Speech therapy portal / Planning / There was a nuclear attack on Hiroshima. How to survive a nuclear strike. Nuclear attack power

There was a nuclear attack on Hiroshima. How to survive a nuclear strike. Nuclear attack power

06.03.2024

A lot of noise has been made about the analysis by American departments of the consequences of nuclear strikes on Russia and China. However, this point, although important, is by no means decisive in the problem of a guaranteed retaliatory strike by the Strategic Missile Forces against the aggressor. The key is the automated missile launch control system in the event of a nuclear war and the silence of the Perimeter command.

According to Bloomberg, the corresponding .

It is worth noting that the nuclear potential of the Celestial Empire is classified. According to experts, it does not exceed a quarter of a thousand warheads, compared to almost two thousand both for our country and for the Americans. In addition, Chinese solid-fuel missiles are obsolete for a massive breakthrough of the American missile defense system - so the problem of a Chinese retaliatory strike on the United States does not seem so pressing.

But if you think about it well, what’s the point of the American “Wishlist”? The only rational motive seems to be an attempt to prevent a retaliatory strike in response - by beheading the country's top leadership, which has the ability to give such an order. How technically possible is this?

Nowadays, not only the president, but even the head of any company does not have to be located exclusively in some specially equipped place to exercise his powers. In the 20th century, computers often occupied entire floors in large buildings. And now on the cheapest laptops, which are thousands of times more productive than the aforementioned “dinosaurs of the computer era,” you can install a “Mobile Office” program - and carry out your managerial functions from anywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection.

Well, to give an order to use atomic weapons, even in more distant times, a “nuclear suitcase” was enough. In the USSR, it was called the “Kazbek” system. So, in the event of a threat of a nuclear attack, Russian leaders can be evacuated by their guards anywhere. To underground bunkers, to a flying command post - the so-called “Doomsday Plane”, which is also available to the US President .

Yes, if desired, the enemy can subject all these places to nuclear bombardment. But that’s if you know exactly where to hit. One of the options to prevent such a scenario is to keep such shelters as secret as possible. Another, which can be used in parallel, is, on the contrary, to give the enemy information about a maximum of false targets.

But actually, that’s not even the most important thing. After all, if we assume the most fatal scenario with the death of all state leaders and high command, the aggressor will still be in trouble. Back in 1985, the Perimeter system was put on combat duty in the USSR, which received the name “Dead Hand” in the West. In short, this system precisely ensures the launch of atomic missiles in the event of a nuclear attack on our country, if there is simply no one physically available to give the corresponding order. Either the communication lines, although very secure, were destroyed, or the worst happened...

Data in the public domain on “Perimeter” are most often given with the epithets “probably”, “possibly”, “most likely”, etc. That is, how this system works, at least now, only the initiated know for sure. In general terms, this is artificial intelligence that evaluates a lot of different factors that may indicate a nuclear attack - based on satellite tracking data, radar, seismic waves after nuclear explosions. And most importantly, the silence of those who have the right to give the order to use Russian nuclear forces.

By the way, there are suggestions that it is this last point that can, if desired, become decisive. That is, missiles in silo installations, on mobile Topols, in the hatches of strategic aircraft and on submarines, by default, will have to launch towards targets previously entered into their electronic “brains” - unless a cancellation signal is regularly received from the control center attacks.

This does not mean, of course, that the president will need, say, every 15 minutes to be distracted to press the corresponding button on his “suitcase” - for this there are also duty personnel of the central command post of the Strategic Missile Forces, perhaps some other duplicating structures. Finally, launchers officers - they, too, are quite capable of getting their bearings in the situation at “hour X”, even taking into account banal monitoring of news releases, making a request “to the top” - and making the final decision themselves in the event of a long silence from the high command.

However, as mentioned above, the exact algorithm of Perimeter’s operation, as befits the most important state secret, is known for certain only to a very limited circle of people. But something else is known for sure: despite speculations that regularly appear in certain publications about the fact that the “Dead Hand” is a myth,” in fact, this “Doomsday Machine” exists.

What the most informed specialist on this issue, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated openly more than 5 years ago in an interview with one of the Russian publications: “Yes, the Perimeter system exists today. It is on combat duty. And, when the need arises for a retaliatory strike, when it is not possible to reach some part of the launchers with a signal, this command can come from these missiles from the Perimeter...

What will follow the use of either “Perimeter” or an order from the Russian leadership to strike in retaliation is also well known, including to US military experts. Some of the most recent forecasts were received just over 2 years ago - during a command and staff game in the Pentagon with the scenario of a nuclear war with the “Eurasian autocracy Usira,” under whose “nickname” the Americans encrypted our country.

Another quote from the translation of the report on the results of this game:

“The United States was able to launch a massive strike with high-precision cruise missiles on the enemy’s stationary missile silos, partly on the locations of mobile missile launchers and on military control centers, including secret and buried command posts of strategic and conventional armed forces dispersed in space (the latter is exactly what That’s how American congressmen became interested - approx.).

However, during a simulated attack with the most realistic conditions, the United States received unacceptable damage due to four main reasons: the enemy’s use of nuclear missile weapons with current characteristics, according to analysts, made it possible to break through missile defense systems and destroy both infrastructure and military facilities, and about 100,000 000 civilian population. The enemy's submarine fleet played the main destructive role, despite the destruction of a significant part of it in the open ocean. The most destructive were salvos from enemy submarine missile carriers, including those fired from the North Pole and near US territories.

The review also states that the analyzed attack tactics and strategy ultimately led to a massive nuclear missile exchange between Usira and the United States, resulting in unacceptable damage to both states. The projected death toll for the year as a result of the operation and the retaliatory strike on both sides exceeded 400,000,000."

It is easy to see that professional military personnel did not even seriously consider the option that the destruction of classified command posts could in any way prevent the Russian response to the American attack. Which, I think, played no small part in the fact that the “peacemaker” Obama, with the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, chose to unleash a “sanctions” war against Russia - instead of the conventional war so beloved by the Americans, in the manner of aggression against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya...

So the current request of American legislators is of purely academic interest. Although, who knows, maybe among them there have already appeared “dreamers” in the manner of Ukrainian figures, who can only console themselves in their own media with sweet dreams about the imminent “coup in the Kremlin”, “the disintegration of Russia into 30 parts”, “ mass uprising against the authorities" and similar utopias.

True, there is no practical benefit from such dreams - in full accordance with the apt eastern proverb “Even if you say sultana a hundred times, your mouth will not become sweeter.” Or a little more rudely, in accordance with the Ukrainian proverb (alas, largely forgotten there, especially in the last 3 years): “A fool gets richer with his thoughts.” But, in the end, the right to console oneself with absurd hopes is the free choice of those who do so.

In this regard, Russian citizens can be advised to be realists and optimists. Understanding that in a real and not fantastic state of affairs, a nuclear war between Russia and the United States will only lead to the destruction of humanity. Therefore, all measures will be taken on both sides to avoid it.

In Russia, there is a ritual in the month of August, which is observed almost every year on the Russian information space in one form or another - discussion and condemnation of the “brutal and criminal” American bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

This tradition began and flourished during Soviet times. Its main propaganda task is to convince Russians once again that the American military (and American imperialism in general) is insidious, cynical, bloody, immoral and criminal.

According to this tradition, in various Russian programs and articles on the anniversary of the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there is a “demand” that the United States apologize for this atrocity. In August 2017, various Russian experts, political scientists and propagandists happily continued this glorious tradition.

