Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Mission of the Enola Gay
Colonel Paul W. Tibbets waving from the
cockpit of the Enola Gay before taking off
on August 6, 1945. U.S. Air Force photo
cockpit of the Enola Gay before taking off
on August 6, 1945. U.S. Air Force photo
On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay B-29 bomber flew over Hiroshima, Japan, and dropped the world's first atomic bomb. Three days later, the U.S. dropped another bomb on Nagasaki. The explosions annihilated tens of thousands of people and devastated the cities. Stunned, the Japanese surrendered and World War II was over.
The crew that dropped the bombs had trained in Utah’s West Desert.
It was a top-secret mission. Nobody was to know exactly why the 509th Composite Group had come to Wendover Air Base in Utah to train.
Several bombardment groups had already come through Wendover to train on B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s. These crews bombed mockups of battleships and cities built in the desert. Fighter pilots also practiced here.
The crew that dropped the bombs had trained in Utah’s West Desert.
It was a top-secret mission. Nobody was to know exactly why the 509th Composite Group had come to Wendover Air Base in Utah to train.
Several bombardment groups had already come through Wendover to train on B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s. These crews bombed mockups of battleships and cities built in the desert. Fighter pilots also practiced here.
The Enola Gay (Boeing B-29 Superfortress) at the Marianas Islands. U.S. Air Force photo
In December 1944, the focus was on the 509th. 1,500 men had come to train and work toward a mission they didn’t understand. The technicians working on the components of the bombs didn’t understand. For much of the time, the only person in the 509th Composite Group who did understand the entire mission was commanding officer Colonel Paul Tibbets. Tibbets had the responsibility to oversee the training, logistics, and bombing.
The crews practiced dropping dummy bombs on Utah’s desert lands until they were ready.
Then, on August 6, Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay in its flight over Hiroshima. The bomb destroyed 4.7 square miles of the city and killed 70,000-80,000 people instantly. 100,000 or more died within the following months from radiation, and others later developed cancers.
Three days later, another crew dropped an atom bomb on Nagasaki—repeating the horror.
Two senior American military figures - General Groves and Admiral Purnell - were convinced that two atomic bombs dropped within days of the other would have such an overwhelming impact on the Japanese government that it would surrender. Scientists at Los Alamos were also intrigued as to which type of bomb was the better - a uranium or plutonium based bomb. 'Little Boy' showed its effectiveness at Hiroshima but another bombing mission was needed to see what damage a uranium bomb could do.
Nagasaki was not the first choice for the second bomb site there were three other cities that had been discussed and then rejected for one reason or another.
Nagasaki was a major shipbuilding city and a large military port. The main reason it had not been discussed previously as a main target was it had been bombed five times in the previous twelve months and any damage caused by an atomic bomb would have been difficult to assess.
'Bockscar' carried an atomic bomb that differed from 'Little Boy' carried by Enola Gay for Hiroshima bombing. 'Fat Man' was not a gun-type bomb but used the implosion method; it had a circle of 64 detonators that would drive pieces of plutonium together into a supercritical mass. 'Little Boy' had used Uranium 235. 'Fat Man' weighed about 10,000 lbs and was 10 feet 8 inches long. It had the explosive capacity of about 20,000 tons of high explosives.
As Nagasaki had been targeted in the past, people in the city had become blasé when the air raid siren sounded. The same was true on August 9th. The irony was that Nagasaki was well served with good bomb shelters and far fewer people would have been killed or injured if the air raid sirens had been listened to. The surrounding hills had tunnels dug into them which would have been very effective for the people who could have reached them.
Fat Man' was a very effective bomb. Its blast was bigger than 'Little Boy's' but its impact was reduced by the natural topography of the city. Where the bomb blast hit at its peak, massive damage was done. An area about 2.3 miles by 1.9 miles was destroyed but other parts of the city were saved from the blast. However, considerable damage was done to the city. The horrific injuries suffered at Hiroshima were also witnessed at Nagasaki. The city's medical facilities were not totally destroyed by 'Fat Man' as at Hiroshima - but nobody was capable of coping with those who were injured in the blast.
As in Hiroshima, many in Nagasaki died after the immediate impact of the bomb had gone away from mysterious ailments which we now associate with radiation poisoning. No-one, understandably, knew what to do to help the victims of this newest of illnesses.
The crews practiced dropping dummy bombs on Utah’s desert lands until they were ready.
Then, on August 6, Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay in its flight over Hiroshima. The bomb destroyed 4.7 square miles of the city and killed 70,000-80,000 people instantly. 100,000 or more died within the following months from radiation, and others later developed cancers.
Three days later, another crew dropped an atom bomb on Nagasaki—repeating the horror.
Two senior American military figures - General Groves and Admiral Purnell - were convinced that two atomic bombs dropped within days of the other would have such an overwhelming impact on the Japanese government that it would surrender. Scientists at Los Alamos were also intrigued as to which type of bomb was the better - a uranium or plutonium based bomb. 'Little Boy' showed its effectiveness at Hiroshima but another bombing mission was needed to see what damage a uranium bomb could do.
Nagasaki was not the first choice for the second bomb site there were three other cities that had been discussed and then rejected for one reason or another.
Nagasaki was a major shipbuilding city and a large military port. The main reason it had not been discussed previously as a main target was it had been bombed five times in the previous twelve months and any damage caused by an atomic bomb would have been difficult to assess.
'Bockscar' carried an atomic bomb that differed from 'Little Boy' carried by Enola Gay for Hiroshima bombing. 'Fat Man' was not a gun-type bomb but used the implosion method; it had a circle of 64 detonators that would drive pieces of plutonium together into a supercritical mass. 'Little Boy' had used Uranium 235. 'Fat Man' weighed about 10,000 lbs and was 10 feet 8 inches long. It had the explosive capacity of about 20,000 tons of high explosives.
As Nagasaki had been targeted in the past, people in the city had become blasé when the air raid siren sounded. The same was true on August 9th. The irony was that Nagasaki was well served with good bomb shelters and far fewer people would have been killed or injured if the air raid sirens had been listened to. The surrounding hills had tunnels dug into them which would have been very effective for the people who could have reached them.
Fat Man' was a very effective bomb. Its blast was bigger than 'Little Boy's' but its impact was reduced by the natural topography of the city. Where the bomb blast hit at its peak, massive damage was done. An area about 2.3 miles by 1.9 miles was destroyed but other parts of the city were saved from the blast. However, considerable damage was done to the city. The horrific injuries suffered at Hiroshima were also witnessed at Nagasaki. The city's medical facilities were not totally destroyed by 'Fat Man' as at Hiroshima - but nobody was capable of coping with those who were injured in the blast.
As in Hiroshima, many in Nagasaki died after the immediate impact of the bomb had gone away from mysterious ailments which we now associate with radiation poisoning. No-one, understandably, knew what to do to help the victims of this newest of illnesses.
Japan formally surrendered
on August 14, 1945
on August 14, 1945
The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had a devastating psychological impact on the already weakened Japanese. Emperor Hirohito accepted the U.S. terms of surrender on August 14.
The Japanese surrendered unconditionally on 02 September 1945 Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan signing the peace treaty brought an end to World War II.
In 1953, a report by the US Strategic Bombing Survey put the number of deaths at 35,000, wounded at 60,000 and 5,000 missing.
The Japanese surrendered unconditionally on 02 September 1945 Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan signing the peace treaty brought an end to World War II.
In 1953, a report by the US Strategic Bombing Survey put the number of deaths at 35,000, wounded at 60,000 and 5,000 missing.