The prerequisites for a major war in the Pacific region began to arise in the middle of the 19th century, when the American Commodore Matthew Perry, on instructions from the US government at gunpoint, forced the Japanese authorities to end their policy of isolationism, open their ports to American ships and sign an unequal treaty with the United States that would give serious economic and political benefits to Washington.

In conditions when most of the Asian countries found themselves fully or partially dependent on Western powers, Japan, in order to maintain its sovereignty, had to carry out lightning-fast technical modernization. At the same time, a feeling of resentment against those who forced them to one-sided “openness” took root among the Japanese.

Through its example, America demonstrated to Japan that any international problem can supposedly be solved with the help of brute force. As a result, the Japanese, who had practically never ventured anywhere outside their islands for centuries, began an active expansionist policy directed against other Far Eastern countries. Its victims were Korea, China and Russia.

Pacific Theater

In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria from Korea, occupied it and created the puppet state of Manchukuo. In the summer of 1937, Tokyo began a full-scale war against China. Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing fell that same year. On the territory of the latter, the Japanese army carried out one of the most monstrous massacres in world history. From December 1937 to January 1938, the Japanese military killed, using mainly edged weapons, up to 500 thousand civilians and disarmed soldiers. The killings were accompanied by horrendous torture and rape. Rape victims - from young children to elderly women - were then also brutally killed. The total number of deaths as a result of Japanese aggression in China was 30 million people.

• Pearl Harbor
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In 1940, Japan began expansion into Indochina, and in 1941 it attacked British and American military bases (Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Guam and Wake), Malaysia, Burma and the Philippines. In 1942, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, the American Aleutian Islands, India and the islands of Micronesia became victims of aggression from Tokyo.

However, already in 1942 the Japanese offensive began to stall, and in 1943 Japan lost the initiative, although it armed forces were still quite strong. The counter-offensive by British and American forces in the Pacific theater of operations progressed relatively slowly. Only in June 1945, after bloody battles, were the Americans able to occupy the island of Okinawa, annexed by Japan in 1879.

As for the position of the USSR, in 1938-1939 Japanese troops tried to attack Soviet units in the area of ​​Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin Gol River, but were defeated.

Official Tokyo was convinced that it was faced with too strong an enemy, and in 1941 a neutrality pact was concluded between Japan and the USSR.

Adolf Hitler tried to force his Japanese allies to break the pact and attack the USSR from the east, but Soviet intelligence officers and diplomats managed to convince Tokyo that this could cost Japan too much, and the treaty remained in force de facto until August 1945. The United States and Great Britain received agreement in principle for Moscow to enter the war with Japan from Joseph Stalin in February 1945 at the Yalta Conference.

Manhattan Project

In 1939, a group of physicists, with the support of Albert Einstein, handed over a letter to US President Franklin Roosevelt, which stated that Hitler's Germany in the foreseeable future could create a weapon of terrible destructive power - the atomic bomb. The American authorities became interested in the nuclear problem. Also in 1939, the Uranium Committee was created as part of the US National Defense Research Committee, which first assessed the potential threat, and then began preparations for the creation by the United States of its own nuclear weapons.

• Manhattan Project
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The Americans recruited emigrants from Germany, as well as representatives from Great Britain and Canada. In 1941, a special Bureau of Scientific Research and Development was created in the United States, and in 1943, work began as part of the so-called Manhattan Project, the goal of which was to create ready-to-use nuclear weapons.

In the USSR, nuclear research has been going on since the 1930s. Thanks to the activities of Soviet intelligence and Western scientists with leftist views, information about preparations for the creation of nuclear weapons in the West began to flow en masse to Moscow starting in 1941.

Despite all the difficulties of wartime, in 1942-1943 nuclear research in the Soviet Union was intensified, and representatives of the NKVD and GRU actively began searching for agents in American scientific centers.

By the summer of 1945, the United States had three nuclear bombs - the plutonium Thing and Fat Man, and the uranium Baby. On July 16, 1945, a “Thing” test explosion was carried out at a test site in New Mexico. The American leadership was satisfied with its results. True, according to the memoirs of Soviet intelligence officer Pavel Sudoplatov, just 12 days after the first atomic bomb was assembled in the United States, its design was already in Moscow.

On July 24, 1945, when US President Harry Truman, most likely for the purpose of blackmail, told Stalin in Potsdam that America had weapons of “extraordinary destructive power,” the Soviet leader only smiled in response. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was present during the conversation, then concluded that Stalin did not understand what was being discussed at all. However, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was well aware of the Manhattan Project and, having parted ways with the American president, told Vyacheslav Molotov (USSR Foreign Minister in 1939-1949): “We will need to talk with Kurchatov today about speeding up our work.”

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Already in September 1944, an agreement in principle was reached between the United States and Great Britain on the possibility of using the atomic weapons being created against Japan. In May 1945, a target selection committee meeting at Los Alamos rejected the idea of ​​launching nuclear strikes on military targets due to the “possibility of a miss” and the lack of a strong “psychological effect.” They decided to hit the cities.

Initially, the city of Kyoto was also on this list, but US Secretary of War Henry Stimson insisted on choosing other targets, since he had warm memories associated with Kyoto - he spent his honeymoon in this city.

• Atomic bomb "Baby"
• Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

On July 25, Truman approved a list of cities for potential nuclear strikes, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The next day, the cruiser Indianapolis delivered the Baby bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, to the location of the 509th Combined Aviation Group. On July 28, the then head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed a combat order on the use of atomic weapons. Four more days later, on August 2, 1945, all the components necessary to assemble the Fat Man were delivered to Tinian.

The target of the first strike was the seventh most populous city in Japan - Hiroshima, where at that time about 245 thousand people lived. The headquarters of the fifth division and the second main army were located on the territory of the city. On August 6, a US Air Force B-29 bomber under the command of Colonel Paul Tibbetts took off from Tinian and headed for Japan. At about 08:00, the plane appeared over Hiroshima and dropped the “Baby” bomb, which exploded 576 meters above the surface of the earth. At 08:15 all clocks stopped in Hiroshima.

The temperature under the plasma ball formed as a result of the explosion reached 4000 °C. About 80 thousand city residents died instantly. Many of them turned to ashes in a split second.

The light radiation left dark silhouettes of human bodies on the walls of buildings. Glass was broken in houses located within a 19-kilometer radius. The fires that arose in the city united into a fiery tornado, destroying people who tried to escape immediately after the explosion.

On August 9, the American bomber headed for Kokura, but there was heavy cloudiness in the area of ​​the city, and the pilots decided to strike at the reserve target - Nagasaki. The bomb was dropped taking advantage of a gap in the clouds through which the city stadium was visible. "Fat Man" exploded at an altitude of 500 meters, and although the power of the explosion was greater than in Hiroshima, the damage from it was less due to the hilly terrain and a large industrial area in which there was no residential development. During the bombing and immediately after it, between 60 and 80 thousand people died.

• Consequences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the American army on August 6, 1945

Some time after the attack, doctors began to note that people who seemed to be recovering from wounds and psychological shock were beginning to suffer from a new, previously unknown disease. The peak number of deaths from it occurred three to four weeks after the explosion. This is how the world learned about the consequences of radiation on the human body.

By 1950, the total number of victims of the bombing of Hiroshima as a result of the explosion and its consequences was estimated at about 200 thousand, and in Nagasaki - at 140 thousand people.

