On final stage World War II, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed with nuclear bombs dropped by the US military to hasten Japan's surrender. Since then, there have been many nuclear threats posed by various countries around the world, but nevertheless, only these two cities remain the only victims of a nuclear attack. Here are a few interesting facts about Hiroshima and Nagasaki that you may have never heard of.

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1. Oleander is the official flower of the city of Hiroshima because it is the first plant to bloom after nuclear strike.
2. Six ginkgo trees growing about 1.6 km from the bomb site in Nagasaki were severely damaged by the explosion. Surprisingly, they all survived, and soon new buds appeared from the burned trunks. Now the ginkgo tree is a symbol of hope in Japan.
3. B Japanese There is a word called hibakusha, which translates to “people exposed to an explosion.” This is what they call those who survived atomic bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
4. Every year on August 6th, a remembrance ceremony is held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and at exactly 8:15 (the time of the explosion) a minute of silence occurs.
5. Hiroshima continues to advocate for the abolition of all nuclear weapons, and the city's mayor is the president of a movement for peace and the elimination of the nuclear arsenal by 2020.
6. It was not until 1958 that the population of Hiroshima reached 410,000 and finally exceeded the pre-war population. Today the city is home to 1.2 million people.
7. According to some estimates, about 10% of the victims of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were Koreans. Most of them were forced laborers producing weapons and ammunition for the Japanese military. Today, both cities still have large Korean communities.
8. Among the children born to those who were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time of the explosion, no mutations or serious health abnormalities were identified.
9. Despite this, survivors of the bombing and their children were subject to serious discrimination, mainly due to the prevailing public ignorance about the consequences of radiation sickness. Many of them found it difficult to find work or get married, since most people believed that radiation sickness was contagious and inherited.
10. The famous Japanese monster Godzilla was originally invented as a metaphor for the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

During World War II, on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay was dropped by a US B-29 bomber. atomic bomb to Hiroshima, Japan. About 140,000 people were killed in the explosion and died in the following months. Three days later, when the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, an estimated 80,000 people were killed.

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On August 15, Japan surrendered, ending World War II. To this day, this bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains the only case of the use of nuclear weapons in human history.

The US government decided to drop the bombs, believing that this would hasten the end of the war and would not require prolonged bloody fighting on the main island of Japan. Japan was strenuously trying to control two islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, as the Allies approached.

These wrist watch, found among the ruins, stopped at 8.15 am on August 6, 1945 - during the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

The flying fortress Enola Gay lands on August 6, 1945 at a base on Tinian Island after bombing Hiroshima.

This photo, which was released in 1960 by the US government, shows the Little Boy atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The bomb size is 73 cm in diameter, 3.2 m in length. It weighed 4 tons, and the explosion power reached 20,000 tons of TNT.

This photo provided by the US Air Force shows the main crew of the B-29 Enola Gay bomber that dropped the Little Boy nuclear bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Pilot Colonel Paul W. Taibbetts stands in the center. The photo was taken in the Mariana Islands. This was the first time nuclear weapons were used during military operations in human history.

Smoke rises 20,000 feet high over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, after an atomic bomb was dropped during the war.

This photograph taken on August 6, 1945, from the city of Yoshiura, across the mountains north of Hiroshima, shows smoke rising from the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The photo was taken by an Australian engineer from Kure, Japan. The stains left on the negative by radiation almost destroyed the photograph.

Survivors of the atomic bomb, first used in warfare on August 6, 1945, await medical treatment in Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion killed 60,000 people at the same moment, and tens of thousands died later due to radiation exposure.

August 6, 1945. In the photo: military medics provide first aid to the surviving residents of Hiroshima shortly after an atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, used in military action for the first time in history.

After the explosion of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, only ruins remained in Hiroshima. Nuclear weapons were used to hasten Japan's surrender and end the Second world war, for which US President Harry Truman ordered the use of nuclear weapons with a capacity of 20,000 tons of TNT. The surrender of Japan took place on August 14, 1945.

On August 7, 1945, the day after the atomic bomb exploded, smoke billows across the ruins in Hiroshima, Japan.

President Harry Truman (pictured left) sits at his desk in the White House next to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson after returning from the Potsdam Conference. They discuss the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

Survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki walk among the ruins, with raging fire in the background, August 9, 1945.

Crew members of the B-29 bomber "The Great Artiste" that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki surrounded Major Charles W. Swinney in North Quincy, Massachusetts. All crew members participated in the historic bombing. From left to right: Sergeant R. Gallagher, Chicago; Staff Sergeant A. M. Spitzer, Bronx, New York; Capt. S. D. Albury, Miami, Florida; Captain J.F. Van Pelt Jr., Oak Hill, West Virginia; Lieutenant F. J. Olivi, Chicago; Staff Sergeant E.K. Buckley, Lisbon, Ohio; Sergeant A. T. Degart, Plainview, Texas, and Staff Sergeant J. D. Kucharek, Columbus, Nebraska.

This photograph of an atomic bomb exploding over Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II was released by the Commission on nuclear energy and the US Department of Defense in Washington on December 6, 1960. The Fat Man bomb was 3.25 m long, 1.54 m in diameter, and weighed 4.6 tons. The power of the explosion reached about 20 kilotons of TNT.

A huge column of smoke rises into the air after the explosion of the second atomic bomb in the port city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The explosion of a bomb dropped by a US Army Air Force B-29 Bockscar bomber immediately killed more than 70 thousand people, with tens of thousands more subsequently dying as a result of radiation exposure.

A huge nuclear mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, after a US bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the city. The nuclear explosion over Nagasaki occurred three days after the United States dropped the first-ever atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

A boy carries his burned brother on his back on August 10, 1945 in Nagasaki, Japan. Such photos were not published by the Japanese side, but after the end of the war they were shown to the world media by UN employees.

The boom was installed at the site of the atomic bomb fall in Nagasaki on August 10, 1945. Most of the affected area remains empty to this day, the trees remained charred and mutilated, and almost no reconstruction was carried out.

Japanese workers clear away rubble from damaged areas in Nagasaki, an industrial city in the southwest of Kyushu island, after an atomic bomb was dropped on it on August 9. Visible in the background chimney and a lonely building, in the front there are ruins. The photo was taken from the archives of the Japanese news agency Domei.

As seen in this photo, which was taken on September 5, 1945, several concrete and steel buildings and bridges remained intact after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II.

A month after the first atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, a journalist tours the ruins in Hiroshima, Japan.

Victim of the first atomic bomb explosion in the ward of the first military hospital in Udzina in September 1945. The thermal radiation generated by the explosion burned a design from the kimono fabric onto the woman's back.

Most of the territory of Hiroshima was wiped off the face of the earth by the explosion of the atomic bomb. This is the first aerial photograph after the explosion, taken on September 1, 1945.

The area around the Sanyo Shoray Kan (Trade Promotion Center) in Hiroshima was left in ruins after an atomic bomb exploded 100 meters away in 1945.

