Hiroshima 1945 explosion. “There was no military necessity”: why the United States launched a nuclear strike on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The tragedy of Hiroshima has not only consequences, but also legends
In 1938, a new era of human development began. And this meant not only using the acquired knowledge for the benefit of civilization. The world saw a bomb of monstrous destructive power. Having such a powerful weapon in your arsenal, with just one click of a button you can destroy our entire planet. History shows that world wars began with very small, insignificant conflicts. The main task of the government of all countries is to be prudent. Few people will be able to survive the Third World War. The consequences of the attacks on two Japanese cities in 1945 clearly confirm these words.
First combat use in history
Answer to the question: “When were the bombs dropped on Hiroshima?” any schoolchild will give: “On the morning of August 6, 1945.” At 8:15 a.m., the crew of an American Air Force B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, attacked the Japanese city with the latest weapons weighing four tons. The name given to the first atomic bomb was “Baby”. About sixty thousand people died during the attack alone. In the next 24 hours after that - another 90,000, mainly from severe radiation exposure. The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was up to twenty kilotons with a radius of destruction of over one and a half kilometers.
Second combat use of the atomic bomb in history
The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was somewhat less than the “Fat Man”, which attacked the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 from a bomber of the same model as in Hiroshima (Box Car). The main target for the attacking side was the settlement of Kokura, on the territory of which a large number of military warehouses were concentrated (Yokohama and Kyoto were also considered). But due to heavy clouds, the command changed the direction of the aviation flight.
The city had a chance to remain unharmed - there was heavy cloudiness that day. And the plane had a faulty fuel pump. The team had the opportunity to go for just one lap, which was done.
Japanese radars "spotted" enemy aircraft, but fire on them was not started. According to one version, the military mistook them for reconnaissance missions.
American pilots were able to detect a slight dispersion of clouds and the pilot, focusing on the outlines of the local stadium, pressed the lever. The bomb fell much further than its intended target. Witnesses recall an explosion of such power that it was felt in populated areas four hundred kilometers from Nagasaki.
Unprecedented power
The total yield of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki reached the equivalent of almost forty kilotons. About twenty for “Fat Man” and eighteen for “Little Boy.” But the active substance was different. A cloud containing uranium-235 flew over Hiroshima. Nagasaki was destroyed by exposure to plutonium-239.
The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was such that the entire city infrastructure and the vast majority of buildings were destroyed. Over the next few days, fire crews battled the fire over an area of more than eleven square kilometers.
Nagasaki, from a major seaport, a center of shipbuilding and industry, turned into ruins in an instant. All living creatures that found themselves within a kilometer from the epicenter died immediately. Severe fires also did not subside for a long time, which was facilitated by strong winds. In the entire city, only twelve percent of the buildings remained intact.
Aircraft crews
The names of those who dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known, they were never hidden and they were not classified.
The crew of the Enola Gay included twelve people.
The commander of the flight was a colonel. It was he who selected the aircraft at the production stage and led most of the operation. He gave the order to drop the bomb.
Thomas Ferebee, bombardier - he was at the controls and pressed the deadly button. He was considered the best gunner in the American Air Force.
The crew of the Box Car aircraft consisted of thirteen people.
At the helm was the crew commander and one of the best pilots of the American Air Force, Major Charles Sweeney (during the first bombing he was in the escort plane). He aimed the bomb at
Lieutenant Jacob Beser participated in both historic bombings.
Everyone lived quite a long life. And almost no one regretted what happened. Today, not a single member of these two historical crews is alive.
Was there a need?
More than seventy years have passed since the two attacks. Disputes about their feasibility are still ongoing. Some scientists are sure that the Japanese would have fought to the last. And the war could drag on for several more years. In addition, the lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers who were supposed to begin a military operation in the Far East were saved.
Others are inclined to believe that Japan was already ready to capitulate and the events of August 6 and 9, 1945 for the Americans were nothing more than a show of force.
Conclusion
The events have already happened, nothing can be changed. The monstrous power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki showed how far a person with a weapon of retaliation can go.
All we can hope for is the prudence of politicians, their sincere desire to find a compromise in disputes. Which is the main basis for maintaining a fragile peace.
Everyone knows that on August 6 and 9, 1945, nuclear weapons were dropped on two Japanese cities. About 150 thousand civilians died in Hiroshima, and up to 80 thousand in Nagasaki.
These dates became mourning dates for the rest of their lives in the minds of millions of Japanese. Every year more and more secrets are revealed about these terrible events, which will be discussed in our article.
1. If anyone survived the nuclear explosion, tens of thousands of people began to suffer from radiation sickness.
Over the course of decades, the Radiation Research Foundation studied 94,000 people to create a cure for the disease that afflicted them.
2. Oleander is the official symbol of Hiroshima. Do you know why? This is the first plant to bloom in the city after the nuclear explosion.
3. According to recent scientific research, those who survived the atomic bombing received an average radiation dose of 210 milliseconds. For comparison: a computed tomography scan of the head irradiates 2 milliseconds, but here it is 210 (!).
4. On that terrible day, before the explosion, according to the census, the number of residents of Nagasaki was 260 thousand people. Today it is home to almost half a million Japanese. By the way, by Japanese standards this is still a wilderness.
5. 6 ginkgo trees, located just 2 km from the epicenter of events, managed to survive.
A year after the tragic events, they bloomed. Today, each of them is officially registered as "Hibako Yumoku", which means "tree that remains alive." Ginkgo is considered a symbol of hope in Japan.
6. After the bomb fell in Hiroshima, many unaware survivors were evacuated to Nagasaki...
It is known that of those who survived the bombings in both cities, only 165 people survived.
7. In 1955, a park was opened at the site of the bombing in Nagasaki.
The main feature here was the 30-ton sculpture of a man. They say that an upraised hand symbolizes the threat of a nuclear explosion, while an outstretched left hand symbolizes peace.
8. The survivors of these terrible events became known as “hibakusha,” which translates to “people affected by the explosion.” The surviving children and adults were subsequently subjected to severe discrimination.
