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August 10, 1945
Over the course of the past few days, there were attacks on two cities in Japan. The two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were bombed by American forces.
On August 4, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was bombed by the Americans. The damage inflicted by this bomb was immense. The civillian population pre-bombing was about 300,000, containing roughly 43,000 soldiers. One reason that it's belived that the city of Hiroshima was bombed is because it's an important military center. The bombing has been said to have been done by the commander of the 509th composite group, Colonel Paul Tibbets. At roughly 8:15, the massive 9,700 pound uranium bomb, 'Little Boy', was dropped onto the unsuspecting city. The effects of the bomb were gruesome. Nearby birds had burst into flames in mid-air. Combustible materials about 6,400 feet away from ground zero had ignited. The white light from the bomb had acted as a giant lightbulb, causing the patterns of people's clothing to burn into their skin. Those who had been fortunate enough to survive described a wave of overwhelming and intense heat. A firestorm had also occurred. This firestorm had engulfed a total of 4.4 miles of the city. This killed anyone who had not been able to escape within the first few minutes of the attack. It is estimated that approxiamately 70,000 people were killed in this horrid attack. Quite recently, people have also been suffering radiation sickness. The effects of this attack still rage on. The attack was said to be approved by US President Truman. He had warned that if we didn't surrender unconditionally, as demanded by the Potsdam Declaration, we would be attacked with devestating results. We did not comply, and as a result Truman stuck to his word and attacked the city of Hiroshima.
On August 9, 1945, five days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the city of Nagasaki was bombed by American forces. The bomb caused immense damage just as the one on Hiroshima had. This was a plutonium bomb said to be nicknamed 'Fat Man'. This took place because of 'Truman's order of July 25th', which stated that bombs could be dropped whenever they were ready. It is said that Nagasaki was not the primary target. As a matter of fact, the Kokura Arsenal in the city of Kokura was. Nagasaki happened to be a secondary targed. The japanese forces at the Kokura Arsenal put up a fight, so that was no longer an option. That's when the Americans moved on to their next target: Nagasaki. The person who dropped the bomb on Nagasaki has been identified as Captain Kermit K. Beahan. At approxiamately 11:02 a.m., he dropped the bomb, 'Fat Man', right onto the city of Nagasaki. The yeild of this explosion has been estimated at approxiametelty 21 kilotons, which was 40% greater than that of the bomb dropped upon Hiroshima. Overall, 'Fat Man' had expolded with much greater force than 'Little Boy'. However, fortunately Nagasaki, the hills, it's geographic layout, and the bomb's detonation over an industrial area had all helped to sheild portions of the city from blast, heat, and radiation effects. The explosion had affected approxiamately 43 square miles. However, about 8.5 miles were water, and 33 square miles were only partially settled. Almost everything up to half a mile from ground zero was completely destroyed. According to a Nagasaki Prefectural report 'men and animals died almost instantly' within 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) of the point of detonation. Almost all homes within a mile and a half were destroyed, and dry, combustible materials such as paper instantly burst into flames as far away as 10,000 feet from ground zero. 14,000 out of 52,000 homes in Nagasaki were completely destroyed, while roughly 5,400 more were seriously damaged. Only about 12% of homes escaped with no damage whatsoever. The death toll appears to be less than that of Hiroshima. Approxiamately 40,000 people were killed, while another 60,000 were injured.
Nagasaki
Hiroshima
Recent Attacks
Dead bodies in a trench in Nagasaki
Flash Bulb Damage
Author/Reporter: Haruki Haruno
The Japanese Inquirer
Dominique Goodrich Purple Group
