When the nuclear explosion occurred in Hiroshima. Comparative preservation of some buildings. If anyone survived the nuclear explosion, tens of thousands of people began to suffer from radiation sickness

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 bomber "Enola Gay", named after the mother (Enola Gay Haggard) of the crew commander, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima atomic bomb"Little Boy" is the equivalent of 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, as part of the Manhattan Project, completed preparatory work to create the first operational 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 civilians). 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 this weapon against a purely military target, since there was a chance of overshooting a 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 due to the fact that its population had a higher level of 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 true meaning 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 a few days before the Potsdam Conference. 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, was 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 arrived at Tinian strategic aviation US General Carl Spaatz, 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.

Bombing of Hiroshima August 6, 1945 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 incoming aircraft was very small - perhaps no more than three - and the air raid alert was canceled. 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

Explosion effect

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. Light radiation burned the dark pattern of clothing into the skin and left silhouettes 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 the sunlight and plunged the world into darkness. Red was the color of blood flowing from wounded and broken people. It was also the color of the fires that burned everything in the city. Brown was the color of burnt skin falling off the body, exposed to the light radiation from the explosion.

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 paid any attention to mysterious deaths people who survived the explosion and died under circumstances unknown to the science of that time. Jung believes that Midori's death was the impetus for accelerating research in 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 that 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.

Military bases repeatedly tried to call the Hiroshima Command and Control Center. The complete silence from there was baffling General base, since it knew that there was no major enemy raid in Hiroshima and there was no significant warehouse explosives. 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 the effects of radioactive contamination and other post-effects of the explosion total The death toll ranged from 90 to 166 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 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 frames did not collapse, despite being quite close to the center of destruction in the city (the epicenter of the explosion). This is how the brick building of the Hiroshima Chamber of Industry (now commonly known as the "Genbaku Dome", or "Atomic Dome"), designed and built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, survived, which was only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion (at the height of the bomb detonation 600 m above the surface). The ruins became the most famous artifact of the Hiroshima atomic explosion and were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, despite objections from the US and Chinese governments.

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

We are now ready to destroy, even faster and more completely than before, all Japanese land-based production facilities in any city. We will destroy their docks, their factories and their communications. Let there be no misunderstanding - we will completely destroy Japan's ability to wage war.

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. Military leadership also believed that if it could hold out until the invasion of the Japanese islands, it would be possible to inflict such losses on the Allied forces that Japan would be able to 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.

Bombing of Nagasaki August 9, 1945 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 was chaotic: 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, acquired special meaning also as an industrial center in which 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.

Nagasaki before and after the atomic explosion

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. Even before takeoff, a problem with the fuel pump in one of the spare fuel tanks was discovered. 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 explosion occurred at 11:02 local time at an altitude of about 500 meters. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons.

Explosion effect

Japanese boy whose upper body was not covered during the explosion

The hastily aimed bomb exploded almost halfway between the two main targets in Nagasaki, the Mitsubishi steel and gun works in the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami torpedo factory in the north. If the bomb had been dropped further south, between business and residential areas, the damage would have been much greater.

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 flew 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 at his disposal a new terrible weapon that can take many innocent lives and cause immeasurable 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, the Commission to Study the Consequences of Atomic Explosions was created at the direction of Truman to study the long-term effects of radiation on survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. National Academy Sciences USA. 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. Japanese origin(English).

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.

On August 6, 1945, the United States used its most powerful weapon of mass destruction to date. It was an atomic bomb, equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT. The city of Hiroshima was completely destroyed, tens of thousands of civilians were killed. While Japan was recovering from this devastation, three days later the United States again launched a second nuclear strike on Nagasaki, under the guise of a desire to achieve Japanese surrender.

Bombing of Hiroshima

At 2:45 a.m. Monday, a Boeing B-29 Enola Gay took off from Tinian, one of the islands in the northern part of Pacific Ocean, 1500 km from Japan. A team of 12 specialists were on board to ensure how smoothly the mission would go. The crew was commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbetts, who named the aircraft "Enola Gay". That was his own mother's name. Right before takeoff, the name of the plane was written on board.

"Enola Gay" was a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber (aircraft 44-86292), as part of a special air group. In order to deliver such a heavy cargo as a nuclear bomb, the Enola Gay was modernized: the latest propellers, engines, and quickly opening bomb bay doors were installed. Such modernization was carried out only on a few B-29s. Despite the modernization of the Boeing, it had to drive the entire runway to gain the speed required for takeoff.