A reporter stands among the rubble in front of the shell of what was once the city's theater in Hiroshima on September 8, 1945, a month after the first atomic bomb was dropped by the United States to hasten Japan's surrender.

Ruins and a lonely building frame after the explosion of an atomic bomb over Hiroshima. Photo taken on September 8, 1945.

Very few buildings remain in the devastated Hiroshima, a Japanese city that was razed to the ground by an atomic bomb, as seen in this photograph taken on September 8, 1945. (AP Photo)

September 8, 1945. People walk along a cleared road among the ruins created after the explosion of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6 of the same year.

A Japanese man discovered the remains of a child's tricycle among the ruins in Nagasaki, September 17, 1945. The nuclear bomb dropped on the city on August 9 wiped out almost everything within a 6-kilometer radius and took the lives of thousands of civilians.

This photo, which was provided by the Association of the Photographers of the Atomic (Bomb) Destruction of Hiroshima, shows a victim of the atomic explosion. The man is in quarantine on Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima, Japan, 9 kilometers from the blast's epicenter, a day after the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city.

A tram (top center) and its dead passengers after a bomb exploded over Nagasaki on August 9. The photo was taken on September 1, 1945.

People pass a tram lying on the tracks at Kamiyasho Crossing in Hiroshima some time after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city.

This photo, provided by the Association of the Photographers of the Atomic (Bomb) Destruction of Hiroshima, shows victims of the atomic explosion at the tented care center of the 2nd Hiroshima Military Hospital, located on the beach. Ota River 1150 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, August 7, 1945. The photo was taken the day after the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in history on the city.

A view of Hachobori Street in Hiroshima shortly after a bomb was dropped on the Japanese city.

Urakami Catholic Cathedral in Nagasaki, photographed on September 13, 1945, was destroyed by an atomic bomb.

A Japanese soldier wanders among the ruins in search of recyclable materials in Nagasaki on September 13, 1945, just over a month after the atomic bomb exploded over the city.

A man with a loaded bicycle on a road cleared of ruins in Nagasaki on September 13, 1945, a month after the explosion of the atomic bomb.

On September 14, 1945, the Japanese are trying to drive through a street littered with ruins on the outskirts of the city of Nagasaki, over which a nuclear bomb exploded.

This area of Nagasaki was once built up industrial buildings and small residential buildings. In the background are the ruins of the Mitsubishi factory and the concrete school building located at the foot of the hill.

The top photo shows the bustling city of Nagasaki before the explosion, while the bottom photo shows the wasteland after the atomic bomb exploded. The circles measure the distance from the explosion point.

A Japanese family eats rice in a hut built from rubble left over from what was once their home in Nagasaki, September 14, 1945.

These huts, photographed on September 14, 1945, were constructed from the rubble of buildings that were destroyed by the explosion of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

In the Ginza district of Nagasaki, which was the equivalent of New York's Fifth Avenue, shopkeepers destroyed by a nuclear bomb sell their wares on the sidewalks, September 30, 1945.

The sacred Torii gate at the entrance to a completely destroyed Shinto shrine in Nagasaki in October 1945.

A service at Nagarekawa Protestant Church after the atomic bomb destroyed the church in Hiroshima, 1945.

A young man injured after the explosion of the second atomic bomb in the city of Nagasaki.

Major Thomas Ferebee, left, from Moscow, and Captain Kermit Behan, right, from Houston, talk at a hotel in Washington, February 6, 1946. Ferebee is the man who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, and his interlocutor dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.

Ikimi Kikkawa shows his keloid scars left after treatment for burns suffered during the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima at the end of World War II. Photo taken at the Red Cross hospital on June 5, 1947.

Akira Yamaguchi shows his scars from treatment for burns suffered during the nuclear bomb explosion in Hiroshima.

Jinpe Terawama, a survivor of the first atomic bomb in history, has numerous burn scars on his body, Hiroshima, June 1947.

Pilot Colonel Paul W. Taibbetts waves from the cockpit of his bomber at a base on Tinian Island on August 6, 1945, before his mission to drop the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima, Japan. The day before, Tibbetts named the B-29 flying fortress "Enola Gay" in honor of his mother.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively) are the only two examples in the history of mankind of the combat use of nuclear weapons. Implemented 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, the American B-29 Enola Gay bomber, named after the mother (Enola Gay Haggard) of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibbets, dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the "Fat Man" atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki by pilot Charles Sweeney, commander of the B-29 "Bockscar" bomber. The total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people in Hiroshima and from 60 to 80 thousand people in Nagasaki.

The shock of the US atomic bombings had a profound effect 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.

On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. The act of surrender, formally ending World War II, was signed on September 2, 1945.

The role of the atomic bombings in Japan's surrender and the ethical justification of the bombings themselves are still hotly debated.

Prerequisites

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.

By the summer of 1945, the United States of America, with the support of Great Britain and Canada, completed the Manhattan Project preparatory work to create the first operational models of nuclear weapons.

After three and a half years of direct US involvement 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 died, 39 thousand were wounded (Japanese losses ranged from 93 to 110 thousand soldiers and over 100 thousand people civilian population). It was expected that an invasion of Japan itself would result in losses many times greater than those in Okinawan.

Model of the Little boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima

May 1945: selection of targets

During its second meeting at Los Alamos (May 10-11, 1945), the Target Selection Committee recommended Kyoto (a major industrial center), Hiroshima (an army storage center and military port), and Yokohama (a military center) as targets for the use of atomic weapons. industry), Kokura (the largest military arsenal) and Niigata (a military port and mechanical engineering center). The committee rejected the idea of using these weapons against a purely military target, since there was a chance of missing small area, not surrounded by a large urban area.

When choosing a goal, great importance was attached to psychological factors, such as:

achieving maximum psychological effect against Japan,

the first use of a weapon must be significant enough for its importance to be recognized internationally. The Committee pointed out that the choice of Kyoto was supported by the fact that its population had more high level education and was thus better able to appreciate the value of weapons. Hiroshima was of such a size and location that, taking into account the focusing effect of the surrounding hills, the force of the explosion could be increased.

US Secretary of War Henry Stimson removed Kyoto from the list due to the city's cultural significance. According to Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, Stimson "knew and appreciated Kyoto from his honeymoon there decades ago."

Hiroshima and Nagasaki on a map of Japan

On July 16, the world's first successful test of an atomic weapon was carried out at a test site in New Mexico. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons of TNT.

On July 24, during the Potsdam Conference, US President Harry Truman informed 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 showed little interest, saying only that he was glad and hoped that the United States could use it effectively against the Japanese. Churchill, who carefully observed 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. 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, noted that “We will need to talk with Kurchatov about speeding up our work.” After the declassification of the American intelligence services' operation "Venona", it became known that Soviet agents had long been reporting on the development of nuclear weapons. According to some reports, agent Theodore Hall even announced the planned date of the first nuclear test. This may explain why Stalin took Truman's message calmly. Hall had been working for Soviet intelligence since 1944.

On July 25, Truman approved an order, beginning August 3, to bomb one of the following targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki, as soon as weather permits, and the following cities in the future as bombs become available.