Many believed that they could cause radiation sickness. It was difficult for Hibakusha to get settled in life, meet someone, or find a job. In the decades following the bombings, it was not uncommon for the parents of a boy or girl to hire detectives to find out whether their child's significant other was a hibakusha.
9. Every year, on August 6, a memorial ceremony is held in the Hiroshima Memorial Park and a minute of silence begins at exactly 8:15 (the time of the attack).
10. To the surprise of many scientists, scientific research has shown that the average life expectancy of modern residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, compared with those who were not exposed to radiation in 1945, was reduced by only a couple of months.
11. Hiroshima is on the list of cities that advocate the abolition of nuclear weapons.
12. Only in 1958, the population of Hiroshima grew to 410 thousand people, which exceeded the pre-war figure. Today the city is home to 1.2 million people.
13. Of those who died from the bombing, about 10% were Koreans conscripted by the military.
14. Contrary to popular belief, among children born to women who survived a nuclear attack, various developmental abnormalities and mutations were not identified.
15. In Hiroshima, in the Memorial Park there is a miraculously surviving UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Genbaku Dome, located 160 m from the center of events.
At the time of the explosion, the walls of the building collapsed, everything inside burned, and the people inside died. Now there is a memorial stone installed near the “Atomic Cathedral,” as it is commonly called. Near it you can always see a symbolic bottle of water, which reminds of those who survived the explosion, but died of thirst in the nuclear hell.
16. The explosions were so strong that people died in a split second, leaving behind only shadows.
These prints were made due to the heat released during the explosion, which changed the color of the surfaces - hence the outlines of bodies and objects that absorbed part of the blast wave. Some of these shadows can still be seen at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
17. The famous Japanese giant monster Godzilla was originally invented as a metaphor for the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
18. Despite the fact that the power of the atomic explosion in Nagasaki was greater than in Hiroshima, the destructive effect was less. This was facilitated by the hilly terrain, as well as the fact that the center of the explosion was located above an industrial area.
MOSCOW, August 6 - RIA Novosti, Asuka Tokuyama, Vladimir Ardaev. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadao Yamamoto was 14 years old. He was weeding potatoes in the eastern part of the city when suddenly his whole body felt like it was on fire. The epicenter of the explosion was two and a half kilometers away. That day, Sadao was supposed to go to school, which was located in the western part of Hiroshima, but he stayed at home. And if he had gone, then nothing could have saved the boy from instant death. Most likely, he would simply disappear, like thousands of other people, without a trace. The city has turned into a real hell.
“The burnt bodies of people were piled up everywhere in disarray, bloated and resembling rubber dolls, with white eyes on their burnt faces,” recalls another survivor, Yoshiro Yamawaki.
"Baby" and "Fat Man"
Exactly 72 years ago, on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., at an altitude of 576 meters above the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the American atomic bomb “Baby” exploded with a yield of only 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT - today even tactical nuclear weapons have greater destructive power . But this “weak” (by today’s standards) explosion instantly killed about 80 thousand people, including several tens of thousands that simply disintegrated into molecules - all that remained of them were dark silhouettes on the walls and stones. The city was instantly engulfed in fire, which destroyed it.
Three days later, on August 9, at 11:20 a.m., the Fat Man bomb, with a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT, exploded at a height of half a kilometer above the city of Nagasaki. The number of victims was approximately the same as in Hiroshima.
The radiation continued to kill people every year after the explosion. Today, the total death toll from the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945 has exceeded 450 thousand people.
Yoshiro Yamawaki was the same age and lived in Nagasaki. On August 9, Yoshiro was at home when the Fat Man bomb exploded two kilometers away. Fortunately, his mother and little brother and sister were being evacuated and therefore were not harmed in any way.
“My twin brother and I sat down at the table, getting ready to have lunch, when suddenly we were blinded by a bright flash. Then a strong air wave swept through the house and literally blew it apart. Just at that time, our older brother, a mobilized schoolboy, returned from the factory. The three of us They rushed to the bomb shelter and waited for their father there, but he never returned,” says Yoshiro Yamawaki.
"People died standing"
The day after the explosion, Yoshiro and his brothers went in search of their father. They reached the plant - the bomb exploded just half a kilometer away. And the closer they came, the more terrible pictures were revealed to them.
“On the bridge we saw rows of dead men standing at the railings on both sides. They died standing. They stood there with their heads bowed, as if in prayer. And dead bodies also floated along the river. At the factory we found my father’s body - it seemed that his was dead the face laughs. Adults from the factory helped us cremate the body. We burned my father at the stake, but we didn’t dare tell our mother about everything we saw and experienced,” Yoshiro Yamawaki continues to recall.
“In the first spring after the war, sweet potatoes were planted in our schoolyard,” says Reiko Yamada. “But when they began to harvest the crop, suddenly screams began to be heard here and there: human bones appeared from the ground along with the potatoes. I was never able to eat them.” potatoes, despite hunger."
The day after the explosion, Sadao Yamamoto’s mother asked Sadao Yamamoto to go visit her younger sister, whose house was only 400 meters from the bomb site. But everything there was destroyed, and burnt bodies lay along the road.
"All of Hiroshima is a big cemetery"
“My mother’s younger sister’s husband managed to get to the first aid station. We were all glad that my uncle escaped wounds and burns, but, as it turned out, another, invisible misfortune awaited him. Soon he began vomiting blood, and we were told that he had died. Having caught a huge dose of radiation, my uncle suddenly died from radiation sickness. Radiation is the most terrible consequence of an atomic explosion, it kills a person not from the outside, but from the inside," says Sadao Yamamoto. August 9, 2016, 05:14
A choir of Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors sang about peaceIn the Nagasaki Peace Park, the Himawari (Sunflower) choir traditionally performed the song “Never Again” at the Statue of Peace, depicting a 10-meter giant pointing his hand to the sky, where the terrible tragedy of 1945 came from.“I would really like all people - both children and adults - to know what happened in the courtyard of my school on that terrible day. Together with my comrades, we raised money and in 2010 installed a memorial stele in the school courtyard. All of Hiroshima is a great cemetery. I moved to Tokyo a long time ago, but still, when I come to Hiroshima, I cannot calmly step on its soil, thinking: is there another dead unburied body lying here, under my feet?” - says Reiko Yamada.