A couple more bombers were flying next to the Enola Gay. Three more planes took off earlier to check weather conditions over possible targets. A ten-foot (more than 3 meters) long “Little” nuclear bomb was suspended from the ceiling of the plane. In the Manhattan Project (the development of US nuclear weapons), Navy Captain William Parsons took an important part in the development of the atomic bomb. On the Enola Gay plane, he joined the team as a specialist in charge of the bomb. To avoid possible explosion bombs during takeoff, it was decided to put a combat charge on it right in flight. Already in the air, Parsons exchanged the bomb plugs for combat charges in 15 minutes. As he later recalled: “At the moment when I set the charge, I knew what “Baby” would bring to the Japanese, but I did not feel much emotion about it.

The Baby bomb was created based on uranium-235. It was the result of $2 billion worth of research, but never tested. No nuclear bomb has ever been dropped from an airplane. The US chose 4 Japanese cities for bombing:

• Hiroshima;
• Kokura;
• Nagasaki;
• Niigata.

At first there was also Kyoto, but later it was crossed off the list. These cities were centers of military industry, arsenals, and military ports. The first bomb was going to be dropped to advertise the full power and more impressive importance of the weapon in order to attract international attention and hasten Japan's surrender.

First bombing target

On August 6, 1945, the clouds cleared over Hiroshima. At 8:15 a.m. (local time), the Enola Gay's hatch swung open and the Little One flew toward the city. The fuse was set at a height of 600 meters from the ground, at an altitude of 1900 feet the device detonated. Gunner George Caron described the sight he saw through the rear window: “The cloud was shaped like a mushroom of a seething mass of purple-ash smoke, with a fiery core inside. It looked like lava flows engulfing the entire city."

Experts estimate the cloud rose to 40,000 feet. Robert Lewis recalled: “Where we had clearly seen the city a couple of minutes ago, we could already see only smoke and fire creeping up the sides of the mountain.” Almost all of Hiroshima was razed to the ground. Even three miles away, out of 90,000 buildings, 60,000 were destroyed. The metal and stone simply melted, the clay tiles melted. Unlike many previous bombings, the target of this raid was not just one military installation, but an entire city. The atomic bomb, apart from the military, mostly killed civilians. Hiroshima's population was 350,000, of whom 70,000 died instantly directly from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radioactive contamination over the next five years.

A witness who survived the atomic explosion described: “The people’s skin turned black from burns, they were completely bald, since their hair was burned, it was not clear whether it was the face or the back of the head. The skin on their arms, faces and bodies was hanging down. If there were one or two such people, the shock would not be such a strong one. But wherever I walked, I saw just such people all around, many died right along the road - I still remember them as walking ghosts.”

Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

As the people of Japan tried to comprehend the destruction of Hiroshima, the United States was planning a second nuclear strike. It was not delayed so that Japan could surrender, but was carried out immediately three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. On August 9, 1945, another B-29 Bockscar (“Bock machine”) took off from Tinian at 3:49 am. The initial target for the second bombing was supposed to be the city of Kokura, but it was covered by dense clouds. The reserve target was Nagasaki. At 11:02 a.m., the second atomic bomb was detonated 1,650 feet above the city.

Fuji Urata Matsumoto, who miraculously survived, spoke about the terrible scene: “The pumpkin field was completely demolished by the explosion. Nothing remained of the entire mass of the harvest. Instead of a pumpkin, there was a woman's head lying in the garden. I tried to look at her, maybe I knew her. The head was of a woman about forty, I have never seen it here, maybe it was brought from another part of the city. A gold tooth gleamed in the mouth, singed hair hung down, the eyeballs were burned and black holes remained.”

Nuclear weapons have been used for combat purposes only twice in the entire history of mankind. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 showed how dangerous it could be. Exactly real experience the use of nuclear weapons was able to keep two powerful powers (the USA and the USSR) from starting a third world war.

Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

During World War II, millions of innocent people suffered. The leaders of world powers blindly put the lives of soldiers and civilians on the line, hoping to achieve superiority in the struggle for world domination. One of the most terrible disasters in world history was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as a result of which about 200 thousand people were killed, and the total number of people who died during and after the explosion (from radiation) reached 500 thousand.

There are still only speculations about what led the President of the United States of America to order the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Did he realize, did he know, what destruction and consequences a nuclear bomb would leave after the explosion? Or was this action intended to demonstrate combat power in front of the USSR in order to completely kill any thoughts of attacks on the United States?

History has not preserved the motives that motivated the 33rd US President Harry Truman when he ordered a nuclear attack on Japan, but only one thing can be said with certainty: it was the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that forced the Japanese emperor to sign surrender.

In order to try to understand the motives of the United States, one must carefully consider the situation that arose in the political arena in those years.

Emperor Hirohito of Japan

Japanese Emperor Hirohito had good leadership abilities. In order to expand his lands, in 1935 he decided to capture all of China, which at that time was a backward agrarian country. Following the example of Hitler (with whom Japan entered into a military alliance in 1941), Hirohito begins to conquer China using methods favored by the Nazis.