Amid this loud outcry, it is interesting to see how the Japanese themselves relate to the question of the need for Americans to apologize for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a 2016 poll conducted by the British news agency Populus, 61 percent of Japanese surveyed believed that the US government should formally apologize for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But it seems that this issue worries the Russians more than the Japanese.

One reason why 39 percent of Japanese Not believe that the United States should apologize is that it would open a huge and very unpleasant Pandora's box for the Japanese themselves. They are well aware that Imperial Japan was the aggressor, starting World War II in Asia and against the United States. Likewise, the Germans are well aware that Nazi Germany was the aggressor who unleashed World War II in Europe, and few people in Germany today demand an apology from the United States and its allies for the bombing of Dresden.

The Japanese understand perfectly well that if they demand an apology from the United States, then the state of Japan, logically, should officially apologize not only for the attack on the American Pearl Harbor in December 1941, but Japan also needs to apologize to other countries and peoples for the huge number of its crimes committed during the Second World War, including for:
- 10 million Chinese civilians killed by Japanese soldiers from 1937 to 1945, which is 50 times worse (in terms of the number of victims) of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima;
- 1 million killed Korean civilians, which is 5 times worse (in terms of the number of victims) of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima;
- murder of 100,000 Filipino civilians in 1945;
- massacre in Singapore in 1942;
- brutal medical experiments on living people and other types of torture of civilians in Japanese-occupied territories;
- use of chemical weapons against civilians;
- forced slave labor of civilians in Japanese-occupied territories and forcing local girls to provide sexual services to Japanese soldiers.

And the Russians are also opening their own big Pandora's box when they increasingly demand an apology from Washington for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The same principle of logic applies here: if, say, the United States needs to apologize for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then, in fairness, the Russian state should officially apologize:
- before the Finns for the groundless invasion of Finland in 1939;
- to the Chechens, Ingush and Crimean Tatars for their deportation by the Soviet authorities during the Second World War, which resulted in the death of approximately 200,000 civilians from these three nationalities. This in itself is equivalent (in terms of the number of victims) to the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki;
- before the citizens of the Baltic states for the Soviet annexation of their countries in 1940 and for the deportation of more than 200,000 citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;
- to all citizens of Eastern Europe for the occupation and the imposition of “communism” on them from 1945 to 1989.

In general, it must be said that the practice of “apology” is not widely used by the leading states of the world, except for those cases, of course, when they are defendants in international tribunals.

But at the same time, American exceptions to the rule are:
- President Ronald Reagan's apology to Japanese Americans for the US detention of approximately 100,000 of them in American camps during World War II. (The US also paid compensation in the amount of $20,000 to each victim);
- a resolution of the US Congress in 1993 to apologize to the indigenous population of the Hawaiian Islands for the annexation of this territory by Washington in 1898;
- President Bill Clinton's 1997 apology for medical experiments conducted on 400 African-American men in the 1930s. They were deliberately infected with syphilis without their knowledge in order to study the effects and new treatments. We allocated $10 million for compensation to victims;
- A 2008 apology from the US House of Representatives for slavery of African Americans, which was abolished in 1865, and for the system of segregation in the southern states of the country.

President Harry Truman addresses the nation in August 1945 announcing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

Meanwhile, last week (August 15th) marked 72 years since Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese people by radio that he had accepted the terms - effectively an ultimatum - of the US and allies set out in the Potsdam Declaration, ending Japanese participation in World War II. In other words, 72 years ago Hirohito officially announced Japan's unconditional surrender.

To justify his decision to capitulate, the Japanese Emperor uttered two key phrases in his radio address six days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

“Our enemy has begun to use a new and terrible bomb that can cause untold damage to innocent people. If we continue to fight, it will not only lead to the collapse and complete destruction of the Japanese nation, but also to the end of human civilization."

These phrases underscored the dominant role played by the American atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Hirohito's final decision to accept unconditional US and Allied surrender terms. It is noteworthy that in this address there was not a single word about the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, which began on August 9, 1945, or, following it, about a new upcoming large-scale war with the USSR as an additional factor in its decision to capitulate.

The Japanese Foreign Minister signs Japan's surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, September 2, 1945. American General Richard Sutherland stands on the left.

On the 72nd anniversary of Japan's announcement of surrender, the following two issues are being discussed again:
1) Were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary and justified 72 years ago?
2) Was it possible to achieve Japan’s surrender in other, less terrible ways?

It must be said that in America itself these two issues remain controversial to this day. According to a survey conducted in 2015 by the American agency Pew Research, 56% of respondents considered the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified, 34% unjustified, and 10% found it difficult to answer.

For me, this is also a difficult, complex and controversial issue, but if I had to choose, I would still join the 56% of Americans who believe the use of atomic bombs is justified. And my main point is this:

1. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were certainly a terrible tragedy, killing approximately 200,000 civilians, and evil;

2. But American President Truman chose the lesser of two evils.

By the way, four days before the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the USA, USSR and Britain together, during the Potsdam Conference, announced an ultimatum to Japan about its surrender. If Japan had accepted this ultimatum, it could have avoided the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But, as you know, at that moment she refused to capitulate. Japan accepted that joint American, British and Soviet ultimatum only six days later after American atomic bombings.

One cannot discuss—let alone condemn—Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a vacuum. This tragedy must be analyzed in the context of everything that happened in Japan and in the territories it occupied from 1937 to 1945. Imperial Japan, a militaristic, extremist, and essentially fascist regime, was the clear aggressor in World War II, not only in Asia but also in the United States, and committed countless war crimes, genocides, and atrocities during that war.

The surrender of Nazi Germany was achieved on May 8, 1945, ending World War II in the European theater. Three months later, the main question before the United States and its allies, exhausted after four years of the most difficult world war in Europe and Asia, was the following: how and how hurry up end World War II and in the Pacific theater with minimal losses?

By August 1945, between 60 and 80 million people had already died in the deadliest war in human history. To prevent World War II in Asia from lasting several more years and to prevent millions more from dying, President Truman made the difficult decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

If the Americans - along with the USSR - had tried to achieve Japan's surrender in another way - that is, by a long ground war on the main Japanese islands - this would most likely have led to the death of several million people on the Japanese, American and even Soviet sides (both military and and civilians).

It is likely that hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers who began fighting on August 9, 1945 against the Japanese army in Manchuria would also have died. It is noteworthy that during only 11 days of this operation (from August 9 to 20), about 90,000 people died on the Japanese and Soviet sides. Just imagine how much more soldiers and civilians on both sides would have died if this war had continued for a few more years.

Where does the thesis come from that “several million people on three sides” would die if the US and USSR were forced to conduct a full-scale ground operation on the main Japanese islands?

Take, for example, the bloody battle on the island of Okinawa alone, which lasted three months (from April to June 1945) and in which approximately 21,000 American and 77,000 Japanese soldiers died. Considering the short duration of this campaign, these are huge losses - and even more so since the ground military campaign on Okinawa, the southernmost of the Japanese islands, was waged on the outskirts of Japan.

That is, on one, quite small, remote island of Okinawa, almost 100,000 people died in this battle in just three months. And American military advisers multiplied by 10 the number of people who would likely die in a ground operation on the main Japanese islands, where the lion's share of the Japanese military machine was concentrated. We must not forget that by the beginning of August 1945, the Japanese war machine was still very powerful with 2 million soldiers and 10,000 warplanes.

