The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima And Nagasaki – Part 2

Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:

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Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base, on August 7, 1945. The day after Hiroshima was destroyed, Dr. Yoshio Nishina, a leading Japanese physicist, and other atomic scientists arrived in Hiroshima to examine the damage. They confirmed that the city had been destroyed by an atomic bomb and reported back to the cabinet in Tokyo. Despite this, the cabinet decided to continue the war, a decision intercepted by American codebreakers.

Meanwhile, President Truman returned from the Potsdam Conference and spoke about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, describing it as a military base. He later declared that the U.S. would continue to use the bomb until Japan’s power to make war was completely destroyed, with no sign of Japan surrendering. The decision was made to attack another city.

On August 9, 1945, at 3:47 a.m., the B-29 Superfortress “Boxcar,” commanded by Major Charles Sweeney, took off from Tinian Island with the “Fat Man” plutonium bomb on board. The mission plan was almost identical to that of Hiroshima, with two B-29s, including the “Enola Gay,” flying an hour ahead as weather scouts. “Boxcar” was accompanied by two observation aircraft, “The Great Artist” and “Big Stink.” The primary target was Kokura, known for its arsenal and military equipment production, with Nagasaki as the secondary target.

Sweeney took off with the bomb already armed, but with the electrical safety plugs still engaged. During the pre-flight inspection, the flight engineer informed Sweeney that the aircraft had a malfunctioning fuel pump. Replacing the pump would take hours, and moving the Fat Man to another aircraft might take just as long and was dangerous since the bomb was live. Therefore, Sweeney decided to continue the mission with observers aboard.

The weather planes reported both targets, Kokura and Nagasaki, as clear. When “Boxcar” arrived at the rendezvous point over Yakushima Island, “The Great Artist” joined shortly after; however, “Big Stink” failed to make the rendezvous because it was flying much higher than it should have been. Although “Boxcar” was ordered not to circle longer than 15 minutes, it waited for “Big Stink” for 40 minutes before leaving the rendezvous point. As commander of the aircraft, Sweeney decided to proceed to the primary target, Kokura.

The delay at the rendezvous caused clouds and drifting smoke from fires started by a major firebombing raid on the previous day to obscure Kokura. Additionally, the Yahata Steel Works intentionally burned C tar to produce black smoke, covering 70% of the area over Kokura. Over the next 50 minutes, three bomb runs were made, but the bombardier could not drop visually. By the third bomb run, Japanese anti-aircraft fire was getting close, and with fuel running low due to the failed fuel pump, “Boxcar” and “The Great Artist” headed for their secondary target, Nagasaki.

The term “Kokura luck” emerged from this mission, highlighting how the city’s obscured visibility due to weather and smoke spared it from the atomic bomb. The crew decided that if Nagasaki was obscured on arrival, they would carry the bomb to Okinawa and dispose of it in the ocean if necessary.

At about 7:50 a.m. Japan time, an air raid alert was sounded in Nagasaki, but the all-clear signal was given at 8:30 when only two B-29 Superfortresses were sighted. At 10:53 a.m., the Japanese assumed the planes were only on reconnaissance, and no further alarm was given. A few minutes later, at 11:00 a.m. Japan time, “The Great Artist” dropped instruments attached to three parachutes, which also contained an unsigned letter to Professor Sagana, a physicist at the University of Tokyo, urging him to inform the public about the dangers of these weapons of mass destruction.

At 11:01 a.m., as “Boxcar” approached Nagasaki, a lucky break in the clouds allowed the bombardier to visually sight the target. The Fat Man bomb, containing approximately 5 kg (11 lb) of plutonium, was released over the city’s industrial valley and detonated 47 seconds later at 11:02 a.m., approximately 503 m (1,650 ft) above the ground. The explosion occurred almost directly over a tennis court, halfway between two significant industrial targets: the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works in the south and the Nagasaki Arsenal in the north. This location was nearly 3 km (1.9 mi) northwest of the planned hypocenter.

The blast released energy equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT. Due to the geographical layout of Nagasaki, with the Urakami Valley acting as a natural barrier, a major portion of the city was shielded from the full force of the explosion by the surrounding hills. Nonetheless, the devastation within the blast radius was immense. The initial fireball created by the explosion reached temperatures of several million degrees Celsius, instantly incinerating everything within a 1-mile radius. The resulting shock wave and intense heat caused widespread fires and destruction, leveling buildings and infrastructure. The blast also produced lethal radiation, contributing to both immediate and long-term casualties.