On July 26, the governments of the United States, Great Britain, and China signed the Potsdam Declaration, which set out the demand for Japan's unconditional surrender. 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, had been rejected. The Japanese government did not express any desire to accept the ultimatum. On July 28, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki said at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration was 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 a Soviet response to the evasive diplomatic moves of the Japanese, did not change the government's decision. On July 31, in a conversation with Koichi Kido, he made it clear that imperial power must be protected at all costs.

Preparing for the bombing

During May-June 1945, the American 509th Mixed Aviation Group arrived on Tinian Island. The group's base area on the island was several miles from other units and was carefully guarded.

On July 28, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed an order for the combat use of nuclear weapons. This order, drafted by the head of the Manhattan Project, Major General Leslie Groves, ordered a nuclear strike “on any day after the third of August as soon as possible.” weather" On July 29, the commander of US strategic aviation, General Carl Spaatz, arrived on Tinian, delivering Marshall's order to the island.

On July 28 and August 2, components of the Fat Man atomic bomb were brought to Tinian by plane.

Hiroshima during World War II

Hiroshima was located on a flat area, slightly above sea level at the mouth of the Ota River, on 6 islands connected by 81 bridges. The city's population before the war was over 340 thousand people, making 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. Factories were located on the outskirts of the city. Outdated firefighting equipment and insufficient training of personnel created a high fire danger even in peacetime.

Hiroshima's population peaked at 380,000 during the war, but before the bombing the population gradually declined due to systematic evacuations ordered by the Japanese government. At the time of the attack the population was about 245 thousand people.

Bombardment

The primary target of the first American nuclear bombing was Hiroshima (the alternate targets were Kokura and Nagasaki). Although Truman's orders called for atomic bombing to begin on August 3, cloud cover over the target prevented this until August 6.

On August 6 at 1:45 a.m., an American B-29 bomber under the command of the commander of the 509th Combined Aviation Regiment, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, carrying the “Baby” atomic bomb on board, took off from the island of Tinian, which was about 6 hours flight from Hiroshima. Tibbetts' plane (Enola Gay) was flying as part of a formation that included six other planes: a reserve plane (Top Secret), two controllers and three reconnaissance aircraft (Jebit III, Full House and Street Flash). The commanders of reconnaissance aircraft sent to Nagasaki and Kokura reported significant cloudiness over these cities.

The pilot of the third reconnaissance aircraft, Major Iserli, found that the sky over Hiroshima was clear and sent the signal “Bomb the first target.” Around seven o'clock in the morning, the Japanese early warning radar network detected the approach of several American aircraft heading towards southern Japan. An air raid warning was announced and radio broadcasts were stopped in many cities, including Hiroshima. At approximately 08:00, the radar operator in Hiroshima determined that the number of approaching aircraft was very small - perhaps no more than three - and air raid alert

has been cancelled. In order to save fuel and aircraft, the Japanese did not intercept small groups of American bombers. The standard radio message was that it would be wise to head to bomb shelters if the B-29s were actually spotted, and that it was not a raid but just some form of reconnaissance that was expected.

At 08:15 local time, the B-29, being at an altitude of over 9 km, dropped an atomic bomb on the center of Hiroshima.

The first public report of the event came from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on the Japanese city.

The shadow of a man who was sitting on the steps of the stairs in front of the bank at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter

Those closest to the epicenter of the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to coal. Birds flying past burned up in the air, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited 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 their houses described a blinding flash of light, which was simultaneously accompanied by a wave of stifling heat. The blast wave followed almost immediately for everyone near the epicenter, often knocking them off their feet.

Occupants of the buildings generally avoided exposure to the light radiation from the explosion, but not the blast wave - glass shards hit most rooms, and all but the strongest buildings collapsed. One teenager was thrown from his house across the street by the blast wave, while the house collapsed behind him. Within a few minutes, 90% of people who were 800 meters or less from the epicenter died.

The blast wave shattered glass at a distance of up to 19 km. For those in the buildings, the typical first reaction was the thought of a direct hit from an aerial bomb.

Numerous small fires that simultaneously broke out in the city soon merged into one large fire tornado, creating a strong wind (at a speed of 50-60 km/h) directed towards the epicenter. The firestorm captured over 11 km² of the city, killing everyone who did not manage to get out within the first few minutes after the explosion.

According to the recollections of Akiko Takakura, one of the few survivors who were at a distance of 300 m from the epicenter at the time of the explosion, Three colors characterize for me the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima: black, red and brown. Black because the explosion cut off sunlight

A few days after the explosion, doctors began to notice the first symptoms of radiation among the survivors. Soon, the number of deaths among the survivors began to rise again, as patients who had seemed to be recovering began to suffer from this strange new disease. Deaths from radiation sickness peaked 3-4 weeks after the explosion and began to decline only 7-8 weeks later.

Japanese doctors considered vomiting and diarrhea characteristic of radiation sickness to be symptoms of dysentery. Long-term health effects associated with exposure, such as an increased risk of cancer, haunted survivors for the rest of their lives, as did the psychological shock of the blast. The first person in the world whose cause of death was officially listed 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. Journalist Robert Jung believes that it was Midori’s disease and its popularity among ordinary people allowed people to find out the truth about the emerging “new disease”. Until Midori's death, no one attached any importance 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 the impetus for accelerating research in the field.

nuclear physics

and medicine, which soon managed to save the lives of many people from radiation exposure.

Japanese awareness of the consequences of the attack A Tokyo operator from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation noticed that the Hiroshima station had stopped broadcasting. He tried to re-establish the broadcast 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. From a stop 16 km from Hiroshima, unofficial and confused reports came about a terrible explosion. All these messages were forwarded to the headquarters of the Japanese General Staff.. A young officer from headquarters was instructed to immediately fly to Hiroshima, land, assess the damage and return to Tokyo with reliable information. The headquarters generally believed that nothing serious happened there, and the messages were explained by rumors.

An officer from 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, not believing their eyes. All that was left of the city was a zone of complete destruction, still burning and covered in a thick cloud of smoke. They landed south of the city, and the officer, reporting the incident to Tokyo, immediately began organizing rescue measures.

The Japanese's first real understanding of what actually caused the disaster came from a public announcement from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on Hiroshima.

Hiroshima after the atomic explosion

Losses and destruction

The number of deaths from the direct impact of the explosion ranged from 70 to 80 thousand people. By the end of 1945, due to radioactive contamination and other post-effects of the explosion, the total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people. After 5 years, the total number of deaths, including deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 200 thousand people.

According to official Japanese data, as of March 31, 2013, there were 201,779 “hibakusha” alive - people who suffered from the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This number includes children born to women exposed to radiation from the explosions (mostly living in Japan at the time of the calculation). Of these, 1%, according to the Japanese government, had serious cancer caused by radiation exposure after the bombings. The number of deaths as of August 31, 2013 is about 450 thousand: 286,818 in Hiroshima and 162,083 in Nagasaki.