Battle of Okinawa

Just a week after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan unconditionally surrendered. Of course, one cannot downplay the significance of the opening of the Soviet “northern front” in Manchuria on August 9, 1945. This fact also contributed to Japan’s decision to surrender, but it was not the main factor.

At the same time, of course, Washington also wanted to send Moscow a signal of “indirect intimidation” with these atomic bombings. But this was not the main motive of the United States, but most likely it was done “at the same time.”

Mushroom cloud after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

It is necessary to analyze the tragic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the broader context of the Japanese imperial spirit of militarism, extremism, ultranationalism, fanaticism and their theory of racial superiority accompanied by genocide.

For many centuries before the Second World War, Japan developed its own specific military code, “Bushido,” according to which the Japanese military was obliged to fight until the very end. And to give up under any circumstances meant completely covering yourself with shame. According to this code, it was better to commit suicide than to give up.

At that time, dying in battle for the Japanese Emperor and the Japanese Empire was the highest honor. For the vast majority of Japanese, such a death meant instant entry into the “Japanese imperial paradise.” This fanatical spirit was observed in all battles - including in Manchuria, where mass suicides were recorded among Japanese civilians to rid themselves of shame - often with the help of Japanese soldiers themselves - when Soviet soldiers began to advance into territory that had until then controlled by the Japanese army.

Atomic bombings were, perhaps, the only method of intimidation that made it possible to break this deep-rooted and seemingly unshakable imperial and militaristic fanaticism and achieve the surrender of the Japanese regime. Only when the Japanese authorities clearly understood in practice that, following Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there could have been several more atomic strikes on other cities, including Tokyo, if Japan had not immediately capitulated. It was this fear of the complete, instant destruction of the entire nation that the emperor expressed in his radio address to the Japanese people about surrender.

In other words, the American atomic bombing was most likely the only way to so quickly force the Japanese authorities to peace.

It is often stated that Hirohito was ready to capitulate without American atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nothing like this. Before the dropping of atomic bombs, Hirohito and his generals fanatically adhered to the principle of “ketsu go” - that is, to fight at any cost to a victorious end - and even more so since the Japanese military, for the most part, was disdainful of the military spirit of the Americans. Japanese generals believed that the Americans would certainly tire of this war much earlier than the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese military believed that they were much tougher and braver than American soldiers and could win any war of attrition.

But the atomic strikes also broke this Japanese faith.

The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945

With the surrender of Japan, Imperial Japan ended its bloody, militaristic and fanatical past, after which it - with the help of the United States - began to create a democratic, free and prosperous society. Now Japan, with a population of 128 million, ranks third in the world in terms of GDP. Moreover, Japan's per capita gross domestic product is $37,000 (about twice the Russian figure). From a cursed, criminal pariah of the whole world, Japan in a short time turned into a leading member of the Western economic and political community.

A direct analogy with Germany suggests itself here. After the surrender of Germany, the United States helped rebuild Germany (though only half of Germany, since East Germany was occupied by the USSR). Now Germany, like Japan, is a democratic, free and prosperous country, and also a leading member of the Western community. Germany ranks 4th in the world in terms of GDP (directly behind Japan, which ranks 3rd), and the GDP per capita in Germany is $46,000.

It is interesting to compare the difference between how the US treated the losers Japan and (West) Germany in the years following World War II, and how the Soviet Union treated the Eastern European countries - with all the ensuing consequences.

Although Germany and Japan were bitter enemies of the United States during World War II and were subjected to brutal US aerial bombing - and not just in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo and Dresden - they are now the United States' largest political allies and business partners. Meanwhile, most countries in Eastern Europe still have a negative and very wary attitude towards Russia.

Hiroshima today

If we simulate a similar situation and assume, for example, that it was not the Americans who created the first two atomic bombs in 1945, but Soviet scientists - in the spring of 1942. Imagine that the top of the Soviet leadership would have turned to Stalin with the following advice in the spring of 1942:

“We have been fighting against the Nazi invaders on the territory of our Motherland for 9 months now. We already have colossal losses: human, military and civil-infrastructural. According to all leading military expert estimates, in order to achieve the surrender of the Nazis, we will have to fight against Germany for another 3 years (even if the United States ever opens a western front). And these three years of war will entail much more losses (from 15 to 20 million dead) and the complete destruction of our infrastructure in the European part of the USSR.

“But, Joseph Vissarionovich, we can find a more rational way to win and quickly end this terrible war if we launch nuclear strikes on two German cities. Thus, we will immediately receive the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

“Although approximately 200,000 German civilians will die, we estimate that this will save the USSR from colossal losses that will take decades to rebuild the country. By nuclear bombing two German cities, we will achieve in a few days what would take several years of a bloody and terrible war.”

Would Stalin have made the same decision in 1942 that President Truman made in 1945? The answer is obvious.

And if Stalin had had the opportunity to drop atomic bombs on Germany in 1942, approximately 20 million Soviet citizens would have survived. I think that their descendants - if they were alive today - would also join the 56% of Americans who today believe the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified.

And this hypothetical illustration emphasizes how politically rigged, false and hypocritical the proposal of Sergei Naryshkin, the former chairman of the State Duma, was when two years ago he made a loud proposal to create a tribunal over the United States for its “war crimes” committed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 72 years ago. back.

Map of military operations in the Asian theater

But another question arises. If we are to hold a tribunal over the United States for Hiroshima and Nagasaki - no matter what the verdict is - then, in fairness, it is also necessary to hold tribunals over Moscow for a huge number of criminal cases during the Second World War and after it - including under the secret protocol in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on the Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939 and the partition (together with Hitler) of this country, on the Katyn execution, on the mass rape of women by Soviet soldiers during the capture of Berlin in the spring of 1945, and so on.

How many civilians died due to the military actions of the Red Army during World War II? What would Mr. Naryshkin say if it turned out at the tribunal over Moscow (after the tribunal over the USA was held) that Soviet troops killed more civilians than American troops - including all US airstrikes on Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Dresden, Tokyo and all other cities combined?

And if we are talking about a tribunal over the United States for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then it is necessary, logically, to hold a tribunal over the CPSU as well, including for:
- for the Gulag and for all Stalinist repressions;
- for the Holodomor, which killed at least 4 million civilians, which is 20 times worse (in terms of the number of victims) of the tragedy in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. (By the way, 15 countries of the world, including the Vatican, officially classify the Holodomor as genocide);
- for the fact that in 1954 in the Orenburg region they drove 45,000 Soviet soldiers through the epicenter of a just-conducted nuclear explosion in order to determine how long after the atomic explosion they could send their troops on the offensive;
- for the massacre in Novocherkassk;
- for the downing of a South Korean passenger plane in 1983... and so on.

As they say, “what we fought for, we ran into.” Does the Kremlin really want to open this huge Pandora's box? If this box is opened, Russia, as the legal successor of the USSR, will definitely be in a losing position.

A joint Nazi-Soviet parade in the Polish city of Brest, September 22, 1939, marking the partition of Poland provided for in the secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

It is obvious that the deliberate hype around the need for a tribunal over the United States in the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a cheap political trick aimed at once again inciting anti-Americanism among Russians.

It is noteworthy that it is Russia that shouts loudest and most pathetically about this tribunal over the United States - although this idea does not find support in Japan itself. On the contrary, Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma, for example, two years ago stated the fact that the dropping of atomic bombs helped end the war.

It's true: two atomic bombs really helped end this terrible war. Can't argue with that. The only controversial point is whether atomic bombs were decisive factor in Japan's surrender? But according to many military experts and historians around the world, the answer to this question is a resounding yes.