Causes and consequences

In mainland Asia at that time there was a powerful Kwantung Army, on which official Tokyo had high hopes. Its strength, due to rapid mobilization measures, was not reliably known even to the command itself. According to some estimates, the number of soldiers in the Kwantung Army exceeded 1 million. In addition, Japan was supported by collaborationist forces, whose military formations included several hundred thousand more soldiers and officers.

August 8, 1945 Soviet Union declared war on Japan. And the very next day, having secured the support of the Mongolian allies, the USSR advanced its troops against the forces of the Kwantung Army.

“Currently in the West they are trying to rewrite history and reconsider the USSR’s contribution to the victory over both Nazi Germany, and over militaristic Japan. However, only the entry into the war on the night of August 8–9, the Soviet Union, which was fulfilling its allied obligations, forced the Japanese leadership to announce surrender on August 15. The Red Army’s offensive against the forces of the Kwantung group developed quickly, and this, by and large, led to the end of World War II,” Alexander Mikhailov, a specialist historian at the Victory Museum, expressed his opinion in an interview with RT.

• Surrender of the Kwantung Army troops
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According to the expert, over 600 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers surrendered to the Red Army, among whom were 148 generals. Alexander Mikhailov urged not to overestimate the impact of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the end of the war. “The Japanese were initially determined to fight to the end against the United States and Great Britain,” he emphasized.

As noted by a senior researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, associate professor of the Institute foreign languages MSPU Viktor Kuzminkov, the “military expediency” of launching a nuclear strike on Japan is only a version officially formulated by the leadership of the United States.

“The Americans said that in the summer of 1945 it was necessary to start a war with Japan on the territory of the metropolis itself. Here the Japanese, according to the US leadership, had to offer desperate resistance and could allegedly inflict unacceptable losses on the American army. And the nuclear bombings, they say, should still have persuaded Japan to surrender,” the expert explained.

According to the head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Kistanov, the American version does not stand up to criticism. “There was no military need for this barbaric bombardment. Today even some Western researchers admit this. In fact, Truman wanted, firstly, to intimidate the USSR with the destructive power of the new weapon, and secondly, to justify the enormous costs of its development. But it was clear to everyone that the USSR’s entry into the war with Japan would put an end to it,” he said.

Viktor Kuzminkov agrees with the following conclusions: “Official Tokyo hoped that Moscow could become a mediator in the negotiations, and the USSR’s entry into the war left Japan no chance.”

Kistanov emphasized that simple people and members of the elite in Japan respond differently to the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “Ordinary Japanese people remember this disaster as it really happened. But the authorities and the press are trying not to highlight some of its aspects. For example, in newspapers and on television, atomic bombings are very often talked about without mentioning which specific country carried them out. Active American presidents for a long time they did not visit the memorials dedicated to the victims of these bombings. The first was Barack Obama, but he never apologized to the descendants of the victims. However, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also did not apologize for Pearl Harbor,” he noted.

According to Kuzminkov, the atomic bombings changed Japan greatly. “A huge group of “untouchables” appeared in the country - hibakusha, born to mothers exposed to radiation. Many people shunned them; the parents of young men and girls did not want hibakusha to marry their children. The consequences of the bombings penetrated into people's lives. Therefore, today many Japanese are consistent supporters of a complete abandonment of the use of nuclear energy in principle,” the expert concluded.

Work on the creation of a nuclear bomb started in the USA in September 1943, based on the research of scientists different countries, started back in 1939.

In parallel with this, a search was carried out for the pilots who were supposed to reset it. From the thousands of dossiers reviewed, several hundred were selected. Following an extremely tough selection process, Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbetts, who had served as a test pilot of Bi-29 aircraft since 1943, was appointed commander of the future formation. He was given the task: to create a combat unit of pilots to deliver the bomb to its destination.

Preliminary calculations showed that the bomber dropping the bomb would have only 43 seconds to leave the danger zone before the explosion occurred. Flight training continued daily for many months in the strictest secrecy.

Target Selection

On June 21, 1945, US Secretary of War Stimson held a meeting to discuss the choice of future targets:

• Hiroshima is a large industrial center, population about 400 thousand people;
• Kokura is an important strategic point, steel and chemical plants, population 173 thousand people;
• Nagasaki is the largest shipyard, population 300 thousand people.

Kyoto and Niigata were also on the list of potential targets, but serious controversy erupted over them. It was proposed to exclude Niigata due to the fact that the city was located much further north than the others and was relatively small, and the destruction of Kyoto, which was a holy city, could embitter the Japanese and lead to increased resistance.

On the other hand, Kyoto, with its large area, was of interest as an object for assessing the power of the bomb. Proponents of choosing this city as a target, among other things, were interested in accumulating statistical data, since until that moment atomic weapons had never been used in combat conditions, but only at test sites. The bombing was required not only to physically destroy the chosen target, but to demonstrate the strength and power of the new weapon, as well as to have the greatest possible psychological effect on the population and government of Japan.

On July 26, the United States, Britain and China adopted the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded unconditional surrender from the Empire. Otherwise, the Allies threatened the rapid and complete destruction of the country. However, this document made no mention of the use of weapons of mass destruction. The Japanese government rejected the declaration's demands, and the Americans continued preparations for the operation.

For the most effective bombing, suitable weather and good visibility were required. Based on data from the meteorological service, the first week of August, approximately after the 3rd, was considered the most suitable for the foreseeable future.

Bombing of Hiroshima

On August 2, 1945, Colonel Tibbetts's unit received a secret order for the first atomic bombing in human history, the date of which was set for August 6. Hiroshima was chosen as the main target of the attack, with Kokura and Nagasaki as backup targets (in case visibility conditions worsened). All other American aircraft were prohibited from being within the 80-kilometer radius of these cities during the bombing.

On August 6, before the start of the operation, the pilots received glasses with dark lenses designed to protect their eyes from light radiation. The planes took off from the island of Tinian, where the American military aviation base was located. The island is located 2.5 thousand km from Japan, so the flight took about 6 hours.

Together with the Bi-29 bomber, called "Enola Gay", on board which was atomic bomb barrel type "Little Boy", 6 more aircraft took to the skies: three reconnaissance aircraft, one spare and two carrying special measuring equipment.

Visibility over all three cities allowed for bombing, so it was decided not to deviate from the original plan. At 8:15 a.m. there was an explosion - the Enola Gay bomber dropped a 5-ton bomb on Hiroshima, after which it made a 60-degree turn and began to move away at the highest possible speed.

Consequences of the explosion

The bomb exploded 600m from the surface. Most of the houses in the city were equipped with stoves that were heated with charcoal. Many townspeople were just preparing breakfast at the time of the attack. Overturned by a blast wave of incredible force, the stoves caused massive fires in those parts of the city that were not destroyed immediately after the explosion.

The heat wave melted house tiles and granite slabs. Within a radius of 4 km, all wooden telegraph poles were burned. The people who were at the epicenter of the explosion instantly evaporated, enveloped in hot plasma, the temperature of which was about 4000 degrees Celsius. Powerful light radiation left only shadows of human bodies on the walls of houses. 9 out of 10 people who were in the 800-meter zone from the epicenter of the explosion died instantly. The shock wave swept at a speed of 800 km/h, turning into rubble all buildings within a 4 km radius, except for a few built taking into account increased seismic hazard.

The plasma ball evaporated moisture from the atmosphere. The cloud of steam reached the colder layers and, mixing with dust and ash, immediately poured black rain onto the ground.

