31 Chilling Photos of the Final Preparations for Atomic Bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
These declassified photos show the preparations leading up to the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6 and 9, 1945, the atomic bombs were dropped on the two cities. Below are 31 chilling photos of the final preparations:
1. Soldiers checking the casings of the "Fat Man" atomic bomb
National Archives
2. Geophysicist Francis Birch (left) marks "Little Boy" L-11 while Norman Ramsey, who would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics, watches. This is the actual bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
National Archives
3. Final bomb assembly
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4. Fat Man nearly assembled and about to be placed inside its casing.
National Archives
5. A technician applies putty to the forward polar plate of "Fat Man."
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6. Sealant is now being applied using a spray gun.
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7.
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8. A frame taken from a colored movie, showing the color of the device and sealant/putty.
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9. Soldiers and workers sign their names and other messages on the "Fat Man."
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10. A closer look.
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11. “A Second Kiss for Hirohito!” signed by Rear Admiral W.R. Purnell, USN on the side of the "Fat Man".
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12. Fully-assembled "Fat Man" is loaded onto a transport trailer.
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13. The bomb is now transported to the airfield, under cover with an escort.
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14. One of two bomb pits on the airfield.
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15. The pits for the bombs, measuring roughly 8 feet by 12 feet, still exist today.
(L) National Archives/ (R) Jeffrey Tripp/FLICKR
16. Soldiers proceed for the preliminary pit alignment.
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17.
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18. The bomb's alignment was checked over carefully by eye and hand.
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19. They made sure everything's in place while the MPs kept watch.
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20.
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21. Using a hydraulic lift, they carefully lowered the bomb and its trailer into the pit.
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22.
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23. Workers check "Little Boy" one last time. Still covered with tarp for security reasons.
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24. Once the bomb is ready, the aircraft Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, is backed up slowly over the pit.
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25. The cover is removed and the bomb is readied for loading.
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26.
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27. "Little Boy" is carefully raised using a hydraulic lift and loaded into the belly of the Enola Gay.
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28.
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29.
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30. Once the bomb is secured inside the plane. All connections and equipment are checked again.
National Archives
31. From there, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" were flown over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, and detonated. World War II ended shortly afterwards.
The US knew the Japanese were beaten and had actually been attempting to surrender for some time. But the sociopaths running the war effort wanted to test their new toy on a civilian population to "see what would happen." For a true account of the horrors of nuclear war from the perspective of the victims, read the 'Barefoot Gen' manga series by Keiji Nakazawa, who was a six year-old boy when the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
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