And not only the world's leading experts think so. Not a small percentage the Japanese themselves They also think so. According to Pew Research polls in 1991, 29% of Japanese surveyed believed that the American atomic attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified because it ended World War II. (However, in 2015, this percentage dropped to 14% in a similar survey).

These 29% of Japanese answered this way because they realized that they remained alive precisely because World War II in Japan ended in August 1945, and not several years later. After all, their grandparents could well have become victims of this war if the United States had refused to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and instead decided to send its troops (along with Soviet troops) to the main islands of Japan for a long and bloody ground operation. This creates a paradox: since they survived World War II, these 29% of respondents could, in principle, participate in this survey about the justification of the atomic bombing of their cities - in many ways precisely thanks to the same bombings.

These 29% of Japanese, of course, like all Japanese, mourn the deaths of 200,000 peaceful compatriots in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But at the same time, they also understand that in August 1945 it was necessary to destroy as quickly and decisively as possible this extremist and criminal state machine, which unleashed the Second World War throughout Asia and against the United States.

In this case, another question arises - what is the true motive for such pretentious and feigned “deep indignation” Russian politicians and Kremlin propagandists in relation to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

If we are talking about creating a tribunal over the United States, this perfectly distracts attention, for example, from the very inconvenient proposal for the Kremlin to create a tribunal in the case of a civilian Boeing shot down over Donbass last year. This is another shift of the needle to the United States. And at the same time, Naryshkin’s proposal can once again show what kind of criminal killers the American military is. In principle, there can be no overkill here, according to Kremlin propagandists.

Soviet poster

The issue of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was also manipulated and exaggerated during the Soviet era during the decades of the Cold War. Moreover, Soviet propaganda hid the fact that it was Japan, by attacking the United States in December 1941, that dragged the United States into World War II.

Soviet propaganda also suppressed the important fact that American troops fought a full-scale war against the Japanese army from 1941-45 in the wide and difficult Asian theater of operations, when the Americans simultaneously fought against Nazi Germany not only on the seas and in the air. The United States also fought against Nazi Germany and its allies on the ground: in North Africa (1942-43), Italy (1943-45) and Western Europe (1944-45).

Moreover, the United States, having the status of non-belligerent (not in a state of war) in 1940, helped Britain in every possible way with military equipment to defend itself against the Nazis, starting in 1940, when Stalin and Hitler were still allies.

At the same time, Soviet propaganda liked to repeat that the American atomic bombing of Japan cannot be viewed as anything other than a war crime and “genocide,” and there can be no other opinion on this issue. Now Russian politicians and pro-Kremlin political scientists are continuing the same propaganda campaign against the United States in the worst tradition of the USSR.

Soviet poster

Moreover, many of them say, there remains a real danger that the United States may well repeat Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and launch the first, pre-emptive nuclear strike on Russian territory (!!). And they even supposedly have specific American plans for this, they warn menacingly.

It follows from this that Russia needs to go out of its way and spend about $80 billion every year on defense in order to put the Russian Federation in third place (after the United States and China) in military spending. Such spending is needed, say leading pro-Kremlin military experts, in order to confront their “main enemy,” who really threatens Russia with a nuclear apocalypse.

They say that the homeland still needs to be defended, if “the nuclear enemy is at the gates.” The fact that the principle of mutually assured destruction still excludes any nuclear strike on Russia apparently does not bother these political scientists and politicians.

Confronting not only nuclear, but also all other imaginary threats to the United States is almost the most important external and internal political platform of the Kremlin.

Soviet poster

The 72nd anniversary of the surrender of Japan provides us with an excellent opportunity to analyze and appreciate the high political and economic development of this country after its complete destruction in World War II. Similar success has also been achieved in Germany over the past 72 years.

Interestingly, however, many in Russia give a completely different assessment of Japan and Germany - namely, that they are in fact "colonies" and "vassals" of the United States.

Many Russian jingoists believe that what is better for Russia is not the “rotten, bourgeois” modern Japanese or German path of development, but its own “special path” - which, first of all, automatically means a policy that is actively opposed to the United States.

But where will such a dominant state ideology, which is based on inciting anti-Americanism and creating an imaginary image of an enemy, lead Russia?

Where will Russia's fixation on resistance to the United States, which is based on building up its military-industrial complex to the detriment of the development of its own economy, lead?

Such a “special path” will only lead to confrontation with the West, isolation, stagnation and backwardness.

At best, this is a special path to nowhere. And at worst - into degradation.

President Harry Truman addresses the nation in August 1945 announcing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

To justify his decision to capitulate, the Japanese Emperor uttered two key phrases in his radio address six days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

The Japanese Foreign Minister signs Japan's surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, September 2, 1945. American General Richard Sutherland stands on the left.

1. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were certainly a terrible tragedy, killing approximately 200,000 civilians, and evil;

2. But American President Truman chose the lesser of two evils.

Where does the thesis come from that “several million people on three sides” would die if the US and USSR were forced to conduct a full-scale ground operation on the main Japanese islands?

Battle of Okinawa

Mushroom cloud after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

In other words, the American atomic bombing was most likely the only way to so quickly force the Japanese authorities to peace.

But the atomic strikes also broke this Japanese faith.

The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945

Hiroshima today

Would Stalin have made the same decision in 1942 that President Truman made in 1945? The answer is obvious.

Map of military operations in the Asian theater

A joint Nazi-Soviet parade in the Polish city of Brest, September 22, 1939, marking the partition of Poland provided for in the secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Soviet poster

Confronting not only nuclear, but also all other imaginary threats to the United States is almost the most important external and internal political platform of the Kremlin.

Soviet poster

Interestingly, however, many in Russia give a completely different assessment of Japan and Germany - namely, that they are in fact "colonies" and "vassals" of the United States.

But where will such a dominant state ideology, which is based on inciting anti-Americanism and creating an imaginary image of an enemy, lead Russia?

Where will Russia's fixation on resistance to the United States, which is based on building up its military-industrial complex to the detriment of the development of its own economy, lead?

Such a “special path” will only lead to confrontation with the West, isolation, stagnation and backwardness.

At best, this is a special path to nowhere. And at worst - into degradation.

Nuclear weapons have been used for combat purposes only twice in the entire history of mankind. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 showed how dangerous it could be. It was the real experience of using nuclear weapons that was able to keep two powerful powers (the USA and the USSR) from starting a third world war.

Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

During World War II, millions of innocent people suffered. The leaders of world powers blindly put the lives of soldiers and civilians on the line, hoping to achieve superiority in the struggle for world domination. One of the most terrible disasters in world history was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as a result of which about 200 thousand people were killed, and the total number of people who died during and after the explosion (from radiation) reached 500 thousand.

There are still only speculations about what led the President of the United States of America to order the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Did he realize, did he know, what destruction and consequences a nuclear bomb would leave after the explosion? Or was this action intended to demonstrate combat power in front of the USSR in order to completely kill any thoughts of attacks on the United States?

History has not preserved the motives that motivated the 33rd US President Harry Truman when he ordered a nuclear attack on Japan, but only one thing can be said with certainty: it was the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that forced the Japanese emperor to sign surrender.

In order to try to understand the motives of the United States, one must carefully consider the situation that arose in the political arena in those years.

Emperor Hirohito of Japan

Japanese Emperor Hirohito had good leadership abilities. In order to expand his lands, in 1935 he decided to capture all of China, which at that time was a backward agrarian country. Following the example of Hitler (with whom Japan entered into a military alliance in 1941), Hirohito begins to conquer China using methods favored by the Nazis.

