Home Blanks for the winter Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused the bombing. Life after a nuclear explosion. The stories of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Blanks for the winter

Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused the bombing. Life after a nuclear explosion. The stories of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The second World War remembered in history not only for catastrophic destruction, ideas of a crazy fanatic and many deaths, but also on August 6, 1945 - the beginning new era in world history. The fact is that it was then that the first was held and on this moment recent use of atomic weapons for military purposes. The power of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb has remained for centuries. In the USSR there was one that frightened the population of the whole world, see the top of the most powerful nuclear bombs and and to

There are not so many people who survived this attack, as well as the surviving buildings. We, in turn, decided to collect all the existing information about the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, structure the data on this effect of influence and support the story with the words of eyewitnesses, officers from the headquarters.

Was the atomic bomb needed

Almost every person living on earth knows that America dropped nuclear bombs on Japan, although the country experienced this test alone. In view of political situation That time, in the States and the control center, they celebrated victory, while people were dying en masse on the other side of the world. This topic still resonates with pain in the hearts of tens of thousands of Japanese people, and for good reason. On the one hand, it was a necessity, because it was not possible to end the war in another way. On the other hand, many people think that the Americans simply wanted to test a new deadly "toy".

Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist for whom science has always been in the first place in life, did not even think that his invention would cause such huge damage. Although he did not work alone, he is called the father of the nuclear bomb. Yes, in the process of creating the warhead, he knew about possible harm, although he did not understand that it would be inflicted on civilians who had no direct relation to the war. As he later said, "We did all the work for the devil." But this phrase was uttered afterwards. And at that time he did not differ with foresight, because he did not know what would happen tomorrow and what the Second World War would turn out to be.

Three full-fledged warheads were ready in American "bins" before 1945:

Trinity;
Baby;
Fat man.

The first was blown up in the process of testing, and the last two went down in history. The drop of a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was predicted to end the war. After all, the Japanese government did not accept the terms of surrender. And without it, other allied countries will have neither military support nor a reserve human resources... And so it happened. On August 15, as a consequence of the shock experienced, the government signed documents on unconditional surrender. This date is now called the official end of the war.

On whether the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was needed, historians, politicians and simple people cannot agree to this day. What's done is done, we can't change anything. But it was precisely this action directed against Japan that became a turning point in history. The threat of new atomic bomb explosions hangs over the planet from day to day. Although most countries have renounced nuclear weapons, some have retained this status. The nuclear warheads of Russia and the United States are safely hidden, but conflicts at the political level are not diminishing. And the possibility is not excluded that someday more similar "actions" will be held.

In our native history we can meet the concept " Cold war", When during the Second World War and after its end, two superpowers - Soviet Union and the US could not come to an agreement. This period began just after the surrender of Japan. And everyone knew that if the countries did not find mutual language, nuclear weapon will be used again, only now not consistently with each other, but mutually. It would be the beginning of the end and make the Earth again clean slate, unfit for existence - without people, living organisms, buildings, only with a huge level of radiation and a bunch of corpses around the world. As the famous scientist said, in the Fourth World, people will fight with sticks and stones, since only a few will survive the Third. After this small lyrical digression, let's return to historical facts and how the warhead was dropped on the city.

Prerequisites for the attack on Japan

The dropping of a nuclear bomb on Japan was conceived long before the explosion. The 20th century is generally characterized by rapid development nuclear physics... Significant discoveries in this industry were made almost daily. World scientists have realized that a nuclear chain reaction will make a warhead. Here's how they behaved in the opponent countries:

Germany... In 1938, German nuclear physicists were able to split the uranium nucleus. Then they turned to the government and talked about the possibility of creating a fundamentally new weapon. Then they launched the world's first rocket launcher... This is probably what spurred Hitler to start a war. Although the research was classified, some of it is now known. V scientific centers created a reactor to generate enough uranium. But scientists had to choose between substances that can slow down the reaction. It could be water or graphite. By choosing water, they, without knowing it, deprived themselves of the possibility of creating atomic weapons. It became clear to Hitler that he would not be released until the end of the war, and he cut funding for the project. But the rest of the world did not know about it. Therefore, they feared German studies especially with such brilliant initial results.
USA... The first patent for a nuclear weapon was obtained in 1939. All such studies took place in fierce competition with Germany. The process was spurred on by a letter to the President of the United States from the most progressive scientists time that in Europe the bomb can be created earlier. And if you do not have time, then the consequences will be unpredictable. Since the age of 43, America has been assisted in development by Canadian, European and British scientists. The project was named "Manhattan". The weapon was first tested on July 16 at a test site in New Mexico and the result was considered successful.