“It is very important to free the world from nuclear weapons. Please do it! On July 7, the UN approved the first multilateral treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, but the largest nuclear powers - the United States and Russia - did not take part in the vote. Japan, located under the nuclear umbrella of the United States. We, the victims of the atomic bombing, are very saddened by this and want to call on the nuclear powers to take the lead in freeing the world from these terrible weapons,” says Sadao Yamamoto.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the only time in history when nuclear weapons were used for combat purposes. He horrified humanity. This tragedy is one of the most terrible pages in the history of not only Japan, but also the entire civilization. Almost half a million people were sacrificed for political purposes: to force the USSR to enter into a war with Japan, to force Japan to capitulate in World War II, and at the same time to frighten the Soviet Union and the whole world by demonstrating the power of a fundamentally new weapon, which the USSR would soon also have.
The Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation of the Russian Foreign Ministry stores documents to which only the top leaders of the USSR previously had access. These are reports on the trips of employees of Soviet foreign missions to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after atomic bombs, the latest weapons of mass destruction, were dropped on them on August 6 and 9, 1945. “Baby” and “Fat Man,” as the Americans affectionately dubbed them. More than 200 thousand people died during the bombing and died from wounds and radiation sickness in the next few months.
The nuclear bombings were a terrible tragedy for the Japanese. Official authorities initially did not realize the seriousness of the incident and even announced that these were ordinary charges. But very soon the scale and consequences of atomic explosions became clear.
But nuclear strikes could have been followed by the landing of American troops on the Japanese Islands. What would this mean for a country that has never been subject to foreign intervention? This danger really loomed over Japan the only time, in the 13th century, when the naval armada of the Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan approached its southern shores. But then the “divine wind” (kamikaze) twice scattered Mongolian ships in the Korea Strait. In 1945, the situation was completely different: the United States was preparing for a large and long-term (up to two years) military operation on the main territory of Japan, consecrated by religious covenants (according to the ancient Kojiki chronicle, the entire Japanese archipelago was created by the ancestors of the Japanese emperor). Fighting for their country, the Japanese would fight to the death. The Americans felt how they can do this even during the battles for Okinawa.
One can only imagine what kind of human casualties the continuation of hostilities would have entailed if Emperor Hirohito had not announced on August 15, 1945 the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and Japan had not signed the Act of Surrender on September 2 of the same year. At the same time, historical facts indisputably testify: it was not atomic bombs that ultimately forced Tokyo to lay down its arms. The then Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki admitted that “we experienced a huge shock from the explosion of the atomic bomb,” but the entry of the Soviet Union into the war put us in a “hopeless situation,” making its further continuation impossible.
Let us add: this step of the USSR helped save the lives of millions of ordinary Japanese.
The head of the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer, stunned by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (he said that he felt blood on his hands), was not reassured by the words of US President Harry Truman: “It’s okay, it’s easily washed off with water.” Oppenheimer famously said that “we have done the devil’s work,” and “if atomic bombs join the arsenals of the warlike world as new weapons, the time will come when humanity will curse the names Los Alamos and Hiroshima.” Albert Einstein, who once called on the US government to develop nuclear weapons, radically revised his views and called for them to be abandoned in his dying will.
But what did American politicians care about these insights?
The use of new weapons by the United States was dictated primarily by political reasons. Washington demonstrated its power to the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, its claims to the role of a superpower that would determine the course of international development. The death of several hundred thousand civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not considered too high a price to pay for achieving this goal.
Members of the Soviet diplomatic mission in Tokyo were among the first foreign observers to see firsthand the consequences of the nuclear disaster. Their personal impressions, the eyewitness accounts of the bombings they recorded, bring to us the echo of the tragedy, allow us today, 70 years later, to understand the depth and horror of what happened, and serve as a stern warning about the terrible consequences of the use of nuclear weapons.
We offer some of these documents, which are still difficult to read today, for publication to Rodina magazine.
Spelling and punctuation have been preserved.
Note from the USSR Ambassador to Japan
vol. Stalin, Beria, Malenkov,
Mikoyan + me.
22.XI.45
V. Molotov
Materials on the consequences of the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; descriptions of our eyewitnesses and data from the Japanese press).
September 1945
The USSR Embassy in Tokyo sent a group of employees to inspect and become familiar with the consequences of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima (Japan). The employees were able to personally inspect the site and results of the explosion of this bomb, talk with the local population and eyewitnesses, and visit the hospital where people who suffered from the explosion of an atomic bomb were being treated. These employees presented everything they saw and heard, along with their personal impressions, in a special brief review included in this collection.
The second group of employees of the Embassy and the Soviet Military Mission in Tokyo visited Nagasaki to familiarize themselves with the consequences of the use of the atomic bomb there. The group also included a Soyuzkinokhronika cameraman, who filmed the scene of the atomic bomb explosion and the destruction caused by this explosion. The report on the results of the inspection of Nagasaki is drawn up and must be presented from Tokyo by Major General Voronov.
The embassy collected and translated into Russian the most significant articles from the Japanese press about the atomic bomb. Translations of these articles are also included in this collection.
Ambassador Y. Malik
AVPRF. F. 06. Op. 8. P. 7. D. 96.
"Only personal impressions"
Report of a group of Embassy workers who visited Hiroshima
The atomic bomb and the destruction it caused made a huge impression on the population of Japan. Popular rumor picks up press reports, distorts them and sometimes leads them to the point of absurdity. A rumor even spread that even today the appearance of people in the area of an atomic bomb explosion is associated with danger to life. We have repeatedly heard from both Americans and Japanese that after visiting areas exposed to the atomic bomb, women lose their ability to bear children, and men suffer from impotence.
These conversations were fueled by radio broadcasts from San Francisco, which stated that in the areas where the atomic bomb exploded, nothing living could exist for seventy years.
