloud cover, the bomb missed its intended detonation point, and damage was somewhat less extensive than that in Hiroshima. An estimated 39,000 people were killed outright by the bombing at Nagasaki, and a further 25,000 were injured. Thousands more died later from related blast and burn injuries, and hundreds more from radiation illnesses from exposure to the bomb's initial radiation. The bombing raid on Nagasaki had the third highest fatality rate in World War IIafter the nuclear strike on Hiroshima and the March 9/10 1945 fire bombing raid on Tokyo.[
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Akiko Hinagata has: Played Taeko Mizuma in "Seija no koushin" in 1998. Played Yuriko Yano in "Romance" in 1999. Played Shiho in "Teppen" in 1999. Performed in "Urakami Shinsuke jiken fairu: Michinoku kakunodate satsujin jiken" in 2001. Performed in "Jonan kisha Urakami Shinsuke Toku dane jiken fairu 2: Nakasaki ijinkan no shisen" in 2002. Played Aiko in "Shin karate baka ichidai" in 2003. Played Aiko in "Shin karate baka ichidai 2" in 2003. Performed in "Gosuto shauto" in 2004. Performed in "Himitsuna okusan" in 2006. Performed in "Te no ue no shabondama" in 2006. Performed in "Himitsuna okusan 3: ikemen hosuto satsujin jiken" in 2008. Performed in "Nikutai no mon" in 2008. Performed in "Sagishi Ririko" in 2009. Performed in "Kariya keibu series 6: Kieta hanayome" in 2009. Performed in "Box: Hakamada jiken - inochi towa" in 2010. Performed in "Hanjirou" in 2010. Played Tokie kishida in "The Higashino Keigo Mysteries" in 2012. Performed in "Onna sandai Kisaragi houritsu jimusho: Kanmokusuru onna" in 2012. Played Mari in "Tokumei tantei" in 2012. Performed in "Kariya Keibu Series 13" in 2013.
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Masanobu Takashima has: Played Major Sho Kuroki in "Gojira vs. Biorante" in 1989. Played Ippei Akagawa in "Hotel" in 1990. Played Masato Togura in "Yamada babaa ni hanataba o" in 1990. Played Tadayoshi Ashikaga in "Taiheiki" in 1991. Performed in "Shin Kamen raidaa" in 1992. Played Shinobu Hanaoka in "Daburu kitchin" in 1993. Performed in "Niji no hashi" in 1993. Played Shinichi Tsutzuki in "Kimi ga jinsei no toki" in 1997. Performed in "Aguri" in 1997. Played Young man in wheelchair in "Kaze no uta ga kikitai" in 1998. Performed in "Urakami Shinsuke jiken fairu: Michinoku kakunodate satsujin jiken" in 2001. Performed in "Baburu" in 2001. Performed in "Kihinshitsu no kaijin" in 2002. Performed in "Jonan kisha Urakami Shinsuke Toku dane jiken fairu 2: Nakasaki ijinkan no shisen" in 2002. Played Yagyu Hyougonosuke in "Musashi" in 2003. Played Dr. Uozumi in "Kansen" in 2004. Performed in "Kensatsukan Kisogawa" in 2005. Played Jiro Tazawa in "Jigokuzaka no fukushu satsujin" in 2006. Performed in "Teresa Ten monogatari: Watashi no ie wa yama no mukou" in 2007. Performed in "Kuroi haru" in 2007. Performed in "Tsuribaka Nisshi 18" in 2007. Performed in "Han-ochi" in 2007. Performed in "Mari to koinu no monogatari" in 2007. Played Sakai Yasuemon in "Byakkotai" in 2007. Played Daisuke Matoba in "L: Change the World" in 2008. Performed in "Dansou no reijin" in 2008. Played Doi Kenzo in "Mr. Brain" in 2009. Performed in "Tenchijin" in 2009. Performed in "Katsura Chizuru shinsatsu nichiroku" in 2010. Played Yuu Hoshii in "Bishoku kameraman Hoshii Yuu no jikenbo" in 2010. Performed in "Ikemen desune" in 2011. Played Koichi in "Fuyu no sakura" in 2011. Performed in "Tantei wa bar ni iru" in 2011. Played Ishikawa Koichi in "Fuyu no sakura" in 2011. Performed in "Haiiro no niji" in 2012. Performed in "SPEC: Zero" in 2013. Played Shigeyuki sudo in "Saki" in 2013. Played Kobayashi in "Honey Trap" in 2013. Performed in "Chi no wadachi" in 2014.
