Product Exhibition Hall and dome by Czech architect Jan Letzel built 1915
taken from Motoyasu Bridge in 1939
By late May 1945, the Manhattan Project Interim Committee selected the Japanese city/cities to bomb. While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. While plans for the invasion of Japan were going ahead, preparations were being made to use an atomic bomb. The Little Boy bomb was ready for delivery by July 31
The Target Committee’s primary concern was showing off the bomb's power to the maximum effect, especially since Hiroshima was a major port and a military headquarters i.e a strategic target. Post-bomb photos could be taken and since Hiroshima had not been damaged by earlier bombing raids, these photographs would present a clear picture of Little Boy’s damage.
The Potsdam Declaration was issued by the U.S, Britain and China in late July 1945, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. When the Japanese military ignored their threat of prompt and utter destruction, U.S Major Gen Groves drafted orders to use the bomb and sent them to General Carl Spaatz, Commander of Air Forces in the Pacific. With approval by Army Chief Staff George Marshall, Secretary of War Stimson and Pres. Truman, the order to drop Little Boy on Hiroshima was given.
Note that some atomic bomb researchers at Met Lab in Chicago tried to stop its use. Ironically Dr Leo Szilard had led atomic bomb research in 1939 against Germany, but since the threat of a German bomb was over, he started a petition to Pres Truman so save Japan. With 88 signatures on the petition, Dr Szilard circulated copies in Chicago & Oak Ridge, only to have the petition quashed at Los Alamos by physicist Dr Oppenheimer.
Early on 6th Aug 1945 an American bomber, Enola Gay, left U.S administered Tinian Island south of Japan for Hiroshima. Piloted by Col Paul Tibbets, the 4-engine plane and 2 observation planes carrying cameras and scientific instruments, flew out. Enola Gay was the plane carrying a bomb, one that was expected to massacre everything within a 5 ks of the city centre. Measuring 3+ ms long and 75 cs across, it weighed c4.5 tonnes and had the explosive force of 18,000 tonnes of TNT. Col Tibbets told his crew that the plane was carrying the world's first atomic bomb!
By 7AM the Japanese radar-net detected the U.S aircraft, and the alert was broadcast throughout the Hiroshima area. Soon after, a weather plane circled over the city but there was no sign of bombers. The Japanese citizens began their daily work, thinking the danger had passed. Soon the Enola Gay was cruising over Hiroshima and by 8 AM, Japanese radar again detected B-29s heading toward the city. Radio stations broadcast another warning for people to take shelter! Enola Gay crew could see the city appear below and were messaged that the weather was perfect over Hiroshima. The Little Boy exploded, instantly killing up to 140,000 people and leaving up to 100,000 more to die slowly from radiation. Over two-thirds of Hiroshima's buildings were demolished. Hundreds of fires, ignited by the thermal pulse, combined to produce a firestorm that had incinerated everything within 10 ks of Ground Zero.
The Genbaku Dome, now Hiroshima Peace Memorial,
was one of the few structures left (barely) standing.
Guardian
Smoke is still hanging and the charred bodies are scattered,
10th Aug 1945
In 1945 Hiroshima was the first city in the world to be hit by an atomic bomb. Endless lives were lost, and those who barely managed to survive suffered great mental and physical damage, dying from radiation sickness. Exactly 4 years after the bomb was dropped, it was decided that the destroyed area would not be redeveloped but instead devoted to peace memorials.
The Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955 with the aim of conveying the tragedy caused by the atomic bomb to people all over the world, contributing to the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace. This Museum collects and exhibits the belongings of survivors, as well as photos and materials showing the devastation caused by the bomb, introducing the history of Hiroshima before and after the bombing, and the nuclear age world.
Thus today Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park is a prominent feature of the city, a large park of 120,000+ sq ms. Pre-bomb, Peace Park area was the political and commercial heart of the city; now its trees, lawns and paths starkly contrast with the surrounding central business district.
The park's main facility is the Peace Memorial Museum. The two buildings of the museum survey the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb. Naturally the main focus is on the events of 6th Aug: dropping the bomb and its outcome in human suffering. The personal details displayed are very upsetting for most visitors.
The A-Bomb Dome/aka Hiroshima Peace Memorial, is what remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the building that promoted Hiroshima's industries. When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and remains so today. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the A-Bomb Dome is a clear link to Hiroshima's past.
Between the Museum and the A-Bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. The Cenotaph is an arched tomb for those who died because of the bomb, either because of the initial blast or exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of these names, of which there are 220,000+. Every year on the anniversary of the bomb, a ceremony is held at the park. Speeches are made, wreathes are laid at the Cenotaph and a moment of silence is observed at exactly 8:15 AM.