Nuclear pollution

The concept of “radioactive contamination” did not yet exist in those years, and therefore this issue was not even raised then. People continued to live and rebuild 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 bombings, were not initially associated with exposure to radiation.

Evacuation of the population from contaminated areas was not carried out, since no one knew about the very presence of radioactive contamination. It is quite difficult to give an accurate assessment of the extent of this contamination due to lack of information, however, since the first atomic bombs were technically relatively low-power and imperfect (the Baby bomb, for example, contained 64 kg of uranium, of which only about 700 g reacted division), 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 accident on Chernobyl nuclear power plant

in the reactor core there were several tons of fission products and transuranium elements - various radioactive isotopes that accumulated during operation of the reactor.

Comparative preservation of some buildings 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). So it survived brick building Hiroshima Chamber of Industry (now commonly known as the "Genbaku Dome", or "Atomic Dome"), designed and built by Czech architect Jan Letzel, which was only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion (with the bomb detonating 600 meters above the surface ). These ruins became the most famous exhibit of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima and were elevated to the rank of world heritage

UNESCO, despite objections expressed by the US and Chinese governments.

On August 6, after receiving news of the successful atomic bombing of Hiroshima, US President Truman announced that

It was with the aim of preventing the destruction of Japan that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued in Potsdam. Their leadership immediately rejected his terms. If they do not accept our terms now, let them expect a rain of destruction from the air, the likes of which have never been seen on this planet.

After receiving news of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government met to discuss its response. Beginning in June, the Emperor advocated peace negotiations, but the Minister of Defense and Army and Navy leaders believed that Japan should wait to see whether attempts at peace negotiations through the Soviet Union would produce results better than unconditional surrender.

The military leadership also believed that if they could hold out until the invasion of the Japanese islands, it would be possible to inflict such casualties on the Allied forces that Japan could win peace terms other than unconditional surrender. On August 9, the USSR declared war on Japan and Soviet troops

launched an invasion of Manchuria. Hopes for USSR mediation in the negotiations collapsed. The Japanese army's senior leadership began preparing to declare martial law in order to prevent any attempts at peace negotiations.

The second atomic bombing (Kokury) was scheduled for 11 August, but was moved up 2 days to avoid a five-day period of bad weather forecast to begin on 10 August.

Nagasaki during World War II

Nagasaki in 1945 was located in two valleys, along which two rivers flowed. A mountain range separated the city's districts. The development had chaotic character

: out of a total city area of 90 km², 12 were built up with residential areas.

During World War II, the city, which was a major seaport, also acquired special significance as an industrial center, where steel production and the Mitsubishi shipyard, and 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 shipyards and docks in the southwestern part of the city. Bombs also hit the Mitsubishi steel and gun factories. The result of the raid on August 1 was the partial evacuation of the population, especially schoolchildren. However, at the time of the bombing the city's population was still about 200 thousand people.

Bombardment

The main target of the second American nuclear bombing was Kokura, the secondary target was Nagasaki.

At 2:47 a.m. on August 9, an American B-29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney, carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb, took off from Tinian Island.

Unlike the first bombing, the second was fraught with numerous technical problems. A problem was discovered before takeoff. fuel pump in one of the spare fuel tanks.

Despite this, the crew decided to carry out the flight as planned.

At approximately 7:50 a.m., an air raid alert was issued in Nagasaki, which was canceled at 8:30 a.m.

At 8:10, after reaching the rendezvous point with the other B-29s participating in the mission, one of them was discovered missing. For 40 minutes, Sweeney's B-29 circled around the rendezvous point, but did not wait for the missing aircraft to appear. At the same time, reconnaissance aircraft reported that cloudiness over Kokura and Nagasaki, although present, still made it possible to carry out bombing under visual control.

At 8:50 a.m., a B-29 carrying the atomic bomb headed for Kokura, where it arrived at 9:20 a.m. By this time, however, there was already 70% cloud cover over the city, which did not allow visual bombing. After three unsuccessful approaches to the target, at 10:32 the B-29 headed for Nagasaki. At this point, due to a problem with the fuel pump, there was only enough fuel for one pass over Nagasaki.

At 10:53, two B-29s came within sight of the air defense, the Japanese mistook them for reconnaissance missions and did not declare a new alarm.

At 10:56, the B-29 arrived at Nagasaki, which, as it turned out, was also obscured by clouds. Sweeney reluctantly approved a much less accurate radar approach. At the last moment, however, bombardier-gunner Captain Kermit Behan (English) noticed the silhouette of the city stadium in the gap between the clouds, focusing on which he dropped an atomic bomb.

The shadow of a man who was sitting on the steps of the stairs in front of the bank at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter

The explosion occurred at 11:02 local time at an altitude of about 500 meters. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons.

Japanese boy whose upper body was not covered during the explosion

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 over an industrial area - all this helped 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 (off the bike) and the ground shook for a while. 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 carried away by the blast wave. Large stones were flying in the air, one hit me and then flew up into the sky again...

When everything seemed to have calmed down, I tried to get up and found that the skin on my left arm, from my shoulder to my fingertips, was hanging like tattered rags.

Losses and destruction

The atomic explosion over Nagasaki affected an area of approximately 110 km², of which 22 were water surfaces and 84 were only partially inhabited.

According to a report from Nagasaki Prefecture, "people and animals died almost instantly" at a distance of up to 1 km from the epicenter. Almost all houses within a 2 km radius were destroyed, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited 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 buildings remained undamaged. Although no firestorm occurred in the city, numerous local fires were observed.

The number of deaths by the end of 1945 ranged from 60 to 80 thousand people. After 5 years, the total death toll, including deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 140 thousand people.

Plans for subsequent atomic bombings of Japan

The US government expected another atomic bomb to be ready for use in mid-August, and three more in September and October. On August 10, Leslie Groves, the military director of the Manhattan Project, sent a memorandum to George Marshall, the US Army Chief of Staff, in which he wrote that "the next bomb... should be ready for use after August 17-18." That same day, Marshall signed a memorandum with the comment that "it should not be used against Japan until the express approval of the President has been obtained." At the same time, the US Department of Defense has already begun discussing the advisability of postponing the use of bombs until the start of Operation Downfall, the expected invasion of the Japanese Islands.

The problem we now face is whether, assuming the Japanese do not capitulate, we should continue to drop bombs as they are produced, or stockpile them and then drop them all in a short period of time. Not all in one day, but in a fairly short time. This also relates to the question of what goals we are pursuing. In other words, shouldn't we be concentrating on the targets that will most help the invasion, rather than on industry, morale, psychology, etc.? To a greater extent, tactical goals, and not any others.

Japanese surrender and subsequent occupation

Until August 9, the war cabinet continued to insist on 4 conditions of surrender. On August 9, news arrived of the Soviet Union's declaration of war late in the evening of August 8 and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki at 11 p.m. At a meeting of the “Big Six”, held on the night of August 10, the votes on the issue of capitulation were equally divided (3 “for”, 3 “against”), after which the emperor intervened in the discussion, speaking in favor of capitulation. On August 10, 1945, Japan submitted a proposal for surrender to the Allies, the only condition of which was that the Emperor remain the nominal head of state.

