1945 nuclear bomb. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

HOW IT WAS

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m. local time, an American B-29 Enola Gay bomber, piloted by Paul Tibbetts and bombardier Tom Ferebee, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Substantial part the city was destroyed, 140 thousand people died in the first six months after the bombing.

Nuclear mushroom rises into the air

A nuclear mushroom is a product of a nuclear bomb explosion, formed immediately after the detonation of the charge. It is one of the characteristic features atomic explosion.

The Hiroshima Meteorological Observatory reported that immediately after the explosion, a black cloud of smoke from the ground grew and rose to a height of several thousand meters, covering the city. When the light radiation disappeared, these clouds, like gray smoke, rose up to a height of 8 thousand meters, just 5 minutes after the explosion.

One of the Enola Gay crew members 20070806/hnapprox. translation. - most likely, we are talking about Robert Lewis) wrote in the flight log:

"9:00 A.M. Clouds have been examined. Height is 12 thousand meters or more." From afar, the cloud looks like a mushroom growing from the ground, with a cap white and yellowish clouds with a brown outline around the edges. All these colors, when mixed, formed a color that cannot be defined as black, white, red or yellow.

In Nagasaki, from an air defense post on Koyagi Island, 8 miles south of the city, immediately after the blinding flash from the explosion, they observed that a huge fireball covered the city from above. A ring of blast wave diverged around the center of the explosion, from where black smoke rose. This ring of fire did not immediately reach the ground. When the light radiation dissipated, darkness fell over the city. Smoke rose from the center of this ring of fire and reached a height of 8 thousand meters in 3-4 seconds.

After the smoke reached a height of 8 thousand meters, it began to rise more slowly and reached a height of 12 thousand meters in 30 seconds. Then the mass of smoke gradually became discolored and merged with the clouds.

Hiroshima burned to the ground

Hiroshima Prefecture Building heavy industry, where goods produced in Hiroshima were displayed and displayed, stood before the bomb exploded. The epicenter was vertically above this building, and the shock wave hit the building from above. Only the base of the dome and load-bearing walls survived the bombing. Subsequently, this building symbolized the atomic bombing and spoke with its appearance, warning people around the world: “No more Hiroshima!” As the years passed, the condition of the ruins deteriorated due to rain and wind. Social movement advocated for the preservation of this monument, and money began to be collected from all over Japan, not to mention Hiroshima. In August 1967, strengthening work was completed.
The bridge behind the building in the photo is the Motoyasu Bridge. Now he is part of the Peace Park ensemble.

Victims who were near the epicenter of the explosion

August 6, 1945. This is one of 6 photographs depicting the tragedy of Hiroshima. These precious photos were taken 3 hours after the bombing.

A raging fire was advancing in the center of the city. Both ends of one of the longest bridges in Hiroshima were littered with the bodies of the dead and wounded. Many of them were students from Daiichi High School and Hiroshima Women's Commerce School, and when the explosion occurred, they were engaged in clearing the rubble, unprotected.

A 300-year-old camphor tree torn from the ground by a blast wave

A large camphor tree grew on the territory of the Kokutaiji Nature Reserve. It was rumored to be over 300 years old and was revered as a monument. Its crown and leaves provided shade for tired passersby on hot days, and its roots grew almost 300 meters in different directions.

However, the shock wave that hit the tree with a force of 19 tons square meter, pulled him out of the ground. The same thing happened with hundreds of gravestones, demolished by the blast wave and scattered throughout the cemetery.

The white building in the photo in the right corner is the Branch of the Bank of Japan. It survived because it was built of reinforced concrete and masonry, but only the walls remained standing. Everything inside was destroyed by flames.

A building collapsed by a blast wave

It was a watch shop located on the main business street of Hiroshima, nicknamed "Hondori", which is still quite busy to this day. Top part The store was designed in the form of a clock tower so that all passersby could check their time. That was until the explosion occurred.

The first floor shown in this photo is the second floor. This two-story building in its structure resembles a matchbox - there were no load-bearing columns on the first floor - which simply slammed shut due to the explosion. Thus, the second floor became the first floor, and the entire building tilted towards the passage of the shock wave.

There were many reinforced concrete buildings in Hiroshima, mostly right next to the epicenter. According to research, these strong structures should have collapsed only if they were less than 500 meters from the epicenter. Earthquake-resistant buildings also burn out from the inside, but do not collapse. However, be that as it may, many houses located beyond a radius of 500 meters were also destroyed, in particular, as happened with the watch store.

Destruction near the epicenter

Around the Matsuyama intersection, and this is very close to the epicenter, people were burned alive in their last movement, in their desire to escape from the explosion. Everything that could burn did. Roof tiles were cracked by the fire and scattered everywhere, and air-raid shelters were blocked and also partially burned or buried under rubble. Everything spoke without words about a terrible tragedy.

The Nagasaki records described the situation at the Matsuyama Bridge as follows:

"A huge fireball appeared in the sky directly above the Matsuyama region. Along with a blinding flash, came thermal radiation and a shock wave, which immediately went to work and destroyed everything in its path, burning and destroying. The fire burned alive those buried under the rubble, calling for help , moaning or crying.

When the fire ate itself, the colorful world was replaced by a colorless, huge world, looking at which one could come to the conclusion that this was the end of life on Earth. Piles of ash, debris, charred trees - all this presented a terrifying picture. The city seemed extinct. All the townspeople who were on the bridge, that is, right at the epicenter, were killed instantly, with the exception of children who were in bomb shelters."

