Sixty Years Ago
Aug. 5th, 2005 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davywavyOn the 6th of August, 1945, a Boeing b-29 Super-Fortress took off from Tinian Island in the Pacific. The previous day, August 5th, the name "Enola Gay" had been painted onto the nose-cone and a new weapon, LI1, had been loaded aboard. Weighing 10,000lbs and containing 128lbs of Uranium-235, theis weapon was code-named 'Little Boy'.
At the same time, over Japan, four spotter planes were circling potential targets. Only one reported low winds and light cloud. In other words, it was a pleasant summer day in Hiroshima.
Little Boy was released from 21,000ft at 0815 hours and detonated 800ft above the target with the explosive force of 20,000 tons of TNT.
When Oppenheimer first saw his creation used, his response was to quote "For I have become death, the destroyer of worlds".
There's a lot of debate about whether or not the above should have happened; the most likely estimate I can find suggests 66,000 people died in the initial explosion and from burns; deaths from subsequent illnesses are less certain, but estimates vary from there being no statistically sugnificant change in the incidence of cancer and laeukaemia in the Japanese population in the subsequent years to almost 350,000, which is most likely cobblers.
Would more than that many people have died if Japan had been conquered in conventional terms? Almost certainly. The use of nuclear weapons gave Hirohito the opporuntity to over-rule his generals (one of whom had told the Empire of Japan to prepare for 'one hundred million deaths' when the invasion came) and sure for peace.
So one group of people died that a larger group might live. Are any of us qualified to make a moral judgement on that?
I'm certainly not.
It's a fact of history and one that people seem to have learned from, if the subsequent 60 years of history are any evidence. Some people have criticised the Japanese for playing down the war and making it seem as if they were the victims of international aggression in their school textbooks. If you like, you can read the relevant book and decide for yourself
STATEMENT OFFERED BY BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL W. TIBBETS (USAF, RETIRED) AT THE AIRMEN MEMORIAL MUSEUM ON JUNE 8, 1994 UPON THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE AIR FORCE SERGEANTS ASSOCIATION'S FREEDOM AWARD
A number of people and veterans organizations have asked me to comment on the subject of the Enola Gay, the care afforded her by the Smithsonian Institution together with their treatment of the atomic mission in general.
From my point of view, the matter has been politicized, and, as a result, mishandled. Those whose business it is to create, mold, manipulate and utilize public opinion have done so as a matter of self-serving interest. Consequently, history has been denigrated; the Enola Gay has been miscast and a group of valiant Americans have had their role in history treated shamefully. I am an airman, a pilot. In 1945, I was wearing the uniform of the US Army [Air Forces] following the orders of our commander-in-chief. I was, to the best of my ability, doing what I could to bring the war to a victorious conclusion-just as millions of people were doing here at home and around the world. Each of us -- friend and foe alike -- were doing the dictates of our respective governments. I recruited, trained and led the members of the 509th Composite Bomb Group. We had a mission. Quite simply, bring about the end of World War II. I feel I was fortunate to have been chosen to command that organization and to lead them into combat. To my knowledge, no other officer has since been accorded the scope of the responsibilities placed on my shoulders at that time.
As for the missions flown against Japan on the 6th and 9th of August, 1945, I would remind you, we were at war. Our job was to win. Once the targets were named and presidential approval received, we were to deliver the weapons as expeditiously as possible consistent with good tactics. The objective was to stop the fighting, thereby saving further loss of life on both sides. The urgency of the situation demanded that we use the weapons first - before the technology could be used against us.
During the course of the half century that has elapsed since the use of the atomic weapons, many scribes have chronicled the flight of the Enola Gay with nothing but descriptions of the destructive nature of our atomic weapons. Few such narratives have been objective. Indeed, I suggest to you that few, if any of the articles, books, films or reports have ever attempted to discuss the missions of August 6th and August 9th, 1945 in the context of the times. . Simply stated the Enola Gay and the 509th Composite Bomb Group have been denied a historically correct representation to the public. Most writers have looked to the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; to find answers for the use of those atomic weapons. The real answers lay in thousands of graves from Pearl Harbor around the world to Normandy and back again. The actual use of the weapons as ordered by the President of the United States was believed to be the quickest and least costly (in terms of lives lost) way to stop the killing. I carried out those orders with the loyal support of the men of the 509th Composite Bomb Group and the United States military at large. Our job was to serve. Our sworn duty was to God, country and victory. Today, there is a debate on how to present the Enola Gay and the use of the atom bombs to the American public and the world at large. There are questions as to how to best present the events of the summer of 1945. I have had many requests, -many appeals; to openly voice my opinions as to the Smithsonian's proposal and depiction of these realities. Consequently, I suggest that the Enola Gay be preserved and displayed properly- and alone, for all the world to see. She should be presented as a peace keeper and as the harbinger of a cold war kept from going "hot." The Enola Gay and her sister ship Bock's Car should be remembered in honor of the scientists who harnessed the power of the atom for the good of mankind. The talents and skills of those men and women who gave us the means to use, regulate and control atomic energy. Such notable positive contributions are worthy of Smithsonian recognition.
