It would be horrible. That second goal was especially important to the researchers choosing the target. he asks. Three days later the U.S. released another on Nagasaki, devastating the city and ushering in the nuclear age. Hiroshima’s weather report for August 6 showed a clear day and plans moved forward. The impact would not have been nearly as great. In May 1945, the committee issued their recommendations. As in Hiroshima, most of the victims were civilians, including many children and elderly. hide caption. The attack order stipulated the U.S. Air Force would deliver the first bomb “after around August 3, 1945 on one of the targets” as the weather permitted. Rushay said that Hiroshima was one of four potential targets and that Truman left it up to the military to decide which city to strike. The Hiroshima bomb was ready awaiting suitable weather on July 31st, and the Nagasaki bomb was used as soon after the Hiroshima bomb as it was practicable to operate the second mission. Kokura was a city of great military importance because it had the largest factory in western Japan for the production of aircraft, missiles and other weapons. But they wanted it to be horrible, to end the war and to try to stop the future use of nuclear bombs. Ultimately U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded Truman to take Kyoto out of consideration as it was Japan’s cultural center and a cherished city. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima, Japan – the first time such a catastrophic weapon was ever used in conflict. Shaded regions indicate the city's most devastated sectors. But it was also intended to send a message to the Soviets. U.S. strategists wanted to flatten an entire city with a single atomic bomb: Hiroshima was the right size. Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size Based on three qualifications, “a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter…capable of being damaged effectively by the blast and…likely to be unattacked by [August 1946]”. This is the fifth post in our series “‘My God What Have We Done:’ The Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”. Hiroshima was a major port and a military … It would be horrible. Nagasaki was bombed because the primary target, the city of Kokura was hidden under cloud cover. "They want people to understand that this is something different, and so picking a place that will showcase how different it is, is very important," Wellerstein says. Kyoto was another ideal target: it had a population that amounted to 1,000,000 people, it was a major industrial center, and it was Japan’s intellectual center and former capital. The site was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1996. It was an important center of storage, communications, and assembly of soldiers. "What are the targets today?" The bomb, code named " Little Boy ", possessed a force equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. stipulated the U.S. Air Force would deliver the first bomb “after around August 3, 1945 on one of the targets” as the weather permitted. At the time the bombs were going to be dropped, Tokyo had already been devastated by Operation Meetinghouse. The minutes of this committee were declassified years ago — and they show it considered some far less deadly targets. Nagasaki’s sky was also hazy, but visibility briefly cleared. Japan was a fierce enemy of the US and its allies — Britain, China and the Soviet Union — during the World War II. Targeting was finalized on July 25, 1945: Hiroshima, Kokura, Nilgata, Nagasaki. Hiroshima before the bombing. [91] The attack. Physicist Edward Teller wasn't on the committee, but a letter he wrote sums up the anxiety of the bomb builders: "Our only hope is in getting the facts of our results before the people. Also, Hiroshima was a real military target. Nagasaki was devastated instead. It was the second nuclear bomb dropped by the US, three days after the attack on Hiroshima. The work on the actual selection of targets for the atomic bomb was begun in the spring of 1945. Hiroshima was chosen because it had not been targeted during the US Air Force's conventional bombing raids on Japan, and was therefore regarded as … Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size At the time, they believed H-bombs on top of missiles could destroy the world. Hiroshima was chosen as the primary target since it had remained largely untouched by bombing raids, and the bomb's effects could be clearly measured. A giant column of smoke rises after the atomic bomb attack over Nagasaki (AP) The city’s landscape added to its appeal as a place to showcase the bombs destructive power – the nearby hills could increase damage from the atomic blast and the rivers running through it kept Hiroshima off the list of targets for firebombing. Those decisions were implemented because of the uncertainty of a successful detonation and also because of the wish to maximize shock in the leadership . At 11.02am, the Bockscar dropped a 4.5-ton (10,000-pound) plutonium bomb dubbed Fat Man from 31,500ft (9,600 metres). It didn’t make sense to use such a powerful bomb on an already-crippled city. To date, the death toll, including those who died subsequently from radiation-related cancers, totals 182,600. The city of Nagasaki in southern Japan is marking the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombing. At the time, American bombers were already firebombing many cities, killing tens of thousands. Why was Hiroshima bombed? This photo diagram shows the extent of the damage at Hiroshima. They wanted the full force of the bombs to be seen. AP Hiroshima, Then Nagasaki: Why the US Deployed the Second A-Bomb The explicit reason was to swiftly end the war with Japan. Nagasaki was an important port city, and the first alternate target. Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size "Should it be a city? This firebombing took place overnight on March 9 and 10, 1945. These are questions that were yet to be decided, says Alex Wellerstein, a historian at the Stevens Institute of Technology. In the minds of the people who dropped the bombs, the more damage the better. This is the fifth post in our series, “‘My God What Have We Done:’ The Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”. Hiroshima was chosen because it had not been extensively bombed and was an important military base. Targeting was finalized on July 25, 1945: Hiroshima, Kokura, Nilgata, Nagasaki. Over the next few weeks, Global Zero will explore what led to the bomb’s development, the consequences of its use, and where we’ve come since those fateful days in August. This might help to convince everybody that the next war would be fatal. NPR's Geoff Brumfiel has the story of why that city was chosen as a target. Wellerstein has devoted his career to studying nuclear weapons and the decision to use them. 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. Nilgata, an increasingly important port city, was also offered as an option. Yokohama was an urban area that had escaped attack so far and hosted important industrial activities, including aircraft manufacturing, docks and oil refineries. They chose Hiroshima. Hiroshima was chosen as a target also because it had mountains around it that would help concentrate the effects of the bomb on the city. Our next post marks the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima with an account of the bombing and its immediate devastating effects. GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: The name Hiroshima is so tied to the atomic bomb that it's hard to imagine there were other options. The bombing followed in three days by the Aug. 6 bombing of Hiroshima by the “Little Boy” uranium weapon. "Hiroshima is compact," Wellerstein says. A. Hiroshima was a major Japanese military hub with factories, military bases and ammunition facilities. The Target Committee identified the top four Japanese target cities, including Hiroshima shown here before the bombing. The bomb was ready for military use. The committee settled on two "psychological" objectives of the first atomic bombing: to scare the Japanese into unconditional surrender and to impress upon the world the power of the new weapon. Atomic bombs needed to be sited visually rather than relying on radar, which made clear skies necessary. Nilgata, an increasingly important port city, was also offered as an option. 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. The Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks on the Empire of Japan during World War II (WWII). Hiroshima’s weather report for August 6 showed a clear day and plans moved forward. The bomb was ready for military use. 38 views There were factories and other facilities there. AP The war ended. But Norris adds that thousands of bombs are still on alert, and the military still has war plans to use them. "It did have that effect on the decades that followed," says Robert Norris, a longtime arms control advocate and fellow with the Federation of American Scientists who also studied the history of the first bombings. After the conclusion of the World War II in 1945, the relations between Japan and the US worsened, especially as Japanese forces decided to take an aim at Indo-china with the intention of capturing the oil-rich areas of the East Indies. In preparation for dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Oppenheimer-led Scientific Panel of the Interim Committee decided against a demonstration bomb and against a special leaflet warning. > The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The Selection of the Target Some of the most frequent queries concerning the atomic bombs are those dealing with the selection of the targets and the decision as to when the bombs would be used. Authorities in Hiroshima quickly rebuilt the city as a site of atomic trauma and peace activism, while their counterparts in Nagasaki downplayed the atomic bombing to … The atomic bomb was still top secret, but the scientists had an even more frightening secret. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima, Japan – the first time such a catastrophic weapon was ever used in conflict. The residents of Hiroshima decided to keep this tragic reminder of war intact. The target committee decided the A-bomb had to kill. Should you be just displaying the bomb, without killing anybody?" U.S. strategists wanted to flatten an entire city with a single atomic bomb: Hiroshima was the right size. In May 1945, the committee issued their recommendations. Why Hiroshima? But the target committee decided those options wouldn't show the world the power of the new bomb. , the Manhattan Project’s Target Committee had been discussing which Japanese cities would be the most effective targets for the atomic bomb. Nagasaki, another important port, was chosen as its replacement. Three days later the U.S. released another on Nagasaki, devastating the city and ushering in the nuclear age. The initial list included a remote military installation and Tokyo Bay, where the bomb would have been detonated as a demonstration. Should it be a military installation? Further, because of the firebombing, many industri… Ultimately U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded Truman to take Kyoto out of consideration as it was Japan’s cultural center and a cherished city. He says that in the spring of 1945, the military convened a target committee, a mix of officers and scientists, to decide where the bomb should fall. "Hiroshima is compact," Wellerstein says. First, it was a strategic decision. Kyoto was another ideal target: it had a population that amounted to 1,000,000 people, it was a major industrial center, and it was Japan’s intellectual center and former capital. Kokura, the intended target for the second bombing, was spared only because the city was suddenly covered by a cloud on August 9. A. 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