Transcript WWII Pacific Atomic Bomb

Drop
the
Bomb?
In the early morning hours of August 6,
1945, a B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay,
took off from Tinian Island. It headed NNW toward Japan. The bomber's
primary target was Hiroshima.
This Japanese city had a civilian
population of almost 300,000 and was
an important military center, containing
about 43,000 soldiers.
It was about to be utterly destroyed. And
history would forever change.
How could this happen?
In 1939 Albert Einstein informed President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that Fission, the basis
of the atomic bomb, was discovered in Nazi Germany in December 1938 and it had stopped
the sale of uranium from Czechoslovakian mines which it took over. Einstein believed the
German government actively supporting research in this area and urged the United States
government to do likewise.
on October 19, 1939, Roosevelt informed Einstein that he
set up a committee consisting of civilian and military
representatives to study uranium. In fact, Roosevelt's
approval of uranium research in October 1939, based on
his belief that the United States could not take the risk of
allowing Hitler to achieve unilateral possession of
"extremely powerful bombs," was merely the first decision
among many that ultimately led to the establishment of the
Manhattan Project.
Atomic research went full speed
ahead to develop a bomb that would
end all bombs. Between 1939 and
1945, scientists, many European
immigrants, worked diligently, in
secret, on the Manhattan Project.
On April 12, 1945, only weeks before
Germany's unconditional surrender
President Roosevelt died suddenly.
Vice President Harry Truman was
now president. He had no idea that
Manhattan Project existed.
Truman learned of the atomic bomb
on the day Roosevelt died.
When Truman took office, Japan was near defeat. B-29s
bombed Japanese cities at will. in March firebombs killed
100,000+ in Tokyo and injured over a million. A second air
attack on Tokyo in May killed 83,000.
The US Navy cut the islands' supply lines, resulting in virtual
starvation of the islands. Because of the view that the
Japanese would fight to the bitter end, a costly invasion of the
home islands seemed likely.
some American policymakers thought that dropping atomic
bombs might convince the Japanese that further resistance was
futile.
In June 1945 the question was:
How
can the US end this war?
1. Continue conventional bombings of military targets
2. Continue incendiary bombings of military targets
3. Continue naval blockade of Japan
4. Continue naval destruction of Japanese merchant marine
5. Demonstrate the atomic bomb’s explosion to Japanese
6. Demonstrate the power of the bomb to the world
7. Peace negotiations using the Russians as an arbitrator
8. Negotiate Conditional Surrender
9. Invade mainland Japan
unconditional surrender
Drop the bomb
Conventional Bombing:
In 1943, America was mass producing
the B29 Superfortress Bomber, a new
plane capable of extreme range and
carrying a massive bomb load.
The B-29 was arguably the finest bomber
of the war. It could carry 20,000 pounds
of bombs for 2,000 miles round-trip. By
1944, these planes were readied in the
Pacific for bombing raids on Japan.
These untested planes were used to
bomb mainland Japan…but the weather
of Japan was unpredictable at best.
Conventional high altitude bombing was not producing
great results. The weather at altitude was rendering many
results useless. A complete change in strategy was
needed.
Incendiary Bombing:
The precision bombing was not successful, partly due to the weather and the
construction of Japanese factories, refineries and military installations. The high
explosive from high altitude did not have the same effect on the paper and wood
structures of Japanese factories.
General Curtis Le May took command of pacific operations in 01-1945. He
ordered a switch from high altitude high explosive attacks to night area bombing
with a mixture of incendiaries and anti-personnel weapons. This prevented the
firefighters from putting out the fires.
From March 1945 through the end of the war, Japanese cities were bombed with
incendiaries. Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya were burned out by firestorms that
reached over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The bombings may have killed as many as
500,000 people.
On January 3, 1945, 97 B-29s went to firebomb Nagoya. Only 57
reached the target. The incendiaries dropped from 30,000 ft. only
burned out an area the size of three football fields.
On January 6, 62 planes hit the Kawasaki aircraft factory from 25,000
ft, cutting production by 90 percent without a single airplane loss.
Feb. 4, was the firebombing of Kobe, Japans most important shipyard
city. 129 B-29s carried a mixture of incendiaries and fragmentation
bombs. Kobe was obscured by clouds, and only half of the planes
found the target. Still, results were impressive. Japanese fighters shot
down one B-29 and damaged 35.
Feb. 10, 84 B-29s bombed a Nakajima aircraft plant. Only seven
incendiaries hit the factory area, 97 bombs fell in the factory area but
43 were duds.
General decided to firebomb every city in Japan.
Le May was told if he dropped bombs from 10,000 feet, there would be
a greater success rate.
On March 9, 334 B-29s, under good weather conditions dropped one
500 pound cluster of firebombs every 50 feet from 4500 to 9000 feet.
The target area was 3 by 5 miles, containing a large industrial
complex. Each square mile held over 100,000 civilians. Within thirty
minutes fires were out of control, driven by 40 mph winds. Tokyo
became a holocaust.
Water boiled in the canals after the temperature reached over 1800
degrees F. For three hour the B-29s bombed.
