This day in History: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki (Happy Nagasaki Day!)

History Channel ^ | August 9, 2008 | Staff

[abb]

On this day in 1945, a second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan's unconditional surrender.

The devastation wrought at Hiroshima was not sufficient to convince the Japanese War Council to accept the Potsdam Conference's demand for unconditional surrender. The United States had already planned to drop their second atom bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," on August 11 in the event of such recalcitrance, but bad weather expected for that day pushed the date up to August 9th. So at 1:56 a.m., a specially adapted B-29 bomber, called "Bock's Car," after its usual commander, Frederick Bock, took off from Tinian Island under the command of Maj. Charles W. Sweeney. Nagasaki was a shipbuilding center, the very industry intended for destruction. The bomb was dropped at 11:02 a.m., 1,650 feet above the city. The explosion unleashed the equivalent force of 22,000 tons of TNT. The hills that surrounded the city did a better job of containing the destructive force, but the number killed is estimated at anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 (exact figures are impossible, the blast having obliterated bodies and disintegrated records).

General Leslie R. Groves, the man responsible for organizing the Manhattan Project, which solved the problem of producing and delivering the nuclear explosion, estimated that another atom bomb would be ready to use against Japan by August 17 or 18-but it was not necessary. Even though the War Council still remained divided ("It is far too early to say that the war is lost," opined the Minister of War), Emperor Hirohito, by request of two War Council members eager to end the war, met with the Council and declared that "continuing the war can only result in the annihilation of the Japanese people...." The Emperor of Japan gave his permission for unconditional surrender.

[abb]

I am simply saying that such a huge loss of life on a general population center is horrific.

War in and of itself is horrific. My point is that once undertaken, you had better be prepared to do whatever it takes to finish it successfully. And I don't think it necessary to apologize. For the record Nagasaki was an important military target.

"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."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

Another thing. If we don't take off the kid gloves and show the Islamists just how ruthless a people we can be, the terror attacks will NEVER stop.

Here, we agree.

[Zakeet]

The two bombs saved a million lives.

I think that number is conservative!

Among others, the bombs saved an estimated 300,000 Allied POW's who were ordered to be executed the minute an invasion was launched.

Let us also not forget the Japanese were working on their own weapons of mass destruction -- primarily biological -- through facilities such as Unit 731. There is virtually no doubt this horror would have been unleashed on the United States had the Japanese been able. The bombs prevented that tragedy.

R. J. Rummel, a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii, states that between 1937 and 1945, the Japanese military murdered from nearly 3,000,000 to over 10,000,000 people, most probably 6,000,000 Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos, and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war. This democide was due to a morally bankrupt political and military strategy, military expediency and custom, and national culture." According to Rummel, in China alone, during 1937-45, approximately 3.9 million Chinese were killed, mostly civilians, as a direct result of the Japanese operations and 10.2 millions in the course of the war.

Finally, it should be remembered the bombs put an end to other Japanese atrocities, beyond comprehension to most and too numerous to list.

[dfwgator]

War in and of itself is horrific.

Yes, don't start them. We don't start wars, but we sure as hell finish them (or at least we used to).

[Sefton]

Several years ago I called on a manufacturer working in a complex of some of the largest warehouse buildings I'd ever seen. The old group of wooden WWII era buildings, now a commercial enterprise called “The Space Center” in Mira Loma California, comprised of 6 or 9 structures that I would guess to be 200 x 400 feet each. Each building was surrounded by rail tracks and had box car high loading docks the length of both sides.
When I asked what the original purpose of this huge complex was, the answer stopped me cold. I was told they were built as the US Army morgue, built for the deaths anticipated during the planned U.S. land invasion of Japan!

[rollo tomasi]

The bombing was a defensive plus a strategic maneuver to preserve one sides casualties, a showing of superior fighting power and hopefully used to end the (Total) war by a nation that was pissed off and tired.

Civilians are the backbone of society, who says they are ALL innocent anyways. Some accept the evil that government does, some even worship a human “sun god” they never seen or heard, some civilians even though don't pick up a weapon approve the actions of those that do. Some (minority) resist the evil that some governments do and either fight internally or become a martyr for resistance. In the end the real truth gets us in the end (And yes there is truth out there despite what moral relativist say).

[WorkingClassFilth]

Agreed, but the use of the word and is the key element in my last post.

"These anniversaries should be noted in every public school and the deterrent effect of armed might should be taught over and over and over and over and over and over and over . . . "

[steve86]

First time I have heard of a personal experience seeing the flash. Bless your mom.

I live next to Hanford, WA, where the fuel for that weapon was manufactured but don’t take any pleasure in that fact and would never glorify the bombs. I Hope she is right that other lives were saved.