The Enola Gay has become a symbol to different groups for one reason or another. I suggest that she be preserved and given her place in the context of the times in which she flew. For decades she has been relegated to a storage facility. Her place in history has been dealt with unfairly by those who decry the inhumanity of her August 6th mission. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no humanity in warfare. The job of the combatants, the families, the diplomats, and factory workers is to win. All had a role in that "all out" fight.
I am not a museum director, curator, or politician. I am a pilot. I am a military man trained to carry out the orders of a duly elected commander-in-chief.
For decades the Enola Gay has been in pieces. During this same period the subject of the atomic missions has provoked a flood of emotions. Virtually each and every narration of the events surrounding the flight of the Enola Gay has delved into the horrors and tragedies brought on by the atomic bombs.
Today, on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II, many are second-guessing the decision to use the atomic weapons. To them, I would say, "STOP!" It happened. In the wisdom of the President of the United States and his advisors at the time, there was no acceptable alternative but to proceed with what history now knows as Special Bombing Mission No. 13. To those who consider its proper presentation to the public, I say; "FULL SPEED AHEAD!" We have waited too long for all the wrong reasons to exhibit this aircraft. Too many have labeled the atomic missions as war crimes in an effort to force their politics and their opinions on the American public and to damn military history. Ironically, it is this same segment of society who sent us off to war that now wish to recant the flight of the Enola Gay.
Thus far the proposed display of the Enola Gay is a package of insults. Resting on an arrangement that will be shaped like a cradle, the sixty-some feet of fuselage and forward bomb bay - without wings, engines and propellers, landing gear and tail assembly - makes for an awesome sight. If nothing else, it will engender the aura of evil in which the airplane is being cast.
I am unaware of any positive achievements being credited to the men and women who built the B-29 bombers that carried the war to the Japanese homeland, or the soldiers, sailors, marines, and Seabees who fought, lived and died fighting to take Pacific Islands that were needed for airplane bases within striking distances of the mainland. What about the airmen who flew those strikes and lost their lives? And, those who survived. Are they to be denied recognition for their efforts? Something is wrong with this scenario.
In closing, let me urge consideration and let the exhibition of the Enola Gay accurately reflect the American spirit and victory of August 1945. Those of us who gained that victory have nothing to be ashamed of neither do we offer any apology. Some suffered, some died. The million or so of us remaining will die believing that we made the world a better place as a result of our efforts to secure peace that has held for almost 50 years. Many of us believe peace will prevail through the strength and resolve of the United States of America.
Paul W. Tibbets
Command Pilot
Enola Gay
At the same time, over Japan, four spotter planes were circling potential targets. Only one reported low winds and light cloud. In other words, it was a pleasant summer day in Hiroshima.
Little Boy was released from 21,000ft at 0815 hours and detonated 800ft above the target with the explosive force of 20,000 tons of TNT.
When Oppenheimer first saw his creation used, his response was to quote "For I have become death, the destroyer of worlds".
There's a lot of debate about whether or not the above should have happened; the most likely estimate I can find suggests 66,000 people died in the initial explosion and from burns; deaths from subsequent illnesses are less certain, but estimates vary from there being no statistically sugnificant change in the incidence of cancer and laeukaemia in the Japanese population in the subsequent years to almost 350,000, which is most likely cobblers.
Would more than that many people have died if Japan had been conquered in conventional terms? Almost certainly. The use of nuclear weapons gave Hirohito the opporuntity to over-rule his generals (one of whom had told the Empire of Japan to prepare for 'one hundred million deaths' when the invasion came) and sure for peace.
So one group of people died that a larger group might live. Are any of us qualified to make a moral judgement on that?
I'm certainly not.
