1

Yuzhi Deng
Professor OKeefe
English 1100-EAC
Experiential History Final
December 8th 2017

Nagasaki bombing events

Only three days after Enola Gay1 dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the B-29

Bockscar2, carrying Fat Man,3 came close to catastrophe. The second mission was coming

after the first atomic bomb dropped which drop another atomic bomb Fat Man on another

Japanese city Kokura4. But the second mission was not successfully salted. Crew members with

the leader Major Sweeney faced a lot of troubles when they running the second mission.

During the first mission, bombing crew met typhoon near Iwo Jima although typhoon did

not became a obstacle.Unfortunately, the disappearing typhoon came back and the second

mission they could not continue use the most direct route. They had to select another roundabout

route as new rendezvous for meeting. The Yakushima, an island south of Kyushu, become to the

new rendezvous and another problem was coming. Based on the weather issue, crew had to

climb to the bombing altitude of 30,000 feet early which meant fuel consumption would be cost

much more than original plan. The consequence of changing original plan is during the five-hour

flight to the new rendezvous all crew member who navigate three planes would not have any

visual contact.

1
The Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the
pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets, who selected the aircraft while is was still on the assembly line.
2
Bockscar is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped a Fat Man
nuclear weapon over the Japanese city of Nagasaki
3
The second atomic bomb which dropped on Nagasaki
4
First goal for the second atomic bomb
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One of Tibbets group navitor Captain Theodore believe crews capability was the most

important character during this flight. The weather issue would become to a huge obstacle for

long range navigation. Captain Theodore did not have confidence for this mission and their

Major Sweeney believed they would finish the second mission successfully.

There were other two planes in this mission which one was named The Great Artiste5

form 509th Composite Group B-29s and another one was Big Stink6 from group operations

officer. Lt. Col. James Hopkins replaced the usual pilot Norman Ray who was ill at the last

minute. The Great Artiste have been modified to carry the atomic bomb monitoring instruments

which Van Kirk7 called the bang meters.

All the crews checked staff needed for this mission on August 8th. Based on two specific

things which Van Kirks warning and Hopkins was not the regular navigator, Major Sweeney

wanted to discuss more details about how the three ships were going to pull off the Yakushima

rendezvous. Hopkins dislike his Major tell him how to everything step by step. Sweeney give up

teach Hopkins how to done everything, and then he had a discussion with Fred Bock for few

minutes to make sure mission will smoothly finish.

Engine-start time was routine for preflight and Master Sgt. John Kuharek remind that

there are 640 gallons of gasoline in the rear bomb bays fuel bladder which may be inoperative

for this mission. Major Sweeney thought they may not need too much gasoline if their aircraft

not on fire. They already late for their mission and had no more time to waste. They must chose

whether leave immediately or abort the mission.

5
The instrument aircraft
6
The photographic plane
7
the navigator and last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay
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Sweeney and Kuharek run into nose hatch ladder and fired up their engines. Although all

men might insist that the fuel transfer pump was totally inoperable. Fred Ashworth8 speculate the

transfer pump may finish this mission successfully. Based on groups memoir of 509th

Remembered, Sergeant Roderick Arnold knew Bockscars fuel systems intimately and familiar

with the temperamental nature of that particular fuel pump. He believed transfer system would

work operational and full circumstances surrounding fuel pump were not be known before.

At 4:15 a.m. Tinian time which 15 minutes late for the regular schedule, Bockscar finally

took off which followed by the other two planes The Great Artiste and Big Stink. The weather

plane have to departed one hour earlier with reconing the primary target Kokura and secondary

target Nagasaki.

There was a real scared thing for all the crews when they already half way to Yakushima.

A red light flashed on the weapon monitoring system which means the circuit on the Fat Man

was activated. One of ground technician sited two bomb-firing switches in the wrong position.

Barnes switched the two bomb-firing in the right mode and the red flashing light exchanged to

green light.

At 9:10 a.m. Tinian time, Bockscar arrived at Yakushima and ready for its rendezvous

orbit. There were only scheduled 15 minutes for the rendezvous, Sweeney was still orbiting 40

minutes later. Sweeney and Ashworth had a discussion about what to do next when they rest and

reorganization on Yakushima. Sweeney had to give up one photo plane if he want to finish a

perfect mission. Ashworth command Sweeney continue orbiting and concerned about their fuel

supply with high burn rate would be a problem which compound those trapped 640 gallons.