Urakami Cathedral destroyed by explosion

The cathedral collapsed after the explosion of an atomic bomb and buried many parishioners, who, by the will of fate, were praying there. They say that the ruins of the cathedral were destroyed with an eerie roar and howling even after dark. Also, according to some reports, there were almost 1,400 believers in the cathedral during the bombing, and 850 of them were killed.

The cathedral was decorated with a large number of statues of saints, turned into piles of stones. The photo shows the southern part of the outer wall, where there are 2 statues burned by heat rays: the Blessed Lady and John the Evangelist.

Factory destroyed by shock wave.

The steel structures of this factory were broken or tilted in disarray, as if they were made of soft material. And the concrete structures, which had sufficient strength, were simply demolished. This is evidence of how powerful the shock wave was. This factory was allegedly hit by winds of 200 meters per second, with a pressure of 10 tons per square meter.

Shiroyamskaya Primary School, destroyed by explosion

Shiroyama Primary School is the primary school located closest to the epicenter. Built on a hill and surrounded by beautiful forest, it was the most advanced reinforced concrete school in Nagasaki. Shiroyama County was a nice, quiet area, but with one explosion, this beautiful place was turned into rubble, debris and ruins.

According to records from April 1945, the school had 32 classes, 1,500 students and 37 teachers and staff. On the day of the bombing, the students were at home. There were only 32 people in the school (20070806/hn, including 1 more child of one of the teachers), 44 students from Gakuto Hokokutai (20070806/hnGakuto Hokokutai) and 75 workers from Mitsubishi Heiki Seisakusho (20070806/hnMitsubishi Heiki Seisakusho). A total of 151 people.

Of these 151 people, 52 were killed by heat rays and the tremendous shock wave in the first seconds of the explosion, and another 79 died later from their injuries. There are 131 victims in total, and this is 89% of the total number in the building. Of the 1,500 students at home, 1,400 are believed to have died.

Life and death

The day after the bombing of Nagasaki, there was nothing left in the area of ​​the epicenter that could still burn. A report from Nagasaki Prefecture on “Air Defense and Destruction Caused by Air Raids” stated: “The buildings were mostly burned. Almost all districts were reduced to ashes, and great amount victims."

What is this girl looking for, standing indifferently on a pile of garbage, where coals still smolder during the day? Judging by her clothes, she is most likely a schoolgirl. Among all this monstrous destruction, she cannot find the place where her home was. Her eyes look into the distance. Detached, exhausted and tired.

This girl, who miraculously escaped death, did she live to old age in good health or did she endure the torment caused by exposure to residual radioactivity?

This photograph shows the line between life and death very clearly and precisely. The same pictures could be seen at every step in Nagasaki.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

Hiroshima before the nuclear attack. Mosaic image made for the US Strategic Bombing Review. Date - April 13, 1945

Clock stopped at 8:15 - the moment of the explosion in Hiroshima

View of Hiroshima from the west

Aerial view

Bankovsky district east of the epicenter

Ruins, "Atomic House"

Top view from the Red Cross Hospital

The second floor of the building, which became the first

Hiroshima Station, Oct. 1945

Dead trees

Shadows left by flash

Shadows from the parapet imprinted on the surface of the bridge

Wooden sandal with the shadow of the victim's foot

The shadow of a Hiroshima man on the steps of a bank

Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

Nagasaki two days before atomic bombing:

Nagasaki three days after nuclear explosion:

Atomic mushroom over Nagasaki; photo by Hiromichi Matsuda

Urakami Cathedral

Nagasaki Medical College Hospital

Mitsubishi Torpedo Factory

Survivor among the ruins

The only combat use in the world nuclear weapons was the bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It should be noted that the unfortunate cities found themselves in the role of victims largely due to the tragic circumstances.

Who are we going to bomb?

In May 1945, US President Harry Truman was given a list of several Japanese cities that were supposed to be attacked with nuclear weapons. Four cities were chosen as the main targets. Kyoto like main center Japanese industry. Hiroshima, as the largest military port with ammunition depots. Yokahama was chosen due to the defense factories located outside of its territory. Niigata was targeted because of its military port, and Kokura was on the hit list as the country's largest military arsenal. Note that Nagasaki was not originally on this list. According to the American military, the nuclear bombing should have had not so much a military as a psychological effect. After it, the Japanese government had to abandon further military struggle.

Kyoto was saved by a miracle

From the very beginning, it was assumed that Kyoto would be the main target. The choice fell on this city not only because of its enormous industrial potential. It was here that the flower of the Japanese scientific, technical and cultural intelligentsia was concentrated. If a nuclear strike on this city had actually taken place, Japan would have been thrown far back in terms of civilization. However, this is exactly what the Americans needed. The unfortunate Hiroshima was chosen as the second city. The Americans cynically believed that the hills surrounding the city would increase the force of the explosion, significantly increasing the number of victims. The most amazing thing is that Kyoto avoided a terrible fate thanks to the sentimentality of US Secretary of War Henry Stimson. In his youth, a high-ranking military man spent his honeymoon in the city. Not only did he know and appreciate the beauty and culture of Kyoto, but he also did not want to spoil the fond memories of his youth. Stimson did not hesitate to remove Kyoto from the list of cities proposed for nuclear bombing. Subsequently, General Leslie Groves, who led the US nuclear weapons program, recalled in his book “Now It Can Be Told” that he insisted on bombing Kyoto, but was persuaded by emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of the city. Groves was very unhappy, but nevertheless agreed to replace Kyoto with Nagasaki.

What have Christians done wrong?