In order to cleanse China of its indigenous inhabitants, Japanese troops used chemical weapons, which were banned. Inhumane experiments were carried out on the Chinese, with the goal of finding out the limits of the viability of the human body in various situations. In total, about 25 million Chinese died during Japanese expansion, most of whom were children and women.

It is possible that the nuclear bombing of Japanese cities might not have taken place if, after concluding a military pact with Hitler's Germany, the Emperor of Japan had not given the order to launch an attack on Pearl Harbor, thereby provoking the United States to enter World War II. After this event, the date of the nuclear attack begins to approach with inexorable speed.

When it became clear that Germany's defeat was inevitable, the question of Japan's surrender seemed to be a matter of time. However, the Japanese emperor, the embodiment of samurai arrogance and a true God for his subjects, ordered all residents of the country to fight to the last drop of blood. Everyone, without exception, had to resist the invader, from soldiers to women and children. Knowing the mentality of the Japanese, there was no doubt that the residents would carry out the will of their emperor.

In order to force Japan to capitulate, radical measures had to be taken. The atomic explosion, which occurred first in Hiroshima and then in Nagasaki, turned out to be precisely the impetus that convinced the emperor of the futility of resistance.

Why was a nuclear attack chosen?

Although the number of versions of why a nuclear attack was chosen to intimidate Japan is quite large, the following versions should be considered the main ones:

Most historians (especially American) insist that the damage caused by dropped bombs is several times less than what could have been caused by a bloody invasion of American troops. According to this version, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not sacrificed in vain, since it saved the lives of the remaining millions of Japanese;
According to the second version, the purpose of the nuclear attack was to show the USSR how advanced US military weapons were in order to intimidate a possible enemy. In 1945, the US President was informed that activity of Soviet troops had been noticed in the area of the border with Turkey (which was an ally of England). Perhaps this is why Truman decided to intimidate the Soviet leader;
The third version says that the nuclear attack on Japan was American revenge for Pearl Harbor.

At the Potsdam Conference, which took place from July 17 to August 2, the fate of Japan was decided. Three states - the USA, England and the USSR, led by their leaders, signed the declaration. It spoke of a post-war sphere of influence, although World War II was not yet over. One of the points of this declaration spoke of the immediate surrender of Japan.

This document was sent to the Japanese government, which rejected this proposal. Following the example of their emperor, members of the government decided to continue the war to the end. After this, the fate of Japan was decided. Since the US military command was looking for where to use the latest atomic weapons, the President approved the atomic bombing of Japanese cities.

The coalition against Nazi Germany was on the verge of breaking (due to the fact that there was one month left before victory), the allied countries were unable to come to an agreement. The different policies of the USSR and the USA ultimately led these states to the Cold War.

The fact that US President Harry Truman was informed about the start of nuclear bomb testing on the eve of the meeting in Potsdam played an important role in the decision of the head of state. Wanting to intimidate Stalin, Truman hinted to the Generalissimo that he had a new weapon ready, which could leave huge casualties after the explosion.

Stalin ignored this statement, although he soon called Kurchatov and ordered the completion of work on the development of Soviet nuclear weapons.

Having not received Stalin's answer, the American president decides to launch atomic bombing at his own peril and risk.

Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen for nuclear attack?

In the spring of 1945, the US military had to select suitable sites for full-scale nuclear bomb testing. Even then, it was possible to notice the prerequisites that the last test of an American nuclear bomb was planned to be carried out at a civilian facility. The list of requirements created by scientists for the latest nuclear bomb test looked like this:

The object had to be on a plain so that the blast wave would not be hampered by uneven terrain;
Urban development should be made of wood as much as possible so that the destruction from fire is maximum;
The property must have maximum building density;
The size of the object must exceed 3 kilometers in diameter;
The selected city must be located as far as possible from enemy military bases in order to exclude the intervention of enemy military forces;
For a strike to bring maximum benefit, it must be delivered to a large industrial center.

These requirements indicate that the nuclear strike was most likely something that had been planned for a long time, and Germany could well have been in Japan’s place.

The intended targets were 4 Japanese cities. These are Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kyoto and Kokura. Of these, it was only necessary to select two real targets, since there were only two bombs. An American expert on Japan, Professor Reishower, begged to remove the city of Kyoto from the list, since it was of enormous historical value. It is unlikely that this request could have influenced the decision, but then the Minister of Defense, who was spending his honeymoon with his wife in Kyoto, intervened. They met the minister and Kyoto was saved from a nuclear strike.

Kyoto's place on the list was taken by the city of Kokura, which was chosen as a target along with Hiroshima (although later weather conditions made their own adjustments, and Nagasaki had to be bombed instead of Kokura). The cities had to be large and the destruction large-scale so that the Japanese people would be horrified and stop resisting. Of course, the main thing was to influence the position of the emperor.

Research by historians from around the world shows that the American side was not at all concerned about the moral side of the issue. Tens and hundreds of potential civilian casualties were of no concern to either the government or the military.

After looking through entire volumes of secret materials, historians came to the conclusion that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were doomed in advance. There were only two bombs, and these cities had a convenient geographical location. In addition, Hiroshima was a very densely built-up city, and an attack on it could unleash the full potential of a nuclear bomb. The city of Nagasaki was the largest industrial center working for the defense industry. A large number of guns and military equipment were produced there.

Details of the bombing of Hiroshima

The military strike on the Japanese city of Hiroshima was planned in advance and carried out in accordance with a clear plan. Each point of this plan was clearly implemented, which indicates careful preparation of this operation.

On July 26, 1945, a nuclear bomb named "Baby" was delivered to the island of Tinian. By the end of the month, all preparations were completed and the bomb was ready for combat operation. After checking meteorological readings, the date of the bombing was set - August 6. On this day the weather was excellent and the bomber, with a nuclear bomb on board, took off into the air. Its name (Enola Gay) was remembered for a long time not only by the victims of the nuclear attack, but also by all of Japan.

During the flight, the plane carrying death on board was accompanied by three planes, whose task was to determine the direction of the wind so that the atomic bomb would hit the target as accurately as possible. An airplane was flying behind the bomber, which was supposed to record all the data from the explosion using sensitive equipment. A bomber was flying at a safe distance with a photographer on board. Several aircraft flying towards the city did not cause any concern either to the Japanese air defense forces or to the civilian population.

Although Japanese radars detected the approaching enemy, they did not raise the alarm because of a small group of military aircraft. Residents were warned about a possible bombing, but they continued to work quietly. Since the nuclear strike was not like a conventional air raid, not a single Japanese fighter took off to intercept it. Even the artillery did not pay attention to the approaching planes.

At 8:15 a.m., the Enola Gay bomber dropped a nuclear bomb. This release was carried out using a parachute to enable the group of attacking aircraft to move to a safe distance. Having dropped the bomb at an altitude of 9,000 meters, the battle group turned around and left.

Having flown about 8,500 meters, the bomb exploded at an altitude of 576 meters from the ground. A deafening explosion covered the city with an avalanche of fire, which destroyed everything in its path. Directly at the epicenter, people simply disappeared, leaving behind only the so-called “shadows of Hiroshima.” All that remained of the person was a dark silhouette imprinted on the floor or walls. At a distance from the epicenter, people were burning alive, turning into black firebrands. Those who were on the outskirts of the city were a little more fortunate; many of them survived, having received only terrible burns.