It's a fact of history and one that people seem to have learned from, if the subsequent 60 years of history are any evidence. Some people have criticised the Japanese for playing down the war and making it seem as if they were the victims of international aggression in their school textbooks. If you like, you can read the relevant book and decide for yourself
STATEMENT OFFERED BY BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL W. TIBBETS (USAF, RETIRED) AT THE AIRMEN MEMORIAL MUSEUM ON JUNE 8, 1994 UPON THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE AIR FORCE SERGEANTS ASSOCIATION'S FREEDOM AWARD
A number of people and veterans organizations have asked me to comment on the subject of the Enola Gay, the care afforded her by the Smithsonian Institution together with their treatment of the atomic mission in general.
From my point of view, the matter has been politicized, and, as a result, mishandled. Those whose business it is to create, mold, manipulate and utilize public opinion have done so as a matter of self-serving interest. Consequently, history has been denigrated; the Enola Gay has been miscast and a group of valiant Americans have had their role in history treated shamefully. I am an airman, a pilot. In 1945, I was wearing the uniform of the US Army [Air Forces] following the orders of our commander-in-chief. I was, to the best of my ability, doing what I could to bring the war to a victorious conclusion-just as millions of people were doing here at home and around the world. Each of us -- friend and foe alike -- were doing the dictates of our respective governments. I recruited, trained and led the members of the 509th Composite Bomb Group. We had a mission. Quite simply, bring about the end of World War II. I feel I was fortunate to have been chosen to command that organization and to lead them into combat. To my knowledge, no other officer has since been accorded the scope of the responsibilities placed on my shoulders at that time.
As for the missions flown against Japan on the 6th and 9th of August, 1945, I would remind you, we were at war. Our job was to win. Once the targets were named and presidential approval received, we were to deliver the weapons as expeditiously as possible consistent with good tactics. The objective was to stop the fighting, thereby saving further loss of life on both sides. The urgency of the situation demanded that we use the weapons first - before the technology could be used against us.
During the course of the half century that has elapsed since the use of the atomic weapons, many scribes have chronicled the flight of the Enola Gay with nothing but descriptions of the destructive nature of our atomic weapons. Few such narratives have been objective. Indeed, I suggest to you that few, if any of the articles, books, films or reports have ever attempted to discuss the missions of August 6th and August 9th, 1945 in the context of the times. . Simply stated the Enola Gay and the 509th Composite Bomb Group have been denied a historically correct representation to the public. Most writers have looked to the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; to find answers for the use of those atomic weapons. The real answers lay in thousands of graves from Pearl Harbor around the world to Normandy and back again. The actual use of the weapons as ordered by the President of the United States was believed to be the quickest and least costly (in terms of lives lost) way to stop the killing. I carried out those orders with the loyal support of the men of the 509th Composite Bomb Group and the United States military at large. Our job was to serve. Our sworn duty was to God, country and victory. Today, there is a debate on how to present the Enola Gay and the use of the atom bombs to the American public and the world at large. There are questions as to how to best present the events of the summer of 1945. I have had many requests, -many appeals; to openly voice my opinions as to the Smithsonian's proposal and depiction of these realities. Consequently, I suggest that the Enola Gay be preserved and displayed properly- and alone, for all the world to see. She should be presented as a peace keeper and as the harbinger of a cold war kept from going "hot." The Enola Gay and her sister ship Bock's Car should be remembered in honor of the scientists who harnessed the power of the atom for the good of mankind. The talents and skills of those men and women who gave us the means to use, regulate and control atomic energy. Such notable positive contributions are worthy of Smithsonian recognition.
The Enola Gay has become a symbol to different groups for one reason or another. I suggest that she be preserved and given her place in the context of the times in which she flew. For decades she has been relegated to a storage facility. Her place in history has been dealt with unfairly by those who decry the inhumanity of her August 6th mission. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no humanity in warfare. The job of the combatants, the families, the diplomats, and factory workers is to win. All had a role in that "all out" fight.
I am not a museum director, curator, or politician. I am a pilot. I am a military man trained to carry out the orders of a duly elected commander-in-chief.
For decades the Enola Gay has been in pieces. During this same period the subject of the atomic missions has provoked a flood of emotions. Virtually each and every narration of the events surrounding the flight of the Enola Gay has delved into the horrors and tragedies brought on by the atomic bombs.
Today, on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II, many are second-guessing the decision to use the atomic weapons. To them, I would say, "STOP!" It happened. In the wisdom of the President of the United States and his advisors at the time, there was no acceptable alternative but to proceed with what history now knows as Special Bombing Mission No. 13. To those who consider its proper presentation to the public, I say; "FULL SPEED AHEAD!" We have waited too long for all the wrong reasons to exhibit this aircraft. Too many have labeled the atomic missions as war crimes in an effort to force their politics and their opinions on the American public and to damn military history. Ironically, it is this same segment of society who sent us off to war that now wish to recant the flight of the Enola Gay.
