Hiroshima was chosen as the primary target since it had remained largely untouched by bombing raids, and the bomb's effects could be clearly measured. While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. Hiroshima was a major port and a military headquarters, and therefore a strategic target. Also, visual bombing, rather than radar, would be used so that photographs of the damage could be taken. Since Hiroshima had not been seriously harmed by bombing raids, these photographs could present a fairly clear picture of the bomb's damage.
Hiroshima was supposed to be targeted because, the city's size and layout made it a suitable test site for the bomb's destructive power, and the concentration of military and munitions facilities was another factor in the decision, while most of Japan's other major cities had already been destroyed by air attack at the ...
Stephen Walton: "Hiroshima was selected as the first target as it was an important economic and military hub that had so far escaped serious air raid damage. When the Japanese surrender was still not forthcoming, Nagasaki became the second target.
Hiroshima was chosen as the primary target since it had remained largely untouched by bombing raids, and the bomb's effects could be clearly measured. While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people.
All of our concentration was on Germany.” Surviving Manhattan Project scientists continue to believe that the atomic bombs were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, rather than on German targets, merely because they were not ready in time.
Although Kyoto is said to have been on the initial list, some scholars speculate it was actually American archaeologist Langdon Warner who advised against the bombing of the city, to preserve the cultural heritage of the country.
So, where was the target for the third atomic bomb? In a coded message sent on August 10, 1945 by a commander in Guam, Tokyo was strongly recommended as the next target.
An arduous guerrilla war would have dragged on well into 1946, with untold casualties on both sides. Meanwhile, the Soviets would have continued to advance on the mainland, potentially taking over the whole of the Korean peninsula.
The Manhattan Project produced two different types of atomic bombs, code-named Fat Man and Little Boy. Fat Man, which was dropped on Nagasaki, was the more complex of the two.
It's estimated that one million American boys would have died in a conventional assault on the Japanese mainland - as well as four million Japanese. By dropping the bombs, the U.S. actually saved millions of Japanese lives.
By attacking Pearl Harbor Japan believes that it can severely cripple the U.S fleet and buy them time in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. So not only would they be able to launch their attacks without interference from the U.S they would also have time to dig in defensively and consolidate their gains.
In 1958, the population of Hiroshima reached 410,000, finally exceeding what it was before the war. It is currently a major urban center with a population of 1.12 million people. Major industries in Hiroshima today are machinery, automotive (Mazda) and food processing.
Today, the city of Hiroshima explains on its website, the city's level of radiation is “on a par with the extremely low levels of background radiation (natural radioactivity) present anywhere on Earth” and has no effect on humans (here).
Truman did call Oppenheimer a 'crybaby scientist' but not directly or during the depicted event. Events in Oppenheimer film differed slightly from historical reality, adding drama to the scene. Nolan clarified Truman's remark as a response to Oppenheimer expressing guilt post-atomic bombings.
Even though many say that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inhumane, the US was completely justified because the future casualties were minimized and Japan and its allies committed atrocious war crimes. The solution chosen resulted in the least possible allied casualties compared to the other solutions.
Truman wanted to avoid an invasion of Japan. Truman hoped that the use of the bomb would and it's astonishing effects would be enough for Japan to surrender and they would not have to invade them. The US dropped the bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasak.
Which is pretty interesting, because it is not so far from what actually happened, of course, when Japan did offer a conditional surrender on August 10th, 1945, and suffered an attempted coup by junior officers. (The US refused the offer then, and the Japanese offered unconditional surrender on August 14th.)
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
