9.+Hiroshima+and+Nagasaki

Jordan Spusta Block 10/20/2008

Joe Smith Born April 24th, 1904 Died September 8th 1962 Newpaper Reporter Article on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

After Germany had surrendered on May 8th 1945, the only threat to American safety was the Japanese, who refused to surrender (Danzer, page 577). The U.S. did not want to launch another invasion that could result in more American deaths. The estimated death toll for an invasion of Japan would have been around half a million American deaths. To avoid these heavy losses the U.S. started bombing Japan. On August sixth 1945 the uranium atomic bomb “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, from the B-29 bomber nicknamed the “Enola Gay.” The U.S. had hoped that the bombing of Hiroshima would encourage the Japanese to surrender (Jeffries, page 1). The bomb “Little Boy” was detonated one thousand and nine hundred feet above the city, and was equal to 12.5 kilotons of high explosive. The estimated death toll from the bomb was about one hundred thousand who died in the explosion. The number continued to rise over time as a result of the radiation poisoning, and is now estimated at around two hundred thousand. The population was not the only thing that was severely impacted, around forty eight thousand buildings were completely destroyed and another twenty two thousand were partially damaged. The destruction of Hiroshima was so effective that the rest of Japan was completely cut off from it for at least a day (Carlisle, Hiroshima, page 1).

When Japan still refused to surrender the U.S. sent a plutonium atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat Man” on Nagasaki. The second atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki because of its industrial and naval capabilities. The bomb was dropped on August 9, only three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. The city Nagasaki however was not the original target of the atomic bombing; the original target was the city Kokura. Nagasaki was targeted because Kokura rain clouds were covering the city. The pilot changed the target to the backup target, which was Nagasaki. Weather influenced the events even further by preventing the bomb from doing as much damage as it did in Hiroshima. Civilian casualties was also lower than the bombing of Hiroshima as there was twenty three thousand who were killed in the blast, with another twenty three thousand who were injured. The number of casualties later rose to somewhere between sixty thousand and ninety thousand (Carlisle, Nagasaki, page 1).

Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender shortly after Nagasaki was bombed. The atomic bombs were essential to saving millions of American soldiers, at the price of thousands of innocent civilians. After the Japanese surrender was announced the American people celebrated that the Second World War was finally over, as their family members would be returning home soon. Many Americans even approved the use of the bomb and its devastating effects it had on Japan. Although some people, including President Truman, regretted the use of the bomb and the innocent lives lost as a result of it.

(http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/japan-surrenders-world-war-2-ends-9.jpg) Citations

Jeffries, John W. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Encyclopedia for American History: The great depression and WWII. New York Facts on File, inc. 2003 American History Online.

Carlisle, Rodney P. “Hiroshima.” Encyclopedia of the Atomic Age. New York: Facts on File, inc. 2001. American History Online.

Carlisle, Rodney P. “Nagasaki.” Encyclopedia of the Atomic Age. New York: Facts on File, inc. 2001. American History Online.

Danzer, Gerald, et al, The Americans. page 577, and 583. McDougal Little, Houghton Mifflin Copamy, Boston. 2003.

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