Thus far the proposed display of the Enola Gay is a package of insults. Resting on an arrangement that will be shaped like a cradle, the sixty-some feet of fuselage and forward bomb bay - without wings, engines and propellers, landing gear and tail assembly - makes for an awesome sight. If nothing else, it will engender the aura of evil in which the airplane is being cast.
I am unaware of any positive achievements being credited to the men and women who built the B-29 bombers that carried the war to the Japanese homeland, or the soldiers, sailors, marines, and Seabees who fought, lived and died fighting to take Pacific Islands that were needed for airplane bases within striking distances of the mainland. What about the airmen who flew those strikes and lost their lives? And, those who survived. Are they to be denied recognition for their efforts? Something is wrong with this scenario.
In closing, let me urge consideration and let the exhibition of the Enola Gay accurately reflect the American spirit and victory of August 1945. Those of us who gained that victory have nothing to be ashamed of neither do we offer any apology. Some suffered, some died. The million or so of us remaining will die believing that we made the world a better place as a result of our efforts to secure peace that has held for almost 50 years. Many of us believe peace will prevail through the strength and resolve of the United States of America.
Paul W. Tibbets
Command Pilot
Enola Gay
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 09:34 am (UTC)- George R. Caron, tailgunner on the Enola Gay
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 09:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:06 am (UTC)Although the events of the subsequent three days of history suggest that this lesson didn't sink in immediately.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:07 am (UTC)In what sense? The Soviet Union was already fighting Japan, in Manchuria.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:09 am (UTC)And far more than that had already been killed in conventional incendiary bombing raids during the summer.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:11 am (UTC)c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 10:12 am (UTC)The precise number of dead is difficult to ascertain and is not known. Estimates are made difficult by the fact that the city and surrounding suburbs which had a population of 642,000 in 1939 was crowded at that time with up to 200,000 refugees, and some thousands of wounded soldiers. The fate of some of the refugees is not known as they may have been killed and incinerated beyond recognition in the fire-storm, or they may have left Dresden for other places without informing the authorities. Earlier reputable estimates varied from 25,000 to more than 60,000, but historians now view around 25,000-35,000 as the likely range with the latest research by the Dresden historian Friedrich Reichert pointing toward the lower part of this range. It would appear from such estimates that the casualties suffered in the Dresden bombings were not disproportionate to those suffered by other German cities which were subject to fire raids during area attacks.
Anglo-American bombing of German cities claimed ca. 400,000 civilian lives, nine times the 43,000 British civilians killed in German raids. Whether these attacks hastened the end of the war is a controversial question. As acts of retaliation, they were at best vicarious (even if entire nations are seen as morally competent agents). While the Luftwaffe devastated Polish cities before British planes had even begun to drop leaflets on Germany, the onset of British attacks on German cities in May 1940 preceded German raids on Britain in every category of target (supposed military installations, civilian populations, and cultural treasures).
But, of course, they started it. [my editorial]
Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 10:20 am (UTC)I don't trust Wikipedia; certainly the above account misses out the context and chain of reasoning behind the bombings, which is an essential part of understanding and responding to history.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:24 am (UTC)Coldly? Yes. IF it did those things, and without an "alternative reality viewpoint" we can never know, then yes, it was worth it.
What sickens me is that it takes 66,000 to die in one day before we stop and think "hold on, haven't we killed enough millions these past 5 years?"
I hate people
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:31 am (UTC)(Not so much so with the Nagasaki bomb, as it seems to me that Hiroshima was enough to force the surrender.)
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:34 am (UTC)Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 10:34 am (UTC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 11:35 am (UTC)Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 11:59 am (UTC)Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 12:02 pm (UTC)It's true to say you don't know that about anyone, ultimately - but a little knowledge about someone's background is of immeasurable use in making a judgemental decision of trust.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 12:06 pm (UTC)Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 01:55 pm (UTC)Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 01:58 pm (UTC)Anyway, my above statement is a generalisation, not a rule.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 02:04 pm (UTC)I thought the London Underground bombings and 9/11 were tragedies...How can I NOT condemn the bombing of Hiroshima?
Re: c+p research from wikipedia
Date: 2005-08-05 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-05 06:54 pm (UTC)But it was decided it would be useful to find out just what exactly it did to people, and there weren't going to be many opportunities to nook cities and maintain public support once the war was over.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 01:28 pm (UTC)"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty... and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another..."