Many reviewers criticised the Peace Memorial Museum’s layout. But when the visitors enter the first part of the museum, it feels as if they are cut off from the outside world; walking through the exhibition not a leisurely stroll but a rugged test, fitting the disturbing exhibition and displays. And sometimes it is extremely crowded and hard to be able to read the displays. Nonetheless the museum is a must-see in Japan, a place that changes lives.
The Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955 with the aim of conveying the tragedy caused by the atomic bomb to people all over the world, contributing to the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace. This Museum collects and exhibits the belongings of survivors, as well as photos and materials showing the devastation caused by the bomb, introducing the history of Hiroshima before and after the bombing, and the nuclear age world.
Thus today Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park is a prominent feature of the city, a large park of 120,000+ sq ms. Pre-bomb, Peace Park area was the political and commercial heart of the city; now its trees, lawns and paths starkly contrast with the surrounding central business district.
The park's main facility is the Peace Memorial Museum. The two buildings of the museum survey the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb. Naturally the main focus is on the events of 6th Aug: dropping the bomb and its outcome in human suffering. The personal details displayed are very upsetting for most visitors.
The A-Bomb Dome/aka Hiroshima Peace Memorial, is what remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the building that promoted Hiroshima's industries. When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and remains so today. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the A-Bomb Dome is a clear link to Hiroshima's past.
Between the Museum and the A-Bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. The Cenotaph is an arched tomb for those who died because of the bomb, either because of the initial blast or exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of these names, of which there are 220,000+. Every year on the anniversary of the bomb, a ceremony is held at the park. Speeches are made, wreathes are laid at the Cenotaph and a moment of silence is observed at exactly 8:15 AM.
Many reviewers criticised the Peace Memorial Museum’s layout. But when the visitors enter the first part of the museum, it feels as if they are cut off from the outside world; walking through the exhibition not a leisurely stroll but a rugged test, fitting the disturbing exhibition and displays. And sometimes it is extremely crowded and hard to be able to read the displays. Nonetheless the museum is a must-see in Japan, a place that changes lives.
Children's peace memorial
Bombed areas filled with Memorial Park now
City centre in the background
The old Product Exhibition Hall is now
Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Museum
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20 comments:
Hello, Helen! Merry Christmas! I wonder if people in Australia and Japan know who dropped the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I wonder when the US will apologize to the Japanese people.
Irina
I am assuming _everyone_ knew because, unlike many war time crises which occur silently, this one was not a secret. The Potsdam Declaration was publicly issued in July 1945, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. When the Japanese military ignored their threat of utter destruction, the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 6th Aug 1945. The second bomb, which may not have been as easily predicted, was dropped on Nagasaki on 9th Aug 1945
What happened to the people who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, at least for some time? Were they offered hospital care or did they die too quickly from their disease that killed them days or months after the day of the attack?
Joe
The Manhattan Project wrote:Those closest to the explosion died instantly as black char. Survivors outdoors close to the blast described a literally blinding light combined with overwhelming heat. The blast wave followed almost instantly for those close-in. Those that were indoors were usually spared the flash burns, but even the very strongest structures collapsed. Within minutes, 9/10 people half a mile or less from ground zero were dead.
Deaths from radiation sickness did not peak until 3-4 weeks after the attacks and did not taper off until 7-8 weeks after the attack. Long-range health dangers associated with radiation exposure eg an increased danger of cancer, lingered for the rest of the victims' lives.
By the end of 1945, because of the lingering effects of radioactive fallout and other after-effects, the five-year death total exceeded 200,000, as cancer took hold.
I would have loved to gone to Hiroshima when I visited Japan in 2018. I'm surprised the Japanese still liked the US so much after these horrible events. However, from what I learned is that the many Japanese weren't in love with their own military at that time. They were definitely brutal. My Dad was in the Pacific theater in the war, and I grew up hearing many of his stories. But my daughter, well she didn't hear those stories the same way, which is a shame. Too bad people can't live longer to pass on those stories. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful Hanukkah holiday Hels.
Boa tarde. Um Feliz Natal, com muita paz e saúde minha querida amiga. Excelente reflexão. E que as bombas atômicas não venham, ser usadas outra vez. Mas, vemos outras sendo jogadas em outras partes do mundo, inclusive na Ucrânia e outros lugares. Sabemos quem são os financiadores das bombas. Um dia espero que eles sejam julgados por seus crimes e cada morte. Como sou cristão, a maior condenação não será nesse mundo.
Hello Hels, As much as we love Japanese culture today, the Japan of WWII and earlier was not the warm and fuzzy place that produced Hello Kitty. Militarily, they were a vicious enemy who committed atrocities in China, Korea, and Pearl Harbor. It probably took something as horrible as the Bomb to stop their course. Today there is much sympathy and re-thinking of the U.S. decision, but I urge people to read historian Paul Fussell's (at the time a U.S. solider) reminiscences and opinions of the necessity of the bomb.
