Friday, December 27, 2019
Hiroshima, By Robert Lewis, Co Pilot Of Enola Gay
ââ¬Å"Just how many Japs did we kill? I honestly have the feeling or groping for words to explain this or I might say my God, what have we done?â⬠written by Captain Robert Lewis, co-pilot of Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan, presently after 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The too-large gust of wind, and the looming mushroom cloud rising over the blackened city were all vaguely mentioned in his captainââ¬â¢s log. A small sketch of the first ever nuclear warfare attack can be found hastily scribbled on the back of Lewisââ¬â¢s log that was later stowed away, the sight destined to plague his mind in the years to follow. Captain Lewisââ¬â¢ account of Hiroshima is only one of thousands who never spoke about whether it was right or wrong. Lewis was not thinking aboutâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Many United States governmental personnel were aware that victory was assured at this point. According to General Henry ââ¬Å"Hapâ⬠Arnold, Army Air Forces commander, as stated in his 1949 Global Mission, ââ¬Å"It always appeared to us that atomic bomb or no atomic bomb the Japanese were already on the verge of collapseâ⬠(Weber.) Though Japan was the first to attack the United States that did not mean the war would follow in their favor. When the ending months of World War II came around it had become clear which country had the greater advantage, and whom ultimately stood on top. The resources available, damage taken, and military readiness deciding that the United States had already won. The truth being that Japan had already lost months before Hiroshima was attacked. The Japanese military had no way to make a comeback, and using a nuclear weapon when this was so obviously clear is undeniably unwarranted. Due to Japanââ¬â¢s dwindling position in the war, turning the tides stood nearly impossible; nonetheless they remained loyal to their Emperor in never giving up. Japanese soldiers believe that death came before betraying their country. However, several powerful Japanese military personnel had realized that to preserve Japan itself, surrendering was a small price to pay over annilliation. After the Hiroshima attack on August 19, 1945, an article was published on the front page of ChicagoShow MoreRelatedNuclear Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki981 Words à |à 4 PagesII, in Hiroshima, Japan, thousands died. The ââ¬Å"Enola Gay dropped a 9,000 lb TNT bomb called ââ¬Å"Little Boy.â⬠Approximately 78,150 people died after one death count, but radiation was still lethal. Three days later, another bomb was dropped. ââ¬Å"Fat Man,â⬠dropped by ââ¬Å"Bockââ¬â¢s Car,â⬠was a Uranium-235 bomb, even though it did less damage than Hiroshima, the seaport of Nagasaki still was torn to pieces. 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