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.

[GATOR NAVY]

I wonder if any of those 60-80k people were non-cambatants?

I guess it depends on what your definition of non-combatant is. Two of the dead were my wife's aunt and cousin. Rice farmers from the countryside who picked the wrong day to go the big city.

[potlatch]

I’m alive, that counts!
Thank you nit, and thanks for the card too.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Berlin_Freeper]

Thank you. Happy Nagasaki Day to you too!

Too many people are trying to brow beat the US over dropping atomic bombs on WWII Japan.

Let them bear witness to our happy day of victory and our pride of the fantastic military achievement.

Let them have no doubt it was the correct thing to do, and we would do it again too.

The alternative would send a wrong historical signal that could lead to a miscalculation on whether we would hesitate to use such weapons again, or we seed doubt in our own minds and in some future war fail to take the necessary action of using such weapons, which could lead to destruction and enslavement.

Speaking historically, it was common for victories to be announced to the public on both sides of the war, which would cause celebration among the people for such great victories. Just because we score the greatest hits, this should be no different. You can bet your bippy that if the shoe was on the other foot they would be celebrating it and we would have lost and most definitely would not be enjoying the modern fruitful lives that the Japanese enjoy today.

[abb]

Just finished Guadalcanal a few weeks ago. It's obvious Frank is a meticulous researcher.

[stuartcr]

I think most people would call them innocent, non-combatants.

[AnAmericanMother]

My dad had just been ordered to the Pacific after getting through N. Africa, Sicily, Anzio, and the Italian campaign, and my father in law was already there, on Iwo, with his orders already cut for the invasion of mainland Japan.

"I feel like a fugitive from th' law of averages."

[Candor7]

What you said! Most of these posters on this thread have no idea what the true cost on the ground was, it destroys ALL levity, even though the bomb had to be used for 2 reasons:

1) End the war and save American lives

2) Give a signal to the Russians. Back OFF!( few people know about that one).

As to the candle light vigils, I can understand the Japanese mourning the loss of so , so many, and the necessity of that because of kanagara. Few people understand Obon in the West.

But the Western ding bat cling ons give me the creeps.I call them hearse chasers.

Necessity in war is always redefined by History, in every civilization without exception.

And now we may have to eventually do the same again in the ME. Makes one shudder to think that the Iranians have the same approach to nuclear weapons as many who posted here, necessitating eventual usage by the West.They are as crazy as the Imperial Japanese Spirit Movement mavins of WWII.Too bad we could not have bottled the Nagasaki stench and made an aerosol spray that they could sniff as a virtual reminder of the true context of what had to be done.A decision that one would not want to wish on anyone.

There is no "Happy Nagasaki Day" for anyone.

[AmericanInTokyo]

If today we were at declared war with Russia (over Georgia or something) and their agents took a suitcase nuke into San Diego because "it is a military town" and blew it to kingdom come, but then also in the process of dealing a strong blow to our US Navy, also killed or maimed a lot of San Diego citizens in the process (as collateral damage) according to some of these brilliant Freepers, we would have no right to be angry or solemnize the deaths or severe injuries of non-combatants because, hey, that's war.

How anyone could celebrate VJ Day (August 15th) is PERFECTLY understandable, for one celebrates the surrender of an opponent. However, there is no "celebration" of Pearl Harbour, or Nanking, or Hiroshima, or Dresden or Firebombed Tokyo, and it cannot be justified for any reason--due to the well documented deaths of a significant number of innocents, some horrific, painful deaths--these acts do not mark the highest points in the human history of mankind but of tragedies that ended none too soon.

[SeaWolf]

The stench of Tokyo would have been worse after the fire bombings as would that of Dresden, not to mention Nanjing. Nuclear weapons just do the job faster with a different set of after effects. If you are not willing to fight an enemy to win as quickly as possible you are condemning vast numbers to unnecessary death and destruction by prolonging the war.

[Candor7]

Yes , that is true conservative thinking.

One wonders why FReeper inheritors of Nobless Oblige can't get it.

I believe they are afraid, for whatever reason. Fear does strange things to judgement.

I cringe to think that a kanagara person read this thread.

At least some of us have taken those words in issue, as genuine human beings of noble heritage.

[Candor7]

Yes I agree. Violence can be waged with compassion.

But you know what? Too many like the idea of it as an end in itself, as if it were some kind of entertaining video game.

There is no Happy Dresden Day, No Happy Hiroshima Day, and No Happy Nagasaki Day.

People need to have there noses held up against a 3 day old gut spread, road kill, for a few hours.

There is no pleasure in killing, especially the kind that we had to do to save our men. Anyone who thinks so is more than a few cards short of a deck.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I find often the biggest "talkers" around here, the "shoot from the hip" types, have not encountered war directly, nor have seen civilian casulties in war--thus they can banter on this way like supposed "hot shots".

Those that have know what we speak of.

We celebrate victories (August 15, 1945, November 11, 1918, July 20, 1969, July 4, 1776, etc), or great creative or explorative human accomplishments, we don't celebrate people loudly wailing and screaming in pain with the skin coming off of their backs just to expose their bare rib-cages. We can remember, we can recall, but how can we wish someone a "Happy Day" in that context?

I am glad there are some Freepers with class and Christian upbringing.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Maybe yes, maybe no. Certainly for those not at the epicenter not vaporized immediately, but on the outskirts exposed to the nukes might question this assertion. In fact, firebombing, to my understanding, does not give off radiation sickness months or years later.

This is something people in Hiroshima still suffer with, even 63 years later. Up in Tokyo, it is mostly horrific memories, but not radiation (cancers, keloids, birth defects, etc).

[VOA]

“
Nagasaki had and probably does have one of the largest concentrations of
CHRISTIANS in all of Japan. That IS a fact.
“

Yep.
The only reason I had a clue about this (before the birth of the
Internet and FR) was a friend that moved to Japan to be a missionary.

When I heard the Islamics braying like jack@$$es about Dubya using
the term “Crusade”, I said they must be ignorant that when given the
choice...we nuked the center of Christianity in Japan.

To some degree because Henry Stimson decided to strike Kyoto from
the target list because he admired it (he honeymooned there decades earlier).
And partly because of the fickle finger of fate sending clouds
over an earlier target.

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._Stimson

[AmericanInTokyo]

Big picture, young, US military officers who knew that Japan would eventually lose, and so then, why destroy 2000 years of beautiful Japanese history, architecture, documents and artifacts, in essence, hollowing out the inner core and soul of the Japanese people, by bombing Kyoto?--they thought. And (they) argued that other cities should be hit. Yes, the clouds also played a factor, too.

I heard a guy in Kokura once half joke, "they got it instead of us, all due to the weather."

[VOA]

...Japan would eventually lose, and so then, why destroy 2000 years
of beautiful Japanese history, architecture, documents and artifacts,
in essence, hollowing out the inner core and soul of the Japanese
people, by bombing Kyoto?--

At this remove...I was just mentioning the irony of the fairly-well
Christianized USA nuking the Japanese city with the largest number
of Christians.

As for the reasoning of Stimson, he was looking at the long view...
why totally demoralize a potential future ally?

Stimson appears to have been on the right track.

And I'm glad he was the one making decisions VERY
far "above my paygrade".

[Candor7]

I am glad there are some Freepers with class and Christian upbringing. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Me too, and I am Shingon Buddhist! LOL.

[AmericanInTokyo]

And a hearty 五字嚴身觀 to you, too! ;-)