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Perhaps it is appropriate that Hiroshima is both the target of the first atom bomb, and now the scene of an important Peace Park.
--Jim
The events you’ve described are a poignant and sobering reminder of a pivotal moment in history. The efforts of Dr. Leo Szilard and the other atomic bomb researchers at the Met Lab to prevent the use of the bomb highlight the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by scientists and leaders during wartime. It's a stark contrast between the initial intent to stop a German bomb and the ultimate outcome in Japan.
The story of the Enola Gay and its mission over Hiroshima is one of immense tragedy and loss. The sheer scale of devastation caused by the atomic bomb, both immediate and long-term, is almost incomprehensible. The lives lost, the city destroyed, and the lingering effects of radiation underscore the profound impact of nuclear weapons.
Erika
In the early 1950s I too heard my father's war stories, presumably censored a bit because I was only born in 1948. I am certain you are correct that many Japanese hated the war, presumably because they didn't want their husbands and sons killed in foreign countries about which they didn't care very much. They just wanted to run safe homes, raise healthy children and focus on their careers. Same here!! My dad was legally adopted in 1939, to protect him from conscription (which didn't stop him going into the army AFTER university, by the way).
Luiz
I too hope and pray that the US atomic bombs on Japan were the first and last to be dropped on civilian cities, or EVER for that matter. Nonetheless we see similar threats and trials being carried out in other war sites today... where huge numbers of humans could be exterminated in a few minutes.
Jim
there were atrocities everywhere, and not just when war had formally been declared. But you are absolutely correct - far from warm and fuzzy. Japanese internment camps brutally treated and starved their prisoners, in Japan as well as in Singapore, Burma, Java etc. For my father, the worst experience was when Japan dropped two bombs on the centre of Darwin, the biggest city in northern Australia. Hundreds of civilians were massacred in Feb 1942. And 60% Darwin's civilian population ran away to the south permanently, if they survived the bombs.
That doesn't excuse the atomic bombs on large civilian Japanese cities, of course.
Criterion: The Hiroshima Peace Memorial is a stark and powerful symbol of the achievement of world peace for more than half a century following the unleashing of the most destructive force ever created by humankind.
Integrity The Hiroshima Peace Memorial has been preserved as a ruin. It is all that remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotional Hall after the 1945 nuclear bomb blast. Inside the property, all the structural elements of the building have been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. The property can be observed from the outside of the periphery fences and its external and internal integrity is well maintained. The buffer zone, including Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, is a place for prayer for the atomic bomb victims and for permanent world peace.
roentare
I would not like to have been a scientist or doctor even partially responsible for the two atomic bombs. Of course we say now we would not have participated in the mass murders, but if refusal was going to be met by a lifetime in gaol or execution, perhaps we would have obeyed orders also.
In Hiroshima, c140,000 civilians died instantly and c100,000 more died slowly from radiation poisoning. In Nagasaki, c40,000 people were killed by the initial detonation and within the next five years, c100,000++ more deaths were due to the Nagasaki bomb.
UNESCO
My grandchildren extend their many thanks for the experience.
Are there enough photos, explanatory details on the walls, and tour guides available to help the younger generation to understand what happened decades before they were born? Can the visitors rent ear phones, to listen to the explanations in their own language?
Dear Helen! May Christmas give you strength, health, peace, faith in a better tomorrow. Be happy!
Dear Helen! I asked this question in my first comment because I often hear from Western leaders that it was the Soviet Union that bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In August 2024 a Russian correspondent walked the streets of Tokyo and asked passersby who had dropped bombs on Japanese cities. Everyone answered that it was Russia.
Merry Christmas! Let the bright Christmas star light a fire in your soul and help you find the way to your dream! Let the Lord and the Angels help you make it come true! Miracles and magic to you! A fabulous mood and unexpected, incredible, but very pleasant surprises!
Hi Hels.
I basically came to your blog to send you best Hanukkah wishes.
As for this post, the subject Hiroshima is a difficult one. The decision made 80 years ago made sense under those circumstances and based on the then rules, but I still think it's unjustified. And, I find the apologetics of the "well, we had to break their spirit" variety extremely disturbing ...
anyway, as I say, sending you best wishes :)
Liam,
many thanks. The most meaningful thing we can wish each other at Christmas, Channukah and New Year is personal and community peace. So this might be a very good time to look back at Hiroshima and other catastrophes to see what we have learned. I include governmental and army leaders in that process.
Irina
absolutely not. The American records, photos, pilots, bombers and Declaration were all proudly acknowledging their decisions. Clear acknowledgement yes, apologies probably not.
Irina
I am not Christian, but I hope your New Year is healthy, happy and above all peaceful.
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