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Nowhere, they were fused to detonate at about 1500 foot altitude (using a combination of RADAR and barometric fusing) to maximize the area of damage.
- Little Boy exploded at about 1970 feet altitude on August 6, 1945 at 8:15AM
- Fatman exploded at about 1650 feet altitude on August 9, 1945 at 11:01AM
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Mikio Ohsawa has: Played himself in "Toshi in Takarazuka: Love Forever" in 1983. Played Namban To Rai in "Za samurai" in 1987. Played No name in "Pieta" in 1997. Performed in "Aku no hana" in 1997. Played Kimura Kenichi in "Kagi" in 1997. Played Younger Giliyaku in "Kyohansha" in 1999. Performed in "Urakami Shinsuke jiken fairu: Michinoku kakunodate satsujin jiken" in 2001. Played A young doctor in "Ikisudama" in 2001. Played Masato Yoshikawa in "Shin Jingi no Hakaba" in 2002. Performed in "Kikoku" in 2003. Played Fumiya Sekimoto in "Kanzen naru shiiku: akai satsui" in 2004. Performed in "Jitsuroku Shinsengumi" in 2006. Performed in "Jitsuroku Shinsengumi: kanketsu-hen" in 2006. Performed in "Beni bara fujin" in 2006. Performed in "Sengoku jieitai sekigahara no tatakai" in 2006. Performed in "Kaidan botan dourou: Motto motto aisaretakatta" in 2007. Performed in "Iruka no mame" in 2010. Played Hideto Tashiro in "Sosasen rainobaa" in 2010. Performed in "Kiri ni sumu akuma" in 2011. Performed in "Wasao" in 2011. Performed in "Aoi sora shiroi kumo" in 2012. Performed in "Flower" in 2013. Performed in "Flower 2" in 2013. Performed in "Eagle and Hawk" in 2014.
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Mansaku Ikeuchi has: Played Masayoshi Saeki in "Kimi wo wasurenai" in 1995. Played Tomo, younger policeman in "Flirt" in 1995. Performed in "Aguri" in 1997. Played Detective Okubo in "Kizuna" in 1998. Played Okamoto Hiroshi in "Trick" in 2000. Performed in "Urakami Shinsuke jiken fairu: Michinoku kakunodate satsujin jiken" in 2001. Played Kiyoshi Tamai in "Hikari no ame" in 2001. Played Li in "Sensen fukoku" in 2002. Performed in "Kihinshitsu no kaijin" in 2002. Performed in "Watashi no akachan" in 2004. Played Tsunemasa Kashida in "Kono yo no sotoe - Club Shinchugun" in 2004. Performed in "Kokoro to karada" in 2004. Performed in "Kanaria" in 2005. Played Suketomo Inugami in "Inugami-ke no ichizoku" in 2006. Played Officer in "Oka ni agatta gunkan" in 2007. Performed in "Shin onna tachiguishi retsuden" in 2007. Played Katsuo Ogawa in "Hannin ni tsugu" in 2007. Played Koichi Takehara in "Noto no hanayome" in 2008. Played Japanese Scientist in "Jumper" in 2008. Played Tanaka in "Samayou yaiba" in 2009. Played Kunio Shimada in "Shattaazu 4" in 2009. Performed in "Nippon no ichiban nagai natsu" in 2010. Played Asai in "Kekkon shinai" in 2012. Performed in "Keiji damashii" in 2012. Played Mishima in "Kono sora no hana: Nagaoka hanabi monogatari" in 2012. Performed in "Legal High" in 2012. Performed in "Tantei wa bar ni iru 2: Susukino daikosaten" in 2013. Performed in "Sayonara keikoku" in 2013.