[houeto]

War in and of itself is horrific.

Yep. Compare Nagasaki to 'events' in Iraq that have lead to court martial. Pathetic!

When did the world come up with this limited response idea, that you're not supposed to hit the enemy back harder than they hit you?

If folks don't wake up, PC will literally be the death of us.

"If you ain't willin' to go all in, you ain't playin' to win."

[WorkingClassFilth]

Thanks for the information that even our government isn’t willing to face or teach in statist schools.

[Sefton]

For those that want to see the size of the buildings built for the WWII pacific theater morgue, go to www.googlemaps.com , type in this address: 11015 Hopkins St, Mira Loma, CA, 91752 , and switch to satellite view. The nine, long buildings lined up in three rows of three are the original remaining structures, built to handle the caskets of soldiers returning from the planned land invasion of the main Islands of Japan.

[rollo tomasi]

Sorry, I forgot to add my post was coming from a 1940’s perspective. It was unfortunate that laser guided smart bombs were not around yet but the US had to use what they possessed at the time.

Also the word celebrate should not be used in any manner such as this. Remembrance that humanity hopefully would never go this route again is better.

[Oatka]

Thus ended WWII and alleviating the need to invade the island of Japan which would have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives.

And that includes Allied POWs, who I read somewhere, were dying at the rate of 1,000 per day. I use that figure when I run into those who said that the submarine war has choked off Japan's imports and they would have had to surrender "soon". They have no answer when I ask how many more thousand POWs must die while waiting for the collapse.

Then there's the story of a Jap diplomat who told an American that they surrendered because they didn't want any more bombs dropped. When told the Nagasaki bomb was our last, he said "If we'd known you had only two . . ." and then shut up, but the inference was clear they would have STILL held out.

[seoul62]

Please note, I do not have a bone to pick in this arguement: the dropping of the second atomic bomb at Nagasaki, indirectly saved my Mother’s-(Japanese/Hometown-Place of Birth: Fukuoka) life and my Late Father-(American, was a young child, so he could not fight). What I object to strongly is the word: Happy to describe this occasion, there is nothing happy about it. Please try to understand where I am coming from, as this is a sensitive subject for me. My Mother lived through the air raids and bombings and was taught day in and day out that Americans were evil and the enemy, but hate did not cripple her mind, heart or soul for years later she married my Late Father, an American. They were married for thirty-five years and loved each other very much despite severe objections from my Late Fathers side: they did not want their only son marrying a dirty Jap. Well my Late Father loved my Mother very much, so he went against his parents wishes and married my Mother and they were happily married for thirty-five years until he passed away from a massive heart attack in 1995./Just Asking - seoul62........

[abb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

"A special project code-named Maruta used human beings for experiments. Test subjects were gathered from the surrounding population and were sometimes referred to euphemistically as "logs" (丸太, maruta?).[9] This term originated as a joke on the part of the staff due to the fact that the official cover story for the facility given to the local authorities was that it was a lumber mill.[10]The test subjects were selected to give a wide cross section of the population, and included common criminals, captured bandits and anti-Japanese partisans, political prisoners, and also people rounded up by the secret police for alleged "suspicious activities" and included infants, the elderly, and pregnant women."

[Alkhin]

Totally off topic, but LOVE the LA Confidential reference.

This FR post is interesting, because I recently saw an other Russell Crowe movie that had a character that had a former US Marine who had been a photographer that went in after the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki - "Rough Magic"

[Alkhin]

God bless your parents!

[WorkingClassFilth]

Thanks for the fantastic link information! How in the world did you come up with that? Are you living and working nearby? Was this information you came across at some point through somebody living back then?

I looked over the image and zoomed in close. The building certainly seem to be about WWII vintage and they would’ve held thousands and thousands of bodies. Rather grim place - I hope they warehouse more cheerful goods today.

Thanks again!

[seoul62]

She is Seventy-Four years old and she still remembers that day as if it were yesterday. I am not making this up. She remembers going outside that day and remembers seeing a bright flashing sun. As an eleven year old child, what was she to make of it, this is what she saw and what she experienced. Did you live my Mother's life, do you know what she went through? She stands by what she says and she does not glorify bombs as you snidely and smugly assert. I do not like how you came across, okay-capice????? I have dealt with your type: arrogant, condescending, little twits all my life: college, parties and work place and my parting to you: TALK TO THE HAND, TALK TO THE HAND!!!!!!!!/Just Asking - seoul62...........

[seoul62]

Thank you, you are welcome./Just Asking - seoul62.......

[steve86]

YOU ARE NUTS. I SAID NONE OF THE THINGS YOU ARE ACCUSING ME OF. JUST THE OPPOSITE.