At the same time, if we analyze the choice of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as targets for nuclear bombing, many uncomfortable questions arise. The Americans knew very well that the main religion of Japan is Shinto. The number of Christians in this country is extremely small. At the same time, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were considered Christian cities. It turns out that the American military deliberately chose cities populated by Christians for bombing? The first B-29 Great Artist had two targets: the city of Kokura as the main one, and Nagasaki as a backup. However, when the plane, with great difficulty, reached Japanese territory, Kukura found himself hidden by thick clouds of smoke from the burning Yawata Iron and Steel Works. They decided to bomb Nagasaki. The bomb fell on the city on August 9, 1945 at 11:02 am. In the blink of an eye, a 21-kiloton explosion destroyed tens of thousands of people. He was not saved even by the fact that in the vicinity of Nagasaki there was a camp for prisoners of war of the allied armies of the anti-Hitler coalition. Moreover, in the USA they knew very well about its location. During the bombing of Hiroshima, a nuclear bomb was dropped over the Urakamitenshudo Church, the largest Christian temple in the country. The explosion killed 160,000 people.

... We have done the devil's work for him.

One of the creators of the American atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer

On August 9, 1945, human history began new era. It was on this day that the Little Boy nuclear bomb with a yield of 13 to 20 kilotons was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, American aircraft launched a second atomic strike on Japanese territory - the Fat Man bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

As a result of two nuclear bombings, from 150 to 220 thousand people were killed (and these are only those who died immediately after the explosion), Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely destroyed. The shock from the use of the new weapon was so strong that on August 15, the Japanese government announced its unconditional surrender, which was signed on August 2, 1945. This day is considered the official date of the end of World War II.

After this, a new era began, a period of confrontation between two superpowers - the USA and the USSR, which historians called the Cold War. For more than fifty years, the world has been teetering on the brink of a large-scale thermonuclear conflict, which would very likely put an end to our civilization. The atomic explosion in Hiroshima confronted humanity with new threats that have not lost their severity today.

Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary, was there a military necessity for this? Historians and politicians argue about this to this day.

Of course, a strike on peaceful cities and a huge number of victims among their residents looks like a crime. However, we should not forget that at that time the bloodiest war in human history was going on, one of the initiators of which was Japan.

The scale of the tragedy that occurred in Japanese cities clearly showed the whole world the danger of new weapons. However, this did not prevent its further spread: the club of nuclear states is constantly replenished with new members, which increases the likelihood of a repeat of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"The Manhattan Project": the history of the creation of the atomic bomb

The beginning of the twentieth century was a time of rapid development of nuclear physics. Every year, significant discoveries were made in this field of knowledge, people learned more and more about how matter works. The work of such brilliant scientists as Curie, Rutherford and Fermi made it possible to discover the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction under the influence of a neutron beam.

In 1934, American physicist Leo Szilard received a patent for the creation of an atomic bomb. It should be understood that all these studies took place in the context of the approaching world war and against the backdrop of the Nazis coming to power in Germany.

In August 1939, a letter signed by a group of famous physicists was delivered to US President Franklin Roosevelt. Among the signatories was Albert Einstein. The letter warned the US leadership about the possibility of creating in Germany a fundamentally new weapon of destructive power - a nuclear bomb.

After this, the Bureau was created scientific research and developments, which dealt with issues of atomic weapons, additional funds were allocated for research in the field of uranium fission.

It should be admitted that American scientists had every reason to be apprehensive: in Germany they were indeed actively engaged in research in the field of atomic physics and had some success. In 1938, German scientists Strassmann and Hahn split a uranium nucleus for the first time. And in next year German scientists turned to the country's leadership, pointing out the possibility of creating a fundamentally new weapon. In 1939, the first reactor plant was launched in Germany, and the export of uranium outside the country was prohibited. After the outbreak of World War II, all German research related to the “uranium” topic was strictly classified.

In Germany, more than twenty institutes and other scientific centers were involved in the project to create nuclear weapons. Giants of German industry were involved in the work, and they were personally supervised by German Arms Minister Speer. To obtain sufficient quantity uranium-235, a reactor was needed in which the reaction moderator could be either heavy water or graphite. The Germans chose the water they created for themselves serious problem and practically deprived themselves of the prospects of creating nuclear weapons.

In addition, when it became clear that German nuclear weapons were unlikely to appear before the end of the war, Hitler significantly cut funding for the project. True, the Allies had a very vague idea about all this and were quite seriously afraid of Hitler’s atomic bomb.

American work in the field of creating atomic weapons has become much more effective. Launched in the USA in 1943 secret program The Manhattan Project, led by physicist Robert Oppenheimer and General Groves. Huge resources were allocated to create new weapons; dozens of world-famous physicists participated in the project. American scientists were helped by their colleagues from Great Britain, Canada and Europe, which ultimately made it possible to solve the problem in a relatively short time.

By mid-1945, the United States already had three nuclear bombs, with uranium (“Baby”) and plutonium (“Fat Man”) filling.

On July 16, the world's first nuclear weapons test took place: the Trinity plutonium bomb was detonated at the Alamogordo test site (New Mexico). The tests were considered successful.

Political background of the bombings

May 8, 1945 Hitler's Germany capitulated unconditionally. In the Potsdam Declaration, the United States, China and Great Britain invited Japan to do the same. But the descendants of the samurai refused to capitulate, so the war ended Pacific Ocean continued. Earlier, in 1944, there was a meeting between the US President and the British Prime Minister, at which, among other things, they discussed the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Japanese.