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Ikkei Watanabe has: Performed in "Kagayaku toki no nakade" in 1995. Performed in "Parasaito Ivu" in 1997. Played Goro Akiba in "Kimi ga jinsei no toki" in 1997. Played Hosoda in "Shinano no Columbo" in 1998. Played (1998) in "Setsunai: Tokyo Heart Break" in 1998. Performed in "Tenki yohou no koibito" in 2000. Played Hirayama Hirazou in "Trick" in 2000. Played Owada Masao in "Tengoku ni ichiban chikai otoko special" in 2000. Performed in "Aoi tokugawa sandai" in 2000. Played Katsuo Ogasawara in "Tengoku ni ichiban chikai otoko" in 2001. Played Officer Shigemura in "Urutoraman Kosumosu: The First Contact" in 2001. Played Mamoru Yaba in "Kamen gakuen" in 2001. Played Michihiro Moriwake in "Yawaraka na hou" in 2001. Performed in "Kyumei byoto 24 ji" in 2001. Performed in "Sayonara, Ozu-sensei" in 2001. Performed in "Kizuna" in 2002. Played Asakura in "Masuuruhiito" in 2002. Played Norio Kuroiwa in "Pretty Girls" in 2002. Performed in "Jonan kisha Urakami Shinsuke Toku dane jiken fairu 2: Nakasaki ijinkan no shisen" in 2002. Played Mitsuo ishii in "Lion sensei" in 2003. Performed in "Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro" in 2003. Performed in "Anata no jinsei ohakobishimasu" in 2003. Performed in "Cosmetic" in 2003. Played Hideki Satoi in "Hitonatsu no Papa e" in 2003. Played Kyo Murai in "Kurokawa no techou" in 2004. Performed in "Minna dareka wo koroshitai" in 2004. Played Mizuno Yosuke in "Kaze no Haruka" in 2005. Played Fujiwara no Yasuhira in "Yoshitsune" in 2005. Performed in "Chakushin ari" in 2005. Played Koichi Kawahara, father of Junpei in "Shichinin no tomurai" in 2005. Performed in "Dr. Koishi no jiken carte 2" in 2006. Performed in "Nobunaga no hitsugi" in 2006. Performed in "Han-ochi" in 2007. Performed in "Shindo 0" in 2007. Played Hiromi Kuribayashi in "Garireo" in 2007. Performed in "Kagerou no tsuji: Inemuri iwane edo zoushi" in 2007. Performed in "Byakkotai" in 2007. Played Midorikawa in "Haken no hinkaku" in 2007. Performed in "Liar Game" in 2007. Played Toshiharu Kazama in "Asakusa Fukumaru Ryokan" in 2007. Performed in "Ten to chi to" in 2008. Performed in "Kasa" in 2008. Played Kunimura in "Shirahata no shoujo" in 2009. Performed in "Katen no shiro" in 2009. Played Shinsuke Nawa in "Door to Door" in 2009. Performed in "Giwaku" in 2009. Played (2010) in "Daimajin Kanon" in 2010. Performed in "10-nen saki mo kimi ni koishite" in 2010. Performed in "Asu no hikari wo tsukame" in 2010. Performed in "Ijiwaru baasan" in 2010. Performed in "Bengoshi Asaburi Riyako: Koto Itokenai shougen ni yuragu rouho" in 2010. Performed in "Yokoyama Hideo sasupensu" in 2010. Played Kijihata Togo in "Tsuki no koibito" in 2010. Performed in "Aji ichi monme" in 2011. Performed in "Kikanakatta basho" in 2011. Played Yasuo makino in "Yukemuri bus tour: sakuraba sayaka no jikenbo" in 2011. Performed in "Hesomori" in 2011. Played Haruo Shimazaki in "Zeimu chousakan Madobe Tarou no jikenbo 22" in 2011. Played Haruhiko tachibana in "Sousa chizu no onna" in 2012. Played Yojiro in "Seinaru kaibutsu tachi" in 2012. Performed in "Maguma" in 2012. Played Kenichi yazawa in "Haiiro no niji" in 2012. Performed in "Asu wo akiramenai - gareki no naka no shimbunsha - kahoku shimpo no ichiban nagai hi" in 2012. Played Kensuke chiba in "Poison" in 2012. Performed in "Tsuya no yoru" in 2013. Played Super in "Olympic no minoshirokin" in 2013. Performed in "Nobunaga no Chef" in 2013. Performed in "The God Tongue Movie: Kiss gaman senshuken" in 2013. Performed in "Lady Joker" in 2013. Played Hirokazu konno in "Limit" in 2013.