In order to cleanse China of its indigenous inhabitants, Japanese troops used chemical weapons, which were banned. Inhumane experiments were carried out on the Chinese, with the goal of finding out the limits of viability human body at different situations. In total, about 25 million Chinese died during Japanese expansion, most of whom were children and women.

It is possible that the nuclear bombing of Japanese cities might not have taken place if, after concluding a military pact with Hitler's Germany, the Emperor of Japan had not given the order to launch an attack on Pearl Harbor, thereby provoking the United States to enter World War II. After this event, the date of the nuclear attack begins to approach with inexorable speed.

When it became clear that Germany's defeat was inevitable, the question of Japan's surrender seemed to be a matter of time. However japanese emperor, the embodiment of samurai arrogance and a true God for his subjects, ordered all the inhabitants of the country to fight to the last drop of blood. Everyone, without exception, had to resist the invader, from soldiers to women and children. Knowing the mentality of the Japanese, there was no doubt that the residents would carry out the will of their emperor.

In order to force Japan to capitulate, radical measures had to be taken. The atomic explosion, which occurred first in Hiroshima and then in Nagasaki, turned out to be precisely the impetus that convinced the emperor of the futility of resistance.

Why was a nuclear attack chosen?

Although the number of versions of why a nuclear attack was chosen to intimidate Japan is quite large, the following versions should be considered the main ones:

1. Most historians (especially American) insist that the damage caused by dropped bombs is several times less than what could have been caused by a bloody invasion of American troops. According to this version, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not sacrificed in vain, since it saved the lives of the remaining millions of Japanese;
2. According to the second version, the purpose of the nuclear attack was to show the USSR how advanced US military weapons were in order to intimidate a possible enemy. In 1945, the US President was informed that activity of Soviet troops had been noticed in the area of ​​the border with Turkey (which was an ally of England). Perhaps this is why Truman decided to intimidate the Soviet leader;
3. The third version says that the nuclear attack on Japan was American revenge for Pearl Harbor.

At the Potsdam Conference, which took place from July 17 to August 2, the fate of Japan was decided. Three states - the USA, England and the USSR, led by their leaders, signed the declaration. It talked about the sphere of post-war influence, although the Second World War was not finished yet. One of the points of this declaration spoke of the immediate surrender of Japan.

This document was sent to the Japanese government, which rejected this proposal. Following the example of their emperor, members of the government decided to continue the war to the end. After this, the fate of Japan was decided. Since the US military command was looking for where to use the latest atomic weapons, the President approved the atomic bombing of Japanese cities.

The coalition against Nazi Germany was on the verge of breaking (due to the fact that there was one month left before victory), the allied countries were unable to come to an agreement. The different policies of the USSR and the USA ultimately led these states to the Cold War.

The fact that US President Harry Truman was informed about the start of nuclear bomb testing on the eve of the meeting in Potsdam played a role important role in the decision of the head of state. Wanting to intimidate Stalin, Truman hinted to the Generalissimo that he had a new weapon ready, which could leave huge casualties after the explosion.

Stalin ignored this statement, although he soon called Kurchatov and ordered the completion of work on the development of Soviet nuclear weapons.

Having not received Stalin's answer, the American president decides to launch atomic bombing at his own peril and risk.

Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen for nuclear attack?

In the spring of 1945, the US military had to select suitable sites for full-scale nuclear bomb testing. Even then, it was possible to notice the prerequisites that the last test of an American nuclear bomb was planned to be carried out at a civilian facility. The list of requirements created by scientists for the latest nuclear bomb test looked like this:

1. The object had to be on a plain so that the blast wave would not be hampered by uneven terrain;
2. Urban development should be made of wood as much as possible so that the destruction from fire is maximum;
3. The property must have maximum building density;
4. The size of the object must exceed 3 kilometers in diameter;
5. The selected city must be located as far as possible from enemy military bases in order to exclude the intervention of enemy military forces;
6. For a strike to bring maximum benefit, it must be delivered to a large industrial center.

These requirements indicate that the nuclear strike was most likely something that had been planned for a long time, and Germany could well have been in Japan’s place.

The intended targets were 4 Japanese cities. These are Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kyoto and Kokura. Of these, it was only necessary to select two real targets, since there were only two bombs. An American expert on Japan, Professor Reishower, begged to remove the city of Kyoto from the list, since it was of enormous historical value. It is unlikely that this request could have influenced the decision, but then the Minister of Defense intervened and held a meeting in Kyoto Honeymoon with my wife. They met the minister and Kyoto was saved from nuclear strike.