In 1944, the heads of the United States and England decided that if the war did not end, they would have to use a warhead. Already at the beginning of 1945, when Germany surrendered, the Japanese government decided not to admit defeat. The Japanese continued to repel attacks in the Pacific and to advance. It was already clear then that the war was lost. But the morale of the "samurai" was not broken. A prime example The battle for Okinawa served this. The Americans suffered huge losses in it, but they are incomparable with the invasion of Japan itself. Although the US bombed Japanese cities, the fury of the army's resistance continued. Therefore, the question of the use of nuclear weapons was raised again. The targets for the attack were chosen by a specially created committee.

Why Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The Targeting Commission met twice. For the first time, the Hiroshima Nagasaki nuclear bomb release date was approved. For the second time, specific weapon targets were selected against the Japanese. It happened on May 10, 45. They wanted to drop the bomb on:

Kyoto;
Hiroshima;
Yokohama;
Niigata;
Kokuru.

Kyoto was the largest industrial center of the country, in Hiroshima there was a huge military port and army warehouses, in Yokohama was the center of the military industry, Kokuru was the repository of a large arsenal of weapons, and in Niigatu was the center of the building. military equipment as well as the port. It was decided not to use the bomb on military installations. After all, small targets without a city zone around them could not be hit for sure and there was a chance to miss. Kyoto was immediately rejected. The population in this city was different high level education. They could appreciate the significance of the bomb and influence the country's surrender. Some requirements were put forward for other objects. They should be large and significant economic centers, and the very process of dropping the bomb should cause a resonance in the world. Objects damaged by air strikes did not fit. After all, the assessment of the consequences after the explosion of an atomic warhead with general staff had to be accurate.

Two cities were chosen as the main ones - Hiroshima and Kokura. For each of them, a so-called safety net was identified. Nagasaki became one of them. Hiroshima attracted with its location and size. The power of the bomb must be increased by the nearby hills and mountains. Significance was also attached to psychological factors that could have a special impact on the population of the country and its leadership. And yet, the effectiveness of the bomb must be significant for it to be recognized throughout the world.

Bombing history

The nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima was supposed to explode on August 3. She had already been delivered by a cruiser to the island of Tinian and assembled. It was separated by only 2500 km from Hiroshima. But bad weather pushed back the terrible date by 3 days. Therefore, the event occurred on August 6, 1945. Despite the fact that near Hiroshima there were fighting and the city was often bombed, no one was afraid anymore. In some schools, studies continued, people worked according to their usual schedule. Most of the residents were on the street, eliminating the consequences of the bombing. Even small children dismantled the rubble. Lived in Hiroshima 340 (245 according to other sources) thousand people.

Numerous T-shaped bridges connecting six parts of the city were chosen as the place to drop the bomb. They were perfectly visible from the air and cut the river up and down. From here, both the industrial center and the residential sector, consisting of small wooden buildings, could be seen. At 7 o'clock in the morning, an air raid signal sounded. They all ran to cover at once. But already at 7:30 the alarm was canceled, as the operator saw on the radar that no more than three planes were approaching. Whole squadrons flew in to bomb Hiroshima, so the conclusion was made about reconnaissance operations. Most of the people, mostly children, ran out of cover to watch the planes. But they were flying too high.

The day before, Oppenheimer had given the crew members clear instructions on how to drop the bomb. It should not have exploded high above the city, otherwise it would not be possible to achieve the planned destruction. The target must be clearly visible from the air. The pilots of the American b-29 bomber dropped the warhead into exact time explosion - 8:15 am. The bomb "Little Boy" exploded at an altitude of 600 meters from the ground.

Explosion consequences

The power of the Hiroshima Nagasaki nuclear bomb is estimated at 13 to 20 kilotons. It was filled with uranium. It exploded over the modern hospital "Sima". People who were a few meters from the epicenter burned down immediately, since the temperature here was in the region of 3-4 thousand degrees Celsius. Some of them only left black shadows on the ground, on the steps. In a second, about 70 thousand people died, hundreds of thousands more were terribly injured. The mushroom cloud rose 16 kilometers above the ground.