In mid-1945, it was clear to everyone (including the Japanese leadership) that the United States and its allies were winning the war. However, the Japanese were not broken morally, as demonstrated by the Battle of Okinawa, which cost the Allies enormous (from their point of view) casualties.

The Americans mercilessly bombed Japanese cities, but this did not reduce the fury of resistance to the Japanese army. The United States began to think about what losses a massive landing on the Japanese islands would cost them. The use of new weapons of destructive force was supposed to undermine the morale of the Japanese and break their will to resist.

After the question of the use of nuclear weapons against Japan was decided positively, the special committee began to select targets for future bombing. The list consisted of several cities, and in addition to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it also included Kyoto, Yokohama, Kokura and Niigata. The Americans did not want to use a nuclear bomb against exclusively military targets; its use should have had a strong psychological effect on the Japanese and shown to the whole world new tool US power. Therefore, a number of requirements were put forward for the purpose of the bombing:

• Cities chosen as targets for atomic bombing must be major economic centers, significant for the war industry, and also be psychologically important to the Japanese population
• The bombing should cause a significant resonance in the world
• The military was not happy with the cities that had already suffered from air raids. They wanted to better assess the destructive power of the new weapon.

The cities of Hiroshima and Kokura were initially chosen. Kyoto was removed from the list by US Secretary of War Henry Stimson because he honeymooned there as a young man and was in awe of the city's history.

For each city, an additional target was selected, and they planned to strike it if the main target was unavailable for any reason. Nagasaki was chosen as insurance for the city of Kokura.

Bombing of Hiroshima

On July 25, US President Truman gave the order to begin bombing on August 3 and hit one of the selected targets at the first opportunity, and the second as soon as the next bomb was assembled and delivered.

At the beginning of the summer, the 509th Combined Group of the US Air Force arrived on Tinian Island, the location of which was separate from other units and carefully guarded.

On July 26, the cruiser Indianapolis delivered the first nuclear bomb, “Baby,” to the island, and by August 2, components of the second nuclear charge, “Fat Man,” were transported to Tinian by air.

Before the war, Hiroshima had a population of 340 thousand people and was the seventh largest Japanese city. According to other information, before the nuclear bombing, 245 thousand people lived in the city. Hiroshima was located on a plain, just above sea level, on six islands connected by numerous bridges.

The city was an important industrial center and supply base for the Japanese military. Plants and factories were located on its outskirts, the residential sector mainly consisted of low-rise wooden buildings. The headquarters of the Fifth Division and the Second Army were located in Hiroshima, which essentially provided protection for the entire southern part of the Japanese islands.

The pilots were able to begin the mission only on August 6, before which they were hampered by heavy clouds. At 1:45 on August 6, an American B-29 bomber from the 509th Aviation Regiment, as part of a group of escort aircraft, took off from the Tinian Island airfield. The bomber was named Enola Gay in honor of the mother of the aircraft's commander, Colonel Paul Tibbetts.

The pilots were confident that dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a good mission; they wanted a speedy end to the war and victory over the enemy. Before departure, they visited a church, and the pilots were given ampoules of potassium cyanide in case of danger of being captured.

Reconnaissance planes sent in advance to Kokura and Nagasaki reported that cloud cover over these cities would prevent the bombing. The pilot of the third reconnaissance aircraft reported that the sky over Hiroshima was clear and transmitted the prearranged signal.

Japanese radars detected a group of aircraft, but since their number was small, the air raid alert was canceled. The Japanese decided that they were dealing with reconnaissance aircraft.

At approximately eight o'clock in the morning, a B-29 bomber, rising to a height of nine kilometers, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The explosion occurred at an altitude of 400-600 meters, a large number of The clock in the city, stopped at the moment of the explosion, clearly recorded its exact time - 8 hours 15 minutes.

results

The consequences of an atomic explosion over a densely populated city were truly terrifying. The exact number of victims of the bombing on Hiroshima has never been established; it ranges from 140 to 200 thousand. Of these, 70-80 thousand people who were near the epicenter died immediately after the explosion, the rest were much less fortunate. The enormous temperature of the explosion (up to 4 thousand degrees) literally evaporated people’s bodies or turned them into coal. The light radiation left imprinted silhouettes of passers-by on the ground and buildings (“shadows of Hiroshima”) and set fire to all flammable materials at a distance of several kilometers.

Following the flash of unbearably bright light, a suffocating blast wave struck, sweeping away everything in its path. The fires in the city merged into one huge fire tornado, which was driven by a strong wind towards the epicenter of the explosion. Those who did not manage to get out from under the rubble burned in this hellish flame.

After some time, the survivors of the explosion began to suffer from an unknown illness, which was accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. These were symptoms of radiation sickness, which was unknown to medicine at that time. However, there were other delayed consequences of the bombing in the form of cancer and severe psychological shock, which haunted the survivors decades after the explosion.

It should be understood that in the middle of the last century, people did not sufficiently understand the consequences of the use of atomic weapons. Nuclear medicine was in its infancy; the concept of “radioactive contamination” as such did not exist. Therefore, after the war, the residents of Hiroshima began to rebuild their city and continued to live in their original places. The high mortality rate from cancer and various genetic abnormalities in the children of Hiroshima were not immediately associated with the nuclear bombing.

For a long time the Japanese could not understand what happened to one of their cities. Hiroshima stopped communicating and transmitting signals on the air. A plane sent to the city found it completely destroyed. Only after the official announcement from the United States did the Japanese realize what exactly had happened in Hiroshima.