Kyoto's place on the list was taken by the city of Kokura, which was chosen as a target along with Hiroshima (although later weather conditions made their own adjustments, and Nagasaki had to be bombed instead of Kokura). The cities had to be large and the destruction large-scale so that the Japanese people would be horrified and stop resisting. Of course, the main thing was to influence the position of the emperor.

Research by historians from around the world shows that the American side was not at all concerned about the moral side of the issue. Tens and hundreds of potential civilian casualties were of no concern to either the government or the military.

After looking through entire volumes of secret materials, historians came to the conclusion that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were doomed in advance. There were only two bombs, and these cities had a convenient geographical location. In addition, Hiroshima was a very densely built-up city, and an attack on it could unleash the full potential of a nuclear bomb. The city of Nagasaki was the largest industrial center working for the defense industry. It was produced there a large number of guns and military equipment.

Details of the bombing of Hiroshima

The military strike on the Japanese city of Hiroshima was planned in advance and carried out in accordance with a clear plan. Each point of this plan was clearly implemented, which indicates careful preparation this operation.

On July 26, 1945, a nuclear bomb named "Baby" was delivered to the island of Tinian. By the end of the month, all preparations were completed and the bomb was ready for combat operation. After checking meteorological readings, the date of the bombing was set - August 6. On this day the weather was excellent and the bomber, with a nuclear bomb on board, took off into the air. Its name (Enola Gay) was remembered for a long time not only by the victims of the nuclear attack, but also by all of Japan.

The plane is in flight, deathly on board, they were accompanied by three planes, whose task was to determine the direction of the wind so that the atomic bomb would hit the target as accurately as possible. An airplane was flying behind the bomber, which was supposed to record all the data from the explosion using sensitive equipment. A bomber was flying at a safe distance with a photographer on board. Several aircraft flying towards the city did not cause any concern either to the Japanese air defense forces or to the civilian population.

Although Japanese radars detected the approaching enemy, they did not raise the alarm because of a small group of military aircraft. Residents were warned about a possible bombing, but they continued to work quietly. Since the nuclear strike was not like a conventional air raid, not a single Japanese fighter took off to intercept it. Even the artillery did not pay attention to the approaching planes.

At 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay bomber dropped a nuclear bomb. This release was carried out using a parachute to enable the group of attacking aircraft to move to a safe distance. Having dropped the bomb at an altitude of 9,000 meters, the battle group turned around and left.

Having flown about 8,500 meters, the bomb exploded at an altitude of 576 meters from the ground. A deafening explosion covered the city with an avalanche of fire, which destroyed everything in its path. Directly at the epicenter, people simply disappeared, leaving behind only the so-called “shadows of Hiroshima.” All that remained of the person was a dark silhouette imprinted on the floor or walls. At a distance from the epicenter, people were burning alive, turning into black firebrands. Those who were on the outskirts of the city were a little more fortunate; many of them survived, having received only terrible burns.

This day became a day of mourning not only in Japan, but throughout the world. About 100,000 people died that day, and the following years claimed the lives of several hundred thousand more. All of them died from radiation burns and radiation sickness. According to official statistics from the Japanese authorities as of January 2017, the number of deaths and injuries from the American uranium bomb is 308,724 people.

Hiroshima today is largest city Chugoku region. The city has a memorial dedicated to the victims of the American atomic bombing.

What happened in Hiroshima on the day of the tragedy

First official sources Japan said that the city of Hiroshima was attacked by new bombs that were dropped from several American aircraft. People did not yet know that the new bombs destroyed tens of thousands of lives in an instant, and the consequences of a nuclear explosion would last for decades.

It is possible that even the American scientists who created atomic weapons did not imagine what consequences radiation would have for people. For 16 hours after the explosion, not a single signal was received from Hiroshima. Noticing this, the Broadcast Station operator began making attempts to contact the city, but the city remained silent.

After a short period of time, incomprehensible and confusing information came from the railway station, which was located not far from the city, from which the Japanese authorities understood only one thing: an enemy raid had been carried out on the city. It was decided to send the plane for reconnaissance, since the authorities knew for sure that no serious enemy combat air groups had broken through the front line.

Approaching the city at a distance of about 160 kilometers, the pilot and the officer accompanying him saw a huge dust cloud. As they flew closer, they saw a terrible picture of destruction: the entire city was ablaze with fires, and smoke and dust made it difficult to discern the details of the tragedy.

Having landed in a safe place, the Japanese officer reported to the command that the city of Hiroshima had been destroyed by US aircraft. After this, the military began to selflessly provide assistance to their wounded and shell-shocked compatriots from the bomb explosion.

This disaster united all the surviving people into one big family. Wounded people, barely able to stand, cleared the rubble and put out fires, trying to save as many compatriots as possible.

