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We will be liveblogging the events of Hiroshima as they happen on this day 75 years ago. Please join us https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
00:00 (Tianen Time)
10:00 (Eastern time)
This night begins in a small island off the pacific coast: Tianen Island. Paul Tibbets is giving a lecture to his crew at the lounge and 7 B-29s have been prepared for this mission https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
10:00 (Eastern time)
This night begins in a small island off the pacific coast: Tianen Island. Paul Tibbets is giving a lecture to his crew at the lounge and 7 B-29s have been prepared for this mission https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
Who would Jesus Nuke?
The Chaplin William Downey reads out a prayer he composed for this occasion.
00:15(Tianen Time)
23:15 (Hiroshima Time)
10:15 (Eastern time) https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The Chaplin William Downey reads out a prayer he composed for this occasion.
00:15(Tianen Time)
23:15 (Hiroshima Time)
10:15 (Eastern time) https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
00:45(Tianen Time)
23:45 (Hiroshima Time)
10:45 (Eastern time)
The Crew heads over to the mess hall to have an early breakfast/late dinner before their mission. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
23:45 (Hiroshima Time)
10:45 (Eastern time)
The Crew heads over to the mess hall to have an early breakfast/late dinner before their mission. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The crew of the weather planes take-off over the north field. Each of the 3 planes is headed to different destinations. They are supposed to report back the weather to the pilots of B-29.
01:37 (Tianen Time)
00:37 (Hiroshima Time)
11:37 (Eastern time) https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
01:37 (Tianen Time)
00:37 (Hiroshima Time)
11:37 (Eastern time) https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
As the crew loaded, they were followed by floodlights and hordes of photographers and the press. Paul Tibbets said, “I expected I expected to see MGM's lion walk to the apron or Warner's logo to light up the sky. It was crazy.” https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The crew of the Enola Gay start their engines at 2:27 Tinian Time. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The two planes: The Great Artiste and the Necessary Evil start their engines and they are right behind the Enola Gay
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The overloaded Enola Gay takes off, using the entire 3.2 KMs of runway to steady itself.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
Hungarian Scientist Leo Szilard wrote a petition to President Harry Truman on July 17, 1945 asking him to reconsider dropping the bomb. His petition never made it to the president.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
Parson begins to arm the bomb https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
This is what Adm. William Leahy, Pres Truman's Chief of Staff, wrote in his 1950 Memoir, I Was There:
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
The biggest challenge for those flying would be flying far enough away from the blast radius so that they don't get hit. For the crew of the Enola gay, they would have to fly about 10km in 45 seconds
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
Eisenhower was also against it. He bluntly stated "it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing" in a 1963 interview with Newsweek.
Examples of extremely racist anti-japanese propaganda spread during world war 2
Paul Tibbets takes a nap. Capt. Robert Lewis makes a note in his log. Enola Gay is being run on autopilot.
04:00 (Tianen Time)
03:00 (Hiroshima Time)
14:00 (Eastern time)
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
04:00 (Tianen Time)
03:00 (Hiroshima Time)
14:00 (Eastern time)
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At this point, we will be switching over to Tokyo Standard Time. We won't mention Tinian time until the Enola Gay makes the rendezvous back.
At 5:00, somewhere over the pacific, Capt. Robert Lewis logs that he sees the sun rising. They are farther east than Iwo Jima, which they would rendezvous at around 6:00
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 5:52, the three bombers rendezvous over Iwo Jima. Now, they set their course for Japan. The first choice is Hiroshima, but they have to wait for the weather report to come back. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 6:07, after circling round the Iwo Jima island for twelve minutes, Maj. Van Kirk hands the pilots a new heading. All three planes make their way to Japan. They are not 100% sure which city they plan on hitting. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
06:30 Dr. Hachaya had spent the entire night as the hospital. He was in his garden at his home which was just a few yards away from the hospital. He was writing in his diary. He was planning on sleeping for the rest of the day.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 7:09 am, the Straight Flush flies over Hiroshima. It is a weather plane that is supposed to check if the weather is appropriate for dropping the bomb
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 7:24, The pilot of straight flush radios the following message to the Enola Gay: “Cloud cover less than 3/10ths at all altitudes. Advice: bomb primary."
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
07:30 The teacher opens his classroom at Noboricho Elementary school. This school is only 1.1 KM away from ground zero. The students would arrive between now and 8:00 AM when classes are scheduled to begin.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
07:45 Hiromu Morishita was a 14-year-old student at Hiroshima. He was mobilized as part of a special workforce to clean up the Tsurumi bridge in Hiroshima. He was commuting to the bridge.
In this photo, he is 84 years old.
In this photo, he is 84 years old.
At 7:50, the Enola Gay crosses Shikoku Japan. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 08:05, the Enola Gay comes into the borders of Hiroshima. Just 10 minutes to go before detonation time.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 08:12, Control of the Enola Gay is handed over to Thomas Ferebee who had to physically point the Enola Gay to the aiming point which was Atoi bridge. https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 08:14, Col. Tibbets says, "On Glasses" and everyone puts on their protective glasses to make sure their eyes are not damaged by the detonation shockwave.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
At 08:15, the Enola Gay's bay door opens and the atomic bomb codenamed "little man" is dropped.
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
https://historicly.substack.com/p/hiroshima-a-live-blog
08:17 everything within 800 meters vaporizes.
08:17 There was a little girl near the Atoi bridge and she instantly vaporized.
08:19 The shockwave travels and vaporizes the bronze Buddha Statue
08:20 The mushroom cloud is visible for miles away.
08:22 Enola Gay circles Hiroshima a total of three times beginning at 900M before it heads back to Tinian Island.
Every structure within 1.6KM radius of the bomb was completely destroyed.
08:35 As the casualties pour in, no one is left to help the survivors. At the Red Cross Hospital, only one doctor, Terufumi Sasaki is available and on duty.
The majority of the kids in Noboricho Elementary school are dead.