Then the wind hit the city, blowing towards the epicenter of the explosion. Due to the heating of the air caused by the flaring fires, the wind gusts became so strong that large trees were torn out by their roots. Huge waves arose on the river, in which people drowned as they tried to escape in the water from the fire tornado that engulfed the city, destroying 11 km2 of the area. According to various estimates, the number of deaths in Hiroshima was 200-240 thousand people, of which 70-80 thousand died immediately after the explosion.

All communication with the city was severed. In Tokyo, they noticed that the local Hiroshima radio station had disappeared from the air and the telegraph line had stopped working. After some time from regional railway stations Information began to arrive about an explosion of incredible force.

An officer of the General Staff urgently flew to the scene of the tragedy, who later wrote in his memoirs that what struck him most was the lack of streets - the city was evenly covered with rubble, it was not possible to determine where and what was just a few hours ago.

Officials in Tokyo could not believe that damage of such magnitude was caused by just one bomb. Representatives of the Japanese General Staff turned to scientists for clarification on what weapons could cause such destruction. One of the physicists, Dr. I. Nishina, suggested the use of a nuclear bomb, since rumors had been circulating among scientists for some time about attempts by the Americans to create one. The physicist finally confirmed his assumptions after a personal visit to the destroyed Hiroshima, accompanied by military personnel.

On August 8, the US Air Force command was finally able to assess the effect of its operation. Aerial photography showed that 60% of the buildings located on an area of ​​\u200b\u200ba total area of ​​​​12 km2 turned into dust, the rest were piles of rubble.

Bombing of Nagasaki

An order was issued to compile leaflets on Japanese with photographs of the destroyed Hiroshima and a full description of the effect of a nuclear explosion, for their subsequent distribution over Japanese territory. In case of refusal to surrender, the leaflets contained threats to continue the atomic bombing of Japanese cities.

However, the American government was not going to wait for the Japanese reaction, since it did not initially plan to get by with just one bomb. The next attack, planned for August 12, was postponed to the 9th due to the expected worsening of the weather.

Kokura was assigned as the target, with Nagasaki as a backup option. Kokura was very lucky - cloud cover, together with a smoke screen from a burning steel plant, which had been subjected to an air raid the day before, made visual bombing impossible. The plane headed towards Nagasaki, and at 11:02 am dropped its deadly cargo on the city.

Within a radius of 1.2 km from the epicenter of the explosion, all living things died almost instantly, turning to ashes under the influence of thermal radiation. The shock wave reduced residential buildings to rubble and destroyed a steel mill. The thermal radiation was so powerful that the skin of people who were not covered by clothing, located 5 km from the explosion, was burned and wrinkled. 73 thousand people died instantly, 35 thousand died in terrible suffering a little later.

On the same day, the US President addressed his compatriots on the radio, thanking them in his speech higher power for the fact that the Americans were the first to receive nuclear weapons. Truman asked God for guidance and guidance on how to most effectively use atomic bombs for higher purposes.

At that time, there was no urgent need for the bombing of Nagasaki, but, apparently, research interest played a role, no matter how scary and cynical it may sound. The fact is that the bombs differed in design and active substance. The Little Boy that destroyed Hiroshima was a uranium bomb, while the Fat Man that destroyed Nagasaki was a plutonium-239 blast bomb.

There are archival documents proving the US intention to drop another atomic bomb on Japan. A telegram dated August 10, addressed to the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, reported that, given appropriate meteorological conditions, the next bombing could be carried out on August 17-18.

On August 8, 1945, fulfilling the obligations undertaken within the framework of the Potsdam and Yalta conferences, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, whose government still harbored hopes of reaching agreements to avoid unconditional surrender. This event, coupled with the overwhelming effect of the American use of nuclear weapons, forced the least militant members of the cabinet to appeal to the emperor with recommendations to accept any conditions of the United States and allies.

Some of the most militant officers tried to stage a coup to prevent such a development of events, but the plot failed.

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito publicly announced Japan's surrender. However, clashes between Japanese and Soviet troops in Manchuria continued for several more weeks.

On August 28, the American-British allied forces began the occupation of Japan, and on September 2, on board the battleship Missouri, the act of surrender was signed, ending World War II.

Long-term consequences of atomic bombings

A few weeks after the explosions, which claimed hundreds of thousands of Japanese lives, people who at first seemed unaffected suddenly began to die en masse. At that time, the effects of radiation exposure were little understood. People continued to live in contaminated areas, not realizing the danger that ordinary water began to carry, as well as the ashes that covered the destroyed cities with a thin layer.

Japan learned that the cause of death of people who survived the atomic bombing was some previously unknown disease thanks to the actress Midori Naka. The theater troupe in which Naka played arrived in Hiroshima a month before the events, where they rented a house for living, located 650m from the epicenter of the future explosion, after which 13 of the 17 people died on the spot. Midori not only remained alive, but was practically unharmed, apart from minor scratches, although all her clothes were simply burned. Fleeing from the fire, the actress rushed to the river and jumped into the water, from where soldiers pulled her out and provided first aid.

Finding herself in Tokyo a few days later, Midori went to the hospital, where she was examined by the best Japanese doctors. Despite all efforts, the woman died, but doctors had the opportunity to observe the development and course of the disease for almost 9 days. Before her death, it was believed that the vomiting and bloody diarrhea that many victims experienced were symptoms of dysentery. Officially, Midori Naka is considered the first person to die from radiation sickness, and it was her death that sparked widespread discussion about the consequences of radiation poisoning. 18 days passed from the moment of the explosion until the death of the actress.

However, soon after the Allied occupation of Japanese territory began, newspaper references to the victims of American bombings gradually began to fade away. During almost 7 years of occupation, American censorship prohibited any publications on this topic.

For those who were victims of the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a special term “hibakusha” appeared. Several hundred people found themselves in a situation where talking about their health became taboo. Any attempts to remind of the tragedy were suppressed - it was forbidden to make films, write books, poems, songs. It was impossible to express compassion, ask for help, or collect donations for the victims.

For example, a hospital created by a group of enthusiastic doctors in Ujin to help the hibakusha was closed at the request of the occupation authorities, and all documentation, including medical records, was confiscated.

In November 1945, at the suggestion of the US President, the ABCS Center was created to study the effects of radiation on survivors of explosions. The organization's clinic, which opened in Hiroshima, conducted only examinations and did not provide medical care to the victims. Of particular interest to the center's staff were those who were hopelessly ill and died as a result of radiation sickness. Essentially, the purpose of the ABCS was to collect statistical data.

Only after the end of the American occupation did they begin to speak out loud about the problems of the hibakusha in Japan. In 1957, each victim was given a document indicating how far he was from the epicenter at the time of the explosion. To this day, victims of the bombings and their descendants receive material and medical assistance from the state. However, within the rigid framework of Japanese society there was no place for the “hibakusha” - several hundred thousand people became a separate caste. The rest of the residents, if possible, avoided communication, much less creating a family with the victims, especially after they began to have children with developmental defects en masse. Most of the pregnancies in women living in cities at the time of the bombing ended in miscarriages or the death of babies immediately after birth. Only a third of pregnant women in the explosion zone gave birth to children who did not have serious abnormalities.

The feasibility of destroying Japanese cities

Japan continued the war even after the surrender of its main ally Germany. In a report presented at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the estimated date for the end of the war with Japan was assumed to be no earlier than 18 months after Germany surrendered. According to the USA and Great Britain, the USSR's entry into the war against the Japanese could help reduce the duration of combat operations, casualties and material costs. As a result of the agreements, I. Stalin promised to act on the side of the Allies within 3 months after the end of the war with the Germans, which was done on August 8, 1945.