Washington made an official statement about the successful operation only 16 hours after the bombing.

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

The city of Nagasaki, which was an industrial center, was never subjected to massive air strikes. They tried to preserve it to demonstrate the enormous power of the atomic bomb. Only a few high-explosive bombs damaged weapons factories, shipyards and medical hospitals a week before the terrible tragedy.

Now it seems incredible, but Nagasaki became the second Japanese city to be subjected to nuclear bombing, only by chance. The initial target was the city of Kokura.

The second bomb was delivered and loaded onto the plane, following the same plan as in the case of Hiroshima. The plane with the nuclear bomb took off and flew towards the city of Kokura. On approach to the island, three American planes had to meet to record the explosion of an atomic bomb.

Two planes met, but they did not wait for the third. Contrary to the forecast of meteorologists, the sky over Kokura became clouded, and visual dropping of the bomb became impossible. After circling over the island for 45 minutes and not waiting for the third plane, the commander of the plane, who was carrying a nuclear bomb on board, noticed problems in the fuel supply system. Since the weather had completely deteriorated, it was decided to fly to the reserve target area - the city of Nagasaki. The group, consisting of two aircraft, flew to an alternate target.

On August 9, 1945, at 7:50 a.m., the residents of Nagasaki woke up to an air raid signal and went down to shelters and bomb shelters. After 40 minutes, considering the alarm not worthy of attention, and classifying the two aircraft as reconnaissance aircraft, the military canceled it. People went about their normal business, not suspecting that an atomic explosion was about to occur.

The Nagasaki attack went exactly the same way as the Hiroshima attack, only high clouds almost ruined the Americans' bomb release. Literally in the last minutes, when the fuel supply was at its limit, the pilot noticed a “window” in the clouds and dropped a nuclear bomb at an altitude of 8,800 meters.

The carelessness of Japanese forces is astonishing air defense, who, despite news of a similar attack on Hiroshima, did not take any measures to neutralize American military aircraft.

The atomic bomb, called “Fat Man,” exploded at 11:20 a.m. and within a few seconds turned a beautiful city into a kind of hell on earth. 40,000 people died in an instant, and another 70,000 suffered terrible burns and injuries.

Consequences of nuclear bombings of Japanese cities

The consequences of a nuclear attack on Japanese cities were unpredictable. In addition to those killed at the time of the explosion and during the first year after it, radiation continued to kill people long years. As a result, the number of victims doubled.

Thus, the nuclear attack brought the United States a long-awaited victory, and Japan had to make concessions. The consequences of the nuclear bombing struck Emperor Hirohito so much that he unconditionally accepted the terms of the Potsdam Conference. Based on official version, a nuclear attack carried out by the US military achieved exactly what the American government wanted.

In addition, the USSR troops, which accumulated on the border with Turkey, were urgently transferred to Japan, to which the USSR declared war. According to members of the Soviet Politburo, upon learning of the consequences caused by nuclear explosions, Stalin said that the Turks were lucky because the Japanese had sacrificed themselves for them.

Only two weeks passed after the entry of Soviet troops into Japanese territory, and Emperor Hirohito had already signed an act of unconditional surrender. This day (September 2, 1945) went down in history as the day the Second World War ended.

Was there an urgent need to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Even in modern Japan, debate continues over whether the nuclear bombing was necessary or not. Scientists from all over the world are painstakingly studying secret documents and archives from the Second World War. Most researchers agree that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sacrificed to end the world war.

The famous Japanese historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa believes that the atomic bombing was launched to prevent the expansion of the Soviet Union into Asian countries. This also allowed the United States to assert itself as a leader in military terms, which they succeeded brilliantly. After the nuclear explosion, arguing with the United States was very dangerous.

If you adhere to this theory, then Hiroshima and Nagasaki were simply sacrificed to the political ambitions of superpowers. Tens of thousands of victims were completely ignored.

One can guess what could have happened if the USSR had managed to complete the development of its nuclear bomb before the United States. It is possible that the atomic bombing would not have happened then.

Modern nuclear weapons are thousands of times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japanese cities. It is difficult to even imagine what could happen if the world's two largest powers started a nuclear war.