According to eyewitnesses, at the moment of the explosion, the sky turned orange, then a fiery tornado appeared, which blinded, then a sound passed. Most of those who were within a radius of 2-5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion lost consciousness. People flew 10 meters away and looked like wax dolls, the remains of houses circled in the air. After the survivors came to their senses, they rushed en masse into the shelter, fearing the next combat use and a second explosion. Nobody knew what an atomic bomb was and did not imagine possible dire consequences... Whole clothes were left on the units. Most were in rags that did not have time to burn out. Based on the words of eyewitnesses, we can conclude that they were scalded with boiling water, the skin ached and itched. On the places where there were chains, earrings, rings, there was a scar for life.

But the worst thing started later. The faces of the people were burned beyond recognition. It was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman. From many, the skin began to peel off and reached the ground, holding only on the nails. Hiroshima was like a parade of the living dead. Residents walked with their arms outstretched in front of them and asked for water. But they could only drink from the canals by the road, which they did. Those who reached the river threw themselves into it to ease the pain and died there. The corpses flowed away with the current, accumulating near the dam. People with babies in buildings hugged them and died like that. Most of their names have not been identified.

Within a few minutes, it rained black with radioactive contamination... This one has scientific explanation... Nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki increased the air temperature several times. With such an anomaly, a lot of liquid evaporated, it very quickly fell onto the city. The water mixed with soot, ash and radiation. Therefore, even if a person was not severely affected by the explosion, he became infected by drinking this rain. He penetrated the channels, onto the products, infecting them with radioactive substances.

The dropped atomic bomb destroyed hospitals, buildings, there were no medicines. The day after, the survivors were taken to hospitals about 20 kilometers from Hiroshima. Burns were treated there with flour and vinegar. People were wrapped in bandages like mummies and released home.

Not far from Hiroshima, the inhabitants of Nagasaki did not even suspect about the exact same attack on them, which was being prepared on August 9, 1945. Meanwhile, the US government congratulated Oppenheimer ...

Work on the creation of a nuclear bomb started in the United States in September 1943, based on research by scientists different countries, begun back in 1939.

In parallel with this, a search was made for pilots who were supposed to drop it. Several hundred were selected from the thousands reviewed. Following an extremely tough selection, Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbets was appointed commander of the future formation, since 1943 he served as a test pilot of Bi-29 aircraft. He was tasked with creating a combat unit of pilots to deliver the bomb to its destination.

Preliminary calculations showed that a bomber dropping a bomb would have only 43 seconds to leave the danger zone before an explosion occurs. Flight personnel 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 with a population of about 400 thousand people;
Kokura - an important strategic point, steel and chemical plants, population 173 thousand people;
Nagasaki is the largest shipyard with a population of 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 to the north of the others and was relatively small, and the destruction of Kyoto, which was a sacred city, could anger the Japanese and lead to increased resistance.

On the other side of Kyoto with its large area was of interest as an object for assessing the power of the bomb. The supporters of the choice of this city as a target, among other things, were interested in the accumulation of statistical data, since up to that moment atomic weapon has 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 provide the maximum 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 a quick and complete destruction of the country. However, this document did not mention a word about the use of weapons. mass destruction... The Japanese government rejected the demands of the declaration, and the Americans continued preparations for the operation.

For the most effective bombing, suitable weather and good visibility were required. Based on the data of the meteorological service, the first week of August, approximately after the 3rd, was recognized as the most suitable for the foreseeable future.

The bombing of Hiroshima

On August 2, 1945, Colonel Tibbets' unit received secret order on the first in the history of mankind atomic bombing, the date of which was set for August 6. Hiroshima was chosen as the main target of the attack, and Kokura and Nagasaki were substitutes (in case of deterioration of visibility conditions). All other American aircraft were prohibited from being within the 80-kilometer zone of these cities during the bombing.

On August 6, before the start of the operation, the pilots received dark glasses designed to protect their eyes from light radiation. The planes took off from the island of Tinian, where the base of the American military aviation... The island is located 2.5 thousand km from Japan, so it took about 6 hours to fly.

Together with the Bi-29 bomber, called "Enola Gay", on board which was the "Little Boy" atomic bomb, six more planes took to the skies: three reconnaissance aircraft, one spare and two carried 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 with the maximum possible speed.