Bombing of Nagasaki

The city of Nagasaki is located in two valleys separated by a mountain range. During the Second World War, it was of great military importance as a major port and industrial center in which warships, guns, torpedoes, and military equipment were manufactured. The city was never subjected to large-scale aerial bombardment. At the time of application nuclear strike About 200 thousand people lived in Nagasaki.

On August 9 at 2:47 a.m., an American B-29 bomber under the command of pilot Charles Sweeney with the Fat Man atomic bomb on board took off from the airfield on the island of Tinian. The primary target of the strike was the Japanese city of Kokura, but heavy clouds prevented the bomb from being dropped on it. The crew's additional target was the city of Nagasaki.

The bomb was dropped at 11.02 and detonated at an altitude of 500 meters. Unlike the "Little Boy" dropped on Hiroshima, the "Fat Man" was a plutonium bomb with a yield of 21 kT. The epicenter of the explosion was located over the industrial zone of the city.

Despite the greater power of the ammunition, damage and losses in Nagasaki were less than in Hiroshima. Several factors contributed to this. Firstly, the city was located on the hills, which absorbed part of the force of the nuclear explosion, and secondly, the bomb went off over the industrial zone of Nagasaki. If the explosion had occurred over residential areas, there would have been many more casualties. Part of the area affected by the explosion was generally on the water surface.

The victims of the Nagasaki bomb were from 60 to 80 thousand people (who died immediately or before the end of 1945); the number of people who died later from diseases caused by radiation is unknown. Various figures are cited, the maximum of which is 140 thousand people.

In the city, 14 thousand buildings (out of 54 thousand) were destroyed, more than 5 thousand buildings were significantly damaged. The firestorm that was observed in Hiroshima did not occur in Nagasaki.

Initially, the Americans did not plan to stop at two nuclear strikes. The third bomb was being prepared for mid-August, and three more were planned to be dropped in September. The US government planned to continue atomic bombing until the start of ground operations. However, on August 10, the Japanese government conveyed surrender proposals to the Allies. A day earlier, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, and the country's situation became absolutely hopeless.

Was the bombing necessary?

The debate about whether it was necessary to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has not subsided for many decades. Naturally, today this action looks like a monstrous and inhumane crime of the United States. Domestic patriots and fighters against American imperialism like to raise this topic. Meanwhile, the question is not clear-cut.

It should be understood that at that time there was World War, characterized by an unprecedented level of cruelty and inhumanity. Japan was one of the initiators of this massacre and waged a brutal war of conquest since 1937. In Russia there is often an opinion that nothing serious happened in the Pacific Ocean - but this is an erroneous point of view. Fighting in this region led to the death of 31 million people, most of of which are civilians. The cruelty with which the Japanese pursued their policy in China surpasses even the atrocities of the Nazis.

The Americans sincerely hated Japan, with whom they had been at war since 1941, and really wanted to end the war with least losses. The atomic bomb was simply a new type of weapon; they had only a theoretical understanding of its power, and they knew even less about the consequences in the form of radiation sickness. I don’t think that if the USSR had an atomic bomb, anyone from the Soviet leadership would have doubted whether it was necessary to drop it on Germany. Until the end of his life, US President Truman believed that he had done the right thing by ordering the bombing.

August 2018 marked 73 years since the nuclear bombing of Japanese cities. Nagasaki and Hiroshima today are prosperous metropolises with few reminders of the 1945 tragedy. However, if humanity forgets this terrible lesson, it will most likely happen again. The horrors of Hiroshima showed people what kind of Pandora's box they had opened by creating nuclear weapons. It was the ashes of Hiroshima for decades Cold War sobered up too hot heads, not allowing a new world massacre to be unleashed.

Thanks to the support of the United States and the abandonment of the previous militaristic policy, Japan has become what it is today - a country with one of the strongest economies in the world, a recognized leader in the automotive industry and the high technology. After the end of the war, the Japanese chose a new path of development, which turned out to be much more successful than the previous one.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

MOSCOW, August 6 - RIA Novosti, Asuka Tokuyama, Vladimir Ardaev. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadao Yamamoto was 14 years old. He was weeding potatoes in the eastern part of the city when suddenly his whole body felt like it was on fire. The epicenter of the explosion was two and a half kilometers away. That day, Sadao was supposed to go to school, which was located in the western part of Hiroshima, but he stayed at home. And if he had gone, then nothing could have saved the boy from instant death. Most likely, he would simply disappear, like thousands of other people, without a trace. The city has turned into a real hell.

“The burnt bodies of people were piled up everywhere in disarray, bloated and resembling rubber dolls, with white eyes on their burnt faces,” recalls another survivor, Yoshiro Yamawaki.

"Baby" and "Fat Man"

Exactly 72 years ago, on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., at an altitude of 576 meters above the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the American atomic bomb “Baby” exploded with a yield of only 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT - today even tactical nuclear weapons have greater destructive power . But this “weak” (by today’s standards) explosion instantly killed about 80 thousand people, including several tens of thousands that simply disintegrated into molecules - all that remained of them were dark silhouettes on the walls and stones. The city was instantly engulfed in fire, which destroyed it.

Three days later, on August 9, at 11:20 a.m., the Fat Man bomb, with a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT, exploded at a height of half a kilometer above the city of Nagasaki. The number of victims was approximately the same as in Hiroshima.

The radiation continued to kill people every year after the explosion. Today, the total death toll from the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945 has exceeded 450 thousand people.

Yoshiro Yamawaki was the same age and lived in Nagasaki. On August 9, Yoshiro was at home when the Fat Man bomb exploded two kilometers away. Fortunately, his mother and little brother and sister were being evacuated and therefore were not harmed in any way.

