Hiroshima Peace Memorial - Hiroshima, Japan image coutesy flickr.com
Today, 6th August 2008 is the 63rd anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in which thousands were killed and many still face the after effects of radiation effects. This was the only time when a nuclear weapon was actually used. The bombings were carried out to force Japan to surrender during the Second World War. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945 at 8:15 am (Hiroshima Time). The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on 9th August, 1945 at 11:01 am (Nagasaki Time). The bombings had the desired effects as Japan surrendered shortly aftwerwards, on 15th August 1945, thus ending World War II.
World War II
The seeds of the Second World War was sowed during the end of the First World War itself. Germany was defeated and was made to sign the humiliating Treaty of Versailes. This treaty was totally one sided and was made with the aim to limit Germany’s powers. Germany lost out a significant portion of its territory. Also there were restrictions on German Army. Annexation of other states were prohibited. These were largely seen as an insult to the German pride. When Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany in 1933, he immediately began a massive rearming campaign. This was in complete violation to the Versalies treaty. But initially, the world didnot react much. But, when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the whole world took notice. World War II had begun officially.
The Axis and the Allied Powers
The war was fought between the Axis and the Allied powers. These groups were made up of countries who sided with one other according to their vested interests. The Axis group comprised of Germany, Japan and Italy. The Allied group consisted of United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. These are the major countries that participated in the war. There were many indirect participants, like India, who was a British Colony at that time.
Japan and the Second World War
Source Courtesy:-Suite101.com
Japan was desperate and in social and economic crisis, and the country was racked by devastating natural disasters. Dozens of earthquakes ravaged the country leaving destruction in it’s wake. The bottom fell out of the Japanese economy and they became a country ready for political upheaval. By 1926 over three-million workers were unemployed and thousands had lost their life savings. Japan, a nation dependant upon imported resources, suffered when the “The Great Depression” hit America destroying their greatest economic industry, the export of silk to the U.S. Japanese leaders believed that Asian colonies could supply them with raw materials and aid them in their economic problems through conquest. Acting upon his own initiative Lieutenant Colonel Kanji Ishihara began Japans military aggression by attacking Manchuria under pretext of wrong-doing to seize territory. By March 1932, the Japanese Kwantung Army led by the recently promoted Colonel Kanji Ishihara was given the go-ahead to capture all of Manchuria, Jehol, and a part of Mongolia. The United States and other powers refused to recognize the new independent state of Manchukuo, which was made up of conquered lands that had been taken from China. The Japanese were infuriated by “The League of Nations” condemning their actions and decided to withdraw from the League and disregard world opinion and peace treaties. In 1939 the United States rescinded its commercial treaty with the Empire of Japan and began to restrict essential shipments of oil and metals. These actions created resentment for the West and furthered the already deep seeded Anti-Anglo feelings throughout the Land. By 1941 the U.S. joined in a full embargo which was a devastating blow to Japanese need and reliance upon imported oil. Japan, given a choice of withdrawing from China or be denied the resources they needed to continue their campaign, chose war! It was decided that Japan would attack America.
Attack On the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was the American Naval Base located in Hawaii. The Japanese faced embargo over imported oil. It decided to take over the oil supplies in the Dutch East Indies.Furthermore the transfer of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from its previous base in San Diego to its new base in Pearl Harbor was seen by the Japanese military as the U.S. asserting itself for potential conflict between the two countries. On 7th December, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor causing heavy losses. This single incident changed the entire course of World War II and the result was particularly devastating for Japan. USA, till this point, was not directly involved in the war. But after this incident it joined the Allied powers against Japan.
The Postdam Ultimatum
The Second World War came to end in Europe when Germany surrendered on 7th May, 1945. But Japan refused to surrender and carried out the offensives. On July 26 1945, Harry Truman, President of USA, and other allied leaders issued The Potsdam Declaration outlining terms of surrender for Japan. It was presented as an ultimatum and stated that without a surrender, the Allies would attack Japan, resulting in “the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland” . But Japan chose to ignore the warnings and fight till the finish.
Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic Cloud Just after the atomic bomb explosion at hiroshima image courtesy atomicarchive.com
Hiroshima was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing mission on August 6, with Kokura and Nagasaki being alternative targets The target selection was subject to the following criteria: (1) they are larger than three miles in diameter and are important targets in a large urban area (2) the blast would create effective damage, and (3) they are unlikely to be attacked by August 1945. Hiroshima was described as “an important army depot and port of embarcation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focussing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. At the time of its bombing, Hiroshima was a city of some industrial and military significance. A number of military camps were located nearby, including the headquarters of the Fifth Division and Field Marshal Shunroku Hata’s 2nd General Army Headquarters, which commanded the defense of all of southern Japan. Hiroshima was a minor supply and logistics base for the Japanese military. The city was a communications center, a storage point, and an assembly area for troops. It was one of several Japanese cities left deliberately untouched by American bombing, allowing a pristine environment to measure the damage caused by the atomic bomb. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945 at 8:15 am local time. This bomb was code named “Little Boy” and was a gun-type fission weapon with 60 kg (130 pounds) of uranium-235. It took about 57 seconds to fall from the aircraft to the pre determined detonation height of 600 meters above the city. Due to crosswinds, it missed the aiming point, the Aioi Bridge, by almost 800 feet and detonated directly over Shima Surgical Clinic. It created a blast equivalent to about 13 kilotons of TNT. The U-235 weapon was considered very inefficient, with only 1.38% of its material fissioning. The radius of total destruction was about 1.6 km (1 mile), with resulting fires across 11.4 km² (4.4 square miles). Infrastructure damage was estimated at 90 percent of Hiroshima’s buildings being either damaged or completely destroyed. After the Hiroshima bombing, US President Truman announced, “If they do not accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth.” On August 8, 1945, leaflets were dropped and warnings were given to Japan by Radio Saipan. The Japanese government still did not react to the Potsdam Declaration. Emperor Hirohito, the government and the War council were considering four conditions for surrender: the preservation of the kokutai (Imperial institution and national policy), assumption by the Imperial Headquarters of responsibility for disarmament and demobilization, no occupation, and delegation to the Japanese government of the punishment of war criminals.