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- August 6, 1945 the MK-I Little boy bomb was dropped at 8:15:15 AM from an altitude of about 33,500 feet and exploded 44.4 seconds later at about 1970 foot altitude above Hiroshima, missing its AP (the T-shaped Aoi bridge) by 1200 feet.
- August 9, 1945 the MK-III Fatman bomb was dropped at 11:01:17 AM from an altitude of about 31,200 feet and exploded 43 seconds later at about 1650 foot altitude above the Urakami Valley adjacent to Nagasaki, missing its AP by 1.9 miles.
- July 1, 1946 the MK-IIIA Gilda bomb was dropped at 9:00:00 AM from an altitude of about 19,000 feet and exploded 34 seconds later at about 520 foot altitude above Bikini Atoll lagoon, missing its AP by 2130 feet.
- January 27, 1951 the MK-4 bomb was dropped at 5:44:51.0 AM and exploded at about 1060 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- January 28, 1951 the MK-4 bomb was dropped at 5:52:04.5 AM and exploded at about 1080 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- February 1, 1951 the MK-4 bomb was dropped at 5:46:39.5 AM and exploded at about 1080 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- February 2, 1951 the MK-4 bomb was dropped at 5:48:48.0 AM and exploded at about 1100 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- February 6, 1951 the MK-6 Freddy bomb was dropped at 5:46:55.0 AM and exploded at about 1435 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- October 28, 1951 the MK-4 LT bomb was dropped at 7:02:08.9 AM and exploded at about 1118 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- October 30, 1951 the MK-4 PC bomb was dropped at 7:00:29.8 AM and exploded at about 1132 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- November 1, 1951 the MK-4 NF bomb was dropped at 7:03:01.6 AM and exploded at about 1417 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- November 5, 1951 the TX-7E (a MK-7 prototype) bomb was dropped at 8:29:58.2 AM and exploded at about 1314 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- November 16, 1952 the MK-18F prototype "Super Oralloy bomb" was dropped at 11:30:00.0 AM and exploded at about 1480 foot altitude above Runit (Yvonne) island in Enewetak Atoll, missing its AP by 570 feet.
- April 6, 1953 the MK-5D bomb was dropped at 7:29:38.4 AM and exploded at about 6022 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site, missing its AP by 600 feet.
- May 8, 1953 the MK-6D bomb was dropped at 8:29:23.4 AM from an altitude of about 19,000 feet and exploded 32 seconds later at about 2423 foot altitude above Frenchman Flat at the Nevada Test Site, missing its AP by 950 feet.
- June 4, 1953 the MK-7 bomb was dropped at 4:14:56.7 AM and exploded at about 1334 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site, missing its AP by 320 feet.
- February 18, 1955 the MK-12 bomb case (with a new compact/light test device inside) was dropped at 11:59:59.2 AM and exploded at about 762 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- March 29, 1955 the MK-5 bomb case (with a new compact/light test device inside) was dropped at 9:59:54.8 AM and exploded at about 737 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- April 6, 1955 the MK-5 bomb case (with a new compact/light test device inside) was dropped on a parachute at 10:00:04.1 AM and exploded at about 36,620 foot altitude above Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site.