“My twin brother and I sat down at the table, getting ready to have lunch, when suddenly we were blinded by a bright flash. Then a strong air wave swept through the house and literally blew it apart. Just at that time, our older brother, a mobilized schoolboy, returned from the factory. The three of us They rushed to the bomb shelter and waited for their father there, but he never returned,” says Yoshiro Yamawaki.

"People died standing"

The day after the explosion, Yoshiro and his brothers went in search of their father. They reached the plant - the bomb exploded just half a kilometer away. And the closer they came, the more terrible pictures were revealed to them.

“On the bridge we saw rows of dead men standing at the railings on both sides. They died standing. They stood there with their heads bowed, as if in prayer. And dead bodies also floated along the river. At the factory we found my father’s body - it seemed that his was dead the face laughs. Adults from the factory helped us cremate the body. We burned my father at the stake, but we didn’t dare tell our mother about everything we saw and experienced,” Yoshiro Yamawaki continues to recall.

“In the first spring after the war, sweet potatoes were planted in our schoolyard,” says Reiko Yamada. “But when they began to harvest the crop, suddenly screams began to be heard here and there: human bones appeared from the ground along with the potatoes. I was never able to eat them.” potatoes, despite hunger."

The day after the explosion, Sadao Yamamoto’s mother asked Sadao Yamamoto to go visit her younger sister, whose house was only 400 meters from the bomb site. But everything there was destroyed, and burnt bodies lay along the road.

"All of Hiroshima is a big cemetery"

“My mother’s younger sister’s husband managed to get to the first aid station. We were all glad that my uncle escaped wounds and burns, but, as it turned out, another, invisible misfortune awaited him. Soon he began vomiting blood, and we were told that he had died. Having caught a huge dose of radiation, my uncle suddenly died from radiation sickness. Radiation is the most terrible consequence of an atomic explosion, it kills a person not from the outside, but from the inside," says Sadao Yamamoto.

“I would really like all people - both children and adults - to know what happened in the courtyard of my school on that terrible day. Together with my comrades, we raised money and in 2010 installed a memorial stele in the school courtyard. All of Hiroshima is a great cemetery. I moved to Tokyo a long time ago, but still, when I come to Hiroshima, I cannot calmly step on its soil, thinking: is there another dead unburied body lying here, under my feet?” - says Reiko Yamada.

“It is very important to free the world from nuclear weapons. Please do it! On July 7, the UN approved the first multilateral treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, but the largest nuclear powers - the United States and Russia - did not take part in the vote. Japan, located under the nuclear umbrella of the United States. We, the victims of the atomic bombing, are very saddened by this and want to call on the nuclear powers to take the lead in freeing the world from these terrible weapons,” says Sadao Yamamoto.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the only time in history when nuclear weapons were used for combat purposes. He horrified humanity. This tragedy is one of the most terrible pages in the history of not only Japan, but also the entire civilization. Nearly half a million people were sacrificed political purposes: force the USSR to enter into a war with Japan, force Japan to capitulate in World War II and at the same time frighten the Soviet Union and the whole world by demonstrating the power of a fundamentally new weapon, which the USSR will soon also have.

on the ground"

70 years of tragedy

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

70 years ago, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs. The total number of victims of the tragedy is over 450 thousand people, and the survivors still suffer from diseases caused by radiation exposure. According to the latest data, their number is 183,519 people.

Initially, the United States had the idea of ​​dropping 9 atomic bombs on rice fields or in the sea to achieve a psychological effect to support the landing operations planned on the Japanese islands at the end of September 1945. But in the end, the decision was made to use the new weapon against densely populated cities.

Now the cities have been rebuilt, but their inhabitants still bear the burden of that terrible tragedy. The history of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the memories of survivors is in a TASS special project.

Bombing of Hiroshima © AP Photo/USAF

Ideal goal

It was not by chance that Hiroshima was chosen as the target for the first nuclear strike. This city met all the criteria to achieve maximum quantity casualties and destruction: flat location surrounded by hills, low buildings and flammable wooden buildings.

The city was completely wiped off the face of the Earth. Surviving eyewitnesses recalled that they first saw a flash of bright light, followed by a wave that burned everything around. In the area of ​​the epicenter of the explosion, everything instantly turned to ashes, and human silhouettes remained on the walls of the surviving houses. Immediately, according to various estimates, from 70 to 100 thousand people died. Tens of thousands more died from the consequences of the explosion, and total number victims as of August 6, 2014 are 292,325 people.
Immediately after the bombing, the city did not have enough water not only to put out the fires, but also for people who were dying of thirst. Therefore, even now the residents of Hiroshima are very careful about water. And during the memorial ceremony, a special ritual “Kensui” (Japanese - offering water) is performed - it reminds of the fires that engulfed the city and the victims who asked for water. It is believed that even after death, the souls of the dead need water to alleviate suffering.

The director of the Hiroshima Peace Museum with his dead father's watch and buckle © EPA/EVERETT KENNEDY BROWN

The clock hands have stopped

The hands of almost all the clocks in Hiroshima stopped at the moment of the explosion at 08:15 am. Some of them are collected at the Peace Museum as exhibits.

The museum was opened 60 years ago. Its building consists of two buildings designed by the outstanding Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. In one of them there is an exhibition about the atomic bombing, where visitors can see personal belongings of the victims, photographs, and various material evidence of what happened in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Audio and video materials are also shown there.