Sweeney felt irritable after Ashworths command and after 45 minutes circling Yakushima they

leave to new rendezvous. Sweeney and Hopkins blamed each other for the missed rendezvous
8
The missions weaponeer, U.S. Navy Commander
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which they could not actually see the other aircraft. They did not understand why not three

planes fly together and they could avoid the trouble.

Around the same time Bockscar also arrived above Kokura, Big Stink get the same

confusion which the attitude to drop the atomic bomb surrounding with clouds. These two planes

could not see clearly without the weather plane. Van Kirk told us that fly up together was not the

way the 509th Composite Group operated on Tinian and they did not practice fly up together.

Another mistake was coming, Hopkins broke radio silence, querying Tinian, Has

Sweeney aborted?. With the long- range radio transmissions, his message was readed as

Sweeney has aborted. Hopkins misinterpreted message resulted in great consternation at

Tinian believed the mission failed or crew lost. The misunderstand transmission resulted recall of

all submarines and Dumbo and Super Dumbo rescue aircraft from their stations off the Japanese

coastlines. There would be no hope anymore when five mission aircraft went down at that point.

At 10:20 a.m., Bockscar stay above Kokura and finding chance to drop atomic bomb.

The bombardier, Captain Kermit Beahan, realized atomic bomb run was in trouble. They could

not see the clear target to drop atomic bomb. Their fuel was not enough to wait anymore which

shows the delay over Yakushima become exceedingly costly.

Sweeney started the bomb run and Beahan searching the accurate aiming point, the

Kokura Arsenal. After few minutes searching the target, Beahan looked out of window with his

bombsight eyepiece and still have no accurate aiming point. finally , they gave up and Sweeney

swung the ship around for a second run with the same result.

Ashworth, Sweeney and Kuharek had another discussion for the aiming problem. The

most critical problem is fuel decrease rapidly. They waste too much fuel when they climb to the
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high enough attitude to drop the atomic bomb and wait too long at the rendezvous point above

Kokura. Bockscar had to use those 640 gallons trapped in the rear bomb bay.

At the end, they made a decision change the primary target Kokura to the secondary

target Nagasaki which was 100 miles away. Sweeney asked co-pilot Albury the weather in

Nagasaki and get answer in twenty minutes which Nagasaki has nineth-tenth socked cloud cover.

Olivi9 wrote in his mission log about that time: reducing power to save -wonder if the Pacific

will be cold? Our chances of ditching are -good!!! Bomb MUST be dropped for more reasons

than one.(Harder, Robert O.)

Sweeney and Ashworth decided make a radar-directed bomb run with their eyes.

Although it could convince all the people that may fail drop the most expensive and destructive

weapon on an enemy target and could drop this weapon in ocean for nothing. They had to drop

this 5-ton bomb or they may not survive. Radar are all the hope of them and wish for the best

results.

Bockscar engines switched to the maximum fuel economy to save as much as it can.

Beahan also put the ballistic data in the Norden sight10 to calculate the dropping location.

Sergeant Edward Buckley also had his APQ-13 Radar in a 360-degree scan sweep mode to help

him find the aiming point, Nagasakis eastside shipping docks. He used the single way to

determine the drop location and tell Sweeney with radio. Buckley and navigator Van Pelt try to

collect more data of drift changes to make sure Norden sight get accurate drop point.

Nagasakis docks had a good scope presentation that land and water contrast. Buckley

provide more data of periodic range calls to the target. Beahan entered all the range data into the

Norden sight which replaced the visual sighting angle information(normally provided by the

9
Fred J. Olivi, the co-pilot of the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
10
Equipment help aiming.
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optical instruments rate and displacement know)11. After calculating, the atomic bomb would

release when the sighting angle matched the pre-computed drop angle. Beahan announced over

the intercom with his visual sight on the target. Based on Beahan debrief report read, Spotted

large hole in clouds-picked out race track-good to syn [chronize the Norden crosshairs]

on.(Harder, Robert O.) This report showed the briefed aiming point was not the Nagasaki

shipping dock. However, the main part of Nagasaki still in his bombsight and close enough to

finish their goals. Beahan released this opportunity is the best visually bomb drop point.

