Days That Shook the World: Hiroshima

This is a BBC production. The film says it's a dramatization.

Tinian island.

An atomic bomb test in New Mexico. Four days later a destroyer took another atomic bomb to Tinian island to be used on a Japanese city.

Then it tales about Tibbits, the only guy in the flight crew who knew what was going to be done.

The film briefly refers to the islands taken by the Americans and then about the possible invasion of Japan itself which, they say, could coast one million American lives.

The bomb is brought out to be loaded on the plane.

The bomb is loaded onto the plane.

A major worry is that, in the last day alone, four of the planes had crashed on takeoff. Because of that, the decision was made not to arm the bomb until the plane had successfully lifted off. The crew is given cyanide pills to kill themselves with should the plane be shot down.

The film then shifts briefly to Hiroshima and a twelve-year-old girl doing her schoolwork at home.

Although Hiroshima is the primary target, weather could have forced the plane to go after one of two other cities.

The plane takes off and Truman is told.

The bomb is armed and ready to be dropped. Weather planes an hour ahead of the Enola Gay and that will determine whether Hiroshima will be the target or a different city.

The weather plane passes over Hiroshima. The sirens sound but few bother to take cover since this is a very normal thing for a B-29 too appear above the city and just keep on going.

The bomb is dropped and it explodes.

100,000 people and 47,000 buildings are wiped out.

An actual photo from Hiroshima after the bomb had exploded.



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