This day became a day of mourning not only in Japan, but throughout the world. About 100,000 people died that day, and the following years claimed the lives of several hundred thousand more. All of them died from radiation burns and radiation sickness. According to official statistics from the Japanese authorities as of January 2017, the number of deaths and injuries from the American uranium bomb is 308,724 people.

Hiroshima is today the largest city in the Chugoku region. The city has a memorial dedicated to the victims of the American atomic bombing.

What happened in Hiroshima on the day of the tragedy

The first Japanese official sources said that the city of Hiroshima was attacked by new bombs that were dropped from several American aircraft. People did not yet know that the new bombs destroyed tens of thousands of lives in an instant, and the consequences of a nuclear explosion would last for decades.

It is possible that even the American scientists who created atomic weapons did not imagine what consequences radiation would have for people. For 16 hours after the explosion, not a single signal was received from Hiroshima. Noticing this, the Broadcast Station operator began making attempts to contact the city, but the city remained silent.

After a short period of time, incomprehensible and confusing information came from the railway station, which was located not far from the city, from which the Japanese authorities understood only one thing: an enemy raid had been carried out on the city. It was decided to send the plane for reconnaissance, since the authorities knew for sure that no serious enemy combat air groups had broken through the front line.

Approaching the city at a distance of about 160 kilometers, the pilot and the officer accompanying him saw a huge dust cloud. As they flew closer, they saw a terrible picture of destruction: the entire city was ablaze with fires, and smoke and dust made it difficult to discern the details of the tragedy.

Having landed in a safe place, the Japanese officer reported to the command that the city of Hiroshima had been destroyed by US aircraft. After this, the military began to selflessly provide assistance to their wounded and shell-shocked compatriots from the bomb explosion.

This disaster united all the surviving people into one big family. Wounded people, barely able to stand, cleared the rubble and put out fires, trying to save as many compatriots as possible.

Washington made an official statement about the successful operation only 16 hours after the bombing.

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

The city of Nagasaki, which was an industrial center, was never subjected to massive air strikes. They tried to preserve it to demonstrate the enormous power of the atomic bomb. Only a few high-explosive bombs damaged weapons factories, shipyards and medical hospitals a week before the terrible tragedy.

Now it seems incredible, but Nagasaki became the second Japanese city to be subjected to nuclear bombing, only by chance. The initial target was the city of Kokura.

The second bomb was delivered and loaded onto the plane, following the same plan as in the case of Hiroshima. The plane with the nuclear bomb took off and flew towards the city of Kokura. On approach to the island, three American planes had to meet to record the explosion of an atomic bomb.

Two planes met, but they did not wait for the third. Contrary to the forecast of meteorologists, the sky over Kokura became clouded, and visual dropping of the bomb became impossible. After circling over the island for 45 minutes and not waiting for the third plane, the commander of the plane, who was carrying a nuclear bomb on board, noticed problems in the fuel supply system. Since the weather had completely deteriorated, it was decided to fly to the reserve target area - the city of Nagasaki. The group, consisting of two aircraft, flew to an alternate target.

On August 9, 1945, at 7:50 a.m., the residents of Nagasaki woke up to an air raid signal and went down to shelters and bomb shelters. After 40 minutes, considering the alarm not worthy of attention, and classifying the two aircraft as reconnaissance aircraft, the military canceled it. People went about their normal business, not suspecting that an atomic explosion was about to occur.

The Nagasaki attack went exactly the same way as the Hiroshima attack, only high clouds almost ruined the Americans' bomb release. Literally in the last minutes, when the fuel supply was at its limit, the pilot noticed a “window” in the clouds and dropped a nuclear bomb at an altitude of 8,800 meters.

The carelessness of the Japanese air defense forces is striking, which, despite news of a similar attack on Hiroshima, did not take any measures to neutralize American military aircraft.

The atomic bomb, called “Fat Man,” exploded at 11:20 a.m. and within a few seconds turned a beautiful city into a kind of hell on earth. 40,000 people died in an instant, and another 70,000 suffered terrible burns and injuries.

Consequences of nuclear bombings of Japanese cities

The consequences of a nuclear attack on Japanese cities were unpredictable. In addition to those killed at the time of the explosion and during the first year after it, radiation continued to kill people for many years. As a result, the number of victims doubled.

Thus, the nuclear attack brought the United States a long-awaited victory, and Japan had to make concessions. The consequences of the nuclear bombing struck Emperor Hirohito so much that he unconditionally accepted the terms of the Potsdam Conference. Based on the official version, the nuclear attack carried out by the US military brought exactly what the American government wanted.

In addition, the USSR troops, which accumulated on the border with Turkey, were urgently transferred to Japan, to which the USSR declared war. According to members of the Soviet Politburo, upon learning of the consequences caused by nuclear explosions, Stalin said that the Turks were lucky because the Japanese had sacrificed themselves for them.

Only two weeks passed after the entry of Soviet troops into Japanese territory, and Emperor Hirohito had already signed an act of unconditional surrender. This day (September 2, 1945) went down in history as the day the Second World War ended.

Was there an urgent need to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Even in modern Japan, debate continues over whether the nuclear bombing was necessary or not. Scientists from all over the world are painstakingly studying secret documents and archives from the Second World War. Most researchers agree that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sacrificed to end the world war.

The famous Japanese historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa believes that the atomic bombing was launched to prevent the expansion of the Soviet Union into Asian countries. This also allowed the United States to assert itself as a leader in military terms, which they succeeded brilliantly. After the nuclear explosion, arguing with the United States was very dangerous.

If you adhere to this theory, then Hiroshima and Nagasaki were simply sacrificed to the political ambitions of superpowers. Tens of thousands of victims were completely ignored.

One can guess what could have happened if the USSR had managed to complete the development of its nuclear bomb before the United States. It is possible that the atomic bombing would not have happened then.

Modern nuclear weapons are thousands of times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japanese cities. It is difficult to even imagine what could happen if the world's two largest powers started a nuclear war.

The most little-known facts regarding the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Although the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is known throughout the world, there are facts that only a few know:

