Sixty-0ne years ago the Rising Sun set
Sept. 2, 1945 was historic like no other day; envoys of the empire of Japan stood solemnly on the deck of the mighty warship U.S.S. Missouri because two weeks prior on Aug.14, VJ Day, Emperor Hirohito had announced Japan’s unconditional acceptance of the Allies’ Potsdam Declaration.
When a day of infamy at Pearl Harbor, in time, became near Armageddon with unfathomable death toll rising from battles throughout the Pacific islands, WWII finally ended.
By so doing, Hirohito, the emperor, considered a god in Japanese culture, had spared his people from prompt and utter destruction. This god’s wisdom came a little late, as both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were already burning, radioactive, decimated by two atom bombs detonated at 1,800 feet above the cities; a grave order from President Harry S. Truman.
A B-29 Super Fortress, “Enola Gay” dropped the first on Aug. 6, at 0245 local time, over Hiroshima then three days later, another B-29 “Bockscar” dropped the second bomb at 1058 over Nagasaki.
“Little boy” and “Fat Man” were twin bombs; each weighing 1,000 kg. and when ignited, each released the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT with a blinding flash, a devastating shockwave rolling with a searing heat that tore human skin right off.
It was estimated that 120,000 were killed upon the blast. The explosion’s aftermath continued to emit residual deadly gamma rays for half a century to follow; it was the perfect death weapon against any enemy; a bomb so ferocious that it can keep on killing for generations.
Only two months prior on July 16, 1945, the “Trinity” test was conducted.
It was the very first test of a nuclear device, a plutonium bomb, at 30 miles southeast of what is now the White Sands Missiles Range in Alamogordo, N. M.
Observers situated themselves 20 miles away from ground zero. As few as 260 scientists, military and government personnel witnessed the blast illuminating the sky color from purple to green then to white; It was blinding like looking directly into the sun. It took 40 seconds after the roar for the shockwave to reach observers.
The shockwave was felt 100 miles away.
The mushroom cloud, a gigantic column of smoke, fire and debris, grew to over seven miles in diameter.
In the context of the battle for the Okinawa Islands, the brutality of the unleashed atom was just another manifestation the destruction the two enemies wrought against each other. There and then, the pitched battles were savage. Severe casualties mounted as 20,000 men died in a span less than five weeks; an average of 400 U.S. soldiers killed every single day. When the GI’s found themselves in face-to-face combat, the Japanese soldiers drew their long Samurai swords and slashed away.
Ushijima’s counterpart, Army Lt. Gen. Simon Buckner had naval gun support from six battleships, six cruisers, and six destroyers and within a period of 40 minutes, 19,000 artillery shells fell upon the heads of Japanese soldiers on the island.
Undaunted, General Ushijima screamed a suicidal battle cry: One man for ten enemies. One man for one tank. One plane for one warship.
The Japanese air force had already adopted a “no return” mission; Kamikaze pilots flew a staggering 1,900 suicide sorties although only 285 had slammed into their targets. Some 25 Allied warships were sunk, 157 damaged by direct hits, 97 suffered superficial damages.
Weighing the experience of Okinawa and the expected one-million-man force necessary to subdue Japan proper, Truman dropped the bombs. Japan surrendered Aug. 14.
On Sept.2, 1945, 10 envoys from Japan formally signed the surrender document on board of the U.S.S Missouri under the watchful eyes of the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The war in the Pacific was finally over.
It remains one of the greatest ironies in mankind’s quest for advancement that men like Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi, among many credited for the discovery and the development of atomic fission had hoped their work would be utilized for peaceful purposes.
Why is mankind such an enigma?
Comments