While today is Singapore’s 47th National Day, twenty years before that day (in 1945) was another fateful day that most would remember. Nagasaki is a northern city in Kyushu where I visited the Peace Museum twice. The irony of Nagasaki could be read from Nagasaki Wasn’t Supposed to Have Been the Target 67 Years Ago Today.
The locals in Nagasaki somehow couldn’t escape that fateful day. First, Nagasaki was never in the target list. However, it was added later after Kyoto was dropped from the list. Due to poor visibility, another target Kokura (also in Kyushu) was spared…so Nagasaki was the eventual target as the crew had to offload the “forgotten bomb”.
For more reading on that fateful day:
Read The Men Who Dropped the Second Bomb by Australian journalist Craig Collie’s modern account of the US atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, 67 years ago today. The complete account appeared in London’s Telegraph.
Collie is the author of Nagasaki, a 2011 reconstruction of the decision to drop “the forgotten bomb.”
Other interesting tidbits: Sweeney was nearly court-martialed after touching down hard on Okinawa on the return flight. He failed to follow orders regarding fuel and made too many passes over Kokura. Two engines died from lack of fuel on approach/landing at Okinawa. Further, the bombardier on Bock’s Car was the same as that on Enola Gay. He is the only human being to have been on both atomic bombing missions.
Thanks for the interesting tibits!
Thanks for spreading your knowledge of Japan!
Where did you hear/read that, Mustang.Koji? All the publications I’ve come across name the bombardier on the Enola Gay as Thomas Ferebee, and on Bockscar as Kermit Beahan. I have not seen any mention of either man being on both crews.
OLD AGE! My error. Lt. Jacob Beser flew on both flights. I erroneously typed bombardier for some reason instead of radar countermeasures officer. Thank you pointing that out, Laverne!