Radio operator flipped on the ship-to-ship radio tone to alert The Great Artiste which

release was imminent. Bockscars bombardier drop the Fat Man when the tone stopped at zero

seconds. Beahan hold the Norden release system with taking automatic control of the ships

heading.

Finally, bomb away at 11:01 a.m. Tinian time, August 9th, 1945. The second atomic

bomb Fat Man explode only two miles away from the briefed aiming point. Fat Man explode

successfully but the mission were not finished yet. Crews still need to alive with fuel shortage

and avoid the exploded wave.

Sweeney executed the violent breakaway turn maneuver, and three-quarters of a minute

later the weapon detonated. After few seconds the first and second wave arrived and the second

wave is bigger than first one. The mushroom cloud was the obviously feature of atomic bomb.

Sweeney tried to make a sharp turn and turn on the engines rapidly. And then he sent a report

back to Tinian with radio Nagasaki bombed. Results technically successful. Proceeding to

Okinawa. Fuel problem. (Harder, Robert O.) After fuel used up, the aircraft drop in the ocean

near Okinawa, all the crews swam to the Yontan airfield direction.

11
The horizontal crosshair
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This mission finished successfully, but effect of dropping atomic bomb still expanded

around the world. The Nagasaki city was the obviously suffer which around 86,000 citizens died

and 60 percent building was broken.The damage caused by the atomic bombing in Nagasaki

remains long time, survivors suffering from radiation sequelae such as cancer, leukemia and skin

burns. Another effect is Japans unconditional surrender ended the world war two earlier. The

nagasaki bombing was one of the important event in the world war two. People can not

determine this event whether good or bad. Stand on Japan side, lots of citizens died during this

event and still have nuclear radiation around those two cities. By another hand, American and the

other nations which against the fascism may glad the atomic bomb end the world war earlier and

avoid more death during the war.

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Bibliography

1. Near Disaster over Nagasaki

HARDER, ROBERT O. Aviation History. Sep2015, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p22-31. 10p.

http://xt5bv6dq8y.search.serialssolutions.com/?genre=article&issn=10768858&title=Aviation%2

0History&volume=26&issue=1&date=20150901&atitle=NEAR%20DISASTER%20OVER%20

NAGASAKI.&spage=22&pages=22-

31&sid=EBSCO:Academic%20Search%20Premier&au=HARDER,%20ROBERT%20O.

this article clearly showed the details of Nagasaki bombing, I may select some details or facts

from this article to support my narrative.

2. Patenting the Bomb: Nuclear Weapons, Intellectual Property, and Technological Control

Alex Wellerstein, The History of Science Society, Vol. 99, No. 1 (March 2008), pp. 57-87,

University of Chicago Press

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/587556

This source showed the invention of the atomic bomb and some reason to explore the atomic

bomb.

3. Japan unconditional surrender

Journal: Japan's Unconditional Surrender, Date:08/01/2017, page 1-2

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http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=97d1aeda-d327-41c0-95b1-

c8373d2852eb%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=21212

763&db=aph

This source showed the japan unconditional surrender which was just after the Nagasaki

bombing. These two events have some relationship between each other. some people think the

Nagasaki bombing was one of the main reason for Japan unconditional surrender.

4. 'A Very Pleasant Way to Die': Radiation Effects and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb

against Japan*.

MALLOY, SEAN L., Diplomatic History. Jun2012, Vol. 36 Issue 3, p515-545. 31p.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=18&sid=97d1aeda-d327-41c0-95b1-

c8373d2852eb%40sessionmgr4009

this source define the harmful of atomic bomb and may help me to introduce another point of the

Nagasaki bombing which the against of using the atomic bomb.

5. Was Truman right to drop the bomb?

Nitze, Paul H. Vital Speeches of the Day. 9/15/95, Vol. 61 Issue 23, p722. 3p.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=25&sid=97d1aeda-d327-41c0-95b1-

c8373d2852eb%40sessionmgr4009

This source show the reason of dropping atomic bomb whether it right or not. This source may

help me to conclude nagasaki bombing historical events.

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6. Van Kirk, 93, Last Enola Gay Crewman.

Military History. Jan2015, Vol. 31 Issue 5, p8-8. 1/6p.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.spot.lib.auburn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=e4ec2b4d

-e2cd-47e5-a3ff-69c09f81c03f%40sessionmgr4009