Was the use of nuclear weapons really necessary? Disputes about this have not stopped to this day. The destruction of two Japanese cities, amazing in its cruelty, was such a senseless action at that time that it gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories.

One of them claims that the bombing was not an urgent need, but only a show of force to the Soviet Union. The USA and Great Britain united with the USSR only unwillingly, in the fight against a common enemy. However, as soon as the danger passed, yesterday’s allies immediately became ideological opponents again. Second World War redrew the map of the world, changing it beyond recognition. The winners established their order, simultaneously testing out future rivals, with whom only yesterday they were sitting in the same trenches.

Another theory claims that Hiroshima and Nagasaki became testing sites. Although the United States tested the first atomic bomb on a deserted island, the true power of the new weapon could only be assessed in real conditions. The still unfinished war with Japan provided the Americans with a golden opportunity, while providing an iron-clad justification with which politicians repeatedly covered themselves later. They were “simply saving the lives of ordinary American guys.”

Most likely, the decision to use nuclear bombs was made as a result of a combination of all these factors.

• After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the situation developed in such a way that the Allies were not able to force Japan to surrender only on their own.
• The entry of the Soviet Union into the war obligated subsequently to listen to the opinion of the Russians.
• The military was naturally interested in testing new weapons in real conditions.
• Demonstrate to a potential enemy who is boss - why not?

The only justification for the United States is the fact that the consequences of the use of such weapons had not been studied at the time of their use. The effect exceeded all expectations and sobered even the most militant.

In March 1950, the Soviet Union announced the creation of its own atomic bomb. Nuclear parity was achieved in the 70s of the twentieth century.

In the post-war years, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear bombs developed in the United States was widely discussed. Disputes about this episode, which claimed thousands of innocent lives, are still raging. Let's consider the chronology of events before that fateful day and its consequences.

The history of the creation of a nuclear bomb in the USA

In the 1940s, the United States became a pioneer in the use of nuclear weapons. The impetus for accelerating development was a message that Franklin Roosevelt received:

• according to one version, the famous scientist Otto Gann wrote a message about this in 1939;
• according to another version, Albert Einstein himself reported this.

In any case, the emergence of such destructive destruction systems among the Nazi party was a serious problem for all parties to the conflict.

The new project was launched with the participation of German specialists who fled the fascist regime. Before these events, they managed to work on a bomb, the main task of which was not to release maximum energy, but to pollute the territory. For this purpose, the radiation level was assessed first.

The United States authorities allocated funds to finance the new product, and Robert Oppenheimer was appointed chief engineer. It was this specialist who is considered one of the first who managed to create an atomic bomb.

The work was carried out in the strictest secrecy, but the United States received support from the British. Since for Great Britain the fascist nuclear bomb was a threat capable of destroying all achievements at that time. It is known that they transferred their developments to the United States on their own initiative, but this immediately brought the country to the forefront of the arms race.

Manhattan Project

The project, codenamed “Manhattan” (after the location of the research building), was supervised by Leslie Groves.

Already in the summer of 1945, the first tests were carried out. In the first prototype, plutonium was used as the reaction material. The detonation was carried out at a training ground, which was built up with artificial structures to assess damaging factors.

The result of the experiment was:

1. The blast wave covered one and a half kilometers;
2. A mushroom-shaped column of smoke rose into the air at a distance of 12 km;
3. All buildings prepared for the experiment were destroyed;
4. The earth and all the animals nearby were burned to the ground.

Two weeks later, the military received the first tested sample. Already on August 6 and 9 of the same year, nuclear strikes were carried out on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the only cases combat use of these destructive weapons, debates about which continue to this day.

Political conditions and prerequisites for the bombings

The prerequisites for the use of new weapons appeared a year before the bombing - in September 1944. Then an agreement was concluded between the President of the States and the Prime Minister of Great Britain providing for an atomic strike.

The first operational projects appeared immediately after the tests, the Americans were supported by the British and Canadians.

Consideration of the bombing option began after an assessment of the likely losses during the American invasion of Japan. Experts assumed that more than 12 thousand died during the capture of Okinawa. American soldiers(39 thousand were out of action due to injuries), the Japanese lost about 110 thousand soldiers and almost the same number of civilians. The invasion of the country was supposed to lead to even greater casualties.

The raid on Hiroshima took place on August 6, and the cargo was delivered by a B-29 Enola Gay. “Baby”, equivalent to 13-18 kilotons of TNT, was delivered to the Japanese city.

Three days later, “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, with even greater power, in the region of 21 kilotons.

As a result of the first strike, between 90 and 166 thousand people died. The second took a little less - 60-80 thousand.

The formidable weapon made a tremendous impression on the Japanese ministers (Kantaro Suzuki and Togo Shigenori), which persuaded them to end the war on the part of the island state. The date of August 15 became the time of the announcement of surrender, and on September 2 the act was signed, which actually ended the Second World War.

Major economic centers

The selection of targets for the strike was made at the second meeting at Los Alamos, in the spring of 1945. Several cities that were of strategic interest had to be assessed and eliminated.

Options for bomb attacks:

• Kyoto. The city was the country's largest manufacturing center;
• Hiroshima. On the territory there were army warehouses, a port of warships, the headquarters of the General Staff of the Navy and the Second Army;
• Yokohama. The heart of the military industry;
• Kokuru. The city contained Japan's largest arsenal;
• Niigata. Mechanical Engineering Center, port of warships.

The idea of ​​launching a targeted strike exclusively on military targets was rejected, since the risk of a miss was high. The absence of an urban area around the bombing site could reduce the effect to zero.

It was important to evaluate the psychological aspects of the blow. Firstly, it was necessary to intimidate the enemy as much as possible. Secondly, the first atomic strike should have had an effect on the entire world community, emphasizing its significance.

The commission calculated all aspects of the location of probable targets. For example, Kyoto looked promising due to the higher education of the population, which meant the ability to evaluate weapons more objectively. Hiroshima is surrounded by hills, which were seen as shields that could enhance the effect of the impact. Kyoto was subsequently struck down by the US Secretary of War, who praised the city as a cultural center.

Resonance in the world

Until now, the question of the ethical validity and role that the bombings played in the surrender of Japan is open. The main question that experts ask is: was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?

Supporters of the campaign highlight the following points:

• nuclear strikes are cited as the main reason for Japan's surrender, and therefore prevented the heavy losses on both sides that the invasion would have guaranteed;
• the subsequent rapid surrender excluded human losses in other Asian countries;
• Japan was fighting a total war in which there was no distinction between civilians and the army;
• The authorities of the island state categorically refused to stop the war, but atomic bombs radically changed this opinion.

Opponents of the bombing believe that the strikes only added to a large-scale campaign. It is noted that there was no need for such a strong impact and the idea itself is immoral. The campaign is being called a war crime and state terrorism.

However, at the time of the events in question there were no agreements or treaties at the international level prohibiting the use of atoms for military purposes.

Many experts view Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a demonstration of the power of the United States. Its goal was to influence the Soviet Union before it entered into confrontation with Japan in the Far East. President Truman himself, until the end of his days, considered dropping the bombs to be the right decision, for which the United States would never apologize.

Assess the destructive power of nuclear weapons

It is difficult to overestimate the strength of the Americans' blows. Even after the complete loss of contact with military installations, the Japanese authorities did not believe the scale of the disaster. Only the arrival of an army officer on the scene made it possible to open eyes to the damage caused.

The bombs themselves had huge effect on infrastructure, destroyed a huge number of people, including those who had nothing to do with the war at all. The psychological aspects are also obvious; the demoralizing effect helped turn the tide of the war.