Since the terms of the surrender allowed for the continuation of imperial power in Japan, Hirohito recorded his surrender statement on August 14, which was distributed by the Japanese media the next day, despite an attempted military coup by opponents of the surrender.

In his announcement, Hirohito mentioned the atomic bombings:

... in addition, the enemy has a new terrible weapon at his disposal, capable of taking many innocent lives and causing immeasurable damage 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 to the sacred spirit of our ancestors? For this reason, we ordered the terms of the joint declaration of our opponents to be accepted.

Within a year after the end of the bombing, a contingent of American troops numbering 40,000 people was stationed in Hiroshima, and 27,000 in Nagasaki.

Commission for the Study of the Consequences of Atomic Explosions

In the spring of 1948, to study the long-term effects of radiation on survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Truman ordered the creation of the Commission to Study the Effects of Atomic Explosions at the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. The bombing casualties included many non-war casualties, including prisoners of war, forced conscripts of Koreans and Chinese, students from British Malaya, and approximately 3,200 US citizens of Japanese descent.

In 1975, the Commission was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the newly created Radiation Effects Research Foundation.

Discussion about the advisability of atomic bombings

The role of atomic bombings in the surrender of Japan and their ethical justification are still the subject of scientific and public debate. In a 2005 review of the historiography on the issue, American historian Samuel Walker wrote that “the debate about the wisdom of bombing will certainly continue.” Walker also noted that "the fundamental question that has been debated for over 40 years is whether these atomic bombings were necessary to achieve victory in the Pacific War on terms acceptable to the United States."

Proponents of the bombing usually argue that it was the reason for Japan's surrender, and therefore prevented significant casualties on both sides (both the US and Japan) in the planned invasion of Japan; that the rapid conclusion of the war saved many lives in other Asian countries (primarily China); that Japan was fighting a total war in which the distinction between military and civilians was erased; and that the Japanese leadership refused to capitulate, and the bombing helped shift the balance of opinion within the government towards peace. Opponents of the bombing argue that it was simply an addition to an already ongoing conventional bombing campaign and thus had no military necessity, that it was fundamentally immoral, a war crime, or a manifestation of state terrorism (despite the fact that in 1945 no there were international agreements or treaties that directly or indirectly prohibited the use of nuclear weapons as a means of warfare).

A number of researchers express the opinion that the main purpose of the atomic bombings was to influence the USSR before its entry into the war with Japan in the Far East and to demonstrate the atomic power of the United States.

Impact on culture

In the 1950s, the story of a Japanese girl from Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki, who died in 1955 from the effects of radiation (leukemia), became widely known. While already in the hospital, Sadako learned about a legend according to which a person who folds a thousand paper cranes can make a wish that will certainly come true. Wanting to recover, Sadako began to fold cranes from any pieces of paper that fell into her hands. According to the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Canadian children's writer Eleanor Coher, Sadako managed to fold only 644 cranes before she died in October 1955. Her friends finished the rest of the figures. According to the book Sadako's 4,675 Days of Life, Sadako folded a thousand cranes and continued folding more, but later died. Several books have been written based on her story.

After the Provisional Committee decided to drop the bomb, the Task Force identified the locations that would be targeted, and President Truman issued the Potsdam Declaration as a final warning to Japan. The world soon understood what “total and absolute destruction” meant. The first and only two atomic bombs in history were dropped on Japan in early August 1945 at the end of the year.

Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. It was called "Baby" - a uranium bomb with an explosive power equivalent to about 13 kilotons of TNT. At the time of the bombing, there were 280-290 thousand civilians in Hiroshima, as well as 43 thousand soldiers. It is believed that between 90 and 166 thousand people died in the four months after the explosion. The US Department of Energy estimated that the bombing killed at least 200,000 people or more over five years, and in Hiroshima they counted 237,000 people killed directly or indirectly by the bomb, including burns, radiation sickness and cancer.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima, codenamed "Operation Center I", was approved by Curtis LeMay on August 4, 1945. A B-29 carrying "Baby" from Tinian Island in the western part Pacific Ocean to Hiroshima, was called "Enola Gay" in honor of the mother of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibbetts. The crew consisted of 12 people, including co-pilot Captain Robert Lewis, bombardier Major Tom Ferebee, navigator Captain Theodore Van Kirk and tail gunner Robert Caron. Below are their stories about the first atomic bomb dropped on Japan.

Pilot Paul Tibbetts: “We turned to look at Hiroshima. The city was covered with this terrible cloud... it boiled, growing, terribly and incredibly high. For a moment everyone was silent, then everyone spoke at once. I remember Lewis (co-pilot) hitting me on the shoulder, repeating: “Look at this! Look at it! Look at it!" Tom Ferebee feared that radioactivity would make us all sterile. Lewis said he could feel the splitting of atoms. He said it tasted like lead."

Navigator Theodore Van Kirk recalls the shock waves from the explosion: “It was as if you were sitting on a pile of ash and someone hit it with a baseball bat... The plane was pushed, it jumped, and then - a noise similar to the sound of sheet metal being cut. Those of us who have flown over Europe quite a bit thought it was anti-aircraft fire close to the plane." Seeing an atomic fireball: “I'm not sure any of us expected to see something like this. Where two minutes ago we had clearly seen the city, now it was no longer there. We saw only smoke and fire creeping along the mountain slopes."

Tail Gunner Robert Caron: “The mushroom itself was a stunning sight, a seething mass of purple-gray smoke, and you could see the red core with everything burning inside. As we flew further away, we saw the base of the mushroom, and below there was a layer of debris several hundred feet high and smoke, or whatever it was... I saw fires break out in different places - flames swinging on a bed of coals.

"Enola Gay"

Six miles below the crew of the Enola Gay, the people of Hiroshima were waking up and preparing for the day's work. It was 8:16 am. Until this day, the city was not subject to regular aerial bombardment like other Japanese cities. There were rumors that this was because many residents of Hiroshima emigrated to where President Truman's mother lived. However, citizens, including schoolchildren, were sent to fortify houses and dig fire ditches in preparation for future bombings. This is exactly what the residents were doing, or were still getting ready for work on the morning of August 6. Just an hour earlier, the early warning system had gone off, detecting a single B-29 carrying "Little Boy" toward Hiroshima. The Enola Gay was announced on the radio shortly after 8 a.m.

The city of Hiroshima was destroyed by the explosion. 70 thousand of the 76 thousand buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 48 thousand of them were razed to the ground. Those who survived recalled how impossible it was to describe and believe that in one minute the city ceased to exist.

College History Professor: “I walked up Hikiyama Hill and looked down. I saw that Hiroshima had disappeared... I was shocked by the sight... What I felt then and still feel, now I simply cannot explain in words. Of course, after that I saw many more terrible things, but this moment when I looked down and did not see Hiroshima was so shocking that I simply could not express what I felt... Hiroshima no longer exists - that's basically it all I saw was that Hiroshima simply no longer exists.