The US lost 14 planes & 42 were damaged. The Japanese counted
nearly 84,000 killed, 41,000 injured, and over 250,000 buildings
destroyed. 16 sq. miles burned out.
In the next eight days against Osaka, Kobe, and twice on Nagoya,
five raids wiped out 32 sq. miles in 4 major cities.
The bombing of Kobe was different. Napalm bombs were low in
supply so 2,355 tons of magnesium thermite bombs were used.
These bombs burned to 2300 degrees F. Three square miles were
incinerated. Damage was done to the aircraft plant, dock area, and
the Kawasaki shipyards which built submarines.
Blockade: By 1945, the American naval
blockade of Japan had stopped most shipping,
which created major shortages of food and oil.
Demonstration: May 31, 1945
It was suggested that a demonstration of the bomb
might convince the Japanese to surrender.
This was rejected, however, out of fear that the bomb
might be a dud, that the Japanese might put American
prisoners of war in the area, or that they might
manage to shoot down the plane.
The shock value of the new weapon could also be
lost.
Negotiate
Japan contacts Russia…
And now,
Let’s talk about the Potsdam Proclamation.
unconditional surrender
Drop the bomb
Does the Bomb even work?
The Trinity Test: July 1945
Before the atomic bomb could be used in war, it had to be successfully
tested.
The site chosen was a remote corner on the Alamagordo Bombing
Range known as the "Jornada del Muerto," or "Journey of Death," 210
miles south of Los Alamos ,New Mexico.
Measurements would have to be taken to determine damage
estimates, and equipment would record the behavior of the fireball.
The biggest concern was control of the radioactivity the test device
would release.
On July 12, the plutonium core was taken
to the test area in an army sedan. The
non-nuclear components left for the test
site at 12:01 a.m., Friday the 13th. During
the day on the 13th, final assembly took
place. By 5:00 p.m. on the 15th, the
device had been assembled and hoisted
atop the 100-foot firing tower.
The device was set to explode at 5:30 am July 16. Rain almost prevented the
test. At 4 am rain stopped and the test was on.
During the final seconds, most observers laid down on the ground with their feet
facing the Trinity site and simply waited.
At precisely 5:30 a.m. on Monday, July 16, 1945, the
nuclear age began. While Manhattan Project staff
members watched, the device exploded over the
New Mexico desert, vaporizing the tower and turning
the asphalt around the base of the tower to green
sand.
Seconds after the explosion came a huge blast
wave and heat seared out across the desert. No one
could see the radiation generated by the explosion,
but they all knew it was there.
As the orange and yellow fireball
stretched up and spread, a second
column, narrower than the first, rose
and flattened into a mushroom
shape, thus providing the atomic age
with a visual image that has become
imprinted on the human
consciousness as a symbol of power
and awesome destruction.
The test supposedly released energy equivalent to 10,000 tons of TNT.
The actual result as it was finally calculated said it was 21,000 tons of
TNT.-
It Works
July 17 President Harry Truman is informed at the Potsdam
Conference that the Trinity Test was a success.
Potsdam Proclamation is issued
July 26, 1945 to the Japanese government
Chinese, British, Soviet, and American allies await the reply.
Hirosh
ima
Hiroshima: Aioi Bridge
the Target
Nagasaki
Hiroshima was a city of considerable military
importance. It contained the 2nd 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.
Nagasaki was one of the largest
ports in southern Japan and was
of great importance because of its
many industries, including the
production of ships, military
equipment, and other war
materials.
F
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Mrs. Atsuko Shimonura, survivor
Occupation: house wife, accountant's office help;
Family: husband and two children
At that time of bombing age: 16
Parents, elder brother, and five younger brothers injured.
“My hands were red with blood, with skin hanging down.
In my wounded flesh I saw black, red, and white things
appearing. I was alarmed and tried to remove my
handkerchief from my pocket. But there was no
handkerchief and pocket. The clothes below my waist
were burned away."
(written as a university student)
A
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R
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Mr. Osamu Kataoka, 45;
SURVIVOR
Occupation: university professor;
Family: wife
At the time of bombing: age: 13; at
school
Father and elder brother died;
mother and two elder sisters
"I ran to the edge of the pool. What did I see there? A drowned
injured.
classmate, who was burned all over. Another classmate was
trying to put out a fire on a friend's clothes with his own spouting
blood."
(written at age 17)
Nagasaki
Before
After
Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki
Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima
WINSTON CHURCHILLS ADDRESS TO THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS, AUGUST 16, 1945
There are voices which assert that the bomb should never have been
used at all. I cannot associate myself with such ideas. Six years of total
war have convinced most people that, had the Germans or the Japanese
discovered this new weapon, they would have used it upon us to
complete destruction with utmost alacrity. I am surprised that very worthy
people, but people who in most cases had no intention of proceeding to
the Japanese front themselves, should have sacrificed a million
Americans and a quarter million British lives in the desperate battles and
massacres of an invasion of Japan. Future generations will judge these
dire decisions, and I believe if they find themselves dwelling in a happier
world from which war has been banished, and where freedom reigns,
they will not condemn those who struggle for their benefit amid the
horrors and the miseries of this gruesome and ferocious epoch.
WINSTON S. CHURCHILL