The weapon effects are as follows:

• shock wave of enormous power;
• thermal effects;
• radiation, subsequent radioactive contamination;
• fires;
• radiation sickness.

Each type of impact has its own duration. For example, if the shock wave instantly passes from the epicenter of the explosion, then the death toll from radiation sickness reaches its peak much later.

Details about the bombing of Hiroshima

The campaign began with the transfer of a mixed American air group to the island of Tinian. This area was separated from other US Air Force units and was heavily guarded. The Baby bomb was delivered on the cruiser Indianapolis at the end of July.

The order to use new weapons was received and signed on July 28. According to the document, after August 3, the strike was to be launched on any day as soon as the weather permitted. Until August 6, conditions did not allow bombing to begin.

Hiroshima was the 7th city in Japan by population - 340 thousand people (at the time of the strike due to the evacuation of 245 thousand). It was located on a flat piece of land on 6 islands, just above sea level. IN war time the city became one of the army's key supply bases.

Most of the buildings were low (within 32 floors); production centers were located on the periphery. The risk of fire spreading in such conditions was very high, and the situation was aggravated by outdated fire extinguishing systems.

Hiroshima became the main target of a nuclear air raid, with Nagasaki and Kokura considered alternate targets. From the departure point, the target was 2500 km away, 6 aircraft headed towards it, which were recorded by Japanese radars at 7 am. Since the number of vehicles was determined to be small, fighters were not sent to intercept, as fuel was being saved.

The bomb was dropped on the city center at 8 am, the B-29 was at an altitude of 9 km. The "Malysh" fuses went off at 43 seconds of the fall - within 400-600 meters above the roofs of houses. 16 hours later, US authorities reported the incident.

Description of bombs

The first versions of nuclear weapons were imperfect and relatively low-power. For example, “Baby” contained 64 kg of uranium, but only 700 grams were involved in the reaction. material.

"Little boy" had the following characteristics:

• weight - 4.4 tons;
• length 3 m;
• diameter 700 mm;
• power 13-18 kilotons.

The Fat Man had similar characteristics, but its power was increased to approximately 21 kilotons.

Bombers

The bomb carriers were B-29 aircraft, which acted as part of a flight that included reconnaissance aircraft. Hiroshima was attacked by a plane called the "Enola Gay" and Nagasaki was attacked by a "Bockscar". Structurally, they were practically no different from other production aircraft.

Results and consequences of the explosion

All living things located close to the epicenter outside the buildings instantly died; the bodies of people and animals turned to coal. At a distance of up to 2 km, paper caught fire, all flammable materials instantly flared up. Silhouettes of burnt bodies remained on the walls of the surviving buildings.

Near the epicenter there was a powerful flash of light, then a shock wave passed, knocking people off their feet even at a significant distance. The buildings could only be saved from light, but in the first minutes after the detonation, 90% died within a radius of 800 meters. At a distance of up to 19 km, glass was broken from windows.

The fires that started formed a fire tornado with wind speeds of up to 60 km/h. He killed most of the survivors in the first 2-3 minutes in an area of ​​11 km2 from the epicenter.

The first victims of radiation sickness appeared 1-2 days after the raid. The peak of mortality occurred at 3-4 weeks, the decline appeared only at 7-9 weeks. The situation was complicated by the fact that until this moment doctors had not encountered radiation sickness. Those who survived suffered the effects of the infection and the psychological aspects of their experience for the rest of their lives.

Details about the bombing of Nagasaki

"Fat Man" was brought to the island of Tinian in two parts, on July 28 and August 2, respectively. Aviation was used for this.

Nagasaki was located in two valleys, each with a river flowing through it, and the city's districts were delimited by a ridge. The chaotic building occupied 90 m2, there was a large port, developed industry working for the army. At the time of the American strike, about 200 thousand people lived in the territory.

It was decided to carry out the bombing on August 9 (originally planned on the 11th), since bad weather began later.

US aircraft were spotted in Japanese airspace at 7:50, but it was canceled at 8:30 for the same reasons as in Hiroshima. Initially, Kokura was chosen as the target, but cloud cover did not allow the attack, so the plane headed towards Nagasaki.

Consequences of the explosion

The bomb exploded at an altitude of about 500 meters above the ground. Considering the power, greater than that of the previous projectile, only an inaccurate hit and several other factors saved us from huge losses:

• the blow fell on the industrial part; factories were located literally around the epicenter;
• in Nagasaki there were hills that protected a number of areas of the city;
• of the 110 km2 affected, only 84 were partially inhabited.

Almost all living things within a kilometer radius perished; up to 2 km, destruction of almost all buildings was observed. Local fires began, but without the Hiroshima whirlwind.

Was the bombing necessary?

It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally, however, it is quite realistic that the losses during the invasion could exceed the consequences of a nuclear strike. The problem is that most of the dead had nothing to do with the war at all - they were civilians, children.

The American action looks more like “flexing muscles” than a real military necessity.

Nagasaki and Hiroshima today

For Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the consequences of the explosion are still being felt.

In 2013, more than 200 thousand citizens remained in Japan who survived the American attack. This number includes children of victims who lived in the country at the time of the recount. The spread of cancer has become a big problem various types, which are recorded at 1% of the specified number. By that time, the total number of deaths from the bombing and its consequences exceeded 450 thousand people.

At first, no one sought protection from radiation, the population was not evacuated, and even the high mortality and illnesses could not be explained.

Now some of the city’s objects are of global importance. For example, in 1996, the building of the Hiroshima Chamber of Industry was included in the UNESCO heritage list

An American B-29 Superfortress bomber named “Enola Gay” took off from Tinian early on August 6 with a single 4,000 kg uranium bomb called “Little Boy”. At 8:15 a.m., the “baby” bomb was dropped from a height of 9,400 m above the city and spent 57 seconds in free fall. At the moment of detonation, a small explosion provoked an explosion of 64 kg of uranium. Of these 64 kg, only 7 kg went through the fission stage, and of this mass, only 600 mg turned into energy - explosive energy that burned everything in its path for several kilometers, leveling the city with a blast wave, starting a series of fires and plunging all living things into radiation flow. It is believed that about 70,000 people died immediately, with another 70,000 dying from injuries and radiation by 1950. Today in Hiroshima, near the epicenter of the explosion, there is a memorial museum, the purpose of which is to promote the idea that nuclear weapons will cease to exist forever.

May 1945: selection of targets.

During its second meeting at Los Alamos (May 10-11, 1945), the Target Selection Committee recommended Kyoto (a major industrial center), Hiroshima (an army storage center and military port), and Yokohama (a military center) as targets for the use of atomic weapons. industry), Kokura (the largest military arsenal) and Niigata (a military port and mechanical engineering center). The committee rejected the idea of ​​using this weapon against a purely military target, since there was a chance of overshooting a small area not surrounded by a large urban area.
When choosing a goal, great importance was attached to psychological factors, such as:
achieving maximum psychological effect against Japan,
the first use of a weapon must be significant enough for its importance to be recognized internationally. The committee pointed out that the choice of Kyoto was due to the fact that its population had a higher level of education and was thus better able to appreciate the value of weapons. Hiroshima was of such a size and location that, taking into account the focusing effect of the surrounding hills, the force of the explosion could be increased.
US Secretary of War Henry Stimson removed Kyoto from the list due to the city's cultural significance. According to Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, Stimson "knew and appreciated Kyoto from his honeymoon there decades ago."