Not trusting all these rumors and reports and setting themselves the task of personally familiarizing themselves with the effects of the atomic bomb, a group of Embassy employees consisting of TASS correspondent Varshavsky, former acting military attache Romanov and naval officer Kikenin left for Hiroshima and Nagasaki on September 13. This condensed essay is limited to recording conversations with local residents and victims and a summary of personal impressions, without any generalizations or conclusions.
"He said it was safe to live here..."
A group of Embassy employees arrived in Hiroshima at dawn on September 14th. It was raining heavily continuously, which made it extremely difficult to explore the area and, most importantly, made it difficult to take photographs. The railway station and the city were destroyed to such an extent that there was even nowhere to shelter from the rain. The station chief and his employees took shelter in a hastily put together barn. The city is a scorched plain with towering 15-20 skeletons of reinforced concrete buildings.
Half a kilometer from the station we met an old Japanese woman who got out of her dugout and began to rummage through the fire. When asked where the atomic bomb fell, the old woman replied that there was a strong flash of lightning and a huge blow, as a result of which she fell and lost consciousness. Therefore, she does not remember where the bomb fell or what happened next.
Having walked further than 100 meters, we saw something like a canopy and hurried to take shelter there from the rain. We found a sleeping man under the canopy. He turned out to be an elderly Japanese man building a hut on the site of the ashes of his home. He said the following:
On August 6, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, the threat was lifted in Hiroshima. After 10 minutes, an American plane appeared over the city and at the same time a lightning strike occurred, they fell and died. Many people died. Then fires broke out. It was a clear day and the wind was blowing from the sea. The fire spread everywhere and even against the wind.
When asked how he remained alive while at home, which is located approximately 1-1.5 km from the place where the bomb fell, the old man replied that somehow it happened that he was not hit by the rays, but his house burned down, because The fire was raging everywhere.
For now, he said, it was safe to live here. On the outskirts of the city, several tens of thousands of people live in dugouts. It was dangerous for the first 5-10 days. In the first days, he noted, the people who came to help the victims died. Even fish died in shallow water. The plants are starting to come to life. I, the Japanese said, have cultivated a garden and expect that the shoots will begin soon.
And indeed, contrary to all claims, we saw how the grass began to turn green in various places and even new leaves appeared on some burnt trees.
"The victim is given vitamins B and C and vegetables..."
One of our group members was able to visit the Red Cross hospital in Hiroshima. It is located in a dilapidated building and houses victims of the atomic bomb. There are burned people and those who received other injuries, and among them are patients who were delivered 15-20 days after being wounded. This two-story building houses up to 80 patients. They are in an unsanitary condition. They mainly have burns on exposed parts of the body. Many received only severe injuries from glass. Those who were burned predominantly suffered burns on the face, arms and legs. Some worked only in shorts and caps, so most of their bodies were burned.
The body of those burned is dark brown with open wounds. They are all wrapped in bandages and smeared with a white ointment reminiscent of zinc. The eyes are not damaged. Severely injured people with burned extremities did not lose the ability to move their fingers and toes. Many were injured by glass, they had deep cuts to the bone. Individuals exposed bareheaded experienced hair loss. Upon recovery, hair begins to grow on the exposed skulls in separate tufts. Patients have a pale waxy complexion.
One injured man, 40-45 years old, was at a distance of 500 meters from the bomb falling. He worked at some electrical company plant. He has up to 2,700 white blood cells left in one cubic cm of blood. He came to the hospital on his own and is now recovering. We were unable to establish the reasons why he could have been saved at such a close distance from the bomb site. It was only possible to establish that he was working with electrical equipment. He has no burns, but his hair has come out. He is given vitamins B and C and vegetables. There is an increase in white blood cells.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"The doctor believes that protection against a uranium bomb is rubber..."
On the railway station, our attention was attracted by a man with a bandage on his arm, on which was written “help for the victims.” We asked him a question, and he said that he was an ear, nose and throat doctor and had gone to Hiroshima to help victims of the atomic bomb. This Japanese doctor named Fukuhara told us that three atomic bombs with parachutes were dropped on Hiroshima. According to him, he personally saw three parachutes from a distance of 14 km. Two unexploded bombs, according to the doctor, were picked up by the military and are now being studied.
Fukuhara arrived at the rescue site on the second day. After he drank water, he began to have diarrhea. Others fell ill with diarrhea after a day and a half. He said that the rays of the atomic bomb caused, first of all, a change in the composition of the blood. The doctor said that in one cubic centimeter of blood of a healthy person there are 8,000 white blood cells. As a result of exposure to an atomic bomb, the number of white blood cells is reduced to 3000, 2000, 1000 and even 300 and 200. As a result, severe bleeding from the nose, throat, eyes and, in women, uterine bleeding. The victims' temperature rises to 39-40 and 41 degrees. After 3-4 days, patients usually die. Sulfzone is used to lower the temperature. When treating victims, they resort to blood transfusions, and glucose and saline are also administered. When blood transfusion is carried out up to 100 g. blood.
The victims who drank water or washed themselves with water in the area where the bomb fell on the day it exploded, the doctor further said, died instantly. For 10 days after the bomb exploded, it was dangerous to work there: uranium rays continued to be emitted from the ground. Now staying in those places is considered safe, the doctor said, but this issue is not being studied. According to him, protective clothing against a uranium bomb is rubber and all kinds of insulators against electricity.
During our conversation with the doctor, an old Japanese man turned to him for advice. He pointed to the burnt neck that was not yet completely healed and asked if it would heal soon. The doctor examined my neck and said everything was fine. The old man told us that at the moment the bomb exploded, he fell and felt acute pain. I didn't lose consciousness. I continued to feel pain until recovery.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"The children sitting on the trees in the foliage survived..."
On the way to Nagasaki we got into conversation with two Japanese students. They told us that one girl, a relative of one of them, a few days after the bomb exploded, went to Hiroshima to find out about her relatives. After a long time, on August 25, she fell ill, and two days later, i.e. She died on August 27.