Explosion over Hiroshima

Doctor Michihiko Hachiya: “There was nothing left except a few reinforced concrete buildings... Acres and acres of space in the city were like a desert, with only scattered piles of bricks and tiles everywhere. I had to reconsider my understanding of the word "destruction" or find some other word to describe what I saw. Devastation may be the right word, but I don’t really know the word or words to describe what I saw.”

Writer Yoko Ota: “I reached the bridge and saw that Hiroshima had been completely erased from the face of the earth, and my heart trembled like a huge wave... the grief that stepped over the corpses of history pressed on my heart.”

Those who were close to the epicenter of the explosion simply evaporated from the monstrous heat. All that was left of one man was a dark shadow on the steps of the bank where he was sitting. The mother of Miyoko Osugi, a 13-year-old schoolgirl working on fire ditches, did not find her foot in a sandal. The place where the foot stood remained light, but everything around turned black from the explosion.

Those residents of Hiroshima who were far from the epicenter of the "Baby" survived the explosion, but were seriously injured and received very serious burns. These people were in uncontrollable panic, they were scrambling for food and water, medical care, friends and relatives and tried to escape the firestorms that engulfed many residential areas.

Having lost all orientation in space and time, some survivors believed that they had already died and were in hell. The worlds of the living and the dead seemed to come together.

Protestant priest: “I had the feeling that everyone was dead. The whole city was destroyed... I thought this was the end of Hiroshima - the end of Japan - the end of humanity."

Boy, 6 years old: “There were a lot of dead bodies near the bridge... Sometimes people came to us and asked for water to drink. Their heads, mouths, faces were bleeding, pieces of glass stuck to their bodies. The bridge was on fire... It was all like hell.”

Sociologist: “I immediately thought that it was like hell, which I always read about ... I had never seen anything like it before, but I decided that this must be what hell was like, here it is - the fiery Gehenna, where, as we thought, those who are not saved end up... And I thought that all these people I saw were in the hell that I read about.”

Fifth grade boy: “I had a feeling that all the people on earth had disappeared, and only five of us (his family) remained in the other world of the dead.”

Grocer: “The people looked like... well, they all had blackened skin from burns... They had no hair because the hair had been burned off, and at first glance you couldn't tell whether you were looking at them from the front or the back... Many of them died along the way - I still see them in my mind - like ghosts... They didn’t look like people from this world.”

Hiroshima destroyed

Many people wandered around the center - near hospitals, parks, along the river, trying to find relief from pain and suffering. Soon agony and despair reigned here, as many wounded and dying people could not get help.

Sixth grade girl: “Swollen bodies floated along seven previously beautiful rivers, cruelly breaking into pieces the childish naivety of the little girl. A strange smell of burning human flesh spread throughout the city, which turned into a heap of ash."

Boy, 14 years old: “Night came and I heard many voices crying and moaning in pain and begging for water. Someone shouted: “Damn it! The war is crippling so many innocent people!” Another said: “It hurts! Give me water!" This person was so burned that we could not tell whether he was a man or a woman. The sky was red with flames, it was burning as if paradise had been set on fire.”

Three days after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9. It was a 21-kiloton plutonium bomb called "Fat Man." On the day of the bombing, about 263 thousand people were in Nagasaki, including 240 thousand civilians, 9 thousand Japanese soldiers and 400 prisoners of war. Until August 9, Nagasaki was the target of small-scale US bombing. Although the damage from these explosions was relatively minor, it caused great concern in Nagasaki and many people were evacuated to rural areas, thereby reducing the city's population during the nuclear attack. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 75,000 people died immediately after the explosion, and another 60,000 were seriously injured. In total, by the end of 1945, approximately 80 thousand people died.

The decision to use the second bomb was made on August 7, 1945 in Guam. By doing so, the United States wanted to demonstrate that it had an endless supply of new weapons against Japan, and that it would continue to drop atomic bombs on Japan until it unconditionally surrendered.

However, the original target of the second atomic bombing was not Nagasaki. Officials chose the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of the largest munitions factories.

On the morning of August 9, 1945, a B-29 Boxcar piloted by Major Charles Sweeney was scheduled to fly "Fat Man" to the town of Kokura. Accompanying Sweeney were Lieutenant Charles Donald Albery and Lieutenant Fred Olivi, Rifleman Frederick Ashworth and Bombardier Kermit Behan. At 3:49 a.m., Boxcar and five other B-29s left Tinian Island for Kokura.

Seven hours later the plane approached the city. Thick clouds and smoke from fires following an air raid on the nearby town of Yawata obscured much of the sky over Kokura, obscuring the target. Over the next fifty minutes, pilot Charles Sweeney made three bombing runs, but bombardier Behan failed to release the bomb because he could not visually locate the target. By the time of the third approach, they were discovered by Japanese anti-aircraft guns, and Second Lieutenant Jacob Beser, who was monitoring the Japanese radio broadcast, reported the approach of Japanese fighters.

The fuel was running out, and the crew of the Boxcar decided to attack the second target, Nagasaki. When the B-29 flew over the city 20 minutes later, the sky above it was also covered with dense clouds. Gunner Frederick Ashworth proposed bombing Nagasaki using radar. At this point, a small window in the clouds, discovered at the end of a three-minute bombing run, allowed bombardier Kermit Behan to visually identify the target.

At 10:58 a.m. local time, Boxcar dropped Fat Man. 43 seconds later, at an altitude of 1,650 feet, about 1.5 miles northwest of the intended aiming point, an explosion occurred with a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT.

The radius of complete destruction from the atomic explosion was about one mile, after which the fire spread throughout the northern part of the city - about two miles south of where the bomb fell. Unlike the buildings in Hiroshima, almost all the buildings in Nagasaki were traditional Japanese construction ― wooden frames, wooden walls And tiled roofs. Many small industrial and commercial establishments were also located in buildings that were unable to withstand explosions. As a result, an atomic explosion over Nagasaki leveled everything within its radius of destruction.

Due to the fact that it was not possible to drop the “Fat Man” precisely on the target, the atomic explosion was limited to the Urakami Valley. As a result, most of the city was not damaged. The Fat Man fell in the city's industrial valley between the Mitsubishi steel and weapons factories to the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami torpedo production facility to the north. The resulting explosion had the equivalent of 21 kilotons of TNT, about the same as the Trinity bomb. Almost half of the city was completely destroyed.

Olivi: “Suddenly, the light of a thousand suns flashed in the cabin. Even with my welding glasses on, I winced and closed my eyes for a couple of seconds. I assumed that we had flown about seven miles from the epicenter and were flying away from the target, but the light blinded me for a moment. I have never seen such a strong blue light, maybe three or four times brighter than the sun shining above us.”

“I've never seen anything like it! The biggest explosion I've ever seen... This plume of smoke is hard to describe. A huge white mass of flame boils in a mushroom-shaped cloud. It is pinkish, salmon color. The base is black and slightly distant from the mushroom.”