Not far from the museum is the Atomic Dome, the former building of the Exhibition Center of the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, built in 1915 by Czech architect Jan Letzel. This structure miraculously survived the atomic bombing, although it stood only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, which is marked by a regular memorial plaque in an alley not far from the dome. All the people inside the building died, and its copper dome instantly melted, leaving a bare frame. After the end of World War II, the Japanese authorities decided to preserve the building as a sign of memory of the victims of the bombing of Hiroshima. Now it is one of the main attractions of the city, reminiscent of the tragic moments of its history.

Statue of Sadako Sasaki in Hiroshima Peace Park © Lisa Norwood/wikipedia.org

Paper cranes

Trees near the Atomic Dome are often decorated with colorful paper cranes. They have become an international symbol of peace. People from different countries constantly bring handmade figurines of birds to Hiroshima as a sign of grief over the terrible events of the past and in tribute to the memory of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima at the age of 2. At the age of 11, she was found to have signs of radiation sickness, and the girl’s health began to deteriorate sharply. One day she heard a legend that whoever folds a thousand paper cranes will definitely recover from any illness. She continued to fold the figures until her death on October 25, 1955. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a crane was installed in the Peace Park.

In 1949, a special law was passed, thanks to which large funds were provided for the restoration of Hiroshima. A Peace Park was built and a fund was established to store materials about the atomic bombing. Industry in the city was restored after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 thanks to the production of weapons for the US Army.

Now Hiroshima is modern city with a population of approximately 1.2 million people. It is the largest in the Chugoku region.

Zero mark of the atomic explosion in Nagasaki. Photo taken in December 1946 © AP Photo

Zero mark

Nagasaki became the second city in Japan after Hiroshima to be affected by American bombing in August 1945. The initial target of the B-29 bomber under the command of Major Charles Sweeney was the city of Kokura, located in the north of the island of Kyushu. By coincidence, on the morning of August 9, there was heavy cloudiness over Kokura, so Sweeney decided to turn the plane to the southwest and head to Nagasaki, which was considered as a backup option. Here the Americans were also waylaid bad weather, however, a plutonium bomb called "Fat Man" was eventually dropped. It was almost twice as powerful as the one used in Hiroshima, but inaccurate aiming and the local terrain somewhat reduced the damage from the explosion. Nevertheless, the consequences of the bombing were catastrophic: at the moment of the explosion, at 11.02 local time, 70 thousand residents of Nagasaki were killed, and the city was practically wiped off the face of the Earth.

In subsequent years, the list of disaster victims continued to grow with those who died from radiation sickness. This number increases every year, and the numbers are updated every year on August 9th. According to data announced in 2014, the number of victims of the Nagasaki bombing increased to 165,409 people.

Years later, an atomic bomb museum was opened in Nagasaki, as in Hiroshima. Last July, his collection was replenished with 26 new photographs, which were taken a year and four months after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities. The images themselves were recently discovered. In particular, they depict the so-called zero mark - the site of the direct explosion of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. Signatures on back side The photographs show that the pictures were taken in December 1946 by American scientists who were visiting the city at that time to study the consequences of a terrible atomic attack. “The photographs are of particular value, as they clearly demonstrate the full scale of the destruction, and, at the same time, make it clear what work was done to restore the city practically from scratch,” the Nagasaki administration believes.

One of the photos shows a strange arrow-shaped monument installed in the middle of the field, the inscription on which reads: “Zero mark of the atomic explosion.” Local experts are at a loss as to who installed the almost 5-meter monument and where it is now. It is noteworthy that it is located exactly in the place where the official monument to the victims of the atomic bombing of 1945 now stands.

Hiroshima Peace Museum © AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

Blind spots of history

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been the subject of careful study by many historians, but 70 years after the tragedy, many blank spots remain in this story. There are some testimonies of individuals who believe that they were born "in the shirt" because, according to them, a few weeks before the atomic bombing, information appeared about a possible deadly attack on these Japanese cities. Thus, one of these people claims that he studied at a school for children of high-ranking military personnel. According to him, several weeks before the strike, all personnel educational institution and his students were evacuated from Hiroshima, which saved their lives.

There are also completely conspiracy theories according to which, on the threshold of the end of World War II, Japanese scientists, with the help of colleagues from Germany, approached the creation of an atomic bomb. Weapons of terrible destructive power allegedly could appear in imperial army, whose command was going to fight to the end and constantly hurried the nuclear scientists. The media claim that records have recently been found containing calculations and descriptions of equipment for enriching uranium for subsequent use in creating a Japanese atomic bomb. The scientists received the order to complete the program on August 14, 1945, and apparently were ready to carry it out, but did not have time. American atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, entry into the war Soviet Union did not leave Japan any chance to continue hostilities.

No more war

Survivors of the bombings in Japan are referred to by the special word "hibakusha" ("person who suffered from the bombing").

In the first years after the tragedy, many hibakusha hid the fact that they survived the bombing and received a high dose of radiation because they were afraid of discrimination. Then they were not given financial assistance and were denied treatment. It took 12 years before the Japanese government passed a law making treatment for bomb victims free of charge.

Some of the hibakusha have dedicated their lives to educational work to ensure that the terrible tragedy does not happen again.

“About 30 years ago, I happened to see a friend of mine on TV, he was among the participants in the march to ban nuclear weapons. This prompted me to join this movement. Since then, remembering my experience, I explain that atomic weapons are "This is an inhumane weapon. It is completely indiscriminate, unlike conventional weapons. I have dedicated my life to explaining the need to ban atomic weapons to those who do not know anything about atomic bombings, especially young people," wrote hibakusha Michimasa Hirata on one of the websites, dedicated to preserving the memory of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Many Hiroshima residents whose families were affected to varying degrees by the atomic bomb are trying to help others learn more about what happened on August 6, 1945 and to convey the message of the dangers of nuclear weapons and war. Near the Peace Park and the Atomic Dome memorial you can meet people who are ready to talk about the tragic events.