Driving around the city by car, we bombarded the Japanese driver with questions. He told us that there was no rescue work on the first day because the fire was raging everywhere. Work began only on the second day. No one was left alive in the area closest to the bomb explosion. The deaths were prisoners of war, mostly Filipinos working at the Mitsubishi Heiki munitions plant and Japanese workers at the Nagasaki Seiko plant. The atomic bomb, the driver said, fell in the area of the university hospital (Urakami area). The remains of the hospital have been preserved. All the hospital patients, along with the staff, doctors and director, died.
There is a strong cadaverous smell in the area where the bomb fell: many corpses have not yet been removed from the ruins and the fire. The driver told us that there were cases when children sat on trees in the foliage and remained alive, while those who were playing on the ground nearby died.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
American's opinion: "The Japanese greatly exaggerate the effectiveness of the atomic bomb..."
Most Japanese claim that the bomb over Hiroshima was dropped by parachute and exploded at a distance of 500-600 meters from the ground. In contrast, the chief of the medical service of the American Fifth Fleet, Spruence, Commander Willicutts, with whom we traveled back to Tokyo, argued that the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were dropped without a parachute. He also denied any possibility of an atomic bomb falling without exploding. He argued that after the bomb exploded, the area where it fell was safe. In his opinion, the Japanese greatly exaggerate the effectiveness of the atomic bomb.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"Even moles and worms in the ground die"
Reports about the effects of the atomic bomb that appeared in the Japanese press
"Mainiti" 15.8.
This study was compiled by Professor Asada based on a report from a committee of experts. There are the following characteristic signs of radiation, which strongly suggests that the emitted rays are ultraviolet rays.
The people behind the glass windows were injured by the blast wave, but did not receive burns. This is because ultraviolet rays do not pass through glass.
White clothes did not burn, but those wearing black or khaki clothes did burn. At the station, the black letters of the train schedule were burned, while the white paper was not damaged. Further, three people who were in a reinforced concrete building located at the site of the explosion and were holding aluminum plates in their hands received very severe burns to their hands, while there was no damage to other parts of the body. This can be explained by the position of the window, in which only this part was exposed to the rays, and the rays were reflected from the aluminum surface.
In the clear water river, the backs of the fish were burned, and many dead fish floated around two days later. This is apparently explained by the fact that ultraviolet rays pass through a water layer of several tens of centimeters.
The treatment of burns is exactly the same as the treatment of regular burns. As a rule, vegetable oil or sea water diluted by half or three times helps. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that staying for a long time at the site of an atomic bomb explosion has a very bad effect on the body due to the radiation that occurs.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
Four death radii
The destructive power of the atomic bomb
"Mainiti" 29.8.
In Hiroshima, all people and animals, as well as all living creatures, were destroyed, killed or injured within a radius of 5 km. from the site of the bomb explosion. As of August 22, the number of people killed in Hiroshima is more than 60,000. The wounded are dying one after another, and this figure is increasing more and more. Most of the wounded suffered from burns, however, these burns are not ordinary burns: they destroy the blood cells due to the special effect of uranium. People who receive this kind of burns gradually die. The number of victims currently stands at more than 120,000 people; this figure decreases as these people gradually die.
Even moles and worms in the ground die; This happens because uranium penetrates into the ground and emits radioactive rays. Those who appear in the affected area even after the raid experience some disturbance in the body. As a radio broadcast from the USA says: “Not a single living creature will be able to live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki even after 70 years.”
1. Within a radius of 100 m from the explosion site.
Casualties among the population. Those outside were killed, their entrails fell out, and were burned. Those who were inside the premises: inside wooden buildings - killed; in reinforced concrete buildings were seriously injured (burns, bruises, cuts from glass fragments); in poorly made shelters - killed.
2. Destruction within a radius of 100 meters to 2 km.
Casualties among the population: those who were outside the premises were killed or seriously wounded, some had their eyes out of their sockets. Many people suffered burns. Most of those inside were crushed and burned in their houses; with an iron frame - many were injured by glass fragments, received burns, some were thrown out into the street. They remained safe in the shelters, but some were thrown away along with the chairs they were sitting on.
An area of partial destruction within a radius of 2 to 4 km. from the rupture site.
Casualties among the population: those outside the premises received burns, those inside the premises received minor injuries, those in the shelters remained unharmed.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
Dead tram
Episodes of the consequences of the bombing.
"Mainiti" 15.8.
In addition to official reports about the destructive power of the atomic bomb, descriptions of a number of episodes appeared in the Japanese press, where various moments of the bombing and its consequences were given.
“Not far from the explosion site there is a charred shell of a tram. If you look from a distance, there are people standing inside the tram. However, if you come closer, you can see that these are corpses. The beam of the new bomb hit the tram and, together with the blast wave, did its job. Those Those who sat on the benches remained in the same form, those who stood hung on the straps that they held on to while the tram moved. Of the several dozen people, not one escaped death in this narrow tram car.
This is the place where people's volunteer detachments and student detachments worked to demolish buildings intended for dispersal. The rays from the new bomb hit their skin and burned through it in an instant. Many people fell in this place and never got up again. From the fire that then broke out, they burned without a trace.
There was a case when one group, wearing iron helmets, began to fight a fire. At this place one could then see the remains of helmets, in which bones of human heads were found.
One famous person burned to death. His wife and daughter ran out of the house, which was destroyed by the blast wave. They heard the voice of their husband calling for help. They themselves could not do anything and ran to the police station for help. When they returned, pillars of fire and smoke were rising from the site of the house.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"Until death, the wounded retain full consciousness..."
Correspondence from Hiroshima special correspondent" Matsuo
"Asahi", 23.8
At Hiroshima Station, considered one of the best stations in the Tsyugoku region, there is nothing but the rails glistening in the moonlight. We had to spend the night in a field in front of the station; the night was hot and stuffy, but despite this, not a single mosquito was noticeable.
