Hiroshima

It was a clear morning on August 6, 1945 as the weather surveying aircraft relayed the message back to the B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay. Hiroshima’s fate was sealed and at 8:15 am the first atomic bomb was dropped on mankind. Instantaneously, the city was a leveled inferno killing an estimated 70,000 to 140,000 people between the blast and radiation illness. On August 15, 1945 Japan surrendered.

This infamous morning in history began several years ago when Japan invaded British territories and secretly bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. An ultimatum was presented to Japan with terms of surrender but Japan refused the conditions of the Potsdam Declaration, causing the Allied forces to consider drastic measures to end the war.

Nuclear fission was first discovered in Germany and brought to the US by scientist fleeing the Nazi regime. The Top Secret Manhattan Project began in fear that Germany would begin using such power against its enemies. However, it was later decided that if the Japanese could be deeply devastated that the war would come to an end. Hiroshima was a central supply and communications point for the Japanese during World War II, and along with other locations, it was spared from routine bombing runs so the devastating effects of an atomic bomb could be accurately measured.

Almost an hour before the bomb was dropped a Japanese early warning radar detected American aircraft headed for southern Japan. An alert was broadcasted to several cities, including Hiroshima, but at 8:00 am the radar operator felt the number of planes was too small to conduct a raid and the warning was lifted. In an effort to conserve resources, no Japanese air forces were deployed as interference. The “Little Boy” was dropped with 130 lbs of uranium-235, falling for 57 seconds before detonating 2000 ft above the city. While the U.S. had previously dropped leaflets warning civilians of air raids, Hiroshima never received any notice before the atomic bomb exploded.

Today Hiroshima leads several campaigns to end the nuclear age. As a tribute to the devastating effects of atomic bombs, Hiroshima has erected several monuments throughout Peace Memorial Park including A-Bomb Dome, Children’s Peace Memorial, and Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. Many of the memorials are draped with thousands origami cranes as a symbol of peace. The Peace Memorial Museum was very informative on the facts leading up to, during, and after the bombing of Hiroshima.