A man who managed to survive in hell. Although everyone near the epicenter of the explosion died during the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, one person, who was in a basement 200 meters from the epicenter, managed to survive;
War is war, but the tournament must continue. At a distance of less than 5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion in Hiroshima, a tournament in the ancient Chinese game “Go” was taking place. Although the explosion destroyed the building and many participants were injured, the tournament continued that day;
Capable of withstanding even a nuclear explosion. Although the explosion in Hiroshima destroyed most of the buildings, a safe in one bank was not damaged. After the end of the war, the American company that produced these safes received a letter of gratitude from the manager of a bank in Hiroshima;
Extraordinary luck. Tsutomu Yamaguchi was the only person on earth who officially survived two atomic explosions. After the explosion in Hiroshima, he went to work in Nagasaki, where he again managed to survive;
Pumpkin bombs. Before the atomic bombing began, the United States dropped 50 “Pumpkin” bombs on Japan, so named for their resemblance to a pumpkin;
An attempt to overthrow the emperor. The Emperor of Japan mobilized all the country's citizens for "total war." This meant that every Japanese, including women and children, had to defend their country to the last drop of blood. After the emperor, frightened by atomic explosions, accepted all the terms of the Potsdam Conference and later capitulated, Japanese generals tried to carry out a coup d'etat, which failed;
Those who encountered a nuclear explosion and survived. Japanese Gingko biloba trees are amazingly resilient. After the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, 6 of these trees survived and continue to grow to this day;
People who dreamed of salvation. After the explosion in Hiroshima, hundreds of survivors fled to Nagasaki. Of these, 164 people managed to survive, although only Tsutomu Yamaguchi is considered an official survivor;
Not a single police officer was killed in the atomic explosion in Nagasaki. The surviving law enforcement officers from Hiroshima were sent to Nagasaki in order to train their colleagues in the basics of behavior after a nuclear explosion. As a result of these actions, not a single police officer was killed in the Nagasaki explosion;
25 percent of Japan's dead were Koreans. Although it is believed that all those killed in the atomic explosions were Japanese, a quarter of them were actually Koreans who were conscripted by the Japanese government to fight in the war;
Radiation is like fairy tales for children. After the atomic explosion, the American government for a long time hid the fact of the presence of radioactive contamination;
Meetinghouse. Few people know that the US authorities did not limit themselves to nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities. Before this, using carpet bombing tactics, they destroyed several Japanese cities. During Operation Meetinghouse, the city of Tokyo was virtually destroyed and 300,000 of its inhabitants died;
They didn't know what they were doing. The crew of the plane that dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima was 12 people. Of these, only three knew what a nuclear bomb was;
On one of the anniversaries of the tragedy (in 1964), an eternal flame was lit in Hiroshima, which should burn as long as there is at least one nuclear warhead left in the world;
Lost connection. After the destruction of Hiroshima, communication with the city was completely lost. Only three hours later the capital learned that Hiroshima had been destroyed;
Deadly poison. The crew of the Enola Gay were given ampoules of potassium cyanide, which they were to take if the task was not completed;
Radioactive mutants. The famous Japanese monster “Godzilla” was invented as a mutation due to radioactive contamination after a nuclear bomb;
Shadows of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions of nuclear bombs were so powerful that people literally evaporated, leaving only dark imprints on the walls and floor as a reminder of themselves;
Symbol of Hiroshima. The first plant to bloom after the nuclear attack in Hiroshima was the oleander. It is he who is now the official symbol of the city of Hiroshima;
Warning before a nuclear attack. Before the nuclear attack began, US aircraft dropped millions of leaflets warning of impending bombing on 33 Japanese cities;
Radio signals. Until recently, an American radio station in Saipan broadcast warnings of a nuclear attack throughout Japan. The signals were repeated every 15 minutes.

The tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened 72 years ago, but it still serves as a reminder that humanity should not mindlessly destroy its own kind.

The Second World War changed the world. The leaders of the powers played power games among themselves, where millions of innocent lives were at stake. One of the most terrible pages in human history, which largely determined the outcome of the entire war, was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese cities where ordinary civilians lived.

Why did these explosions occur, what consequences did the President of the United States of America expect when giving the order to bomb Japan with nuclear bombs, did he know about the global consequences of his decision? Historical researchers continue to seek answers to these and many other questions. There are many versions about what goals Truman pursued, but be that as it may, it was the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that became the decisive factor in ending the Second World War. To understand what served as the basis for such a global event, and why dropping a bomb on Hiroshima became possible, let’s look at its background.

Emperor Hirohito

Emperor Hirohito of Japan had grandiose ambitions. Following the example of Hitler, for whom things were going as well as possible at that time, in 1935 the head of the Japanese islands, on the advice of his generals, decided to seize backward China, not even suspecting that all his plans would be ruined by the atomic bombing of Japan. He hopes, with the help of the large population of China, to gain all of Asia into his possessions.

From 1937 to 1945, Japanese troops used chemical weapons prohibited by the Geneva Convention against the Chinese army. The Chinese were killed indiscriminately. As a result, Japan accounted for more than 25 million Chinese lives, almost half of which were women and children. The date of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima was inexorably approaching thanks to the cruelty and fanaticism of the emperor.

In 1940, Hirohito concluded a pact with Hitler, and the following year he attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, thereby drawing the United States into World War II. But soon Japan began to lose ground. Then the emperor (who is also the embodiment of God for the people of Japan) ordered his subjects to die, but not to surrender. As a result, families of people died in the name of the emperor. Many more will die when American planes carry out the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Emperor Hirohito, having already lost the war, was not going to give up. He had to be forced to capitulate, otherwise the consequences of a bloody invasion of Japan would be horrific, worse than the bombing of Hiroshima. Many experts believe that saving more lives was one of the main reasons why the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred.

Potsdam Conference

1945 was a turning point for everything in the world. From July 17 to August 2 of that year, the Potsdam Conference took place, the last in a series of meetings of the Big Three. As a result, many decisions were made that would help end the Second World War. Among other things, the USSR assumed obligations to conduct military operations with Japan.

The three world powers, led by Truman, Churchill and Stalin, came to a temporary agreement to redistribute post-war influence, although the conflicts were not resolved and the war was not over. The Potsdam Conference was marked by the signing of the Declaration. Within its framework, a demand was spelled out for Japan for unconditional and immediate surrender.

The Japanese government leadership indignantly rejected the “brazen proposal.” They intended to fight the war to the end. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Declaration, in fact, gave the countries that signed it a free hand. The American ruler considered that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima had become possible.

The anti-Hitler coalition was living its last days. It was during the Potsdam Conference that sharp contradictions in the views of the participating countries emerged. The reluctance to reach a consensus, conceding on some issues to the “allies” to the detriment of oneself, will lead the world to a future cold war.

Harry Truman

On the eve of the Big Three meeting in Potsdam, American scientists are conducting pilot tests of a new type of weapon of mass destruction. And four days after the end of the conference, American President Harry Truman received a classified telegram saying that the testing of the atomic bomb had been completed.

The President decides to show Stalin that he has a winning card in his fist. He hints to the Generalissimo about this, but he is not at all surprised. Only a weak smile that appeared on his lips and another puff on his eternal pipe was the answer to Truman. Returning to his apartment, he will call Kurchatov and order him to speed up work on the atomic project. The arms race was in full swing.

American intelligence reports to Truman that Red Army troops are heading to the Turkish border. The President makes a historic decision. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will soon become a reality.

Selecting a target or how the attack on Nagasaki and Hiroshima was prepared

Back in the spring of 1945, participants in the Manhattan Project were tasked with identifying potential sites for testing atomic weapons. Scientists from Oppenheimer's group compiled a list of requirements that the object must meet. It included the following points:

Four cities were chosen as possible targets: Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kyoto and Kokura. Only two of them were to become real targets. The weather had the last word. When this list caught the eye of professor and expert on Japan Edwin Reishauer, he tearfully asked the command to exclude Kyoto from it, as a unique cultural value on a global scale.

Henry Stimson, who was the Secretary of Defense at that time, supported the professor’s opinion despite pressure from General Groves, because he himself knew and loved this cultural center well. The city of Nagasaki took the vacant place on the list of potential targets. The developers of the plan believed that only large cities with civilian populations should be targeted, so that the moral effect would be as dramatic as possible, capable of breaking the opinion of the emperor and changing the views of the Japanese people on participating in the war.

History researchers turned over a single volume of materials and got acquainted with the secret data of the operation. They believe that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the date of which was predetermined long ago, was the only possible one, since there were only two atomic bombs and they were going to be used specifically on Japanese cities. At the same time, the fact that a nuclear attack on Hiroshima would kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people was of little concern to both the military and politicians.

