Aviation History - August 6, 1945 - Enola Gay drops first atomic bomb on Hiroshima

2015-08-06T10:10:21-04:00

A different kind of aviation history today, much more somber, requiring some thought and remembrance. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Enola Gay dropping the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The destruction and death that occurred as a result were tragic, but marked the start to the end of the most deadly war in human history. Please take a minute to remember all those that died as a result of WWII on all sides.

Article from History.com:

On this day in 1945, at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world’s first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout.

U.S. President Harry S. Truman, discouraged by the Japanese response to the Potsdam Conference’s demand for unconditional surrender, made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the war in order to prevent what he predicted would be a much greater loss of life were the United States to invade the Japanese mainland. And so on August 5, while a “conventional” bombing of Japan was underway, “Little Boy,” (the nickname for one of two atom bombs available for use against Japan), was loaded onto Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets’ plane on Tinian Island in the Marianas. Tibbets’ B-29, named the Enola Gay after his mother, left the island at 2:45 a.m. on August 6. Five and a half hours later, “Little Boy” was dropped, exploding 1,900 feet over a hospital and unleashing the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT. The bomb had several inscriptions scribbled on its shell, one of which read “Greetings to the Emperor from the men of the Indianapolis” (the ship that transported the bomb to the Marianas).

There were 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped; only 28,000 remained after the bombing. Of the city’s 200 doctors before the explosion; only 20 were left alive or capable of working. There were 1,780 nurses before—only 150 remained who were able to tend to the sick and dying.

According to John Hersey’s classic work Hiroshima, the Hiroshima city government had put hundreds of schoolgirls to work clearing fire lanes in the event of incendiary bomb attacks. They were out in the open when the Enola Gay dropped its load.

There were so many spontaneous fires set as a result of the bomb that a crewman of the Enola Gay stopped trying to count them. Another crewman remarked, “It’s pretty terrific. What a relief it worked.”

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-is-dropped-on-hiroshima

Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima - Aug 06, 1945 - HISTORY.com

On this day in History, Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 06, 1945. Learn more about what happened today on History.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 6 at 2015 10:22 AM

2015-08-06T10:22:49-04:00

Thank you for sharing.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Aug 6 at 2015 10:59 AM

2015-08-06T10:59:32-04:00

Thanks for the historical information.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Aug 6 at 2015 11:05 AM

2015-08-06T11:05:44-04:00

What a sad day for Humanity.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 6 at 2015 2:24 PM

2015-08-06T14:24:12-04:00

Today, there are a massive number of articles on Facebook, Flipboard, and other social networks about "The Bomb." A considerable number of the articles are purposefully intended to make the readers feel tremendously guilty, 99.9999% of whom were neither alive when the bomb(s) were dropped nor had anything to do with their design, construction, or delivery. My late Uncle Steve did. He played a very intimate role in the bombs' construction, and it cost him his life in 1957. Reflection and remembrance have their place, I suppose, but to what degree and for what purpose? I have not seen this many articles about Pearl Harbor in years. Why? One of the principal focuses of any of these latest "anniversary" articles should be the lives, on both sides, that were saved by these two bombs. Conservative estimates of the day were at least One Million soldiers and civilians. Japan's military leadership had proven time and again that it was not going to end its part in the war until the last Japanese citizen was dead. Therein lies the real story why the bombs were used, had to be used. Yes, a tragic number of people died in the blink of an eye. But that should never be or be allowed to become the moral to this particular historical event. That war is hell is painfully obvious. Japan maliciously started its murderous aggression and conquests years earlier. In August 1945, America simply put an exclamation point on the statement that "it all ends here and now!" We have nothing for which we should be ashamed relative to this event in history.

Response by PO3 Jed Dunkin made Jul 28 at 2018 9:03 AM

2018-07-28T09:03:12-04:00

My uncle Delwyn who was in the Army and landed with General MacArthur in the liberation of the Philippines used to always tell me that Truman gave him the best birthday gift when that bomb was dropped on his birthday. He told me how brutal it was when they landed and that he probably would have not been alive today if not for that bomb. He passed away in January 2010.

Response by Maj William W. 'Bill' Price made Aug 6 at 2022 8:07 PM

2022-08-06T20:07:42-04:00

Cheers CW3 Private RallyPoint Member. I'm glad someone remembered.