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Eye-witness accounts of the bombing of Hiroshima

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Speed_Gibson, Feb 1, 2014.

  1. Speed_Gibson

    Speed_Gibson Hacking the Gibson

    Location:
    Wolf 359
    I found this site while looking up information on Fat Man and Little Boy recently. Fascinating accounts that give you a taste of the horror that the bombs caused.
     
    Speed_Gibson, Feb 1, 2014
    #1
  2. Street Pattern

    Street Pattern Very Tilted

    Location:
    The American Midwest
    In 1945, following the bombing and surrender, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were off-limits to U.S. troops.

    But my father, and some other guys from his unit, were curious, took a jeep, talked their way past roadblocks, and got to Hiroshima.

    My father's reaction: "It was awful. It stank."

    You might think that the atomic bomb would just vaporize all organic material, but it doesn't. There were plenty of body parts left scattered around -- rotting.
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2014
    Street Pattern, Feb 1, 2014
    #2
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    For a project in a college course, I did a reading of There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury set to a PowerPoint slide show of the aftermath of Hiroshima. I'd probably use Prezi now to make it prettier and more visually interesting, but honestly, the pictures spoke on their own.

    What fascinates me is that while we discuss the destruction caused by the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we are only just starting to also mention the firebombing of Tokyo and Dresden when we teach WWII. It wasn't brought up in my history class, but my dad (a former social studies teacher) made sure I knew, and it was covered in my college-level history classes. Bombing of Tokyo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bombing of Dresden in World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    While I have not been to Tokyo or Dresden, I have been to Eindhoven, a Dutch city that was heavily damaged in Operation Market Garden during WWII--the entire city center was wiped out from Allied bombs. About half an hour from Eindhoven is s'Hertogenbosch, a city that still has its medieval walls intact. The disparity between the two is striking. Eindhoven even has a shopping mall in the city center--a real rarity for a Dutch city--while den Bosch has a traditional square. Though these events happened 70 years ago, they still have a remarkable impact on the geography of our lives.

    And, if you haven't heard this, you ought to: Double Blasted - Radiolab
     
    snowy, Feb 4, 2014
    #3
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  4. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    I probably have a different viewpoint on this.

    My dad was a paratrooper in WWII and was on a boat headed for Japan when the bombs hit. He'd have been in the first wave if an invasion was necessary.
     
    Stan, Feb 4, 2014
    #4
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  5. Street Pattern

    Street Pattern Very Tilted

    Location:
    The American Midwest
    Obviously, mine too. He was ashore in Japan very soon after the surrender.

    The quandary about this, which my father, as a history professor, was intimately familiar with, and frequently spoke about:

    (1) An invasion would probably not have been necessary, even without any atomic bombing.

    There is some dispute on this point, but the predominant view, among those who are familiar with the machinations of the Japanese high command, is that Japan was getting ready to surrender, albeit not as quickly as the situation demanded.

    (2) However, even if that is true, the U.S. had no way of knowing this.

    (3) Arguably, Truman and his generals made the best decision they could with the information they had.

    Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game has this same plot, except that the enemy are extraterrestrial aliens instead of Japanese.

    And in the novel, the enemy's home planet and people are completely destroyed before the humans have any idea how much they misunderstood the situation.
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2014
    Street Pattern, Feb 4, 2014
    #5
  6. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    That and the HitlerEnder being portrayed as a tragic hero instead of an inhumane monster.
     
    MSD, Feb 4, 2014
    #6
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