The most little-known facts regarding the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Although the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is known throughout the world, there are facts that only a few know:

1. A man who managed to survive in hell. Although everyone near the epicenter of the explosion died during the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, one person, who was in a basement 200 meters from the epicenter, managed to survive;
   
2. War is war, but the tournament must continue. At a distance of less than 5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima, a tournament in the ancient Chinese game “Go” was taking place. Although the explosion destroyed the building and many participants were injured, the tournament continued that day;
3. Capable of withstanding even a nuclear explosion. Although the explosion in Hiroshima destroyed most of the buildings, a safe in one bank was not damaged. After the end of the war, the American company that produced these safes received thank you letter from a bank manager in Hiroshima;
4. Extraordinary luck. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was the only person on earth who officially survived two atomic explosions. After the explosion in Hiroshima, he went to work in Nagasaki, where he again managed to survive;
5. Pumpkin bombs. Before the atomic bombing began, the United States dropped 50 “Pumpkin” bombs on Japan, so named for their resemblance to a pumpkin;
6. An attempt to overthrow the emperor. The Emperor of Japan mobilized all the country's citizens for "total war." This meant that every Japanese, including women and children, had to defend their country to the last drop of blood. After the emperor, frightened by atomic explosions, accepted all the terms of the Potsdam Conference and later capitulated, Japanese generals tried to carry out a coup d'etat, which failed;
7. Those who encountered a nuclear explosion and survived. Japanese Gingko biloba trees are amazingly resilient. After the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, 6 of these trees survived and continue to grow to this day;
   
8. People who dreamed of salvation. After the explosion in Hiroshima, hundreds of survivors fled to Nagasaki. Of these, 164 people managed to survive, although only Tsutomu Yamaguchi is considered an official survivor;
9. Not a single police officer was killed in the atomic explosion in Nagasaki. The surviving law enforcement officers from Hiroshima were sent to Nagasaki in order to train their colleagues in the basics of behavior after a nuclear explosion. As a result of these actions, not a single police officer was killed in the Nagasaki explosion;
10. 25 percent of Japan's dead were Koreans. Although it is believed that all those killed in the atomic explosions were Japanese, a quarter of them were actually Koreans who were conscripted by the Japanese government to fight in the war;
11. Radiation is like fairy tales for children. After the atomic explosion, the American government for a long time hid the fact of the presence of radioactive contamination;
12. Meetinghouse. Few people know that the US authorities did not limit themselves to nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities. Before this, using carpet bombing tactics, they destroyed several Japanese cities. During Operation Meetinghouse, the city of Tokyo was virtually destroyed and 300,000 of its inhabitants died;
13. They didn't know what they were doing. The crew of the plane that dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima was 12 people. Of these, only three knew what a nuclear bomb was;
14. On one of the anniversaries of the tragedy (in 1964), an eternal flame was lit in Hiroshima, which should burn as long as there is at least one nuclear warhead left in the world;
    
15. Lost connection. After the destruction of Hiroshima, communication with the city was completely lost. Only three hours later the capital learned that Hiroshima had been destroyed;
16. Deadly poison. The crew of the Enola Gay were given ampoules of potassium cyanide, which they were to take if the task was not completed;
17. Radioactive mutants. The famous Japanese monster “Godzilla” was invented as a mutation due to radioactive contamination after a nuclear bomb;
18. Shadows of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions of nuclear bombs were so powerful that people literally evaporated, leaving only dark imprints on the walls and floor as a reminder of themselves;
19. Symbol of Hiroshima. The first plant to bloom after the nuclear attack in Hiroshima was the oleander. It is he who is now the official symbol of the city of Hiroshima;
20. Warning before a nuclear attack. Before the nuclear attack began, US aircraft dropped millions of leaflets warning of impending bombing on 33 Japanese cities;
21. Radio signals. Until recently, an American radio station in Saipan broadcast warnings of a nuclear attack throughout Japan. The signals were repeated every 15 minutes.

The tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened 72 years ago, but it still serves as a reminder that humanity should not mindlessly destroy its own kind.

Prerequisites for great war in the Pacific region began to arise in the middle of the 19th century, when the American Commodore Matthew Perry, on instructions from the US government, at gunpoint, forced the Japanese authorities to end their policy of isolationism, open their ports to American ships and sign an unequal treaty with the United States that provided serious economic and political advantages Washington.

In a situation where most Asian countries found themselves fully or partially dependent on Western powers, Japan, in order to maintain its sovereignty, had to carry out lightning-fast technical modernization. At the same time, a feeling of resentment against those who forced them to one-sided “openness” took root among the Japanese.

Through its example, America demonstrated to Japan that any international problem can supposedly be solved with the help of brute force. As a result, the Japanese, who had practically never ventured anywhere outside their islands for centuries, began an active expansionist policy directed against other Far Eastern countries. Its victims were Korea, China and Russia.

Pacific Theater

In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria from Korea, occupied it and created the puppet state of Manchukuo. In the summer of 1937, Tokyo began a full-scale war against China. Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing fell that same year. On the territory of the latter, the Japanese army carried out one of the most monstrous massacres in world history. From December 1937 to January 1938, the Japanese military killed, using mainly edged weapons, up to 500 thousand civilians and disarmed soldiers. The killings were accompanied by horrendous torture and rape. Rape victims - from young children to elderly women - were then also brutally killed. The total number of deaths as a result of Japanese aggression in China was 30 million people.