Explosion consequences

The bomb exploded 600m from the surface. Most of the houses in the city were equipped with stoves that were heated charcoal... Many townspeople were 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 the tiles of houses and granite slabs. All wooden telegraph poles were burnt within a radius of 4 km. People at the epicenter of the explosion instantly evaporated, enveloped in a red-hot plasma, the temperature of which was about 4000 degrees Celsius. Powerful light emission left from human bodies only shadows on the walls of houses. 9 out of 10 who were in the 800-meter zone from the epicenter of the explosion died instantly. The shock wave swept by at a speed of 800 km / h, turning into rubble all buildings within a radius of 4 km, except for a few built taking into account the increased seismic hazard.

The plasma ball has evaporated moisture from the atmosphere. The cloud of steam reached colder layers and, mixed with dust and ash, immediately poured onto the ground in black rain.

Then the wind hit the city, blowing already towards the epicenter of the explosion. From the heating of the air caused by the flaring fires, the gusts of wind intensified so much that they pulled out big trees with roots. On the river rose huge waves, in which people drowned trying to escape in the water from the fiery tornado that engulfed the city, which destroyed 11 km2 of the area. According to various estimates, the death toll in Hiroshima was 200-240 thousand people, of which 70-80 thousand died immediately after the explosion.

All communication with the city was cut off. In Tokyo, they noticed that the local Hiroshima radio station disappeared from the air and the telegraph line stopped working. After a while, information about an explosion of incredible power began to arrive from regional railway stations.

An officer of the General Staff urgently flew to the scene of the tragedy, who later wrote in his memoirs that he was most struck by the absence 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 this magnitude was caused by just one bomb. Representatives of the Japanese General Staff asked scientists for an explanation of 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 to create it by the Americans. The physicist finally confirmed his assumptions after a personal visit to the destroyed Hiroshima, accompanied by the military.

On August 8, the US Air Force command was finally able to assess the effect of its operation. Aerial photography showed that 60% of buildings located on the territory with total area 12km2, turned into dust, the rest were heaps of debris.

The bombing of Nagasaki

An order was issued to draw up leaflets for Japanese with photographs of destroyed Hiroshima and full description effect nuclear explosion, for their subsequent distribution over the territory of Japan. In case of refusal to surrender, the leaflets contained threats to continue the atomic bombing Japanese cities.

However, the American government was not going to wait for the reaction of the Japanese, since it was not originally planned to do with just one bomb. The next attack, scheduled for August 12, was postponed to the 9th due to the expected deterioration of the weather.

The target is Kokura, and Nagasaki is the fallback. Kokura was very lucky - cloudiness, together with a smokescreen from a burning steel plant, which was subjected to an air raid on the eve, made visual bombing impossible. The plane headed towards Nagasaki, and at 11 02 minutes dropped its deadly cargo onto the city.

Within a radius of 1.2 km from the epicenter of the explosion, all living things died almost instantly, turning into ash under the influence of thermal radiation. The shockwave turned residential buildings into rubble and destroyed a steel mill. Heat radiation was so powerful that the skin of people who were 5 km away from the explosion, not covered by clothing, was burned and wrinkled. 73 thousand people died instantly, 35 thousand died in terrible suffering a little later.

On the same day, the President of the United States addressed his compatriots on the radio, thanking in his speech higher power because the Americans were the first to receive nuclear weapons. Truman asked God for instructions and guidance on how to use atomic bombs most effectively for the sake of higher goals.

At that time, there was no pressing need for the bombing of Nagasaki, but, most likely, 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 barrel-type uranium-filled, while Nagasaki destroyed the "Fat Man", an explosive bomb based on plutonium-239.

Exists archival documents, proving the intention of the United States to drop another atomic bomb on Japan. In a telegram dated August 10, sent to the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, it was reported that, given the appropriate meteorological conditions, the next bombing could be carried out on August 17-18.

Japan surrender

On August 8, 1945, fulfilling the commitments undertaken in the framework of the Potsdam and Yalta conferences, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, whose government still cherished the hope of reaching agreements that would avoid unconditional surrender. This event, coupled with the overwhelming effect of the use of nuclear weapons by the Americans, forced the least belligerent members of the Cabinet of Ministers to turn to the Emperor with recommendations to accept any conditions of the United States and allies.