- May 21, 1956 the TX-15-X1 (a MK-15/MK-39 prototype) bomb was dropped at 5:50:38.7 AM and exploded at about 4350 foot altitude above the ocean northeast of Namu (Charlie) island in Bikini Atoll, missing its AP by 4 miles.
- June 16, 1956 the MK-7 bomb case (with an experimental XW-25 air defense missile warhead inside) was dropped at 1:13:53.1 PM and exploded at about 670 foot altitude above Runit (Yvonne) island in Enewetak Atoll.
- April 25, 1962 xxx 15:45G
- April 27, 1962 xxx 16:01G
- April 27, 1962 xxx 18:00.00.16G
- May 2, 1962 xxx 18:01G
- May 8, 1962 xxx 18:01G
- May 9, 1962 xxx 17:01G
- May 11, 1962 xxx 15:37G
- May 12, 1962 xxx 17:02G
- May 14, 1962 xxx 15:21G
- May 19, 1962 xxx 15:36G
- May 25, 1962 xxx 16:08G
- May 27, 1962 xxx 17:02G
- June 8, 1962 xxx 17:02G
- June 9, 1962 xxx 15:37G
- June 10, 1962 xxx 16:01G
- June 12, 1962 xxx 15:37G
- June 15, 1962 xxx 16:00G
- June 17, 1962 xxx 16:00G
- June 19, 1962 xxx 15:01G
- June 22, 1962 xxx 16:00G
- June 27, 1962 xxx 15:19G
- June 30, 1962 xxx 15:21G
- July 10, 1962 xxx 16:33G
- July 11, 1962 xxx 15:37G
- October 2, 1962 xxx 16:17G
- October 6, 1962 xxx 16:02G
- October 18, 1962 xxx 16:01G
- October 27, 1962 xxx 15:46?
- October 30, 1962 xxx 16:01G
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This was gotten from a previous wikiquestion answered by RoyR, this is his response.
Prelude to the bombingsThe bombs, secretly developed by the United States (with assistance from the United Kingdom) under the codename Manhattan Project, were the second and third atomic bombs to be exploded, and are the only ones ever used as weapons, rather than for testing purposes. (The first nuclear test explosion, dubbed "Trinity," was conducted in a desert in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.) The decision to drop the bombs was made by US President Harry S. Truman, and followed over 3� years of direct involvement of the US in World War II, during which time the United States had suffered about 400,000 casualties. Truman's officially stated intention in ordering the bombings was to bring about a quick resolution of the war by inflicting destruction, and instilling fear of further destruction, that was sufficient to cause Japan to surrender. As detailed near the end of this article, whether or not the bombings were justified has long been a contentious issue.
Some believe the bombs were dropped as a warning to the USSR, who was just beginning to enter the war in Asia, as the prospect of a difficult post-war situation were becoming obvious in the discussions between the USA and Josef Stalin about the fate of Europe. Another theory suggests that the bombs were designed to prevent the USSR from invading Japan and being able to further her sphere of influence. It was another part of America's "containment" plan, some say.
Choice of targetsThe Target Committee at Los Alamos on May 10-11, 1945, selected in order the following targets: Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kokura arsenal, Niigata, and possibly the Emperor's Palace. According to Robert Jungk, page 178:
"On the short list of targets for the atom bomb, in addition to Hiroshima, Kokura and Niigata, was the Japanese city of temples, Kyoto. When the expert on Japan, Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, heard this terrible news, he rushed into the office of his chief, Major Alfred MacCormack, in a department of the Army Intelligence Service. The shock caused him to burst into tears. MacCormack, a cultivated and humane New York lawyer, thereupon managed to persuade Secretary of War Stimson to reprieve Kyoto and have it crossed off the black list."
This account is partially confirmed by Rhodes, page 640, where he describes Stimson's refusal to bomb Kyoto, against the preference of General Groves.