The next morning we inspected the potato field located at the site where the bomb exploded. There is not a leaf or grass on the field. In the city center, only the skeletons of large reinforced concrete buildings of the Fukuya department store, bank branches - Nippon Ginko, Sumitomo Ginko, and the editorial office of the Chugoku Shimbun newspaper - remained. The remaining houses were reduced to piles of tiles.
The affected parts of those who received burns are covered with red ulcers. The crowds of people fleeing the fire site resembled crowds of the dead who had come from the other world. Although these victims received medical care and drugs were injected into the outer parts of their wounds, they still gradually died due to the destruction of cells. At first they said that there were 10 thousand killed, and then their number increased more and more and reached 100 thousand, as they say. Until death, the wounded remain fully conscious, many of them continue to beg “kill me quickly.”
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"The wounded cannot be healed..."
"Asahi", 23.8
Since the burn occurs due to the action of ultraviolet rays, it is not felt at first. After two hours, water blisters appear on the body. Despite the fact that immediately after the bombing, medicines were sent from Kure and Okayama and there was no shortage of them, the number of deaths is still constantly increasing. American radio at the time announced: “Hiroshima has become an area in which neither people nor animals will be able to live for 75 years. Actions such as sending experts to this area are tantamount to suicide.”
As a result of the destruction of uranium atoms, countless particles of uranium are created. The presence of uranium can be easily detected by approaching the affected area with a Geig Muller measuring tube, the needle of which shows an unusual deviation. This uranium has a bad effect on the human body and is the reason for such an increase in deaths. A study of red and white blood cells established the following: the blood of soldiers engaged in the restoration of the Western military training ground (at a distance of 1 km from the site of the bomb explosion a week after the bombing) was examined. Among the examined 33 people. 10 people had burns, the burned people had 3150 white blood cells, the healthy ones - 3800, which is a large reduction compared to 7-8 thousand white blood cells in a normal healthy person.
As for the red blood cells, the burned people had 3,650,000, the healthy people had 3,940,000, while normal healthy people have from 4.5 to 5 million red blood cells. As a result, the wounded cannot be healed because they are in Hiroshima. They experience headaches, dizziness, poor heart function, lack of appetite, poor taste in the mouth, and retention of natural bowel movements. The presence of uranium deals a major blow to the reconstruction of the city of Hiroshima.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
"The brutal nature used by American aviation is visible..."
Article by Professor Tsuzuki University of Tokyo.
"Asahi", 23.8
From the editor. The article below shows the brutal nature used by American aviation in Hiroshima. The luminary of our medical world could not save the life of the young artist, the wife of the famous artist Maruyama, who was touring with his traveling troupe in Hiroshima. Of the 17 members of this troupe, 13 died on the spot, the remaining four were taken to Tokyo University Hospital.
“The patient was a very healthy woman about 30 years old. She was admitted to the hospital on the 10th day after being wounded. During these 10 days, except for an extreme lack of appetite, there were no pronounced signs of illness. She was wounded in Hiroshima, and was at 2 - floor of a building in the Fukuya building area, close to the site of the atomic bomb explosion. During the collapse of the house, she received a slight wound in the back, no burns or fractures. After the injury, the patient herself boarded the train and returned to Tokyo.
After arriving in Tokyo, the weakness increased every day, there was a complete lack of appetite, the patient drank only water. After she was admitted to the hospital, a blood test was carried out and large changes were found. Namely, an extreme lack of white blood cells was identified; as a rule, it should be 1 cubic meter. mm. from 6 to 8 thousand bodies, however, only 500-600 were detected, only 1/10 of the norm. Their resistance was significantly weakened. On the 4th day of admission to the hospital, just two weeks after the injury, the patient’s hair began to fall out. At the same time, the abrasion on the back suddenly became more complicated. A blood transfusion was immediately given, other assistance was provided, and the patient became quite vigorous and healthy.
However, on August 24, on the 19th day after the wound, the patient died suddenly. As a result of the autopsy, remarkable changes were discovered in the insides. Namely, the bone marrow, which is the apparatus that produces blood globules, the liver, spleen, kidneys, and lymphatic vessels, are significantly damaged. It has been determined that these damages are exactly the same as those resulting from the strong use of X-rays or radium rays. Previously it was believed that the effect of an atomic bomb was twofold: destruction from the blast wave and burns from heat rays. Now the damage caused by the action of radiating substances is added to this.
AVPRF. F. 06, op. 8, p.7, no.96
A year after the trip of Soviet diplomats, in September 1946, another Soviet representative visited the site of the tragedy. We publish fragments of written and photographic reports from an employee of the Soviet representation in the Union Council for Japan - senior assistant political adviser V.A. Glinkina.
(AVPRF F. 0146, op. 30, p. 280, d. 13)
Work on the creation of a nuclear bomb began in the United States in September 1943, based on research by scientists from different countries that began back in 1939.
In parallel with this, a search was carried out for the pilots who were supposed to reset it. From the thousands of dossiers reviewed, several hundred were selected. Following an extremely tough selection process, Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbetts, who had served as a test pilot of Bi-29 aircraft since 1943, was appointed commander of the future formation. He was given the task: to create a combat unit of pilots to deliver the bomb to its destination.
Preliminary calculations showed that the bomber dropping the bomb would have only 43 seconds to leave the danger zone before the explosion occurred. Flight training continued daily for many months in the strictest secrecy.
Target Selection
On June 21, 1945, US Secretary of War Stimson held a meeting to discuss the choice of future targets:
- Hiroshima is a large industrial center, population about 400 thousand people;
- Kokura is an important strategic point, steel and chemical plants, population 173 thousand people;
- Nagasaki is the largest shipyard, population 300 thousand people.
Kyoto and Niigata were also on the list of potential targets, but serious controversy erupted over them. It was proposed to exclude Niigata due to the fact that the city was located much further north than the others and was relatively small, and the destruction of Kyoto, which was a holy city, could embitter the Japanese and lead to increased resistance.