Some of the most belligerent officers tried to stage a coup to prevent such a development of events, but the conspiracy failed.

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito publicly announced the surrender of Japan. However, clashes between Japanese and Soviet troops in Manchuria continued for several more weeks.

On August 28, the US-British allied forces began the occupation of Japan, and on September 2, aboard 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 suddenly began to die en masse, it seemed at first not injured. At the time, the effects of radiation exposure were poorly understood. People continued to live in the contaminated areas, not realizing what danger ordinary water began to carry, as well as ash that covered the destroyed cities with a thin layer.

The fact that the cause of death of people who underwent the atomic bomb was some previously unknown disease, Japan learned 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 650 meters from the epicenter of the future explosion, after which 13 of 17 people died on the spot. Midori not only survived, but also barely suffered, except for minor scratches, although all of her clothes were simply burned. Fleeing from the fire, the actress rushed to the river and jumped into the water, from where the soldiers pulled her out and provided first aid.

After arriving 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, however, doctors had the opportunity to observe the development and course of the disease for almost 9 days. Before her death, it was believed that vomiting and bloody diarrhea, which were present in many victims, were symptoms of dysentery. Officially, Midori Naka is considered the first to die from radiation sickness, and it was her death that caused widespread discussion of the consequences. radiation contamination... From the moment of the explosion to the death of the actress, 18 days passed.

However, soon after the beginning of the occupation of Japanese territory by the allied forces, the mentions in the newspapers of the victims of the American bombing gradually began to fade away. For almost 7 years of occupation, the American censorship prohibited any publication on this topic.

For the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions, a special term "hibakusha" appeared. Several hundred people found themselves in a situation where talking about their state of 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, collect donations for the victims.

For example, a hospital set up by a group of enthusiastic wachyas in Ujin to help the Hibakusha was closed at the request of the occupying authorities, and all documentation, including medical records, was confiscated.

In November 1945, at the suggestion of the President of the United States, the ABCC Center was established to study the effects of radiation on survivors of the explosions. The clinic of the organization, which opened in Hiroshima, conducted only examinations, without providing medical assistance to the victims. Special interest the employees of the center were summoned by the hopelessly ill and those who died as a result of radiation sickness. In fact, the purpose of the ABCC was to collect statistics.

It was only after the end of the American occupation that the problems of the "hibakusha" in Japan began to be spoken out loud. In 1957, each victim was given a document that indicated how far he was from the epicenter at the time of the explosion. Bombing victims and their descendants before today receive material and medical assistance from the state. However, within the rigid framework of Japanese society, there was no place for "hibakusha" - several hundred thousand people became a separate caste... The rest of the residents avoided communication as much as possible, and even more so creating a family with the victims, especially after those children began to be massively born with developmental disabilities. Most of pregnancies among 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 the pregnant women in the blast zone gave birth to children who did not have serious disabilities.

The expediency of destroying Japanese cities

Japan continued the war after the surrender of its main ally Germany. In a report presented at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the approximate date for the end of the war with Japan was assumed no earlier than 18 months after Germany surrendered. Reducing the duration of hostilities, casualties and material costs, in the opinion of the United States and Great Britain, the entry of the USSR into the war against the Japanese could be facilitated. As a result of the agreements, I. Stalin promised to side with 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 do not stop to this day. The destruction of two Japanese cities, striking in its cruelty, was such a pointless act at that time that it gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories.

One of them argues that the bombing was not an urgent need, but only a demonstration of strength to the Soviet Union. The USA and Great Britain united with the USSR only against their will, in the struggle against a common enemy. However, as soon as the danger passed, yesterday's allies immediately again became ideological opponents. The Second World War reshaped the map of the world, changing it beyond recognition. The winners established their own order, simultaneously probing future rivals, with whom they were sitting in the same trenches yesterday.

Another theory is that Hiroshima and Nagasaki became test sites. Although the United States tested the first atomic bomb on a deserted island, it was only possible to assess the true power of the new weapon in real conditions... The still unfinished war with Japan provided the Americans with an excellent opportunity, while providing an ironclad excuse that politicians used to hide behind more than once. They "just saved 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 defeat Hitlerite Germany, the situation developed in such a way that the allies were not able to force Japan to surrender only by their own forces.
The entry of the Soviet Union into the war obliged 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 adversary who is in charge here - why not?

