With the expert guidance from Satyaki on Sunday, and ticket in hand I set off for Hiroshima the site of the first atomic bomb explosion used in warfare on August 6th 1945 at 8.15 in the morning. A USAF B29 bomber “Enola Gay” dropped the bomb which exploded at 2000 ft above the center of Hiroshima. Approximately 140,000 people perished as either a direct result of the explosion or from the immediate after effects. Almost all the buildings in a 2 km radius were razed to the ground.
Another 60,000 died of the effects of radiation over the next twelve months or so.
Another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later, and the Japanese surrendered unconditionally shortly afterward ending World War 2.
There are arguments that say far more people would have died as a result of a more protracted war and this may be true. I do not know. I do know that the bomb was dropped only 2 weeks after the successful tests in New Mexico “The Manhattan Project” There was also significant political reasons to end the war sooner rather than later, all related to the relative positions of the USA and Russia (USSR) particularly.
With this as the background (lots of the aforementioned I learned while in Hiroshima) I spent the day visiting the A (Atom) bomb Memorial and Museum as well as visiting Miyajima Island.
Snigdha had told me to buy a Day Pass that was good for the trams and ferries and was easier and cheaper than individual tickets. Thanks for the great advice.
The first stop was the A Bomb Site and was a shell of a government building that was directly below the explosion and much of the building survived and has been preserved in perpetuity as a reminder of man’s ability to self-destruct.
It is located next to the Aioi Bridge that is T shaped and was an excellent landmark for the bomb aimer. No GPS or Smart bombs in those days. One of the mission requirements was clear weather at the target.
Prior to the bombing the entire are a to the south of the building was a quite densely populated housing area between two branches of the river. Some of this area was being cleared and houses demolished to create firebreaks because of the risk of bombings. Neither ironically Hiroshima, nor any of the other 9 potential bombing sites was bombed conventionally as the US military wanted a true assessment of the damage caused. It would be interesting to know if the Japanese military were asking why some places were bombed and not others.
Artist sketching the A Bomb Memorial
Bell of Peace narrative. I rang it twice.
The Bell of Peace
Hiroshima was ultimately chosen as it was a known military garrison town, and it was also believed there was no prisoner of war camp close by.
Of the 140,000 killed I was surprised to learn that approx 20,000 were Korean and a significant number (unknown to me) were Chinese. These were politely referred to as “Forced workers” aka slaves.
Korean Peace Monument
Korean school kids visit. They all waved and said hello!
There was already ill feeling between Japan and China due to the Sino-Japanese war at the end of the 1800s and similar situations with Korea. Many of these feelings persist today.
Among the many monuments and memorials was one dedicated to the Koreans, but if there was a Chinese one I did not see it.
There was also a special memorial for the children killed, and there were many as high school age students and the forced laborers were doing the work of demolishing the houses for firebreaks. They were out in the open and unprotected in any way when the explosion occurred.
A young girl who survived the explosion and ensuing chaos inspired the children’s Memorial after she tragically found that she had leukemia and died about 10 years after the bombing. I have posted a link below (this is a first so I hope it works) about the memorial and the paper cranes that it inspired. People continue to send them and bring them even today about 65 years after the bombing.
It is simple but graceful.
I am not sure I can say that it was a fun day but certainly a thought provoking day, and one for reflection on where we are as a people and the progress we have or have not made.
Childrens Memorial in Hiroshima