Pictured is US Secretary of War Henry Stimson

On July 16, the world's first successful test of an atomic weapon was carried out at a test site in New Mexico. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons of TNT.
On July 24, during the Potsdam Conference, US President Harry Truman informed Stalin that the United States had a new weapon of unprecedented destructive power. Truman did not specify that he was referring specifically to atomic weapons. According to Truman's memoirs, Stalin showed little interest, saying only that he was glad and hoped that the United States could use it effectively against the Japanese. Churchill, who carefully observed Stalin's reaction, remained of the opinion that Stalin did not understand the true meaning of Truman's words and did not pay attention to him. At the same time, according to Zhukov’s memoirs, Stalin understood everything perfectly, but did not show it, and in a conversation with Molotov after the meeting he noted that “We will need to talk with Kurchatov about speeding up our work.” After the declassification of the American intelligence services' operation "Venona", it became known that Soviet agents had long been reporting on the development of nuclear weapons. According to some reports, agent Theodore Hall even announced the planned date of the first nuclear test a few days before the Potsdam Conference. This may explain why Stalin took Truman's message calmly. Hall had been working for Soviet intelligence since 1944.
On July 25, Truman approved an order, beginning August 3, to bomb one of the following targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki, as soon as weather permits, and the following cities in the future as bombs become available.
On July 26, the governments of the United States, Great Britain, and China signed the Potsdam Declaration, which set out the demand for Japan's unconditional surrender. The atomic bomb was not mentioned in the declaration.
The next day, Japanese newspapers reported that the declaration, the text of which was broadcast on the radio and scattered in leaflets from airplanes, had been rejected. The Japanese government did not express any desire to accept the ultimatum. On July 28, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki said at a press conference that the Potsdam Declaration was nothing more than the old arguments of the Cairo Declaration in a new wrapper, and demanded that the government ignore it.
Emperor Hirohito, who was waiting for a Soviet response to the evasive diplomatic moves [what?] of the Japanese, did not change the government’s decision. On July 31, in a conversation with Koichi Kido, he made it clear that imperial power must be protected at all costs.

An aerial view of Hiroshima shortly before the bomb was dropped on the city in August 1945. Shown here is a densely populated area of ​​the city on the Motoyasu River.

Preparing for the bombing

During May-June 1945, the American 509th Mixed Aviation Group arrived on Tinian Island. The group's base area on the island was several miles from other units and was carefully guarded.
On July 26, the cruiser Indianapolis delivered the Little Boy atomic bomb to Tinian.
On July 28, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, George Marshall, signed an order for the combat use of nuclear weapons. This order, drafted by the head of the Manhattan Project, Major General Leslie Groves, ordered a nuclear strike "on any day after the third of August as soon as weather conditions permit." On July 29, the commander of US strategic aviation, General Carl Spaatz, arrived on Tinian, delivering Marshall's order to the island.
On July 28 and August 2, components of the “Fat Man” atomic bomb were brought to Tinian by plane.

Commander A.F. Birch (left) numbers the bomb under code name"Baby" physicist Dr. Ramsay (right) will receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989.

The "baby" was 3 m long and weighed 4,000 kg, but contained only 64 kg of uranium, which was used to provoke a chain of atomic reactions and subsequent explosion.

Hiroshima during World War II.

Hiroshima was located on a flat area, slightly above sea level at the mouth of the Ota River, on 6 islands connected by 81 bridges. The city's population before the war was over 340 thousand people, making Hiroshima the seventh largest city in Japan. The city was the headquarters of the Fifth Division and the Second Main Army of Field Marshal Shunroku Hata, who commanded the defense of all of Southern Japan. Hiroshima was an important supply base for the Japanese army.
In Hiroshima (as well as in Nagasaki), most buildings were one- and two-story wooden buildings with tiled roofs. Factories were located on the outskirts of the city. Outdated firefighting equipment and insufficient training of personnel created a high fire danger even in peacetime.
Hiroshima's population peaked at 380,000 during the war, but before the bombing the population gradually declined due to systematic evacuations ordered by the Japanese government. At the time of the attack the population was about 245 thousand people.

Pictured is the US Army Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber "Enola Gay"

Bombardment

The primary target of the first American nuclear bombing was Hiroshima (the alternate targets were Kokura and Nagasaki). Although Truman's orders called for atomic bombing to begin on August 3, cloud cover over the target prevented this until August 6.
On August 6 at 1:45 a.m., an American B-29 bomber under the command of the commander of the 509th Combined Aviation Regiment, Colonel Paul Tibbetts, carrying the “Baby” atomic bomb on board, took off from the island of Tinian, which was about 6 hours flight from Hiroshima. Tibbetts' plane (Enola Gay) was flying as part of a formation that included six other aircraft: a reserve plane (Top Secret), two controllers and three reconnaissance aircraft (Jebit III, Full House and Straight Flash). The reconnaissance aircraft commanders sent to Nagasaki and Kokura reported significant cloudiness over these cities. The pilot of the third reconnaissance aircraft, Major Iserli, found that the sky over Hiroshima was clear and sent the signal “Bomb the first target.”
Around seven o'clock in the morning, the Japanese early warning radar network detected the approach of several American aircraft heading towards southern Japan. An air raid warning was announced and radio broadcasts were stopped in many cities, including Hiroshima. At approximately 08:00, the radar operator in Hiroshima determined that the number of incoming aircraft was very small - perhaps no more than three - and the air raid alert was canceled. In order to save fuel and aircraft, the Japanese did not intercept small groups of American bombers. The standard radio message was that it would be wise to head to bomb shelters if the B-29s were actually spotted, and that it was not a raid but just some form of reconnaissance that was expected.
At 08:15 local time, the B-29, being at an altitude of over 9 km, dropped an atomic bomb on the center of Hiroshima. The fuse was installed at a height of 600 meters above the surface; the explosion, the equivalent of 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT, occurred 45 seconds after the release.
The first public report of the event came from Washington, sixteen hours after the atomic attack on the Japanese city.

A photo taken from one of two American bombers of the 509th Integrated Group shortly after 8:15 a.m. on August 5, 1945, shows smoke rising from the explosion over the city of Hiroshima.

When the uranium in the bomb went through the fission stage, it was instantly converted into the energy of 15 kilotons of TNT, heating the massive fireball to a temperature of 3,980 degrees Celsius.

Explosion effect

Those closest to the epicenter of the explosion died instantly, their bodies turned to coal. Birds flying past burned up in the air, and dry, flammable materials such as paper ignited up to 2 km from the epicenter. The light radiation burned the dark pattern of clothing into the skin and left silhouettes of human bodies on the walls. People outside their houses described a blinding flash of light, which was simultaneously accompanied by a wave of stifling heat. The blast wave followed almost immediately for everyone near the epicenter, often knocking them off their feet. Occupants of the buildings generally avoided exposure to the light radiation from the explosion, but not the blast wave - glass shards hit most rooms, and all but the strongest buildings collapsed. One teenager was thrown from his house across the street by the blast wave, while the house collapsed behind him. Within a few minutes, 90% of people who were 800 meters or less from the epicenter died.
The blast wave shattered glass at a distance of up to 19 km. For those in the buildings, the typical first reaction was the thought of a direct hit from an aerial bomb.
Numerous small fires that simultaneously broke out in the city soon merged into one large fire tornado, creating a strong wind (at a speed of 50-60 km/h) directed towards the epicenter. The firestorm captured over 11 km² of the city, killing everyone who did not manage to get out within the first few minutes after the explosion.
According to the memoirs of Akiko Takakura, one of the few survivors who were at a distance of 300 m from the epicenter at the time of the explosion:
Three colors characterize for me the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima: black, red and brown. Black because the explosion cut off the sunlight and plunged the world into darkness. Red was the color of blood flowing from wounded and broken people. It was also the color of the fires that burned everything in the city. Brown was the color of burnt skin falling off the body, exposed to the light radiation from the explosion.
A few days after the explosion, doctors began to notice the first symptoms of radiation among the survivors. Soon, the number of deaths among the survivors began to rise again, as patients who had seemed to be recovering began to suffer from this strange new disease. Deaths from radiation sickness peaked 3-4 weeks after the explosion and began to decline only 7-8 weeks later. Japanese doctors considered vomiting and diarrhea characteristic of radiation sickness to be symptoms of dysentery. Long-term health effects associated with exposure, such as an increased risk of cancer, haunted survivors for the rest of their lives, as did the psychological shock of the blast.