Model of The atomic bomb Fatman dropped at nagasaki Image courtesy Nagasaki Atomic BOmb museum
The city of Nagasaki had been one of the largest sea ports in southern Japan and was of great wartime importance because of its wide-ranging industrial activity, including the production of ordnance, ships, military equipment, and other war materials. Nagasaki had never been subjected to large-scale bombing prior to the explosion of a nuclear weapon there. On August 1, 1945, however, a number of conventional high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city. A few hit in the shipyards and dock areas in the southwest portion of the city, several hit the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works and six bombs landed at the Nagasaki Medical School and Hospital, with three direct hits on buildings there. While the damage from these bombs was relatively small, it created considerable concern in Nagasaki and many people—principally school children—were evacuated to rural areas for safety, thus reducing the population in the city at the time of the nuclear attack. On the morning of August 9, 1945, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Bockscar, flown by the crew of 393rd Squadron commander Major Charles W. Sweeney, carried the nuclear bomb code-named “Fat Man”, with Kokura as the primary target and Nagasaki the secondary target. By the time they reached Kokura a cloud cover had obscured the city, prohibiting the visual attack required by orders. After three runs over the city, and with fuel running low because a transfer pump on a reserve tank had failed before take-off, they headed for their secondary target, Nagasaki.
The “Fat Man” weapon, containing a core of 6.4 kg (14.1 lbs.) of plutonium-239, was dropped over
Mushroom Cloud After BOmb Explosion At Nagasaki Image Courtesy :- Atomicarchive.com
the city’s industrial valley at 11:01 am local time. Forty-three seconds later it exploded 469 meters (1,540 ft) above the ground exactly halfway between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works in the south and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works (Torpedo Works) in the north. This was nearly 3 kilometers (2 mi) northwest of the planned hypocenter; the blast was confined to the Urakami Valley and a major portion of the city was protected by the intervening hills. The resulting explosion had a blast yield equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT. The explosion generated heat estimated at 3900 degrees Celsius (7000 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds that were estimated at 1005 km/h (624 mph). Casualty estimates for immediate deaths range from 40,000 to 75,000. Total deaths by the end of 1945 may have reached 80,000. The radius of total destruction was about 1.6 km (1 mile), followed by fires across the northern portion of the city to 3.2 km (2 miles) south of the bomb. An unknown number of survivors from the Hiroshima bombing had made their way to Nagasaki, where they were bombed again.
The Surrender of Japan
Up to August 9, the war council was still insisting on its four conditions for surrender. On that day Hirohito ordered Kido to “quickly control the situation” “because Soviet Union has declared war against us”. He then held an Imperial conference during which he authorized minister Togo to notify the Allies that Japan would accept their terms on one condition, that the declaration “does not compromise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign ruler”. On August 12, the Emperor informed the imperial family of his decision to surrender. One of his uncles, Prince Asaka, then asked whether the war would be continued if the kokutai could not be preserved. Hirohito simply replied “of course”. As the Allied terms seemed to leave intact the principle of the preservation of the Throne, Hirohito recorded on August 14 his capitulation announcement which was broadcast to the Japanese nation the next day despite a short rebellion by militarists opposed to the surrender. In his declaration, Hirohito referred to the atomic bombings : “Moreover, the enemy now possesses a new and terrible weapon with the power to destroy many innocent lives and do incalculable damage. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.Such being the case, how are We to save the millions of Our subjects, or to atone Ourselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the Powers. ” In his “Rescript to the soldiers and sailors” delivered on 17 August, he stressed the impact of the Soviet invasion and his decision to surrender, omitting any mention of the bombs. During the year after the bombing, approximately 40,000 U.S. occupation troops were in Hiroshima. Nagasaki was occupied by 27,000 troops.
Debate over bombings
Those who argue in favor of the decision to drop the bombs generally assert that they caused the Japanese surrender, preventing massive casualties on both sides in the planned invasion of Japan. Those who argue against the decision to drop the bombs characterize them as inherently immoral, war crimes or, crimes against humanity and/or state terrorism. They may also argue that they were militarily unnecessary.
Present
Having seen the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, Japan adopted three non nuclear principles forbidding the nation from nuclear armament. Every year during this day we remember those who died in those bombings. Also we are constantly reminded of how the wrong use of technology can lead to complete destruction of human race. They say “Those who dont learn from history are destined to repeat itself”. Lets hope that we learn something from this piece of history and donot repeat it in the future.
Footnotes:- The content for the above write ups has been taken from various sources. All copyrights are acknowledged. Any errors or omissions are unintentional and highly regretted.
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