Hiroshima Bombing

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay was launched to drop the B 29 bomber, formally known as "the little boy". Hiroshima was first bombed becuase it was a large military center. This first atomic attack mission against Japan, was led by Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, named Enola gay, after his mother. The B 29 took only 43 seconds to hit Hiroshima, and the damage was more than was expected. Almost half of the deaths from the bomb occured in  the first day. 60% died from flash or burns, while 10% died from falling debris, 30% died from other causes, and radiation. Within the first hours of the bombing oh Hiroshima 90,000 civilian lives were taken. Although Truman and his scientists who worked diligently on the manhattan project, the U.S. goverement did not understand the full extent of how potent radiation was. Boming in Hiroshima affected those within two to three kilometers of the hypocenter, and especially those within 900 meters, who received life-threatening doses. Anyone who came into close contact with this nuclear radiation died within days. Not only was radiation deadly, it was also extremly painful. Effect of radiation include; loss of hair, diarreah, damage of the liver and other internal organs, and alterations in blood cells.
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/Japan/Hiroshima/AtomicBombMuseum/IndividualArtifacts/index.html

J. Seimes, one of the few survivers of the bombing of Hiroshima, shares his eye witness account;
"August 6th began in a bright, clear, summer morning. About 7 o'clock, there was an air raid alarm which we had heard almost every day and a few planes appeared over the city. No one paid attention and at about 8:00, the all-clear sounded. I am sitting in my room at the Novitists of the Society of Jesus in Nagatsuki: during the past half year, the philosophical and theological section of our mission had been evacuated to this place from Tokyo. The Novitists is situated approximately 2 kilometers from Hiroshima, half-way up the side of a broad valley which stretches from the town at sea level into the mountainous hinterland, and through which courses a river. From my window, I have a wonderful view down the valley to the edge of the city. Suddenly --- the time is approximately 8:15 -- the whole valley is filled by a garish light which resembles the Magnesium light used in photography, and I am conscious of a wave heat. I jump to the window to find out the cause of this remarkable phenomenon, but I see nothing more than that brilliant yellow light. As I make for the door, it doesn't occur to me that the light might have something to do with enemy planes. On the way from the window, I hear a moderately loud explosion which seems to come from a distance and, at the same time, the windows are broken in with a loud crash. There has been an interval of perhaps ten seconds since the flash of light. I am sprayed by fragments of glass. The entire window frame has been forced into the room. I realize now that a bomb has burst and I am under the impression that it exploded directly over our house or in the immediate vicinity. I am bleeding from cuts about the hands and head. I attempt to get out of the door. It has been forced outwards by the air pressure and has become jammed. I forced an opening in the door by means of repeated blows with my hands and feet and come to a broad hall-way from which open the various rooms. Everything is in a state of confusion."
More on radiation effects in Hiroshima:
http://www.wtj.com/archives/hiroshima.htm

Nagasaki Bombing

"It is part of my responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly, I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or super-bomb."- President Truman, 1945

 Two days after the Bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki was bombed on August 8, 1945. The U.S. purposely targeted Nagasaki becuase it was considered a "virgin city" becuase it had never been attacked, and it was a civilian city. The United states was unjustified in dropping the atomic bombs becuase they purposely targeted a civilain city, which is a crime against humanity. Not only did the U.S. attacked innocent people deliberately, they did not warn the citizens of japan properly that there would be bombings. They were only given 48 hrs to evacuate, and dropped 1000s of flyers out of a plane to warn the people. The bomb used to bomb Nagasaki was also more lethal than the first. Under command of Pilot Charles Sweeney, the "Fat Man" was even more deadly than the first. When first hit, the bomb vanquished miles wide, creating a ground zero area, still occupied by radiation today. Anyone who was in ground zero when the bomb was dropped was completely obliderated, or severely burned or harmed from radiation. Nagasaki's ground zero stretched for 100 meters into a 4000 meter blast zone. anyone in the blast zone was injured from radiation. If they didnt die immedietly from the blast, received later fatal complications from radiation. Becuase Nagasaki was a civilian city, the U.S. had no reason to bomb it in order to end war with Japan. When fighting a war,one should fight the enemy, not the innocent people who are in the middle of the situation. Approximelty 100,000 cicvilians died in the blast immediately, and later 200,000 died from radiation.

U.S. bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki

During World War 2, the United states tried various tactics to prevent war with Europe/Japan, by remaining isolationist. However, by 1939, Germany wolf packs began attacking U.S merchant ships, which lead to United states's decision to enter war. As World War 2 was fought throughout Europe and the Pacific, on Dec. 7, 1941, japanese kamikaze suicide pilots attack Pearl harbor, Hawaii. Kamikazes sunk 18 ships, and killed 2,400 people. As a result, U.S. placed a trade embargo on Japan, but this did not end the problems between the U.S. and Japan. By 1945, looking for a way to end the war quickly, the United states developed the atomic bombs. On Aug. 6, 1945, U.S. dropped the first of the two atomic bombs in Hiroshima. The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki two days later. Almost 300,000 civilians died from the bombings, and almost all were injured from radiation from the bombings. The United states was not justified in the dropping of the atomic bombs becuase the United states did not know the effects and pugnency of radiation, the U.S. were performing crimes against humanity, and The U.S. was not educated enough and aware of how lethal the atomic bombs would be.
Exert from Truman on dropping of bombs-
"Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima...The force from which the sun draws its powers has been loosed against those who brought the war in the Far East." - Truman
http://americanhistory.about.com/cs/harrystruman/a/quotetruman.htm

Who Done It

Kat- introduction
Liz- restated thesis, developed thesis
Kat- primary sources/ 2 page evidence, argument
Liz- 1 page argument, concrete evidence
kat/Liz- work cited

Works Cited

 - www.wtj.com/archives/hiroshima, Website, Eye witness account (2003)

www.hiroshima-spirit.jp/en/museum/morgue_w17.html (2005)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4m038_atomic-bomb-and-hiroshima_news, website, video

Atomic cafe. Mairs class, Notes
(2011)

The Manhattan Priject: Making the atomic bomb http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/p5s6.shtml Website, picture (2001)

Trinity-Jumbo-atomic-device http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity-Jumbo-atomic-device.gif website, picture (2008)

Trinity atomic web http://www.cddc.vt.edu/host/atomic/trinity/trinity1.html website (2002)

 The district Manhattan survey http://www.warbirdforum.com/hirodead.htm website (2000)

Civilians at War

Before the U.S. dropped the nuclear bombs, hem on remote islands in the pacific. Although they American giverement expeiremented to find more evidence and information about the atomic bombs, even the most renouned scientists could not have predicted how massive the damage would be, or the power of the radiation. The U.S. was not justified in dropping the atomic bombs becuase they did not know the magnitude of damage the bombs would bring. Today, after 50 years since the bombing of hiroshima, Ngasaki, there is still radiation in various parts of japan. http://www.cddc.vt.edu/host/atomic/trinity/trinity1.html

The Bomb was tested in a remote area in the New Mexico desert. The Trinity test took place on the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range, about 230 miles south of the Manhattan Project's headquarters at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Based on a number of criteria that included availability, distance from Los Alamos, good weather, and low population, this differed greatly from the real bombings in Japan. Not only was the weather different in Japan, but the U.S. chose a highly dense populated area, with no knowledge of the dangers of radiation to bomb.




Test Bomb- "The Trinity"