Hiroshima during World War IIAt the time of its bombing, Hiroshima was a city of considerable military significance. It contained the headquarters of the Fifth Division and Field Marshal Hata's 2nd General Army Headquarters, which commanded the defense of all of southern Japan. The city was a communications center, a storage point, and an assembly area for troops. It was chosen as a target because it had not suffered damage from previous bombing raids, allowing an ideal environment to measure the damage caused by the atomic bomb. The city was mobilized for "all-out" war, with thousands of conscripted women, children and Koreans working in military offices, military factories and building demolition and with women and children training to resist any invading force.
The center of the city contained a number of reinforced concrete buildings as well as lighter structures. Outside the center, the area was congested by a dense collection of small wooden workshops set among Japanese houses; a few larger industrial plants lay near the outskirts of the city. The houses were of wooden construction with tile roofs. Many of the industrial buildings also were of wood frame construction. The city as a whole was highly susceptible to fire damage.
The population of Hiroshima had reached a peak of over 380,000 earlier in the war but prior to the atomic bombing the population had steadily decreased because of a systematic evacuation ordered by the Japanese government. At the time of the attack the population was approximately 255,000. This figure is based on the registered population, used by the Japanese in computing ration quantities, and the estimates of additional workers and troops who were brought into the city may not be highly accurate.
The BombingHiroshima was the primary target of the first U.S. nuclear attack mission, on August 6, 1945. The weather was good, and the crew and equipment functioned properly. Navy Captain William Parsons armed the bomb during the flight. (It had been left unarmed to minimize the risks during takeoff.) In every detail, the attack was carried out exactly as planned, and the bomb, with a 60 kg core of uranium-235, performed precisely as expected.
About an hour before the bombing, the Japanese early warning radar net detected the approach of some American aircraft headed for the southern part of Japan. The alert had been given and radio broadcasting stopped in many cities, among them Hiroshima. The planes approached the coast at a very high altitude. 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. The normal radio broadcast warning was given to the people that it might be advisable to go to shelter if B-29s were actually sighted, but no raid was expected beyond some sort of reconnaissance. At 08:15, the B-29 Enola Gay, piloted and commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, dropped the nuclear bomb called "Little Boy" over the central part of the city and it exploded about two thousand feet above the city with a blast equivalent to 13 thousand tons of TNT, killing an estimated 80,000 civilians outright.
Japanese Realization of the BombingThe Tokyo control operator of the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation noticed that the Hiroshima station had gone off the air. He tried to re-establish his program by using another telephone line, but it too had failed. About twenty minutes later the Tokyo railroad telegraph center realized that the main line telegraph had stopped working just north of Hiroshima. From some small railway stops within ten miles (16 km) of the city came unofficial and confused reports of a terrible explosion in Hiroshima. All these reports were transmitted to the Headquarters of the Japanese General Staff.
Military headquarters repeatedly tried to call the Army Control Station in Hiroshima. The complete silence from that city puzzled the men at Headquarters; they knew that no large enemy raid could have occurred, and they knew that no sizeable store of explosives was in Hiroshima at that time. A young officer of the Japanese General Staff was instructed to fly immediately to Hiroshima, to land, survey the damage, and return to Tokyo with reliable information for the staff. It was generally felt at Headquarters that nothing serious had taken place, that it was all a terrible rumor starting from a few sparks of truth.
The staff officer went to the airport and took off for the southwest. After flying for about three hours, while still nearly 100 miles (160 km) from Hiroshima, he and his pilot saw a great cloud of smoke from the bomb. In the bright afternoon, the remains of Hiroshima were burning.
Their plane soon reached the city, around which they circled in disbelief. A great scar on the land, still burning, and covered by a heavy cloud of smoke, was all that was left. They landed south of the city, and the staff officer immediately began to organize relief measures, after reporting to Tokyo.
Tokyo's first knowledge of what had really caused the disaster came from the White House public announcement in Washington, sixteen hours after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima.