Why exactly did Hiroshima and Nagasaki, whose history will forever be overshadowed by the thousands of inhabitants who died on one day, accept the role of victims on the altar of War? Why should the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs force the entire population of Japan, and most importantly its emperor, to surrender? Hiroshima was a military target with dense buildings and many wooden structures. The city of Nagasaki was home to several important industries supplying guns, military equipment and elements of military shipbuilding. The choice of other goals was pragmatic - convenient location and built-up areas.

Bombing of Hiroshima

The operation took place according to a clearly developed plan. All of his points were carried out exactly:

On July 26, 1945, the Little Boy atomic bomb arrived on the island of Tinian. By the end of July all preparations were completed. The final date for the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima has been set. The weather did not disappoint.
On August 6, a bomber proudly named Enola Gay, carrying death on board, entered Japanese airspace.
Three warning planes flew ahead of him to determine the weather conditions under which the atomic bombing of Hiroshima would be accurate.
Behind the bomber was one plane with recording equipment on board, which was supposed to record all the data on how the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would take place.
The final part of the group was a bomber to photograph the results of the explosion that would be caused by the bombing of Hiroshima.

The small group of aircraft that carried out such a surprise attack, as a result of which the atomic bombing of Hiroshima became possible, did not cause concern either among representatives of the air defense or among the ordinary population.

The Japanese air defense system detected planes over the city, but the alarm was canceled because no more than three approaching objects were visible on the radar. Residents were warned about the possibility of a raid, but people were in no hurry to hide in shelters and continued to work. Neither artillery nor fighters were alerted to counter the appearing enemy aircraft. The bombing of Hiroshima was unlike any bombing that Japanese cities had experienced.

At 8.15 the carrier aircraft reached the city center and released a parachute. After this unusual attack on Hiroshima, the entire group immediately flew away. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima above 9,000 meters. It exploded at an altitude of 576 meters above the roofs of city houses. The deafening explosion that rang out tore apart the sky and earth with a powerful blast wave. A shower of fire burned everything in its path. At the epicenter of the explosion, people simply disappeared in a split second, and a little further they burned alive or were charred, still remaining alive.

August 6, 1945 (the date of the bombing of Hiroshima with nuclear weapons) became a dark day in the history of the whole world, the day of the murder of more than 80 thousand Japanese, a day that will lay a heavy burden of pain on the hearts of many generations.

The first hours after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

For some time in the city itself and its environs, no one really knew what had happened. People did not understand that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima had already claimed thousands of lives in an instant, and would continue to claim many thousands more for decades to come. As stated in the first official report, the city was attacked by an unknown type of bomb from several aircraft. What atomic weapons are and what consequences their use entails, no one, not even their developers, would have suspected.

For sixteen hours there was no definite information that Hiroshima had been bombed. The first person to notice the absence of any signals on air from the city was the operator of the Broadcasting Corporation. Multiple attempts to contact anyone were unsuccessful. After some time, vague, fragmentary information came from a small railway station 16 km from the city.

From these messages it became clear at what time the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima took place. A staff officer and a young pilot were sent to the Hiroshima military base. They were tasked with finding out why the Center was not responding to inquiries about the situation. After all, the General Headquarters were confident that no massive attacks on Hiroshima took place.

The military, located at quite a decent distance from the city (160 km), saw a cloud of dust that had not yet settled. As they approached and circled the ruins, just hours after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, they observed a horrifying sight. The city, destroyed to the ground, was blazing with fires, clouds of dust and smoke obscured the view, making it impossible to see details from above.

The plane landed at some distance from the buildings destroyed by the blast wave. The officer conveyed a message about the state of affairs to the General Headquarters and began to provide all possible assistance to the victims. The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima claimed many lives and maimed many more. People helped each other as much as they could.

Only 16 hours after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima was carried out, Washington made a public statement about what happened.

Atomic attack on Nagasaki

The picturesque and developed Japanese city of Nagasaki had not been subjected to massive bombing before, as it was kept as an object for a decisive blow. Only a few high-explosive bombs were dropped on shipyards, Mitsubishi weapons factories, and medical facilities in the week before the decisive day when American planes used an identical maneuver to deliver deadly weapons and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was carried out. After those minor strikes, the population of Nagasaki was partially evacuated.

Few people know that Nagasaki, only by chance, became the second city whose name will forever be inscribed in history as a victim of an atomic bomb explosion. Until the last minutes, the second approved site was the city of Kokura on the island of Yokushima.

Three planes on a bombing mission were supposed to meet on approach to the island. Radio silence prohibited operators from going on the air, so before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima occurred, visual contact between all participants in the operation had to take place. The plane carrying the nuclear bomb and the partner accompanying it to record the parameters of the explosion met and continued to circle in anticipation of the third plane. He was supposed to take photographs. But the third member of the group did not appear.

After forty-five minutes of waiting, with only fuel left to complete the return flight, operation commander Sweeney makes a fateful decision. The group will not wait for the third plane. The weather, which had been favorable for bombing half an hour earlier, had deteriorated. The group is forced to fly to a secondary target to defeat it.

On August 9, at 7.50 am, an air raid alarm sounded over the city of Nagasaki, but after 40 minutes it was canceled. People began to come out of hiding. At 10.53, considering two enemy aircraft that appeared over the city as reconnaissance aircraft, they did not raise the alarm at all. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were made as carbon copies.

A group of American aircraft performed an absolutely identical maneuver. And this time, for unknown reasons, Japan’s air defense system did not respond properly. A small group of enemy aircraft, even after the attack on Hiroshima took place, did not arouse suspicion among the military. The Fat Man atomic bomb exploded over the city at 11:02 a.m., burning and destroying it to the ground in a few seconds, instantly destroying more than 40 thousand human lives. Another 70 thousand were on the verge of life and death.

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Consequences

What did the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki entail? In addition to the radiation poisoning that would continue to kill survivors for many years, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had global political significance. It influenced the opinions of the Japanese government and the Japanese army's determination to continue the war. According to the official version, this is exactly the result that Washington sought.

The bombing of Japan with atomic bombs stopped Emperor Hirohito and forced Japan to formally accept the demands of the Potsdam Conference. US President Harry Truman announced this five days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The date August 14, 1945 became a day of joy for many people on the planet. As a result, the Red Army troops stationed near the borders of Turkey did not continue their movement to Istanbul and were sent to Japan after the declaration of war by the Soviet Union.

Within two weeks, the Japanese army was crushingly defeated. As a result, on September 2, Japan signed an act of surrender. This day is a significant date for the entire population of the Earth. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did its job.

Today there is no consensus, even within Japan itself, about whether the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified and necessary. Many scientists, after 10 years of painstaking study of the secret archives of World War II, come to different opinions. The officially accepted version is that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the price the world paid for ending World War II. History professor Tsuyoshi Hasegawa takes a slightly different view of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki problem. What is this, an attempt by the United States to become a world leader or a way to prevent the USSR from taking over all of Asia as a result of an alliance with Japan? He believes that both options are correct. And the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is something absolutely unimportant for global history from a political point of view.

There is an opinion that the plan developed by the Americans, according to which the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima was to take place, was the United States' way of showing the Union its advantage in the arms race. But if the USSR had managed to declare that it had powerful nuclear weapons of mass destruction, the United States might not have decided to take extreme measures, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would not have taken place. This development of events was also considered by specialists.

But the fact remains that it was at this stage that the largest military confrontation in human history formally ended, albeit at the cost of more than 100 thousand lives of civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The yield of the bombs detonated in Japan was 18 and 21 kilotons of TNT. The whole world recognizes that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to the Second World War.

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