The only justification for the United States is the fact that the consequences of the use of such weapons at the time of their use have not been studied. The effect exceeded all expectations and sobered even the most belligerent ones.

In March 1950, the Soviet Union announced the creation of its own atomic bomb. Nuclear parity was achieved in the 1970s.

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

10 PHOTOS

1. Oleander is the official flower of the city of Hiroshima, as it is the first plant to bloom after a nuclear strike.
2. Six ginkgo trees growing about 1.6 km from the site of the bombing in Nagasaki were severely damaged in the explosion. Surprisingly, they all survived, and soon new buds appeared from the burnt tree trunks. Now the ginkgo tree is a symbol of hope in Japan.
3. In Japanese there is a word hibakusha, which translates as "people exposed to the explosion." This is the name given to those who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
4. Every year on August 6, a memorial ceremony is held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and at exactly 8:15 am (the time of the explosion), a minute of silence occurs.
5. Hiroshima continues to advocate the abolition of all nuclear weapons, and the city's mayor is president of the movement for peace and the elimination of nuclear arsenal by 2020.
6. In 1958 alone, the population of Hiroshima reached 410,000 and finally surpassed the pre-war population. Today, 1.2 million people live in the city.
7. According to some estimates, about 10% of the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were Korean. Most of them were forced laborers producing weapons and ammunition for the Japanese military. Both cities still have large Korean communities today.
8. Among the children born to those who were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time of the explosion, no mutations or serious health problems have been identified.
9. Despite this, the survivors of the bombing and their children were severely discriminated against, mainly due to the prevailing public ignorance of the consequences of radiation sickness. Many of them found it difficult to find work or get married, as most people believed that radiation sickness was contagious and inherited.
10. The famous Japanese giant monster Godzilla was originally coined as a metaphor for the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

On August 6, 1945, the United States of America used the most powerful weapon of the day. mass destruction... 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 retreating 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 the surrender of Japan.

The bombing of Hiroshima

On Monday at 2:45 am Boeing B-29 Enola Gay took off from Tinian, one of the islands in the northern part The Pacific, 1500 km from Japan. A team of 12 specialists was on board to make sure how smoothly the mission would go. The crew was commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, who named the aircraft "Enola Gay". That was his name own mother... Just before takeoff, the name of the plane was written on board.

The Enola Gay was a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber (aircraft 44-86292) as part of a special air group. In order to carry out the delivery of such a heavy cargo as a nuclear bomb, "Enola Gay" was modernized: the latest screws, engines, quickly opening doors of the bomb compartment were installed. This upgrade was carried out only on a few B-29s. Despite the modernization of the Boeing, he had to drive the entire runway to pick up the speed you need for takeoff.

A couple more bombers were flying alongside the Enola Gay. Three more planes took off earlier to find out weather conditions over possible targets. Suspended from the ceiling of the aircraft was a ten feet (over 3 meters) long "Baby" nuclear bomb. In the "Manhattan Project" (for the development of US nuclear weapons), Navy Captain William Parsons played an important role in the appearance of the atomic bomb. On the Enola Gay, he joined the crew as the bomb specialist. To avoid possible explosion bombs during takeoff, it was decided to put a warhead on it right in flight. Already in the air, Parsons changed the bomb plugs for warheads in 15 minutes. As he later recalled: "At the moment when I put the charge, I knew that the" Kid "will bring the Japanese, but I did not feel much emotion about it."

Bomb "Kid" was created on the basis of uranium-235. It was the result of a $ 2 billion research study that was never tested. None nuclear bomb have not yet been dropped from an airplane. 4 Japanese cities were chosen for the bombing of the USA:

Hiroshima;
Kokura;
Nagasaki;
Niigata.

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

The first target of the bombing

On August 6, 1945, the clouds cleared over Hiroshima. At 8:15 am (local time), the hatch of the Enola Gay flew open and the Kid flew into the city. The fuse was set 600 meters above the ground and detonated at 1,900 feet. Shooter George Caron described the spectacle he saw through the rear window: “The cloud was in the form of a mushroom of a seething mass of purple-ash smoke, with a fiery core inside. It looked like lava flows sweeping the whole city. "

The cloud was estimated to have risen to 40,000 feet. Robert Lewis recalled: "Where we clearly observed 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 from the explosion, 60,000 of 90,000 buildings were destroyed. The metal and stone just melted, the clay tiles melted. Unlike many previous bombings, the target of this raid was not a single military target, but whole city... The atomic bomb, apart from the military, mostly killed civilians. The population of Hiroshima was 350,000, of which 70,000 died instantly directly from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radioactive contamination over the next five years.

