Dramatic Never Before Published Images of Hiroshima in Immediate Aftermath of Bombing (Very Graphic)

yawoot image collections ^ | May 3, 2008 | Staff

[freerepublic_or_die]

The Robert L. Capp collection at the Hoover Institution Archives contains ten never-before-published photographs illustrating the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing.

These photographs, taken by an unknown Japanese photographer, were found in 1945 among rolls of undeveloped film in a cave outside Hiroshima by U.S. serviceman Robert L. Capp, who was attached to the occupation forces.
Unlike most photos of the Hiroshima bombing, these dramatically convey the human as well as material destruction unleashed by the atomic bomb.

Mr. Capp donated them to the Hoover Archives in 1998 with the provision that they not be reproduced until 2008. Three of these photographs are reproduced in Atomic Tragedy with the permission of the Capp family. The entire set is available below.

[VOA]

“There wasn’t a third bomb to be dropped.”

But apparently the assembly-line was going to be cranked up pretty
quickly. I can’t give you a citation, but I did hear that there were
plans to drop about 10 nuclear bombs to block Japanese forces from
getting through mountain passes. Thus allowing the Allies to land
relatively unoppossed on mainland Japan.

The Wiki report mentions seven nuclear weapons...and that the operation
was to start around Nov. 1, 1945.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall

[Sherman Logan]

You are quite correct. Although many of those southerners find nothing wrong with the tactic as such. They’re just upset it was used on them.

It’s fine with them when it’s used on Germans, Japanese, Vietnamese or Iraqis.

FWIW, my understanding is that in Georgia the arson was primarily of public buildings, infrastructure and in some cases barns and outbuildings. The burning of houses was relatively rare, and usually in reprisal for guerrilla attacks. Even then, civilian lives were not intentionally targeted.

In SC things were different. The Union troops were a good deal more angry at them for starting the war.

[VOA]

Thanks for posting the link to the graphic photos.

It’s good to see A SMALL FRACTION of the sort of destruction that
would have rained down on the USA, Australia, The U.K. and other
Allied nations if the truly evil Japanese and German b@$tards had
deployed nuclear weapons before the USA.

[Sherman Logan]

The British Bomber Command was primarily responsible for the intentional attacks on civilians.

[#1CTYankee]

My Grand father served on the Arizona during WWI, when Pearl was attacked he went down to join up.

He was born in 1897, needless to say they sent him home.

[Big Horn]

The history I have read records that we killed more people with firebombs before we used the A-bomb. The big one got their attention.

[Levante]

The Japanese got what they deserved.

The Islamotards need the same kind of nuclear beating — starting with Iran.

[TigersEye]

Yep. The second big one got the message across.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: "when we unconditionally win the war, we stop fighting."

Yes, of course.

I was very young but everyone I knew, adults and kids, were happy to see Little Boy and Fat Man go to war. My little town's radio station played a whistling sound of a falling bomb (Little Boy then Fat Man) for a long time after the war ended. We cheered. That's the way it was.

After all those years and knowing that the enemy had pretty much "holed-up" none that I knew wanted the enemy's military to escape total destruction -- they did escape total destruction, by unconditionally surrendering with no BS and on our terms.

To this day I believe that was right. We knew what was in store for us if we lost the war.

[La Enchiladita]

This source (and several others) — http://cbi-theater-5.home.comcast.net/~cbi-theater-5/victory/vj.html — says the leaflets were not dropped until AFTER the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima:

“Following the dropping of the atomic bomb, U.S. Army Air Force bombers dropped leaflets over the major cities of Japan. The message was plain and to the point:

TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE:

America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet. We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2000 of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate. We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city. Before using this bomb to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, we ask that you now petition the Emperor to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better and peace-loving Japan. You should take steps now to cease military resistance. Otherwise, we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.”

It doesn’t say how many leaflets or how many cities. Another source: http://www.mphpa.org/classic/CG/CG_09B.htm

Does the book you are reading contain a photo of one of the leaflets?

[Dionysius]

Horrific? Yes. But how about the “Bataan Death March”, the “Rape of Nanking”? There were 10,000,000 Japanese ready to fight and die, Iwo Jima style, for every square inch of the Home Islands. Truman was cosmically correct in pulling the trigger and every American with an ounce of Patriotism knows it. (This leaves out the Left whom are as much this nation’s sworn enemies as any freedom-loathing scum that ever crawled the earth.)

[bobby.223]

my favorite all time speech by a president to our country. damn, I would give a bunch to hear bush direct this kind of toughness to the carpet flyers. ain’t gonna happen I’m afraid.

[null and void]

They're being taught that private ownership is evil and all those named marques cause global warming.

All the marques? Surely they are being taught that the Trabi was a triumph!

[21twelve]

Thank you for the link and I look forward to reading it in detail. I skimmed through it, and came to sobbering fact at the end:

Nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the casualties resulting from the invasion of Japan. To the present date, all the American military casualties of the sixty years following the end of World War II — including the Korean and Vietnam Wars — have not exceeded that number. In 2003, there were still 120,000 of these Purple Heart medals in stock. There are so many in surplus that combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan are able to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to wounded soldiers on the field.

[PAR35]

The USA largely abandoned its daylight "precision" bombing campaign after horrific casualties, up to the point that fighters became available to accompany the bombers.

Not true. Where did you learn this bit of false propaganda?

If you are interested in learning anything about the subject, you might start here:

http://www.afa.org/magazine/Dec2005/1205eaker.asp

[CT]

No. It did not contain wording for the leaflet. But the book did indicate (and I am not sure how, as it was not explained)some people heeded the warning.

I'm alive today because my Marine Corps dad didn't have to invade Japan. I'll bet I am not alone.

[Tammy8]

I totally agree- I certainly feel no guilt for the US using the atomic bomb on Japan-

One of my daughters was in a class where the teacher decided the class would collect money to send to Japanese students to help fund a memorial in Japan- guilt trip on our kids. I told the teacher not one cent of my money would go for such a project, and I felt it was wrong and sending our children the wrong message about what happened and why we bombed Japan. The teacher and other parents acted like I was a nut about it.

[Emperor Palpatine]

Thank you for trying to set the record straight.

Not that Logan will believe it, brainwashed as he is.

[freerepublic_or_die]

In response to your comments let me say that the Germans began the tactic of intentionally bombing civilians over London in 1940.

Not at all that two wrongs make something right but when civlians are subjected to prolonged bombing campaigns as were the Britsh civilians as part of intentional campaign of terror, I believe it becomes imperative to re-consider tactics in taking
on an enemy as brutal, immoral as were the Nazis .

You are enttiled to your opinion, but I will not allow it to go unaddressed.

You disgrace the British Bomber Command specifically that of Sir Arthur Harris, Marshall of the Royal Force, in insinuating they were less than honorable.

Sir Arthur Harris was a war hero as far as I'm concerned and to malign the Bomber Command and Sir Harris in terms that are anything less than the exemplary honor and heroism they deserve is to demonstrate a myopic, prejudicial, historically revisionist point of view that is an insult to those who gave their lives so that you can express your comments without consequence or actual basis in fact, for that matter.

[freerepublic_or_die]

Thanks for sharing the incident regarding your daughter's experience in school.

My reaction to people who feel the same way as the school teacher;
While these blood-thirsty,unrepentant war-mongers relentlessly refuse to accept responsibility,culpability for immoral conduct during the war in the full unqualified manner their victims for decades have implored them to do, they have the unmitigatingly brazen arrogance to milk Hiroshima and Nagasaki of all the emotional capital they can muster in portraying themselves as hapless victims of a brutal, merciless American war machine.