“The mushroom cloud was moving straight towards us, I immediately looked up and saw it approaching the Boxcar. We were told not to fly through the atomic cloud because it was extremely dangerous for the crew and the aircraft. Knowing this, Sweeney turned the Boxcar hard to the right, away from the cloud, with the throttles wide open. For a few moments we could not understand whether we had escaped from the ominous cloud or whether it had captured us, but gradually we separated from it, to great relief.”

Tatsuichiro Akizuki: “All the buildings that I saw were on fire... The electric poles were shrouded in flames, like so many huge matches... It seemed as if the earth itself was spewing fire and smoke - the flames were twisting and being thrown straight out of the ground. The sky was dark, the ground was scarlet, and clouds of yellowish smoke hung between them. Three colors - black, yellow and scarlet - swept ominously over the people who were rushing about like ants trying to escape... It seemed like the end of the world had come.”

Consequences

On August 14, Japan surrendered. Journalist George Weller was "the first on Nagasaki" and described a mysterious "atomic sickness" (the onset of radiation sickness) that killed patients who appeared to have escaped the bomb's impact. Controversial at the time and for many years to come next years, Weller's papers were not cleared for publication until 2006.

Controversy

The debate over the bomb—whether a test demonstration was necessary, whether dropping a bomb on Nagasaki was necessary, and much more—continues to this day.

on the ground"

70 years of tragedy

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

70 years ago, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs. The total number of victims of the tragedy is over 450 thousand people, and the survivors still suffer from diseases caused by radiation exposure. According to the latest data, their number is 183,519 people.

Initially, the US had the idea of dropping 9 atomic bombs on rice fields or in the sea to achieve a psychological effect to support the amphibious operations planned for Japanese islands at the end of September 1945. But in the end it was decided to use new weapons against densely populated cities.

Now the cities have been rebuilt, but their inhabitants still bear the burden of that terrible tragedy. The history of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the memories of survivors is in a TASS special project.

Ideal target

It was not by chance that Hiroshima was chosen as the target for the first nuclear strike. This city met all the criteria to achieve the maximum number of casualties and destruction: a flat location surrounded by hills, low buildings and flammable wooden buildings.

The city was completely wiped off the face of the Earth. Surviving eyewitnesses recalled that they first saw a flash of bright light, followed by a wave that burned everything around. In the area of the epicenter of the explosion, everything instantly turned to ashes, and human silhouettes remained on the walls of the surviving houses. Immediately, according to various estimates, from 70 to 100 thousand people died. Tens of thousands more died from the consequences of the explosion, bringing the total number of victims as of August 6, 2014 to 292,325.
Immediately after the bombing, the city did not have enough water not only to put out the fires, but also for people who were dying of thirst. Therefore, even now the residents of Hiroshima are very careful about water. And during the memorial ceremony, a special ritual “Kensui” (Japanese - offering water) is performed - it reminds of the fires that engulfed the city and the victims who asked for water. It is believed that even after death, the souls of the dead need water to alleviate suffering.

The clock hands have stopped

The hands of almost all the clocks in Hiroshima stopped at the moment of the explosion at 08:15 am. Some of them are collected at the Peace Museum as exhibits.

The museum was opened 60 years ago. Its building consists of two buildings designed by the outstanding Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. In one of them there is an exhibition about the atomic bombing, where visitors can see personal belongings of the victims, photographs, and various material evidence of what happened in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Audio and video materials are also shown there.

Not far from the museum is the Atomic Dome, the former building of the Exhibition Center of the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, built in 1915 by Czech architect Jan Letzel. This structure miraculously survived the atomic bombing, although it stood only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, which is marked by a regular memorial plaque in an alley not far from the dome. All the people inside the building died, and its copper dome instantly melted, leaving a bare frame. After the end of World War II, the Japanese authorities decided to preserve the building as a sign of memory of the victims of the bombing of Hiroshima. Now it is one of the main attractions of the city, reminiscent of the tragic moments of its history.

Paper cranes

Trees near the Atomic Dome are often decorated with colorful paper cranes. They have become an international symbol of peace. People from different countries They constantly bring homemade figurines of birds to Hiroshima as a sign of mourning for the terrible events of the past and in tribute to the memory of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima at the age of 2. At the age of 11, she was found to have signs of radiation sickness, and the girl’s health began to deteriorate sharply. One day she heard a legend that whoever folds a thousand paper cranes will definitely recover from any illness. She continued to fold the figures until her death on October 25, 1955. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a crane was installed in the Peace Park.

In 1949, a special law was passed, thanks to which large funds were provided for the restoration of Hiroshima. A Peace Park was built and a fund was established to store materials about the atomic bombing. Industry in the city was restored after the start Korean War in 1950 thanks to the production of weapons for the US Army.

Now Hiroshima is modern city with a population of approximately 1.2 million people. It is the largest in the Chugoku region.

Zero mark

Nagasaki became the second Japanese city, after Hiroshima, to be subject to American bombing in August 1945. The initial target of the B-29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney was the city of Kokura, located in the north of the island of Kyushu. By coincidence, on the morning of August 9, there was heavy cloudiness over Kokura, so Sweeney decided to turn the plane to the southwest and head to Nagasaki, which was considered as a backup option. Here the Americans were also beset by bad weather, but the plutonium bomb called “Fat Man” was eventually dropped. It was almost twice as powerful as the one used in Hiroshima, but inaccurate aiming and the local terrain somewhat reduced the damage from the explosion. Nevertheless, the consequences of the bombing were catastrophic: at the moment of the explosion, at 11.02 local time, 70 thousand residents of Nagasaki were killed, and the city was practically wiped off the face of the Earth.

In subsequent years, the list of disaster victims continued to grow with those who died from radiation sickness. This number increases every year, and the numbers are updated every year on August 9th. According to data announced in 2014, the number of victims of the Nagasaki bombing increased to 165,409 people.

Years later, an atomic bomb museum was opened in Nagasaki, as in Hiroshima. Last July, his collection was replenished with 26 new photographs, which were taken a year and four months after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities. The images themselves were recently discovered. In particular, they depict the so-called zero mark - the site of the direct explosion of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. Signatures on back side The photographs show that the pictures were taken in December 1946 by American scientists who were visiting the city at that time to study the consequences of a terrible atomic attack. “The photographs are of particular value, as they clearly demonstrate the full scale of the destruction, and, at the same time, make it clear what work was done to restore the city practically from scratch,” the Nagasaki administration believes.
One of the photos shows a strange arrow-shaped monument installed in the middle of the field, the inscription on which reads: “Zero mark of the atomic explosion.” Local experts are at a loss as to who installed the almost 5-meter monument and where it is now. It is noteworthy that it is located exactly in the place where the official monument to the victims of the atomic bombing of 1945 now stands.