Survivor witness atomic explosion, described: “The skin of people turned black from burns, they were completely bald, as their hair was burnt, it was not clear whether this was a face or the back of the head. The skin on the hands, faces and bodies hung down. If there were one or two such people, there would be less shock. But wherever I went, I saw just such people around, many died right on the road - I still remember them as walking ghosts. "

Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

When the people of Japan tried to make sense of the destruction of Hiroshima, the United States was planning a second nuclear strike. He was not detained so that Japan could surrender, but was inflicted immediately three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. On August 9, 1945, another B-29 "Bockscar" ("Bock's car") 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 with dense clouds. The backup target was Nagasaki. At 11:02 am, a second atomic bomb was detonated 1,650 feet above the city.

Fuji Urata Matsumoto, who miraculously survived, recounted the eerie scene: “The field with pumpkins was completely demolished by the explosion. Nothing remained of the entire crop mass. Instead of a pumpkin, a woman's head lay in the garden. I tried to examine her, maybe I knew her. The head was of a woman of about forty, I have never seen it here, maybe it was brought from another part of the city. A golden tooth gleamed in my mouth, singed hair hung down, eyeballs burned out and black holes remained. "

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, using nuclear weapons for the first time in history. There is still debate over whether this action was justified, because Japan was then close to surrender. One way or another, August 6, 1945 began new era in the history of mankind.

1. A Japanese soldier walks through the desert in Hiroshima in September 1945, just a month after the bombing. This series of photographs depicting human suffering and ruin was presented by the American navy... (U.S. Department of Navy)

3. Data air force USA - a map of Hiroshima before the bombing, on which you can observe the epicenter area, which instantly disappeared from the face of the earth. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

4. Bomb under codename"Kid" above the airlock of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" bomber at the base of the 509th consolidated group in the Mariana Islands in 1945. "Baby" was 3 meters long and weighed 4000 kg, but contained only 64 kg of uranium, which was used to provoke a chain of atomic reactions and the subsequent explosion. (U.S. National Archives)

5. A photo taken from one of two American bombers from the 509th Consolidated Group, shortly after 8:15 am on August 5, 1945, shows smoke rising from the explosion over the city of Hiroshima. By the time of shooting, a flash of light and heat had already occurred from a fireball with a diameter of 370 m, and the blast wave quickly dissipated, already causing major damage to buildings and people within a radius of 3.2 km. (U.S. National Archives)

6. The growing nuclear "mushroom" over Hiroshima shortly after 8:15, August 5, 1945. When a portion of uranium in the bomb went through the fission stage, it instantly turned into energy of 15 kilotons of TNT, heating a massive fireball to a temperature of 3980 degrees Celsius. The air, heated to the limit, quickly rose in the atmosphere like a huge bubble, raising a column of smoke behind it. By the time this photo was taken, smog had risen to a height of 6,096 meters above Hiroshima, and smoke from the explosion of the first atomic bomb spread 3,048 meters at the base of the column. (U.S. National Archives)

7. View of the epicenter of Hiroshima in the fall of 1945 - complete destruction after the first atomic bomb was dropped. The photo shows the hypocenter ( center point explosion center) - approximately above the Y-shaped intersection in the center on the left. (U.S. National Archives)

8. Bridge over the Ota River, 880 meters from the hypocenter of the explosion over Hiroshima. Notice how the road burned down, and ghost prints are visible to the left where concrete pillars once protected the surface. (U.S. National Archives)

9. Color photo destroyed Hiroshima in March 1946. (U.S. National Archives)

10. An explosion destroyed the Okita plant in Hiroshima, Japan. November 7, 1945. (U.S. National Archives)

11. Keloid scars on the back and shoulders of the victim of the explosion in Hiroshima. Scars formed where the victim's skin was not protected from direct radiation. (U.S. National Archives)

12. This patient (photo taken by the Japanese military on October 3, 1945) was approximately 1981.2 m from the epicenter when the radiation rays overtook him from the left. The cap protected part of the head from burns. (U.S. National Archives)