On the other hand, Kyoto, with its large area, was of interest as an object for assessing the power of the bomb. Proponents of choosing this city as a target, among other things, were interested in accumulating statistical data, since until that moment atomic weapons had never been used in combat conditions, but only at test sites. The bombing was required not only to physically destroy the chosen target, but to demonstrate the strength and power of the new weapon, as well as to have the greatest possible psychological effect on the population and government of Japan.
On July 26, the United States, Britain and China adopted the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded unconditional surrender from the Empire. Otherwise, the Allies threatened the rapid and complete destruction of the country. However, this document made no mention of the use of weapons of mass destruction. The Japanese government rejected the declaration's demands, and the Americans continued preparations for the operation.
For the most effective bombing, suitable weather and good visibility were required. Based on data from the meteorological service, the first week of August, approximately after the 3rd, was considered the most suitable for the foreseeable future.
Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 2, 1945, Colonel Tibbetts's unit received a secret order for the first atomic bombing in human history, the date of which was set for August 6. Hiroshima was chosen as the main target of the attack, with Kokura and Nagasaki as backup targets (in case visibility conditions worsened). All other American aircraft were prohibited from being within the 80-kilometer radius of these cities during the bombing.
On August 6, before the start of the operation, the pilots received glasses with dark lenses designed to protect their eyes from light radiation. The planes took off from the island of Tinian, where the American military aviation base was located. The island is located 2.5 thousand km from Japan, so the flight took about 6 hours.
Together with the Bi-29 bomber, called the “Enola Gay,” which carried the “Little Boy” barrel-type atomic bomb, 6 more aircraft took to the skies: three reconnaissance aircraft, one spare, and two carrying special measuring equipment.
Visibility over all three cities allowed for bombing, so it was decided not to deviate from the original plan. At 8:15 am there was an explosion - the Enola Gay bomber dropped a 5-ton bomb on Hiroshima, after which it made a 60-degree turn and began to move away at the highest possible speed.
Consequences of the explosion
The bomb exploded 600m from the surface. Most of the houses in the city were equipped with stoves that were heated with charcoal. Many townspeople were just preparing breakfast at the time of the attack. Overturned by a blast wave of incredible force, the stoves caused massive fires in those parts of the city that were not destroyed immediately after the explosion.
The heat wave melted house tiles and granite slabs. Within a radius of 4 km, all wooden telegraph poles were burned. The people who were at the epicenter of the explosion instantly evaporated, enveloped in hot plasma, the temperature of which was about 4000 degrees Celsius. Powerful light radiation left only shadows of human bodies on the walls of houses. 9 out of 10 people within an 800-meter zone from the epicenter of the explosion died instantly. The shock wave swept at a speed of 800 km/h, turning into rubble all buildings within a 4 km radius, except for a few built taking into account increased seismic hazard.
The plasma ball evaporated moisture from the atmosphere. The cloud of steam reached the colder layers and, mixing with dust and ash, immediately poured black rain onto the ground.
Then the wind hit the city, blowing towards the epicenter of the explosion. Due to the heating of the air caused by the flaring fires, the wind gusts became so strong that large trees were torn out by their roots. Huge waves arose on the river, in which people drowned as they tried to escape in the water from the fire tornado that engulfed the city, destroying 11 km2 of the area. According to various estimates, the number of deaths in Hiroshima was 200-240 thousand people, of which 70-80 thousand died immediately after the explosion.
All communication with the city was severed. In Tokyo, they noticed that the local Hiroshima radio station had disappeared from the air and the telegraph line had stopped working. After some time, information began to arrive from regional railway stations about an explosion of incredible force.
An officer of the General Staff urgently flew to the scene of the tragedy, who later wrote in his memoirs that what struck him most was the lack of streets - the city was evenly covered with rubble, it was not possible to determine where and what was just a few hours ago.
Officials in Tokyo could not believe that damage of such magnitude was caused by just one bomb. Representatives of the Japanese General Staff turned to scientists for clarification on what weapons could cause such destruction. One of the physicists, Dr. I. Nishina, suggested the use of a nuclear bomb, since rumors had been circulating among scientists for some time about attempts by the Americans to create one. The physicist finally confirmed his assumptions after a personal visit to the destroyed Hiroshima, accompanied by military personnel.
On August 8, the US Air Force command was finally able to assess the effect of its operation. Aerial photography showed that 60% of the buildings located on an area of \u200b\u200ba total area of 12 km2 turned into dust, the rest were piles of rubble.
Bombing of Nagasaki
An order was issued to compile leaflets in Japanese with photographs of the destroyed Hiroshima and a full description of the effect of a nuclear explosion, for their subsequent distribution over Japanese territory. In case of refusal to surrender, the leaflets contained threats to continue the atomic bombing of Japanese cities.
However, the American government was not going to wait for the Japanese reaction, since it did not initially plan to get by with just one bomb. The next attack, planned for August 12, was postponed to the 9th due to the expected worsening of the weather.
Kokura was assigned as the target, with Nagasaki as a backup option. Kokura was very lucky - cloud cover, together with a smoke screen from a burning steel plant, which had been subjected to an air raid the day before, made visual bombing impossible. The plane headed towards Nagasaki, and at 11:02 am dropped its deadly cargo on the city.
Within a radius of 1.2 km from the epicenter of the explosion, all living things died almost instantly, turning to ashes under the influence of thermal radiation. The shock wave reduced residential buildings to rubble and destroyed a steel mill. The thermal radiation was so powerful that the skin of people who were not covered by clothing, located 5 km from the explosion, was burned and wrinkled. 73 thousand people died instantly, 35 thousand died in terrible suffering a little later.
On the same day, the US President addressed his compatriots on the radio, thanking in his speech the higher powers for the fact that the Americans were the first to receive nuclear weapons. Truman asked God for guidance and guidance on how to most effectively use atomic bombs for higher purposes.
At that time, there was no urgent need for the bombing of Nagasaki, but, apparently, research interest played a role, no matter how scary and cynical it may sound. The fact is that the bombs differed in design and active substance. The Little Boy that destroyed Hiroshima was a uranium bomb, while the Fat Man that destroyed Nagasaki was a plutonium-239 bomb.