• Pearl Harbor
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In 1940, Japan began expansion into Indochina, and in 1941 it attacked British and American military bases (Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Guam and Wake), Malaysia, Burma and the Philippines. In 1942, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, the American Aleutian Islands, India and the islands of Micronesia became victims of aggression from Tokyo.

However, already in 1942 the Japanese offensive began to stall, and in 1943 Japan lost the initiative, although it armed forces were still quite strong. The counter-offensive by British and American forces in the Pacific theater of operations progressed relatively slowly. Only in June 1945, after bloody battles, were the Americans able to occupy the island of Okinawa, annexed by Japan in 1879.

As for the position of the USSR, in 1938-1939 Japanese troops tried to attack Soviet units in the area of ​​Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin Gol River, but were defeated.

Official Tokyo was convinced that it was faced with too strong an enemy, and in 1941 a neutrality pact was concluded between Japan and the USSR.

Adolf Hitler tried to force his Japanese allies to break the pact and attack the USSR from the east, but Soviet intelligence officers and diplomats managed to convince Tokyo that this could cost Japan too much, and the treaty remained in force de facto until August 1945. The United States and Great Britain received agreement in principle for Moscow to enter the war with Japan from Joseph Stalin in February 1945 at the Yalta Conference.

Manhattan Project

In 1939, a group of physicists, with the support of Albert Einstein, handed over a letter to US President Franklin Roosevelt, which stated that Hitler's Germany in the foreseeable future could create a weapon of terrible destructive power - the atomic bomb. The American authorities became interested in the nuclear problem. Also in 1939, the Uranium Committee was created as part of the US National Defense Research Committee, which first assessed the potential threat, and then began preparations for the United States to create its own nuclear weapons.

• Manhattan Project
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The Americans recruited emigrants from Germany, as well as representatives from Great Britain and Canada. In 1941, the USA created special Bureau scientific research and development, and in 1943, work began on the so-called Manhattan Project, the goal of which was to create ready-to-use nuclear weapons.

In the USSR, nuclear research has been going on since the 1930s. Thanks to the activity Soviet intelligence and Western scientists with left-wing views, information about preparations for the creation of nuclear weapons in the West began to flock en masse to Moscow starting in 1941.

Despite all the difficulties of wartime, in 1942-1943 nuclear research in the Soviet Union was intensified, and representatives of the NKVD and GRU actively began searching for agents in American scientific centers.

By the summer of 1945, the United States had three nuclear bombs - the plutonium Thing and Fat Man, and the uranium Baby. On July 16, 1945, a “Thing” test explosion was carried out at a test site in New Mexico. The American leadership was satisfied with its results. True, according to the memoirs of Soviet intelligence officer Pavel Sudoplatov, just 12 days after the first atomic bomb was assembled in the United States, its design was already in Moscow.

On July 24, 1945, when US President Harry Truman, most likely for the purpose of blackmail, told Stalin in Potsdam that America had weapons of “extraordinary destructive power,” Soviet leader he only smiled in response. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was present during the conversation, then concluded that Stalin did not understand what was being said at all. However, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was well aware of the Manhattan Project and, having parted ways with the American president, told Vyacheslav Molotov (USSR Foreign Minister in 1939-1949): “We will need to talk with Kurchatov today about speeding up our work.”

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Already in September 1944, an agreement in principle was reached between the United States and Great Britain on the possibility of using the atomic weapons being created against Japan. In May 1945, a target selection committee meeting at Los Alamos rejected the idea of ​​launching nuclear strikes on military targets due to the “possibility of a miss” and the lack of a strong “psychological effect.” They decided to hit the cities.

Initially, the city of Kyoto was also on this list, but US Secretary of War Henry Stimson insisted on choosing other targets, since he had warm memories associated with Kyoto - he spent his honeymoon in this city.

• Atomic bomb "Baby"
• Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

On July 25, Truman approved a list of cities for potential nuclear strikes, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The next day, the cruiser Indianapolis delivered the Baby bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, to the location of the 509th Combined Aviation Group. On July 28, the then head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed a combat order on the use of atomic weapons. Four more days later, on August 2, 1945, all the components necessary to assemble the Fat Man were delivered to Tinian.

The target of the first strike was the seventh most populous city in Japan - Hiroshima, where at that time about 245 thousand people lived. The headquarters of the fifth division and the second main army were located on the territory of the city. On August 6, a US Air Force B-29 bomber under the command of Colonel Paul Tibbetts took off from Tinian and headed for Japan. At about 08:00, the plane appeared over Hiroshima and dropped the “Baby” bomb, which exploded 576 meters above the surface of the earth. At 08:15 all clocks stopped in Hiroshima.