The shadow of a man who was sitting on the steps of the stairs in front of the bank at the time of the explosion, 250 meters from the epicenter.

Losses and destruction

The number of deaths from the direct impact of the explosion ranged from 70 to 80 thousand people. By the end of 1945, due to radioactive contamination and other post-effects of the explosion, the total number of deaths ranged from 90 to 166 thousand people. After 5 years, the total death toll, including deaths from cancer and other long-term effects of the explosion, could reach or even exceed 200,000 people.
According to official Japanese data, as of March 31, 2013, there were 201,779 “hibakusha” alive - people who suffered from the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This figure includes children born to women exposed to radiation from the explosions (mostly living in Japan at the time of the calculation). Of these, 1%, according to the Japanese government, had serious cancer caused by radiation exposure after the bombings. The number of deaths as of August 31, 2013 is about 450 thousand: 286,818 in Hiroshima and 162,083 in Nagasaki.

View of the destroyed Hiroshima in the fall of 1945 on one branch of the river passing through the delta on which the city stands

Complete destruction after the dropping of an atomic bomb.

Color photograph of the destruction of Hiroshima in March 1946.

An explosion destroyed the Okita plant in Hiroshima, Japan.

Look how the sidewalk has been raised and there's a drainpipe sticking out of the bridge. Scientists say this was due to the vacuum created by the pressure from the atomic explosion.

Twisted iron beams are all that remains of the theater building, located about 800 meters from the epicenter.

The Hiroshima Fire Department lost its only vehicle when the western station was destroyed by an atomic bomb. The station was located 1,200 meters from the epicenter.

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Nuclear pollution

The concept of “radioactive contamination” did not yet exist in those years, and therefore this issue was not even raised then. People continued to live and rebuild destroyed buildings in the same place where they were before. Even the high mortality rate of the population in subsequent years, as well as diseases and genetic abnormalities in children born after the bombings, were not initially associated with exposure to radiation. Evacuation of the population from contaminated areas was not carried out, since no one knew about the very presence of radioactive contamination.
It is quite difficult to give an accurate assessment of the extent of this contamination due to lack of information, however, since the first atomic bombs were technically relatively low-power and imperfect (the Baby bomb, for example, contained 64 kg of uranium, of which only about 700 g reacted division), the level of contamination of the area could not be significant, although it posed a serious danger to the population. For comparison: at the time of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there were several tons of fission products and transuranium elements in the reactor core - various radioactive isotopes that accumulated during the operation of the reactor.

Terrible consequences...

Keloid scars on the back and shoulders of a victim of the Hiroshima bombing. The scars formed where the victim's skin was not protected from direct radiation rays.

Comparative preservation of some buildings

Some reinforced concrete buildings in the city were very stable (due to the risk of earthquakes), and their frames did not collapse, despite the fact that they were quite close to the center of destruction in the city (the epicenter of the explosion). This is how the brick building of the Hiroshima Chamber of Industry (now commonly known as the "Genbaku Dome" or "Atomic Dome"), designed and built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, survived, which was only 160 meters from the epicenter of the explosion (at the height of the bomb detonation). 600 m above the surface). These ruins became the most famous exhibit of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima and were elevated to the rank of world heritage UNESCO, despite objections expressed by the US and Chinese governments.

A man looks at the ruins left after the atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima.

People lived here

Visitors to Hiroshima Memorial Park look at a panoramic view of the aftermath of the atomic explosion on July 27, 2005 in Hiroshima.

Memorial flame in honor of the victims of the atomic explosion at the monument in the Hiroshima Memorial Park. The fire has burned continuously since it was lit on August 1, 1964. The fire will burn until “all the atomic weapons on earth disappear forever.”

The Second World War is remembered in history not only for catastrophic destruction, the ideas of a crazy fanatic and many deaths, but also on August 6, 1945 - the beginning new era in world history. The fact is that it was then that the first and, to date, last use of atomic weapons for military purposes was carried out. The power of the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima has remained for centuries. In the USSR there was one that frightened the population of the whole world, see the top of the most powerful nuclear bombs and to

There are not so many people who survived this attack, as well as surviving buildings. We, in turn, decided to collect all the existing information about the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, structure the data of this impact effect and support the story with the words of eyewitnesses and officers from the headquarters.

Was the atomic bomb necessary?

Almost every person living on earth knows that America dropped nuclear bombs on Japan, although the country went through this test alone. Due to the political situation at that time, the States and the control center celebrated the victory while people were dying en masse on the other side of the world. This topic still resonates with pain in the hearts of tens of thousands of Japanese, and for good reason. On the one hand, it was a necessity, because it was not possible to end the war in any other way. On the other hand, many people think that the Americans simply wanted to try out a new deadly “toy.”

Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist for whom science always came first in his life, did not even think that his invention would cause such enormous damage. Although he did not work alone, he is called the father of the nuclear bomb. Yes, in the process of creating the warhead he knew about possible harm, although he did not understand that it would be inflicted on civilians who had nothing directly to do with the war. As he said later: “We did all the work for the devil.” But this phrase was uttered subsequently. And at that time he was not distinguished by his foresight, since he did not know what would happen tomorrow and how the Second World War would turn out.

In the American "bins" before 1945, three full-fledged warheads were ready:

• Trinity;
• Baby;
• Fat man.

The first was blown up during testing, and the last two went down in history. The dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was predicted to end the war. After all, the Japanese government did not accept the terms of surrender. And without it, other allied countries will have neither military support nor reserves of human resources. And so it happened. On August 15, as a consequence of the shock experienced, the government signed documents on unconditional surrender. This date is now called the official end of the war.

Historians, politicians and ordinary people cannot agree to this day whether the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary. What's done is done, we can't change anything. But it was precisely this action directed against Japan that became a turning point in history. The threat of new atomic bomb explosions hangs over the planet every day. Although most countries have abandoned atomic weapons, some still retain this status. The nuclear warheads of Russia and the United States are securely hidden, but conflicts at the political level are not decreasing. And the possibility cannot be ruled out that more similar “actions” will be held someday.

In our native history, we can come across the concept of the “Cold War,” when during the Second World War and after its end, the two superpowers - the Soviet Union and the United States could not come to an agreement. This period began just after the surrender of Japan. And everyone knew that if the countries did not find a common language, nuclear weapons would be used again, only now not in agreement with each other, but mutually. This would be the beginning of the end and would make the Earth again blank slate, unsuitable for existence - without people, living organisms, buildings, only with a huge level of radiation and a bunch of corpses around the world. As a famous scientist said, in the Fourth World War people will fight with sticks and stones, since only a few will survive the Third. After this short lyrical digression, let's return to the historical facts and how the warhead was dropped on the city.