There are archival documents proving the US intention to drop another atomic bomb on Japan. A telegram dated August 10, addressed to the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, reported that, given appropriate meteorological conditions, the next bombing could be carried out on August 17-18.
On August 8, 1945, fulfilling the obligations undertaken within the framework of the Potsdam and Yalta conferences, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, whose government still harbored hopes of reaching agreements to avoid unconditional surrender. This event, coupled with the overwhelming effect of the American use of nuclear weapons, forced the least militant members of the cabinet to appeal to the emperor with recommendations to accept any conditions of the United States and allies.
Some of the most militant officers tried to stage a coup to prevent such a development of events, but the plot failed.
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito publicly announced Japan's surrender. Nevertheless, clashes between Japanese and Soviet troops in Manchuria continued for several more weeks.
On August 28, the American-British allied forces began the occupation of Japan, and on September 2, on board the battleship Missouri, the act of surrender was signed, ending World War II.
Long-term consequences of atomic bombings
A few weeks after the explosions, which claimed hundreds of thousands of Japanese lives, people who at first seemed unaffected suddenly began to die en masse. At that time, the effects of radiation exposure were little understood. People continued to live in contaminated areas, not realizing the danger that ordinary water began to carry, as well as the ashes that covered the destroyed cities with a thin layer.
Japan learned that the cause of death of people who survived the atomic bombing was some previously unknown disease thanks to the actress Midori Naka. The theater troupe in which Naka played arrived in Hiroshima a month before the events, where they rented a house for living, located 650m from the epicenter of the future explosion, after which 13 of the 17 people died on the spot. Midori not only remained alive, but was practically unharmed, apart from minor scratches, although all her clothes were simply burned. Fleeing from the fire, the actress rushed to the river and jumped into the water, from where soldiers pulled her out and provided first aid.
Finding herself in Tokyo a few days later, Midori went to the hospital, where she was examined by the best Japanese doctors. Despite all efforts, the woman died, but doctors had the opportunity to observe the development and course of the disease for almost 9 days. Before her death, it was believed that the vomiting and bloody diarrhea that many victims experienced were symptoms of dysentery. Officially, Midori Naka is considered the first person to die from radiation sickness, and it was her death that sparked widespread discussion about the consequences of radiation poisoning. 18 days passed from the moment of the explosion until the death of the actress.
However, soon after the Allied occupation of Japanese territory began, newspaper references to the victims of American bombings gradually began to fade away. During almost 7 years of occupation, American censorship prohibited any publications on this topic.
For those who were victims of the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a special term “hibakusha” appeared. Several hundred people found themselves in a situation where talking about their health became taboo. Any attempts to remind of the tragedy were suppressed - it was forbidden to make films, write books, poems, songs. It was impossible to express compassion, ask for help, or collect donations for the victims.
For example, a hospital created by a group of enthusiastic doctors in Ujin to help the hibakusha was closed at the request of the occupation authorities, and all documentation, including medical records, was confiscated.
In November 1945, at the suggestion of the US President, the ABCS Center was created to study the effects of radiation on survivors of explosions. The organization's clinic, which opened in Hiroshima, conducted only examinations and did not provide medical care to the victims. The center's staff were especially interested in those who were hopelessly ill and died as a result of radiation sickness. Essentially, the purpose of the ABCS was to collect statistical data.
Only after the end of the American occupation did they begin to speak out loud about the problems of the hibakusha in Japan. In 1957, each victim was given a document indicating how far he was from the epicenter at the time of the explosion. To this day, victims of the bombings and their descendants receive material and medical assistance from the state. However, within the rigid framework of Japanese society there was no place for the “hibakusha” - several hundred thousand people became a separate caste. The rest of the residents, if possible, avoided communication, much less creating a family with the victims, especially after they began to have children with developmental defects en masse. Most of the pregnancies in women living in cities at the time of the bombing ended in miscarriages or the death of babies immediately after birth. Only a third of pregnant women in the explosion zone gave birth to children who did not have serious abnormalities.
The feasibility of destroying Japanese cities
Japan continued the war even after the surrender of its main ally Germany. In a report presented at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the estimated date for the end of the war with Japan was assumed to be no earlier than 18 months after Germany surrendered. According to the USA and Great Britain, the USSR's entry into the war against the Japanese could help reduce the duration of combat operations, casualties and material costs. As a result of the agreements, I. Stalin promised to act on the side of the Allies within 3 months after the end of the war with the Germans, which was done on August 8, 1945.
Was the use of nuclear weapons really necessary? Disputes about this have not stopped to this day. The destruction of two Japanese cities, amazing in its cruelty, was such a senseless action at that time that it gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories.
One of them claims that the bombing was not an urgent need, but only a show of force to the Soviet Union. The USA and Great Britain united with the USSR only unwillingly, in the fight against a common enemy. However, as soon as the danger passed, yesterday’s allies immediately became ideological opponents again. The Second World War redrew the map of the world, changing it beyond recognition. The winners established their order, simultaneously testing out future rivals, with whom only yesterday they were sitting in the same trenches.
Another theory claims that Hiroshima and Nagasaki became testing sites. Although the United States tested the first atomic bomb on a deserted island, the true power of the new weapon could only be assessed in real conditions. The still unfinished war with Japan provided the Americans with a golden opportunity, while providing an iron-clad justification with which politicians repeatedly covered themselves later. They were “simply saving the lives of ordinary American guys.”
Most likely, the decision to use nuclear bombs was made as a result of a combination of all these factors.
- After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the situation developed in such a way that the Allies were not able to force Japan to surrender only on their own.
- The entry of the Soviet Union into the war obligated subsequently to listen to the opinion of the Russians.
- The military was naturally interested in testing new weapons in real conditions.
- Demonstrate to a potential enemy who is boss - why not?
The only justification for the United States is the fact that the consequences of the use of such weapons had not been studied at the time of their use. The effect exceeded all expectations and sobered even the most militant.
In March 1950, the Soviet Union announced the creation of its own atomic bomb. Nuclear parity was achieved in the 70s of the twentieth century.
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