The temperature under the plasma ball formed as a result of the explosion reached 4000 °C. About 80 thousand city residents died instantly. Many of them turned to ashes in a split second.

The light radiation left dark silhouettes of human bodies on the walls of buildings. Glass was broken in houses located within a 19-kilometer radius. The fires that arose in the city united into a fiery tornado, destroying people who tried to escape immediately after the explosion.

On August 9, the American bomber headed for Kokura, but there was heavy cloudiness in the area of ​​the city, and the pilots decided to strike at the reserve target - Nagasaki. The bomb was dropped taking advantage of a gap in the clouds through which the city stadium was visible. "Fat Man" exploded at an altitude of 500 meters, and although the power of the explosion was greater than in Hiroshima, the damage from it was less due to the hilly terrain and a large industrial area in which there was no residential development. During the bombing and immediately after it, between 60 and 80 thousand people died.

• Consequences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the American army on August 6, 1945

Some time after the attack, doctors began to note that people who seemed to be recovering from wounds and psychological shock were beginning to suffer from a new, previously unknown disease. The peak number of deaths from it occurred three to four weeks after the explosion. This is how the world learned about the consequences of radiation on the human body.

By 1950, the total number of victims of the bombing of Hiroshima as a result of the explosion and its consequences was estimated at about 200 thousand, and in Nagasaki - at 140 thousand people.

Causes and consequences

In mainland Asia at that time there was a powerful Kwantung Army, on which official Tokyo entrusted big hopes. Its strength, due to rapid mobilization measures, was not reliably known even to the command itself. According to some estimates, the number of soldiers in the Kwantung Army exceeded 1 million. In addition, Japan was supported by collaborationist forces, whose military formations included several hundred thousand more soldiers and officers.

On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. And the very next day, having secured the support of the Mongolian allies, the USSR advanced its troops against the forces of the Kwantung Army.

“Currently in the West they are trying to rewrite history and revise the contribution of the USSR to the victory over both fascist Germany and militaristic Japan. However, only the entry into the war on the night of August 8–9, the Soviet Union, which was fulfilling its allied obligations, forced the Japanese leadership to announce surrender on August 15. The Red Army’s offensive against the forces of the Kwantung group developed quickly, and this, by and large, led to the end of World War II,” Alexander Mikhailov, a specialist historian at the Victory Museum, expressed his opinion in an interview with RT.

• Surrender of the Kwantung Army troops
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According to the expert, over 600 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers surrendered to the Red Army, among whom were 148 generals. Alexander Mikhailov urged not to overestimate the impact of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the end of the war. “The Japanese were initially determined to fight to the end against the United States and Great Britain,” he emphasized.

As noted by a senior researcher at the Institute Far East RAS, Associate Professor of the Institute foreign languages MSPU Viktor Kuzminkov, the “military expediency” of launching a nuclear strike on Japan is only a version officially formulated by the leadership of the United States.

“The Americans said that in the summer of 1945 it was necessary to start a war with Japan on the territory of the metropolis itself. Here the Japanese, according to the US leadership, had to offer desperate resistance and could allegedly inflict unacceptable losses on the American army. But the nuclear bombings, they say, should still have persuaded Japan to surrender,” the expert explained.

According to the head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Kistanov, the American version does not stand up to criticism. “There was no military need for this barbaric bombardment. Today even some Western researchers admit this. In fact, Truman wanted, firstly, to intimidate the USSR with the destructive power of the new weapon, and secondly, to justify the enormous costs of its development. But it was clear to everyone that the USSR’s entry into the war with Japan would put an end to it,” he said.

Viktor Kuzminkov agrees with the following conclusions: “Official Tokyo hoped that Moscow could become a mediator in the negotiations, and the USSR’s entry into the war left Japan no chance.”

Kistanov emphasized that ordinary people and representatives of the elite in Japan respond differently to the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “Ordinary Japanese people remember this disaster as it really happened. But the authorities and the press are trying not to highlight some of its aspects. For example, in newspapers and on television, atomic bombings are very often talked about without mentioning which specific country carried them out. Active American presidents for a long time they did not visit the memorials dedicated to the victims of these bombings. The first was Barack Obama, but he never apologized to the descendants of the victims. However, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also did not apologize for Pearl Harbor,” he noted.

According to Kuzminkov, the atomic bombings changed Japan greatly. “A huge group of “untouchables” appeared in the country - hibakusha, born to mothers exposed to radiation. Many people shunned them; the parents of young men and girls did not want hibakusha to marry their children. The consequences of the bombings penetrated into people's lives. Therefore, today many Japanese are consistent supporters of a complete abandonment of the use of nuclear energy in principle,” the expert concluded.