Prerequisites for the attack on Japan

The dropping of a nuclear bomb on Japan was planned long before the explosion. The 20th century is generally distinguished by the rapid development of nuclear physics. Significant discoveries in this industry were made almost every day. World scientists realized that a nuclear chain reaction would make it possible to make a warhead. Here's how they behaved in opposing countries:

1. Germany. In 1938, German nuclear physicists were able to split the uranium nucleus. Then they turned to the government and talked about the possibility of creating a fundamentally new weapon. Then they launched the world's first rocket launcher. This probably spurred Hitler to start the war. Although the studies were classified, some of them are now known. Research centers have created a reactor to generate a sufficient amount of uranium. But scientists had to choose between substances that could slow down the reaction. It could be water or graphite. By choosing water, they, without even knowing it, deprived themselves of the possibility of creating atomic weapons. It became clear to Hitler that he would not be released until the end of the war and he cut funding for the project. But in the rest of the world they didn’t know about it. That is why they were afraid of German research, especially with such brilliant initial results.
2. USA. The first patent for nuclear weapons was received in 1939. All such studies took place in fierce competition with Germany. The process was spurred on by a letter to the US President from the most progressive scientists of that time that a bomb could be created in Europe earlier. And if you don’t have time, then the consequences will be unpredictable. In development, starting in 1943, America was helped by Canadian, European and English scientists. The project was called "Manhattan". The weapon was first tested on July 16 at a test site in New Mexico and the result was considered successful.

In 1944, the heads of the United States and England decided that if the war did not end, they would have to use a warhead. Already at the beginning of 1945, when Germany surrendered, the Japanese government decided not to admit defeat. The Japanese continued to repel attacks on Pacific Ocean and advance. It was already clear then that the war was lost. But the morale of the “samurai” was not broken. A striking example of this was the Battle of Okinawa. The Americans suffered huge losses in it, but they are incomparable with the invasion of Japan itself. Although the US bombed Japanese cities, the fury of the army's resistance did not subside. Therefore, the question of the use of nuclear weapons was raised again. The targets for the attack were selected by a specially created committee.

Why Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

The target selection committee met twice. For the first time, the Hiroshima Nagasaki nuclear bomb release date was approved. The second time, specific targets for weapons against the Japanese were selected. It happened on May 10, 1945. They wanted to drop the bomb on:

• Kyoto;
• Hiroshima;
• Yokohama;
• Niigata;
• Kokuru.

Kyoto was the largest industrial center of the country, Hiroshima was home to a huge military port and army warehouses, Yokohama was the center of the military industry, Kokuru was home to a large arsenal of weapons, and Niigata was the center of the building military equipment, as well as the port. They decided not to use the bomb at military installations. After all, it was possible not to hit small targets without an urban area around and there was a chance of missing. Kyoto was rejected outright. The population in this city had a high level of education. They could assess the significance of the bomb and influence the country's surrender. Some requirements were put forward for other objects. They must be large and significant economic centers, and the process of dropping the bomb itself must cause a resonance in the world. Objects damaged by air raids were not suitable. After all, the assessment of the consequences after the explosion of an atomic warhead from the General Staff had to be accurate.

Two cities were chosen as the main ones - Hiroshima and Kokura. For each of them, a so-called safety net was determined. Nagasaki became one of them. Hiroshima was attractive due to its location and size. The power of the bomb must be increased by nearby hills and mountains. Significance was also attached to psychological factors that could have a special impact on the country’s population and its leadership. Also, the effectiveness of a bomb must be significant in order for it to be recognized throughout the world.

History of the bombing

The nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima was scheduled to explode on August 3rd. It has already been delivered by cruiser to the island of Tinian and assembled. It was separated by only 2500 km from Hiroshima. But bad weather pushed the terrible date back by 3 days. Therefore, the event of August 6, 1945 occurred. Despite the fact that near Hiroshima there were fighting and the city was often bombed, no one was afraid anymore. In some schools, classes continued and people worked according to their usual schedule. Most of the residents were on the street, eliminating the consequences of the bombing. Even small children cleared away the rubble. 340 (245 according to other sources) thousand people lived in Hiroshima.

Numerous T-shaped bridges connecting six parts of the city were chosen as the location for dropping the bomb. They were clearly visible from the air and crossed the river lengthwise and crosswise. From here one could see both the industrial center and the residential sector, consisting of small wooden buildings. At 7 o'clock in the morning the air raid alarm sounded. Everyone immediately ran for cover. But already at 7:30 the alarm was canceled, as the operator saw on the radar that no more than three aircraft were approaching. Entire squadrons were flown in to bomb Hiroshima, so the conclusion was drawn that they were reconnaissance operations. Most people, mostly children, ran out of hiding to look at the planes. But they were flying too high.

The day before, Oppenheimer had given the crew members clear instructions on how to drop the bomb. It should not have exploded high above the city, otherwise the planned destruction would not have been achieved. The target should be clearly visible from the air. The pilots of the American B-29 bomber dropped the warhead at the exact time of the explosion - 8:15 am. The “Little Boy” bomb exploded at an altitude of 600 meters from the ground.

Consequences of the explosion

The yield of the Hiroshima Nagasaki nuclear bomb is estimated to be between 13 and 20 kilotons. It was filled with uranium. It exploded over the modern Sima hospital. People who were a few meters from the epicenter burned immediately, since the temperature here was around 3-4 thousand degrees Celsius. From some, only black shadows remained on the ground and steps. Approximately 70 thousand people died per second, and hundreds of thousands more received terrible injuries. The mushroom cloud rose 16 kilometers above the earth.

According to eyewitnesses, at the moment of the explosion the sky turned orange, then a fiery tornado appeared, which was blinding, then the sound passed through. Most of those who were within a radius of 2-5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion lost consciousness. People flew 10 meters away and looked like wax dolls, the remains of houses were spinning in the air. After the survivors came to their senses, they rushed en masse to the shelter, fearing another attack and a second explosion. No one yet knew what an atomic bomb was or imagined the possible dire consequences. All the clothes were left on the units. Most wore rags that had not yet faded. Based on the words of eyewitnesses, we can conclude that they were scalded with boiling water, their skin hurt and itched. In places where there were chains, earrings, rings, a scar remained for life.

But the worst thing began later. People's faces were burned beyond recognition. It was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman. The skin of many began to peel off and reached the ground, holding on only by their nails. Hiroshima resembled a parade of the living dead. Residents walked with their arms outstretched in front of them and asked for water. But they could only drink from the canals along the road, which is what they did. Those who reached the river threw themselves into it to relieve the pain and died there. The corpses flowed downstream, accumulating near the dam. People with babies who were in the buildings grabbed them and died frozen like that. Most of their names have never been identified.

Within minutes, black rain with radioactive contamination began to fall. This has scientific explanation. The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki increased the air temperature significantly. With such an anomaly, a lot of liquid evaporated, and it very quickly fell on the city. The water mixed with soot, ash and radiation. Therefore, even if a person was not seriously injured from the explosion, he became infected by drinking this rain. It penetrated into the canals and onto the products, contaminating them with radioactive substances.

The dropped atomic bomb destroyed hospitals, buildings, and there was no medicine. The day after, survivors were taken to hospitals about 20 kilometers from Hiroshima. Burns there were treated with flour and vinegar. People were wrapped in bandages like mummies and sent home.

Not far from Hiroshima, the residents of Nagasaki had no idea about exactly the same attack on them, which was being prepared on August 9, 1945. Meanwhile, the US government congratulated Oppenheimer...