“August 6, 1945 is a special day for me, it’s my second birthday. When the atomic bomb was dropped on us, I was only 9 years old. I was in my house about two kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima. A sudden brilliant flash hit over my head. She fundamentally changed Hiroshima... This scene, which then developed, defies description. This is a living hell on earth," Michimasa Hirata shares his memories.

Bombing of Hiroshima © EPA/A PEACE MEMORIAL MUSEUM

"The city was enveloped in huge fire whirlwinds"

“70 years ago, I was three years old. On August 6, my father was at work 1 km from the place where the atomic bomb was dropped,” said one of the hibakusha, Hiroshi Shimizu. “At the moment of the explosion, he was thrown back by a huge shock wave. He immediately felt that numerous shards of glass were pierced into his face, and his body began to bleed. The building where he was working instantly burst into flames. Everyone who could ran out to a nearby pond. My father spent about three hours there. At that time, the city was enveloped in huge fiery vortices.

He was only able to find us the next day. Two months later he died. By that time, his stomach had completely turned black. Within a radius of one kilometer from the explosion, the radiation level was 7 sieverts. This dose can destroy cells of internal organs.

At the time of the explosion, my mother and I were at home about 1.6 km from the epicenter. Since we were inside, we were able to avoid a lot of radiation. However, the house was destroyed by the shock wave. Mother managed to break through the roof and get out into the street with me. After that, we evacuated to the south, away from the epicenter. As a result, we managed to avoid the real hell that was going on there, because there was nothing left within a radius of 2 km.

For 10 years after the bombing, my mother and I suffered from various illnesses caused by the dose of radiation we received. We had stomach problems, nosebleeds constantly, and there was also very bad general state immunity. All this happened in 12 years, and after that for a long time I didn't have any health problems. However, after 40 years, illnesses began to haunt me one after another, the functioning of my kidneys and heart sharply deteriorated, my spine began to hurt, signs of diabetes and problems with cataracts appeared.

Only later did it become clear that it was not just the dose of radiation that we received during the explosion. We continued to live and eat vegetables grown on contaminated soil, drink water from contaminated rivers and eat contaminated seafood."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (left) and hibakusha Sumiteru Taniguchi in front of photographs of people affected by the bombing. Top photo shows Taniguchi himself © EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

"Kill me!"

Photo of one of the most famous figures The movements of the hibakusha Sumiteru Taniguchi, taken in January 1946 by an American war photographer, spread throughout the world. The photo, dubbed "red back," shows severe burns on Taniguchi's back.

“In 1945, I was 16 years old,” he says. “On August 9, I was delivering mail on a bicycle and was about 1.8 km from the epicenter of the bombing. At the moment of the explosion, I saw a flash, and the blast wave threw me off my bicycle. The heat was burning everything is in its path. At first I had the impression that a bomb had exploded next to me. The ground under my feet shook as if something had happened strong earthquake. After I came to my senses, I looked at my hands - skin was literally hanging off them. However, at that moment I didn’t even feel pain.”

“I don’t know how, but I managed to get to the ammunition factory, which was located in an underground tunnel. There I met a woman, and she helped me cut off pieces of skin on my hands and bandage them somehow. I remember how after that they immediately announced evacuation, but I could not go on my own. Other people helped me. They carried me to the top of the hill, where they laid me under a tree. After that, I fell asleep for a while. I woke up from machine-gun fire from American planes. From the fires it was as bright as day , so the pilots could easily monitor the movements of people. I lay under a tree for three days. During this time, everyone who was next to me died. I myself thought that I would die, I could not even call for help. But I was lucky - "On the third day, people came and rescued me. Blood was oozing from the burns on my back, and the pain was growing rapidly. In this condition, I was sent to the hospital," Taniguchi recalls.

Only in 1947 was the Japanese able to sit down, and in 1949 he was discharged from the hospital. He underwent 10 operations, and treatment continued until 1960.

“In the first years after the bombing, I couldn’t even move. The pain was unbearable. I often shouted: “Kill me!” The doctors did everything so that I could live. I remember how they repeated every day that I was alive. During the treatment, I learned for myself everything that radiation is capable of, all the terrible consequences of its impact,” Taniguchi said.

Children after the bombing of Nagasaki © AP Photo/United Nations, Yosuke Yamahata

"Then there was silence..."

"When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, I was six years old and living with my family in a traditional Japanese house, recalls Yasuaki Yamashita. - Usually in the summer, when it was hot, my friends and I would run to the mountains to catch dragonflies and cicadas. But on this day I was playing at home. Mom was nearby preparing dinner, as usual. Suddenly, at exactly 11.02, we were blinded by a light, as if 1000 lightning flashed simultaneously. Mom pushed me to the ground and covered me with herself. We heard the roar of a strong wind and the rustling of debris from the house flying towards us. Then there was silence..."

“Our house was 2.5 km from the epicenter. My sister, she was in the next room, was badly cut by flying glass shards. One of my friends went to play in the mountains that ill-fated day, and a heat wave from a bomb explosion hit him. "He suffered severe burns and died a few days later. My father was sent to help clear the rubble in the center of Nagasaki. At that time we did not yet know about the dangers of radiation, which caused his death," he writes.