BUt lets also bear in mind the absolute context or warfare at that moment in time. More than fair to also see that bombing (intentionally) a primarily civilian population to just "make a point" was horrific.in retrospect. Truth be said, NO ONE "knew" with any certainty what the initial (and after) effects would be. But other horrendous weaponry was already available and in use.Ĭlick to expand.Nope. Nuclear weapons upped the ante in warfare. Most of those were due to RAF fire bombing. About a million German civilians died in Allied bombing over a period of several years. The vast majority of these were after March 9 1945. It is estimated that 600,000 Japanese civilians died In the B-29 campaign, 80% of those from non-nuclear attacks. General LeMay estimated that by the end of October there would no longer be any strategic targets left in Japan and the B-29 fleet would be fully available for supporting an invasion. Both of those efforts had already started in parallel. After the list was exhausted the next targets were to be power plants and transportation. As of August 15, the 6 major cities, the 20 medium sized cities and 20 of the 60 smaller cities had all been removed from the target list as no longer worth bombing. The plan first went into effect on March 9 1945. The plan called for bombing 6 major cities, 20 medium sized cities and 60 smaller cities. For various reasons the normal US pattern of daytime precision bombing with high explosives was going nowhere. The LeMay Plan involved night fire-bombing of Japanese cities. Russia never got mobilized against Japan and got shut out from any role in deciding Japans fate.Īlso, it is not widely appreciated how badly Japan had been mauled by conventional bombing by B-29s. The Emperor declared an end to hostilities on August 15. The Nagasaki bombing followed on August 9. Russia declared war on schedule on August 8 but it looked like they only did it because of Hiroshima. If Japan could be forced to surrender before Russia actually began hostilities and especially before Russian boots were on Japanese ground, Stalin could be excluded from post-war power politics in the Far East. Russia would therefore be expected on declare war on Japan on August 8. But at the Yalta Conference in early 1945 Stalin promised to declare war on Japan three months after Germany surrendered. Renewed conflict at the other end of the country would have been a disaster. All of Russias military force was needed to stop the Germans. When Russia was attacked by Germany and became an Ally, Stalin refused to go to war with Japan. The conflict ended with a mutual non-aggression pact. Russia had engaged in a war with Japan in the late 1930s. Why was the Manhattan Project then accelerated? It was discovered that although Germany did have an A-bomb project it was nowhere near fruition. The Manhattan Project was initiated because it was feared that Germany might be developing the atomic bomb. The bomb resulted in the near complete destruction of the city, causing an estimated 160,000 immediate civilian casualties and thousands of subsequent deaths associated with radiation, starvation, and dehydration.A couple of interesting things about the atomic bombing of Japan that are not commonly known. Named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of pilot and aircraft commander Colonel Paul Tibbets, the Enola Gay became the first aircraft to drop an atomic weapon with the release of "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The photograph measures 10 inches by 8 inches. Caron,” and “Richard Nelson, Radio.” In fine condition. Jeppson, Weapon Test Officer, Enola Gay Mission, Hiroshima, ,” “Paul Tibbets, Pilot,” “Dutch Van Kirk, Navigator– Enola Gay, Hiroshima–,” “Tom Ferebee,” “George R. Signed and inscribed by six members of the crew: “Morris R. Item Number: 89157īlack and white photograph of the entire crew of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. Jeppson Thomas Ferebee Dutch Van Kirk George R. Caron Richard Nelson.