“Boxcar” and its support craft, “The Great Artist,” quickly left the area after the bomb release. Meanwhile, “Big Stink,” which had been separated earlier, spotted the explosion from a distance of 160 km (100 mi) away and flew over to observe the aftermath. The immediate death toll was estimated to be between 40,000 and 75,000 people, with tens of thousands more succumbing to injuries and radiation effects in the following months and years.

After the Hiroshima bombing, it is estimated that as many as 200 people sought refuge in Nagasaki, only to endure another atomic explosion. These individuals were known as “double survivors.” Tomi Yamaguchi was the first officially recognized survivor of both bombings. He was confirmed to be 3 km (1.9 mi) from ground zero in Hiroshima on a business trip when the bomb detonated. He was seriously burned on his left side and spent the night in Hiroshima. He arrived in his home city of Nagasaki on August 8, the day before the bombing, and was exposed to residual radiation while searching for his relatives. Yamaguchi died in 2010 of stomach cancer.

Only hours before “Boxcar” took off from Tinian, Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov had informed Tokyo of the Soviet Union’s unilateral abrogation of the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact. At 2 minutes past midnight on August 9, Tokyo time, Soviet infantry, armor, and air forces launched the Manchurian strategic offensive operation. Four hours later, word reached Tokyo of the Soviet Union’s official declaration of war, crushing the last hope of the Japanese government for Soviet mediation. Still, the senior leadership of the Japanese Army began preparations to impose martial law on the nation, with the support of Minister of War Anami, to stop anyone attempting to make peace. This was only hours before “Boxcar” would release the Fat Man bomb.

The “Big Six” met on the morning of August 9, 1945, to address the situation. The full cabinet met at 2:30 p.m. and spent most of the day debating surrender. Anami conceded that victory was unlikely but argued in favor of continuing the war. The discussion centered on both the Hiroshima bombing and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. They were interrupted by news of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during their deliberations. The meeting ended at 5:30 p.m. with no decision having been reached.

The “Big Six” were divided: Prime Minister Suzuki, Foreign Minister Togo, and Admiral Yonai favored accepting the Potsdam Declaration, while Minister of War Anami, General Umzu, and Admiral Toyota insisted on conditions, including no occupation of Japan and conducting their own war crimes trials. With the “Big Six” deadlocked, Prime Minister Suzuki went to the palace to seek the intervention of Emperor Hirohito. An imperial conference was convened late on August 9 into the early hours of August 10. This was a significant and unprecedented step, as the emperor traditionally did not intervene directly in political decisions.

During the conference, arguments from both sides were presented. Ultimately, Emperor Hirohito expressed his desire to end the war, stating that Japan must bear the unbearable to prevent further destruction and suffering. He favored accepting the Potsdam Declaration with the sole condition of preserving the kokutai, the Imperial institution. On August 14, Hirohito recorded his capitulation announcement. Anami signed the surrender document with the rest of the cabinet and committed seppuku early the next morning. His suicide note read, “I humbly apologize to the emperor for the great crime.”

Japan officially surrendered to the Allies on August 15, 1945. The formal signing of the surrender documents took place on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. In 1959, General Tibbits, who piloted the “Enola Gay” that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, met with Captain Tofu, the Japanese officer who led the first wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In their conversation, Tibbits remarked to Tofu, “You sure did surprise us at Pearl Harbor,” to which Tofu replied, “What do you think you did to us at Hiroshima?” Tofu further told him, “You did the right thing. You know the Japanese attitude at that time—how fanatic they were. They would die for the emperor. Every man, woman, and child would have resisted that invasion with sticks and stones if necessary. Can you imagine what a slaughter it would be to invade Japan? It would have been terrible. The Japanese people know more about that than the American public will ever know.”

Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier, is renowned for his incredible story of loyalty and survival, having refused to surrender for nearly 30 years after World War II ended. Onoda was an intelligence officer in the Imperial Japanese Army stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines when the war ended in August 1945. Onoda and his small group of soldiers were unaware or refused to believe it. They initially encountered a leaflet in October 1945 announcing Japan’s surrender but dismissed it as Allied propaganda. The turning point came only in 1974 when the Japanese government located Onoda’s former commanding officer, Major Taniguchi, who traveled to Lubang to formally relieve Onoda of his duties. On March 9, 1974, Taniguchi personally delivered the orders to Onoda, convincing him that the war had indeed ended.

Many argue that World War II has not yet ended because Japan and the Soviet Union (now Russia) have not signed a formal peace treaty due to the disagreement over the sovereignty of the Kuril Islands, an unresolved conflict that keeps a shadow from the past hanging over the present day.

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This version maintains the essential details while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.