By the end of 1945, it is estimated that 60,000 more people died due to radiation poisoning, bringing the total killed in Hiroshima in 1945 to 140,000. Since then several thousand more people have died of radiation-related causes. (According to the city of Hiroshima, as of August 6, 2004, the cumulative death toll of atomic-bomb victims was 237,062, but it remains uncertain how many of them exactly died of the effects of the bombing. There are about 270,000 hibakusha, "A-bomb victims," still living in Japan.)
"Survival" of some structuresSome of the reinforced concrete buildings in Hiroshima were of a far stronger construction than is required by normal standards in America, because of the earthquake danger in Japan. This exceptionally strong construction undoubtedly accounted for the fact that the framework of some of the buildings that were fairly close to the center of damage in the city did not collapse. Another is that the blast was more downward than sideways; this has much to do with the "survival" of the Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall (pictured), designed and built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, which was only a few meters from ground zero. (The ruin was named Hiroshima Peace Memorial and made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 over the objections of the US and China.
Nagasaki During World War IIThe city of Nagasaki had been one of the largest sea ports in southern Japan and was of great wartime importance because of its wide-ranging industrial activity, including the production of ordnance, ships, military equipment, and other war materials.
In contrast to many modern aspects of Nagasaki, the residences almost without exception were of old-fashioned Japanese construction, consisting of wood or wood-frame buildings, with wood walls (with or without plaster), and tile roofs. Many of the smaller industries and business establishments were also housed in buildings of wood or other materials not strong enough to withstand explosions. Nagasaki had been permitted to grow for many years without conforming to any definite city zoning plan; residences were erected adjacent to factory buildings and to each other almost as closely as possible throughout the entire industrial valley.
Nagasaki had never been subjected to large-scale bombing prior to the explosion of a nuclear weapon there. On August 1, 1945, however, a number of high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city. A few of these bombs hit in the shipyards and dock areas in the southwest portion of the city. Several of the bombs hit the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works and six bombs landed at the Nagasaki Medical School and Hospital, with three direct hits on buildings there. While the damage from these few bombs were relatively small, it created considerable concern in Nagasaki and a number of people - principally school children - were evacuated to rural areas for safety, thus reducing the population in the city at the time of the nuclear attack.
The BombingOn the morning of August 9, 1945, the crew of the American B-29 Superfortress, "Bockscar," flown by Major Charles W. Sweeney and carrying the nuclear bomb nicknamed, "Fat Man," found their primary target, Kokura, to be obscured by cloud. After three runs over the city and having fuel running low due to a fuel-transfer problem, they headed for their secondary target, Nagasaki. At about 07:50 Japanese time, an air raid alert was sounded in Nagasaki, but the "all clear" signal was given at 08:30. When only two B-29 superfortresses were sighted at 10:53 the Japanese apparently assumed that the planes were only on reconnaissance and no further alarm was given. A few minutes later, at 11:00, the observation B-29 ("The Great Artiste" flown by Capt. Frederick C. Bock) dropped instruments attached to three parachutes.
At 11:02, a last minute break in the clouds over Nagasaki allowed Bockscar's bombardier, Capt. Kermit Beahan, to visually sight the target as ordered. The weapon, containing a core of 8 kg of plutonium-239, was dropped over the city's industrial valley. It exploded 1,540 feet (469 m) above the ground almost midway between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works, in the south, and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works (Torpedo Works), in the north, the two principal targets of the city. Some 75,000 of Nagasaki's 240,000 residents were killed, followed by the death of at least as many from resulting sickness and injury. However another report issues a different residential number, speaking of Nagasaki's population which dropped in one split-second from 422,000 to 383,000, thus 39,000 were killed, over 25,000 were injured. If taken into account those who died from radioactive materials causing cancer, the total number of residents killed is believed to be at least 100,000.
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The detonation of the second atomic bomb over Nagasaki on 9 August, 1945 prompted Japan's unconditional surrender. The original target was Kokura, but cloud cover obscured the city, requiring a change to the secondary target of Nagasaki.
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