Hiroshima Peace Museum © AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

Blind spots of history

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been the subject of careful study by many historians, but 70 years after the tragedy, many blank spots remain in this story. There are some testimonies of individuals who believe that they were born "in the shirt" because, according to them, a few weeks before the atomic bombing, information appeared about a possible deadly attack on these Japanese cities. Thus, one of these people claims that he studied at a school for children of high-ranking military personnel. According to him, several weeks before the strike, all personnel educational institution and his students were evacuated from Hiroshima, which saved their lives.
There are also completely conspiracy theories according to which, on the threshold of the end of World War II, Japanese scientists, with the help of colleagues from Germany, approached the creation of an atomic bomb. Weapons of terrible destructive power could supposedly appear in the imperial army, whose command was going to fight to the end and was constantly rushing the nuclear scientists. The media claim that records have recently been found containing calculations and descriptions of equipment for enriching uranium for subsequent use in creating a Japanese atomic bomb. The scientists received the order to complete the program on August 14, 1945, and apparently were ready to carry it out, but did not have time. American atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, entry into the war Soviet Union did not leave Japan any chance to continue hostilities.

No more war

Survivors of the bombings in Japan are referred to by the special word "hibakusha" ("person who suffered from the bombing").
In the first years after the tragedy, many hibakusha hid the fact that they survived the bombing and received a high dose of radiation because they were afraid of discrimination. Then they were not given financial assistance and were denied treatment. It took 12 years before the Japanese government passed a law making treatment for bomb victims free of charge.
Some of the hibakusha have dedicated their lives to educational work to ensure that the terrible tragedy does not happen again.
“About 30 years ago, I happened to see a friend of mine on TV, he was among the participants in the march to ban nuclear weapons. This prompted me to join this movement. Since then, remembering my experience, I explain that atomic weapons are This is an inhumane weapon. It is completely indiscriminate, unlike conventional weapons. I have dedicated my life to explaining the need to ban atomic weapons to those who do not know anything about atomic bombings, especially young people,” wrote hibakusha Michimasa Hirata on one of the websites. dedicated to preserving the memory of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Many Hiroshima residents whose families were affected to varying degrees by the atomic bomb are trying to help others learn more about what happened on August 6, 1945 and to convey the message of the dangers of nuclear weapons and war. Near the Peace Park and the Atomic Dome memorial you can meet people who are ready to talk about the tragic events.
“August 6, 1945 is a special day for me, it’s my second birthday. When the atomic bomb was dropped on us, I was only 9 years old. I was in my house about two kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima. A sudden brilliant flash hit over my head. She fundamentally changed Hiroshima... This scene, which then developed, defies description. This is pure hell on earth,” Michimasa Hirata shares his memories.

Bombing of Hiroshima © EPA/A PEACE MEMORIAL MUSEUM

"The city was enveloped in huge fire whirlwinds"

“70 years ago, I was three years old. On August 6, my father was at work 1 km from the place where the atomic bomb was dropped,” said one of the hibakusha, Hiroshi Shimizu. “At the moment of the explosion, he was thrown back by a huge shock wave. He He immediately felt that numerous pieces of glass were pierced into his face, and his body began to bleed. The building where he was working instantly burst into flames. Everyone who could ran out to the nearby pond. The father spent about three hours there. At this time, the city was enveloped in huge fires. vortices.
He was only able to find us the next day. Two months later he died. By that time, his stomach had completely turned black. Within a radius of one kilometer from the explosion, the radiation level was 7 sieverts. This dose can destroy cells of internal organs.
At the time of the explosion, my mother and I were at home about 1.6 km from the epicenter. Since we were inside, we were able to avoid a lot of radiation. However, the house was destroyed by the shock wave. Mother managed to break through the roof and get out into the street with me. After that, we evacuated to the south, away from the epicenter. As a result, we managed to avoid the real hell that was going on there, because there was nothing left within a radius of 2 km.
For 10 years after the bombing, my mother and I suffered from various illnesses caused by the dose of radiation we received. We had stomach problems, nosebleeds all the time, and our general immune system was also very poor. All this happened in 12 years, and after that for a long time I didn't have any health problems. However, after 40 years, illnesses began to haunt me one after another, the functioning of my kidneys and heart sharply deteriorated, my spine began to hurt, signs of diabetes and problems with cataracts appeared.
Only later did it become clear that it was not just the dose of radiation that we received during the explosion. We continued to live and eat vegetables grown on contaminated soil, drink water from contaminated rivers and eat contaminated seafood."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (left) and hibakusha Sumiteru Taniguchi in front of photographs of people affected by the bombing. Top photo shows Taniguchi himself © EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

"Kill me!"

A photograph of one of the most famous figures of the hibakusha movement, Sumiteru Taniguchi, taken in January 1946 by an American war photographer, spread throughout the world. The photo, dubbed "red back," shows severe burns on Taniguchi's back.
“In 1945, I was 16 years old,” he says. “On August 9, I was delivering mail on a bicycle and was about 1.8 km from the epicenter of the bombing. At the moment of the explosion, I saw a flash, and the blast wave threw me off my bicycle. The heat was burning everything was in its path. At first I had the impression that a bomb had exploded next to me. The ground beneath my feet was shaking as if it had happened. strong earthquake. After I came to my senses, I looked at my hands - skin was literally hanging off them. However, at that moment I didn’t even feel pain.”
“I don’t know how, but I managed to get to the ammunition factory, which was located in an underground tunnel. There I met a woman, and she helped me cut off pieces of skin on my hands and somehow bandage them. I remember how after that they immediately announced evacuation, but I couldn’t go on my own. Other people helped me. They carried me to the top of the hill, where they laid me under a tree. After that, I woke up from machine-gun fire from American planes. It was as bright as day. , so the pilots could easily monitor the movements of people. During this time, everyone who was next to me died. I myself thought that I would die, I could not even call for help. On the third day, people came and rescued me. Blood was oozing from the burns on my back, and the pain was rapidly growing. In this condition, I was sent to the hospital,” Taniguchi recalls.
Only in 1947 was the Japanese able to sit down, and in 1949 he was discharged from the hospital. He underwent 10 operations, and treatment continued until 1960.
“In the first years after the bombing, I couldn’t even move. The pain was unbearable. I often shouted: “Kill me!” The doctors did everything so that I could live. I remember how they repeated every day that I was alive. During the treatment, I learned for myself everything that radiation is capable of, all the terrible consequences of its impact,” Taniguchi said.

Children after the bombing of Nagasaki © AP Photo/United Nations, Yosuke Yamahata

"Then there was silence..."

“When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, I was six years old and living with my family in a traditional Japanese house,” recalls Yasuaki Yamashita. “Usually in the summer, when it was hot, I would run to the mountains with my friends to catch dragonflies and cicadas. But on this day I was playing at home. Mom was preparing dinner next to me, as usual. Suddenly, at exactly 11.02, we were blinded by a light, as if 1000 lightning flashed at the same time. Mom pushed me to the ground and covered me with herself. We heard the roar of a strong wind. and the rustle of the fragments of the house flying towards us. Then there was silence...".
"Our house was 2.5 km from the epicenter. My sister, she was in next room, severely cut by flying glass shards. One of my friends went to play in the mountains that ill-fated day, and a heat wave from a bomb explosion hit him. He suffered severe burns and died a few days later. My father was sent to help clear the rubble in the center of Nagasaki. At that time we did not yet know about the danger of radiation, which caused his death," he writes.